As some of you may know, I am a taker of long drives in both my Elan and Seven, Since the Seven is now in the hands of my able son as her steward, I am thinking of another long drive in my Elan as sort of the swan song of my Lotus life…sort of going out with a bang as it were.
Since I have driven from Colorado to the east coast and back, to the source and terminus of the Mississippi and back home and all along the Gulf coast to Sebring FL and home already, it seems fitting to consider something bigger. After circumnavigating England, Wales and Scotland (including the North Coast 500) and touching both Lands End and John O’Groats with my gracious LOUTS hosts, it has occurred to me that a similar tour of the United States may be in order. I have begun planning with the hope that I can get a meaningful route nailed down that will allow me to have a spring 2021 departure. While I believe that fall weather would be more congenial than that in the spring, I simply don’t have enough time to put all the arrangements in place nor for my further hope that some of you on this forum will join me for a segment of the drive or a meal or a beer along the way. If you express an interest and are somewhere near the planned route (which can certainly be adjusted if it makes sense) I will make sure you have advance notice of my arrival time and date as planned and updates as plans change.
So…here is the plan:
Starting from my home in Colorado, I will touch eight points on the map including the four furthest points in the Contiguous USA which are reachable by public road:
• Cape Flattery WA, the most Northwest point in the contiguous United States
• Madawaska, ME, the most Northeast point in the contiguous United States
• Card Sound, FL, the most Southeast point in the contiguous United States
• International Friendship Park, CA the most Southwest point in the contiguous United States
• The highest elevation town in the USA, Alma, CO at 10,578 feet above sea level
• The lowest town in the USA, Furnace Creek, CA at 190 feet below sea level
• The geographic center of the 50 States near Belle Fourche, SD
• The geographic center of the 48 contiguous States near Lebanon, KS
This will be done in a 1965 Lotus Elan S2 driven by a 76 year old driver avoiding all Interstate highways as much as possible. The combined age of the car and driver is 131 years. The distance traveled will be over 11,000 miles and will cross the geographic center two times in traversing the country…a real “Cross Country Drive.”
The purpose of the trip, in addition to the joy of exploring the country, will be to raise funds for the Roundup River Ranch, a medically-supported camp for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. At camp, the children can just feel incredible, no matter what illness they’re battling. The focus is on fun, not their conditions. Most importantly, they are given an experience that energizes their spirits, allowing them to simply enjoy the fun, games, and joys of childhood – all free to campers and their families.
My hope is to get contributions from as many as possible on a cents per mile basis: $.01/mile would be $110.00, and so on. Perhaps one can only contribute ¼ cent per mile, or would like to do $ .10 per mile, or even more. Any contribution would be welcome…it’s for the kids after all.
Here is a link to the proposed route: https://goo.gl/maps/rWcQ5PbL9i1iWZgp8 I welcome your thoughts.