When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
We recently took a 5785 mile road trip in our 2010 Vette convertible. We went from St. Louis to Minneapolis to visit my wife’s brother, then up to Grand Forks ND to pick up Hwy 2 which goes across ND, Montana, Idaho, and Washington.
In western ND we ran through the shale oil fields around Williston, and were amazed at the number of oil wells in the area. Then through Montana, which like ND, is wheat country.
We planned on entering Glacier National Park on the east side and taking the “Going to the Sun Road across the park, but were stopped by a forest fire on the east side. So we drove around the park and entered on the west side and were able to drive about half way in, then had to turn around and back out. Great views.
We crossed the Cascade Range, to Seattle where we visited our daughter’s family. When we left we took the back roads down to Mt. Rainier National Park.
From there we went to Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. This was via Forest road NF25, a super twisty, narrow, barely two lane road, with so many frost heaves, and dips that the front spoiler hit the ground about 100 times. The speed limit was 35 or 40 which is too fast for the road conditions.
Around Mt. St. Helens, all the trees are blown down for 10-20 miles around. The only trees still standing are those that have grown up since the eruption in 1980. When Mt. St. Helens blew, it filled the adjacent valley.
Next stop was Crater Lake NP in Oregon. It was very smoky due to forest fires, so the pictures were not very good, but it’s a beautiful place.
We finally got on I-5 in Medford OR, which we took down to Manteca CA, where we visited friends. Up until this point we were not on interstates, just two lane roads in general, and of course we had the top down except early in the morning when it was too cool for my wife.
When we left CA, we crossed the Sierra Nevada Range on 108, then headed north to catch Hwy 50 east of Tahoe. Hwy 50 is wonderful, long straight stretches then some twisties as you cross a small mountain range then repeat over and over.
We went to Bonneville Salt Flats, but didn’t drive on the salt because it was wet, and I was concerned I might get stuck in the vette. It was so smoky there we could hardly see the mountains just a couple miles away.
We headed across Utah and Colorado on Hwy 40 to Rocky Mountain National Park. Then from there a couple days back to St. Louis.
5785 miles, 222.9 gallons, for an average of 26 mpg. This was our 4th trip to Seattle and CA, each one by a different route out and back, all of them with the top down and most all of it on two lane roads, the best way to see America. See the USA in your Chevrolet.
The next morning after we got home, I took the car to the DIY car wash about 2 miles from my house to get the bulk of the road grime off. As I pulled up to the vacuum, the clutch peadal stuck to the floor. The master cylinder died. I am so glad it didn't happen a couple days prior, when we were at 12000 feet in Rocky Mountain NP.
I called AAA, had it towed to my dealer, and it was fixed for free under my extended warranty that I purchased from Ken Fichtner here on the Forum. All's well that ends well.
Sounds like a great trip. Lots of varied scenery. Nice job with pictures and descriptions. Corvette road trips are so fun. Just a year ago, we took a trip west, out through Colorado, Utah, Nevada, into CA, down the Coast Hwy, came back through AZ, Colorado, then home, 5900 miles, smilin' miles!
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20-'21-'22-'23-'24
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Thanks for sharing your trip with us, specially the pictures were great to look at, and glad you had safe trip.
Sorry to hear of the break down, you got luck to breakdown at home.
Thanks for sharing your trip with us, specially the pictures were great to look at, and glad you had safe trip.
Sorry to hear of the break down, you got luck to breakdown at home.
Yes I was lucky. The manual says to change the clutch fluid every two years, it had been more than two years since I did the ranger method. I'll do it more often in the future.
My late wife and I did a 5,250 mile trip in 2009 in our convertible (see photo below). We went from the S.F. Bay Area to Las Vegas NV and then on to Birmingham AL by way of Holbrook AZ, Santa Rosa NM and Shreveport LA. We spent a week at the Mustang Club of America's 45th Anniversary celebration at Barber Motorsport Park in Birmingham AL and then headed home via St. Charles MO, Omaha NB, Denver CO and Wendover UT at the Salt Flats. This was in mid April and we were caught in two snow storms (one minor one outbound just west of Flagstaff AZ and one real deal snow storm between Battle Mountain NV and Reno NV coming home) and a rock and gravel storm east of Rawlins WY generated by down bursts that cost my paint job, windshield, stainless trim, etc. I wish I had beautiful photos of the trip like the ones you took, but I was too busy driving and battling the weather. Great memories though. Your wife is a real sport. Mine wouldn't tolerate the top down.
BTW, some great photos of some of the major volcanic features of the Pacific Northwest. I went through Basic Training at Ft. Lewis WA and actually didn't see Rainier for the first two weeks I was there. The weather in that part of Washington was pretty bad that year and I remember walking out of the barracks one morning and there was this huge mountain that hadn't been there before. Majestic sight.
Great trip with great pictures. We're leaving next week for another Route 66 journey. And like you and your better half, the top will be down unless it's to cool for my Wifey.
Nice trip, beautiful pictures. When I retired last July 31, I took off on a 6K plus road trip from Lake Worth, FL to California to visit a bunch of car events including Monterey Speed Week culminating with the Pebble Beach Concurs ten on to San Fran then Seattle to visit the Boeing Plant. Then the drive back through Denver and Dallas Fort Worth. The first time I put all those locations into one trip. Visited every car and airplane museum I could find.
Great Pics
It sounds and looks like you had a wonderful trip in one of the best cruising road trip cars around.
We have had a few trips of that length, and they were thoroughly enjoyed.
We only took a few short trips this summer. Golf has been the focus thus far.
We are planning an autumn voyage before we lay up the car for the winter hibernation.
Nice trip, beautiful pictures. When I retired last July 31, I took off on a 6K plus road trip from Lake Worth, FL to California to visit a bunch of car events including Monterey Speed Week culminating with the Pebble Beach Concurs ten on to San Fran then Seattle to visit the Boeing Plant. Then the drive back through Denver and Dallas Fort Worth. The first time I put all those locations into one trip. Visited every car and airplane museum I could find.
Great trip. I did the Monterey , Vintage races and the Concours D'elegance a few years ago, as well as the car museums in Las Vegas and LA.. a Bucket List item crossed off.
Fantastic trip and pictures !! You are a lucky man that your wife would travel the distance with you in the Vette, mine would never even consider the ride. Last time I was in that area was almost 50 years ago driving something vastly different - a 1956 Chevy Panel truck camper. NO cell phone camera for pics though.
Great trip and pics. I bought my victory red 05 vert at the end of May with the express purpose of using it as my touring car. I wondered if I might be nuts, but my first trip from NH to AS and MO in June was great even though it was a bit rushed due to commitments back home.
My next trip is coming up soon with a drive down the coast to catch the NASCAR races at Talledega and Martinsville with a mandatory visit to the National Corvetter Museum and a VIP tour of the factory squeezed in the middle of the races as well as a visit to Nashville and a stop at the Ryman Audditorium for a show of the classic stars from the Grand Ol' Oprey.
I'm also dropping in on friends and family in VA, SC and GA and finish off the trip with a week at Disney World with my Daughter and her husband my two grandsons.
I haven't figured out the total mileage yet but figure it could come close to 4K+ spread over about a month of travelling. I can't wait to get on the road.
When I get done, the vert will be readied for a long a long winter's nap with probably less than 25K on the odometer; ready to start travelling next spring. : )
Nice pics! I just returned from a 2,200 mile round trip up and down the coast of NorCal, OR and WA in my vert. Top down all but two hours. Great ride! Took it on a multi state trip a couple years back too. Great touring car! Plan on making a trip to Bowling Green and then Cleveland for the R&R Hall of Fame induction ceremony and a museum visit next April. The return trip will be similar to yours, across 'the top' to Glacier NP. The GTTSR will be closed that early but the area is so nice I'm going anyway.
Dinah Shore was right () and since you stayed off the Interstates, you got to see the best of it. I'm hoping for the US Rt 2 experience next year and your great pics are making me drool.
Yes I agree, about Rt 50 through NV. It looks like you were in almost the same exact spot, since this pic in 2010. So did you get a bit of a gallop going on?
09-05-2015, 12:19 PM
5785 mile road trip in our C6 convertible
Thanks for sharing your trip with us, specially the pictures were great to look at, and glad you had safe trip.
) and since you stayed off the Interstates, you got to see the best of it. I'm hoping for the US Rt 2 experience next year and your great pics are making me drool.
