@Steve224 and Leafeater- WOW, those roads look gorgeous. Great links!

The Blue Ridge parkway hardly adds a few hours to the trip, and after taking a look at some of the Street View shots of it, I think its worth it.

The Skyway is simply stunning, but... a bit off course. I am looking to make this trip a little longer then originally planned anyway, so I might be able to work it in but even if I don't, its definitely going on my list for our vacation next summer.

@RedSun: Actually, for our next vacation/anniversary thing we are looking to do some of the great National Parks so- not this time, but quite possibly next year! And that is an amazing picture. New wallpaper!

I'm thinking about blogging/vlogging the adventure. Would anyone here be interested in that?

 

Sure. But to be fair your wife should have her own blog/vlog going. And then let us judge.

If you want to really annoy her, schedule a stop in Race City USA (just north of Charlotte). OK it's kinda lame unless you like looking at sleeping race cars.

 

We bought the Fit for road trips and have spent about 30,000 miles traveling around the country in it. I started a couple threads about traveling by Fit. I've napped in the car, but never spent the night (and don't think I'd like it much).

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/gene...-any-tips.html

That's a link to my trip to Boston and Maine--up to Acadia National Park.

Recently, we took a trip to Memphis for a blues and Graceland fix:

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/gene...g-memphis.html

Most Fit reviews talk about the Fit as a good city car or a car that will haul a lot of stuff over short distances. I like it because I figure that I can save enough on fuel compared to my Acura TL to pay for a decent hotel room (Hotwire.com: Discount airfare, hotel reservations, car rentals, vacation packages and cruises).

Here is something to think about: The view out of the Fit is panoramic. The sun coming in, even in late fall and winter, can be bothersome. For $4 at K-Mart you can get two mesh screens that you can put in your window that will help screen the sunshine. It adds up to a little more relaxing time early in the morning or late in the day.

We're always looking to head out over the horizon in the Fit. Going to Peoria on Sunday. Not as exciting as Florida.

Cheers.

 

Great info SportMTNavi! Those posts you made about your previous road trips have got me inspired again and antsy for my road trip this fall.

Aside from our trim and transmission, we seem to both be on the same page when it comes to our Fits. I wanted something good on gas so I could justify it for the short commutes to work, yes- but what I really wanted was a car that we could take to see this great bit country on a decent budget and still be comfortable in. I'm so glad to see you've proven the waters ahead of me.

I have two questions regarding your recent adventures:

1. You posted your average MPG for your trips in both threads, which were quite respectable. I know MTs are known for slightly better fuel economy then manuals anyways, but I was curious if you paid special attention to driving for FE or if you drove it pretty much with traffic.

2. These mesh screens you mention intrigue me. Do they go on just the side windows or the back too, and how to they affect visibility? If I was to ask for one in a store, what would I call them?

If you have any pictures up of the shades installed somewhere, or any other part of your setup for the roadtrips for that matter, I'd definitely be interested in seeing them. Thanks again for the great response!

 

Thanks for the comments on my posts.

I never pay attention to fuel economy. I just go with the flow. I think you'll do a little better with the automatic than I do with the manual. At highway speeds your engine will be running at lower RPMs than the manual.

I got these sunshades (I guess that's what you call them) at K-Mart for $3.99. They come in a pack of two in a little pouch. Here are pix. I'm sure you can get something like them anywhere. As you can see they don't really restrict visibility at all, but do cut down on the light getting through. You do have to move them around, but if you are on a long cruise down a straight highway it's no problem.




This is how they are stored. The pouch easily fits in the door pocket. I guess you could use one in front and one in back if you needed to.



In case it's not evident, you put these up with suction cups and store them when you don't need them.

Sounds like you're planning a great trip. One of our sons spent seven years in grad school at FSU so we had the chance to explore northern Florida quite a bit--some of the best beaches in the world.

A completely unique experience (probably off your route, though) is Wakulla Springs State Park. For $4 apiece we rode a boat and watched the gators and snakes and beautiful birds the like of which we never saw before. Tarzan movies were filmed there in the 30s.

Have fun! We're trying to figure out where to go the next time I can get away from work for a while.

Cheers.

 

In Florida right now, it's too hot/humid to sleep in the car unless you roll windows down, and even then, it's pretty muggy. With windows up, I couldn't sleep more than about 2 hours before I was awakened covered in sweat with the car feeling like a sauna.

Check out the state parks in Florida. Ichetucknee is beautiful. Ginnie is nice because they have electrical camping spots, but at $22/person plus a $7/electric site, you could stay in a hotel. During the summer, it's a big party spot. In the Fall, it's beautiful, though. The prices are high but the owner is actually a pretty nice guy. Another great place to camp is Manatee State Park, but it's on the gulf coast, about 45 minutes west of Gainesville. I believe they also have electrical spots, but you should call and see about making a reservation, popular place, I think it's full a lot.

If you come all the way to Titusville might as well take another two days and drive to the Everglades, if you've never been before. Florida City I believe is the town I've stayed in a few times there, and it's a real nice, laid back place. Take an airboat tour or something, then head back.

 

Hello everybody,

Just though'd I'd pop in for a quick from the road update. I wish I could have been on the forums more, but this trip has certainly been a learning experience for me.

We ended up taking almost all of the route advice on the forum except the Skyway- just wasn't close enough to our route. We also added a first stop in Philadelphia (which was a blast). The Blue Ridge Parkway was all the fun you guys said it was, thank you much for the recommendation!

I have been video blogging from the trip as I had hoped to, but editing and uploading has taken a good deal longer then I had hoped it would, so the episodes are behind where I actually am, which is already on the return voyage.

Here is the link to the first two episodes:
YouTube - Fabled Travels Episode 1
YouTube - Fabled Travels- Episode 2

Episode 2 has some good footage from the Parkway. Thanks Steve244 for the google map link on this, big part of the trip as you'll see.

Thanks again for all your help- any constructive criticism is welcome. I know my narration needs work, especially in episode 1- but I was recording that while my wife was trying to sleep!


Hopefully I'll be able to finish and upload episode 3 today.

Have a good one,
ZedFable

 

Hey ZedFable--

Thanks for sharing your video of your trip. That sure is beautiful country and more so through the big windshield.

What have you learned about travel by Fit? How did you discover that great B&B in episode 2?

I hope you'll keep adding videos. I like to post pics, but your videos really give a great sense of what travel is like. Thanks for taking the time to put these together.

Cheers.

 

awesome love the video's, I just got from a road trip myself..

Day1: drove from Tampa FL to Savannah GA, and boon-docked in the Fit in some hospital parking lot in Savannah.

Day2: drove from Savannah GA to Congaree National Park in South Carolina. Then I ate at a restaurant in Columbia SC. Then I drove to Charlotte NC to p/u my friend from the airport, then we drove to Asheville NC to eat dinner and go shopping. Then we drove up the Blue ridge parkway and found a primitive campsite off some dirt road and set up camp.

Day3: drove to the ranger station at Mt Mitchell State Park, and hiked to the summit. Then we drove to Asheville for lunch and to walk around. Then we drove to the Great Smoky Mtn national park, set up camp and did some short hikes had a fire etc..

Day4: we hiked up Mt LeConte from the rainbow falls trail.. was about a 10hr 15mi hike, approx 4000' elevation gain. Then we drove through Gatlinburg TN back to our campsite, had dinner & fire..

Day5: hiked to charlies bunion from Newfound gap, then hiked down to Kephart shelter and back to NF gap about another 15mi hike. then we went to Sylva NC for dinner. then we drove to Marietta GA and crashed at the classy motel6.

Day6: went to a neat coffee shop for breakfast then to trader joes, and then dropped my friend off at the airport in Atlanta so he could fly back to NH And then i hit the road back to Tampa.

had an awesome trip, the Fit is a great road-trip companion!

 

Great post!

You guys are really making me want to hit the road.

Cheers.

 

do it!! if I wish I could road trip as a job.

 

We did 400 Fit miles yesterday. Great trip.

Now--back to work tomorrow.

Cheers.

 

Thank you for the encouragement SportMTNavi!

Hmm...

1. Though it may put up a front in full automatic mode, if you spend some quality time with your Fit, (in my case, with the paddle shifters) you'll learn it can still accelerate quite adequately when fully loaded and will actually keep up with a lead foot. This is really useful when you're dealing with hours of straight highway where the POSTED speed limit is 70MPH, but most people are pushing 80+.

2. The sheer usability of the interior is something that you discover quickly at first, but begin to more fully appreciate on long trips like this. All of the little nooks and cranies- right behind the electric window controls, the cup holders, the hollowed out nook on the passenger side, the coin slots next to the handbrake- all of these become your right arm when you are on the road for 700 miles a day and carrying a small armada of gadgets and doodads.

I started with the google map link Steve244 gave me and started plotting B&B's I found online on it that were in the same area. I checked out their website (if they had one) as well as any outside tourist info on the web. This one came highly recommended, and there web site was legible enough to use. That place was so densely rich with history and culture it was ridiculous. Mickey the owner was every bit the building's counterpart; I believe one of my favorite stories was how she told of all the tourists that had stopped at her place after burning out their brakes on the mountain roads. We couldn't have been more pleased with it- if any of you are in the area, I highly recommend you check it out. Tell 'em I sent you!

@LeafEater- Sounds like a great trip! What kind of boon-docking you get up to?
@SportMTNavi: 400 miles ain't bad for a day trip. Where did you go?

 

We live in Forgottonia (really--see Forgottonia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
Everything is at least 100 miles from here. We went to STL for my dad's 89th birthday celebration. That's a 400-mile round trip. As you can see from the picture, it's not the scenic or interesting trip that you took.

Cheers.