Road Trip - Cars

One of the most important aspects of Road Tripping is to choose and maintain a good, reliable car for your adventures. It's also very important to have a comfortable car, since you'll be driving long distances, and if you're like me, sleeping in the car. Usually bucket seats that can be reclined are the best, as you can just kick the seat back and sleep forever. Gas mileage is also an important factor, since its necessary to work with a budget on long trips. Personally, I prefer the Chrysler 2.2L turbo cars, because they are fairly easy to work on, have good power for passing and city driving, are very comfortable, have nice features like drink holders and electric mirrors, and get pretty good gas mileage. Alas, my poor Shadow felt its final stages of life on a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park during the fall of 1996. So during the Christmas break of 1996, I reworked the transmission and completely rebuilt the engine. Now my car is extremely reliable and fun to drive. You don't have to know the inner workings of the engine in order to Road Trip, but it's important to have a good knowledge of basic maintenance procedures, such as changing the lights, oil, etc. It's also helpful to have a good understanding of the engine in order to troubleshoot common problems when you're 1000 miles from home.

I keep a lot of stuff in my car for Road Trips, and any serious Road Tripper should keep most of these items in his/her car:

• Fuses - in case one blows on the road.
• Heet - or some similar product in case of vapor lock. This is also helpful if you run out of gas. A can of Heet won't get you far, but you might make it to a nearby gas station.
• Tools - Ratchet wrench, socket extensions, 13-15mm sockets, open end/closed end wrenches, crescent wrench, vise grips, pliers, screwdrivers, torx drivers. In case you need to make a repair on the road.
• Various materials - rope, duct tape, etc. Just in case.
• Road flares - You can get these babies at a Total gas station just east of Sterling, Colorado. They will last for 30 minutes, and even burn underwater. I've never used one, but if you needed to alert other drivers of a road hazard, get someone's attention, or just throw it at someone who's pissing you off, it might come in handy.
• Stun gun - 130,000 volts of ass-kicking power. Helps personal security when you're sleeping at a rest stop.
• Toll-change dispenser and toll money - For toll roads.
• Blankets - For sleeping, or if you get stranded in the winter.
• Oil - In case the car becomes low on oil while on a Road Trip
• Dust cloth - to keep the dash clean
• Radar detector - to drive fast without getting a huge fine
• Ice scraper - For the wintertime
• Hose clamps - Most engine failures in professional automobile races are caused by stupid things like broken hose clamps, so these are cheap and handy in case of a failure.
• WD40 - help lubricate the windows, door locks, whatever else.
• Jumper cables - if you kill the battery.
• Paper towels - For drink spills, or while you're eating on the road.
• Umbrella
• QT cup - a huge 52 oz or 64 oz, for cheap soda refills at most gas stations.
• Spare tire, jack - in case of a flat
• Sore throat spray - I bought this a long time ago and it's still in my car. It has come in handy a few times.
• Aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, whatever - In case you get sick.
• Hat - I always wear a hat. My Colorado hat stays in the car, and I wear it on Road Trips.
• Maps - Large maps of the nearby states. Cool states give these away at the rest stops.
• Flashlight - For finding things in the car at night, in case of mechanical trouble at night, or for nighttime exploration.
• Gloves - for driving during the wintertime

This may look like a lot of stuff, but it really doesn't take up much space.

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