Another Little Road Trip

[Texas Jim]

Well, we are off on another little road trip.

Nothing major this time. Not like last time going all the way to northern Montana and then to Washington STate.

Left Fort Worth TX, Friday afternoon.... about 1 pm.

Checked into hotel in Vicksburg MS a little after 7pm.

Only drove 400 miles that day.

I am trying to take it easy this time and not cover so many miles in only a one week vacation.

The car runs GREAT. It is getting better fuel mileage and seems to pull a little better at lower RPM's than it used to.

Fuel mileage before the tune was usually around 21mpg.. this time it is around 22.5 on the road, (driving like I do) and on the few times I have drove at NORMAL speeds.... it is around 24/25 mpg.

On Saturday, we drove around Vicksburg looking at old historic stuff. Then went from Vicksburg MS to Natchez MS and looked at MORE old historic stuff.

We then crossed the Mississippi River on a ferry at St Francisville. The ferry used some sort of laser guidance system, because as we pulled up onto the ferry, my radar detector went nuts. It lit up like a Christmas tree and was saying " LASER... LASER... LASER. I had to turn it off till we got off the ferry.

Then we drove the back roads to down to Baton Rouge. Headed on S from Baton Rouge on Hwy 1, and started looking for a motel. Drove about 75 miles. Surpriseingly, there were none to be found.

Finally at Donaldsonville, took hwy 70 back to I-10 and went to New Orleans and stayed there.

Sunday we headed for Florida... via the old Hwy 90. Stayed off the interstate all the way across Mississippi and most of Alabama.

They have done a remarcable job of rebuilding the coast of Mississippi. A lot of the old 200 year old homes were damaged with some damaged beyond repair.

They have either been repaired VERY NICELY or have been torn down and new ones built in the same style.

It is an absolutely gorgeous drive, especially around Gulfport MS. Mile after mile....right along the beach... the Gulf of maxico on your right and the beautiful homes on your left.

We ended up Sunday night in Fort Walton Beach Florida.

I was kinda, sorta on a pilgrimage. That is not really the right word, but I was stationed at Eglin AFB in 1964 and 1965. Thats right close to Fort Walton Beach.

I wanted to go on the base and see if the places I worked and lived were still there.

I explained to the guards at the gate, what I wanted to do. They were really nice but said that I could not get on the base unless I BELONGED there. I can understand that, but I was pretty disappointed.

As I was going to make a U turn and leave, the guard thanked me for my previous service and snapped to attention and saluted me.

He was a very classy seviceman. I thanked him for his service NOW and without even thinking... saluted him back.

Maybe it was the Cadillac... It was all clean and shiny and looking good.

A little ways east of the base, there is a little wide place in the middle of the road called Choctaw Beach. That was where I rented my FIRST EVER house, in 1964. If I remember right, the rent was 45 or 50 dollars a month. It was kinda high, considering what I made a month, but it was my first home that I had all on my own.

I went looking for it. Finally found it. When I lived there, there was only two streets. Now there are about 25 streets. But I DID find it. The house is gone, and another newer house is there now, but a few of the old original houses were still there that I recognized, so I know it was the right place.

I have NO IDEA WHY I wanted to find it, it was just something I NEEDED to do.

And as Clint Eastwood says.... "A mans gotta do what a mans gotta do."

This has ran way too long.

If anyone want more.... I will add more later.

[JimD]

Sounds like you are enjoying your trip down Memory Lane.

The FL panhandle Gulf coast is one of my favorite places for R & R. I was in FWB last summer for a beach wedding at the Ramada Inn.

Let me suggest you burn the time to visit the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola.

[BodybyFisher]

Enjoyed that Jim, Thanks, be safe

[Bruce Nunnally]

Glad the Cadillac is running so well. Don't worry about running long; I enjoy your posts.

[Texas Jim]

As y'all know that read my posts, I love my DTS. It has been a great automobile and has always performed well.

It is even more fun to drive now that I had the custom tune added to it. It is really hard to actually QUANTIFY any one particular thing that was done to make it better... he worked on it for almost two hours, adjusting different parameters to make it more to my liking.

It is just the overall driving impression of the car now. It is much more responsive and maybe "EAGER" is a somewhat appropriate word. It is ALWAYS READY now. Just touch the gas pedal and it GOES.

It was always fun to drive it, but is so much MORE fun to drive it now. And as an added benefit, on top of everything else, it is getting better gas mileage. Instead of my usual 20 to 21.5, I am getting from 22.4 to 24, depending on speed of course.

Monday I came across the panhandle of Florida, from DeFuniak Springs Fla, to the North end of Lake Pontchartrain Bridge, by New Orleans, thats about 260 miles.... in 3.5 hours. And that included one pit stop for Darling Wife while I got fuel. AND got 22.4 MPG doing it. That 22.4 is the worst mileage I have got on the whole trip but I was running at a pretty good clip, so that is to be expected.

Haven't had many CONTESTS against other cars on the trip. The ones I DID have, turned out to actually be NO CONTESTS. One was a late model Toyota Supra. We were on a 4 lane road, I has passing him, slowly. We were at about 50 mph. There was a sign that my lane was ending. I started to barely increase speed to go ahead and get in front and merge into the other lane. He had different ideas. He stomped it to keep me from getting in front of him. I stepped on the Caddy, and just flew by him without a problem. He was suprised, to say the least.

Another one was a new Toyota Tundra pickup of all things. (Yeah, I know it was a truck...but...) From the badging on the fender, it had the 5.7L, I-Force engine and according to Toyota's website, 385 HP. My DTS is rated at 292hp.

We were on I-10, between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Good clear highway... very little traffic... about 75MPH.

As I started around him he started speeding up, we could see him and his buddies laughing at us. Grandpa and Grandma in the Cadillac. I pulled a couple of car lengths.. then eased off and let him stay beside me till we hit 100. They were still laughing at us. He hit his speed limiter at 100... I had Darling Wife turn in the seat and wave Bye Bye at them. The drivers window was down about 2 inches, I tromped the Cadillac so he could HEAR IT when it downshifted back to 3rd and we left them behind... QUICKLY. They weren't laughing now. But we were.

A couple of others, but they were all non events.

[BodybyFisher]

I Love it! Keep stomping them Grandpa Jim!

[KHE]

Another one was a new Toyota Tundra pickup of all things. (Yeah, I know it was a truck...but...) From the badging on the fender, it had the 5.7L, I-Force engine and according to Toyota's website, 385 HP. My DTS is rated at 292hp.

We were on I-10, between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Good clear highway... very little traffic... about 75MPH.

As I started around him he started speeding up, we could see him and his buddies laughing at us. Grandpa and Grandma in the Cadillac. I pulled a couple of car lengths.. then eased off and let him stay beside me till we hit 100. They were still laughing at us. He hit his speed limiter at 100... I had Darling Wife turn in the seat and wave Bye Bye at them. The drivers window was down about 2 inches, I tromped the Cadillac so he could HEAR IT when it downshifted back to 3rd and we left them behind... QUICKLY. They weren't laughing now. But we were.

A couple of others, but they were all non events.

I love it! I wonder what the punk driver said to his buddies when your Cadillac waxed his a$$?????

Last summer, I was on my way home from work when some punk in his riceburner equipped with coffee can exhaust, numerous stickers and a home-made spoiler stopped next to me at a traffic light. I was in my Fleetwood Brougham and the punk started revving up his engine. I refused to look at him... but could see he was looking at me to see if I was noticing his POS... the light turned green and I left him behind by several bus lengths.

BTW, log on to Ford's website and watch the video that shows the 2009 F-150 against its competitors - the Toyota is a big POS - the frame is not a full boxed frame and on the proving ground track, it almost looks like it is going to fall apart... Toyota may be the news media's darling but they don't have me fooled.

[Texas Jim]

Here is a picture...

Of the DTS with the Air Force Blackbird in the background.

[Texas Jim]

I love it! I wonder what the punk driver said to his buddies when your Cadillac waxed his a$?????

Last summer, I was on my way home from work when some punk in his riceburner equipped with coffee can exhaust, numerous stickers and a home-made spoiler stopped next to me at a traffic light. I was in my Fleetwood Brougham and the punk started revving up his engine. I refused to look at him... but could see he was looking at me to see if I was noticing his POS... the light turned green and I left him behind by several bus lengths.

I wonder jus WHEN Cadillacs got the reputation for being so SLOW.

They used to be known as pretty fast cars that would not only GOFAST but would last for a long, long time.

When did it change? The mid 80's ??? when they downsized them? Or the early 70's when they cut the power way back?

I had a 1980 Sedan deVille that was reasonably fast.

I also had a 1984 Fleetwood Brougham de'Elegance that was NOT fast.... by any stretch of the imagination.

The 2006 DTS is not a race car... but it is fairly quick, considering it is a big heavy car.

10.0 to 10.2 at the 1/8 mile drag strip.

[lothos]

Texas Jim, that is one kick *smurf* picture!

[Texas Jim]

Texas Jim, that is one kick *smurf* picture!

To paraphrase Elvis....

Thank you. Thank you very much.

I wish the sun had been out.

The White Lightning on the Caddy and the Blackbird would both have shown up better.

The background is too dark. May have to play with it in Photoshop.

Try to adjust the background where everything shows up better.

[KHE]

I love it! I wonder what the punk driver said to his buddies when your Cadillac waxed his a$?????

Last summer, I was on my way home from work when some punk in his riceburner equipped with coffee can exhaust, numerous stickers and a home-made spoiler stopped next to me at a traffic light. I was in my Fleetwood Brougham and the punk started revving up his engine. I refused to look at him... but could see he was looking at me to see if I was noticing his POS... the light turned green and I left him behind by several bus lengths.

I wonder jus WHEN Cadillacs got the reputation for being so SLOW.

They used to be known as pretty fast cars that would not only GOFAST but would last for a long, long time.

When did it change? The mid 80's ??? when they downsized them? Or the early 70's when they cut the power way back?

I had a 1980 Sedan deVille that was reasonably fast.

I also had a 1984 Fleetwood Brougham de'Elegance that was NOT fast.... by any stretch of the imagination.

The 2006 DTS is not a race car... but it is fairly quick, considering it is a big heavy car.

10.0 to 10.2 at the 1/8 mile drag strip.

My guess is from the early 1980s when they had to reduce the power to meet the mileage standards. Old perceptions take a long time to fade away. Most everyone I work with has the preconceived notion that Cadillacs are gas guzzlers that only get 10 mpg...

[Texas Jim]

My guess is from the early 1980s when they had to reduce the power to meet the mileage standards. Old perceptions take a long time to fade away. Most everyone I work with has the preconceived notion that Cadillacs are gas guzzlers that only get 10 mpg...

Yeah, you are probably right. HP took a big nose dive all thru the 70's and 80's.

But it is back up now... thank goodness. I like HP.

The majority of people that I talk to have the same idea. 10 mpg gas guzzlers.

When you try to tell them that the Cadillac fuel mileage is not much worse then their little sardine can.. they don't believe you and sometimes get a little offended.

[BodybyFisher]

I learned to drive on the 59, 62, 64 and 65 Caddies, they were very fast, especially the 65 with the 429 but you are right about 73 they started losing HP only to begin catching up in the early 90's

[KHE]

My guess is from the early 1980s when they had to reduce the power to meet the mileage standards. Old perceptions take a long time to fade away. Most everyone I work with has the preconceived notion that Cadillacs are gas guzzlers that only get 10 mpg...

Yeah, you are probably right. HP took a big nose dive all thru the 70's and 80's.

But it is back up now... thank goodness. I like HP.

The majority of people that I talk to have the same idea. 10 mpg gas guzzlers.

When you try to tell them that the Cadillac fuel mileage is not much worse then their little sardine can.. they don't believe you and sometimes get a little offended.

People always want to doubt and argue Cadillac fuel economy with me... They always bring up the "gas guzzler" comment to which I reply, "When was the last time YOU actually drove a Cadillac". The usual response is they never have... or about 40 years ago...

[BodybyFisher]

I hear the same gas guzzler statement all the time. Recently I have responded that most of my driving is highway driving and I get 24 even more at 55 if I want to drive slowly. I also note that this is a free country and that if I want to drive a big car that is my decision. Yesterday, I pulled up to the side of a "SMART" car, if I hit it, I would have hit the FRONT and REAR at the same time, its just about as wide as my car. Consider for a moment what would happen to the occupants of the "SMART" car if it were hit broadside by a DEVILLE or SUV.... I wouldn't want to see it.

I like the SR-71 Cadillac photo Jim. In NYC they have an SR-71 on the deck of the Intrepid Carrier Air and Sea Museum, I love that jet.

It went from the West coast to the East coast of the US in 1 hour 7 minutes, just a little faster than Texas Jim did it!

http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/srrcd~1.htm

[Texas Jim]

I like the SR-71 Cadillac photo Jim. In NYC they have an SR-71 on the deck of the Intrepid Carrier Air and Sea Museum, I love that jet.

It went from the West coast to the East coast of the US in 1 hour 7 minutes, just a little faster than Texas Jim did it!

http://www.wvi.com/~sr71webmaster/srrcd~1.htm

Yeah, but he has an advantage over me.

He has TWO engines... I only have one.