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7500+ Mile Roadtrip in Prius about to begin

Discussion in 'Local Clubs, Events, and Road Trips' started by 102605, Jun 29, 2011.

  1. seether166

    seether166 New Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Syracuse, NY (USA)
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    102605: Digging the pictures from your trip! I can't wait to get our 2011 Prius...if the dealer can ever find one.
     
  2. 102605

    102605 Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Up and over the mountains I go. Trail Ridge Road was AWESOME! Of course, the Prius handled it great as well.

    Onto Utah, Arizona, Nevada then back home! I can't believe this is ending soon.
     

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  3. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    2010 Prius
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    I you do a dityourself car wash, Soak you car down a few minutes before you go through the car wash. The pre-softening makes them come off easier. A wet rag and water helps, a spray bottle with car wash and water mixed like you were going to wash your car is better.

    A friend calls it "reconstituting bugs".
     
  4. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    I'm holding back on listing plenty of sites and sights you shouldn't miss along the way, simply because your trip is ending too soon. But your photos bring back many good memories of past road trips, several of them with this Prius.
     
  5. 102605

    102605 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2010
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    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I guess all good things must eventually come to an end! My trip has concluded.

    45.5 MPG, 9025 miles. I really overshot on the mileage due to additional transport around Chicago to see family and friends. Plus all of the extra driving around the National Parks. I must also point out that I was not trying to get crazy good hyper-mile type MPG. 4500+ of these miles also included the hitch, cargo rack and some extra weight.

    In all I hit:
    Grand Canyon NP
    Great Sand Dunes NP
    Mesa Verde NP (I tried to throw this in as an extra but I only drove in and turned around because I learned that it was 1+ hour to get anywhere to see anything.)
    Florida Keys (drove to Marathon but not Key West. This was not in the original plan)
    Mammoth Cave NP (we went through Kentucky and up I-65 on the way back from Florida. This was also a reroute)
    Badlands NP
    Mount Rushmore
    Crazy Horse (added)
    Rocky Mountain NP and up and through Trail Ridge Road
    Bryce Canyon NP
    Zion NP
    Las Vegas
    San Diego (home!)

    Here are a few more pics:
     

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  6. olyprius

    olyprius Member

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    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Wow, that was one heck of a trip! :car:

    Thinking back, if you were to do it all over again, what comfort advice could you give us soon to be long distance travelers? First aid kit? Spare passenger pillows to stuff in the corners?

    Looks like your Prius ran the marathon like a champ! Congrats! :thumb:
     
  7. 102605

    102605 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2010
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    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I would have to say a few things. I did use the first aid kit a few times so that would be a good idea to have in the car. There are lots of places to store things with easy access. The area under the front seats are a good example of this.

    I actually did 95% of the driving on this trip so I didn't sleep much in the car. My wife didn't really even use a pillow when she dozed off a few times. Using some of those nice travel pillows that they sell at airports might be a good idea. I had some camping pillows with me that roll into a bag but nobody used them.

    I've gotta say that the comfort in the Prius for the driver was pretty good. After all of those hours driving, I still wasn't sick of driving or uncomfortable in the seat. Of course, I did have many prolonged stays throughout the trip. Most of the driving was done in large chunks.

    I was able to make it through an entire gas tank a few times without stopping. I thought this was quite the accomplishment for a Prius :D

    Otherwise, I don't really have many special tips that only apply to the Prius. It was a great ride and it handled the trip like a champ.