1st big trip in the Prime

I set them at 40/38. Seems pretty comfortable and quiet there. Nothing really to be gained by going up to the 40/42 I used for the PiP.

Yesterday turned out to be all that they forecast. There was one stretch where it poured for over an hour. I had my foot in it so hard that the HSI was in the power region and I was getting 30-40 mpg just to go 60 mph on level ground. I'd guess a solid 1-2" of water on the Interstate. Also a very long backup for a semi that was so jack knifed that the cab was crushed a third of the way into the side of the trailer. The DRCC was very nice there except that we were following another semi and the car kept losing sight of the trailer. Probably because I had the distance set to one bar and was close enough that it was looking under the rig.

Trip miles yesterday were 474 with 51.8 mpg showing on the display. It rained almost all the way, which hurt, plus the speeds, plus the two people and completely filled car. After supper, I ran an errand that raised the total miles yesterday to 518 and the mpg to 52.6. Speeds were mostly 60-65 with just me and a little of the luggage still in the back. I got 64 mpg going out and 62 coming back. So, the weight and the 5-10 mph make a huge difference! Today is family day and tomorrow we head west again.

Edit to add:
Some observations I forgot to include:

• Seats -- much more comfortable than the PiP or the Gen 2. Nice to end an all day drive with my tailbone not on fire.
• Noise -- most of the pavement was coarse asphalt over the 1st 2 days. Wife said it was loud, but it seemed a lot less loud than similar pavement in the PiP when I drove it to North Carolina.
• DRCC -- way nicer to use out on the open road than in town. But you have to pay attention as you approach a slower vehicle because it will match speed and before you know it, you're going 5 under rather than passing. But I did find one semi who was going almost exactly the speed I wanted to go. I tucked in behind him with it set at 2 bars and drove along at 69 mph getting about 60+ mph oops mpg for a half hour. I need more of that stuff!! But pay attention. I did have to dodge some flying tire chunks that he ran over one time.

 

I've been doing that almost since day one, but thanks anyway. There are probably many who haven't discovered this yet.

That's the set speed, not the "stay on" speed. I don't set DRCC till I'm at highway speed anyway, but it will stay on right down to zero and then a message will pop us that says "Waiting," or something like that. If the stop is brief enough (under a second) it will resume on its own. Otherwise, hit "Resume," and away you go again. I did that several times in yesterday's big traffic jam. The car drove along following that truck at 4-7 mph for a long long time. Almost relaxing!

 

Tomorrow's drive is from Montgomery, TX to Van Horn TX and then on to AZ the next day. Tomorrow will be our longest day so far. 600 miles according to Google Maps.


The view from my wife's sister's drive.


Prime getting ready for tomorrow's adventures.


And our anticipated route.

 

We've been to the Alamo and the River Walk. They were both great and I'd love to do it again. But no time for that this time. It'll be a long enough day as it is. We're planning to see some stuff this trip that we've not seen before. Tombstone some other places in southeast AZ and then maybe Mesa Verde. And if the weather is good, I want my wife to see Grand Mesa in CO. I experienced that road on my motorcycle many years ago and it was breathtaking. I'd love to see it again and especially for my wife to get to see it.

Well, breakfast is in my belly, most of the stuff is in the car, and departure is in 15 minutes. Gotta finish getting ready.

 

Well, here we are in Van Horn! No storms but we did have the obligatory wreck induced traffic jam today. Three for three so far on travel days. When will these yay hoos learn to drive?! Just a brief shower to get some of the bugs off the windshield, so that was nice. I estimate that we killed around 4.7 billion bugs and exactly one bird. Had to get the feathers out of the grill, the hood latch and that area, but otherwise the Prime was unfazed.

We came close to reaching 4,500 feet in elevation. Net elevation gain was about 3,800 feet and the car says we got 52.2 mpg wile traveling 597.5 miles. Pretty close to Google's predicted distance. Speed limits were 75-80, but I think that's crazy. Most of the time, I had the cruise set to 70. And I wasn't alone, although one nut passed us in a mini van going at least 100 mph. Generally, though, drivers here seem a lot more laid back than in FL.

I gotta say, there ain't much to see or do here in Van Horn (population about 2,000). Most businesses in town look folded up. All the activity is along the frontage road by I-10. Not a big surprise, I guess. And once again, no place to plug in. So, the Prime will just sit and look pretty in spite of the coating of bugs.


Improving the scenery in this 4,000 foot high desert. Actually, I love the desert.


B-1-R-D, aka, Bird. No damage to the car. The bird? I'm guessing it's totaled. Not sure what it was. Maybe a small hawk.


It probably no longer has the guts to get in front of my car again.

 

Yesterday was a short day. Just 401.7 miles with about a 1,200 foot net elevation gain and ferocious head winds and cross winds. In fact, when we stopped for a rest break just before leaving NM, I nearly couldn't hold the car door open to get out. Will the wind ever be going our way? (Rhetorical question; of course it won't!!) Still somehow managed to squeeze out 51.5 mpg indicated for the day without getting to plug in. Because of the angle of the wind, it seemed like we got worse mileage when drafting semis than just bulling our way through at 68-70 mph.

We'll be staying here in Pierce, AZ through Friday with family and seeing the local sights. We started out by getting adopted by my sister's two dogs, Shooter and Target while we hung out in front of their store yesterday afternoon. Once you know that the store is a gun store the dogs' names will come into context. LOL!! Just a fun afternoon getting to meet some more of their friends.