Subject: Where was Your Favorite Road Trip?

tonefrel

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Jul 3, 2018
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Bleiburg
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jetta
[FONT=&quot]I’m someone who loves getting out on the open road, but it isn’t always possible to hit every single place that I want to go on a trip. I go out to Ohio every year to visit family, but I still haven’t hit every landmark that I wanted to check out either. What was your favorite trip that you’ve ever been on? Were you ever able to ensure that you hit absolutely every place that you wanted to go on a trip? [/FONT]
 
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AndyBees

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Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
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Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
Bleiburg, Austrian.. ??

I doubt if anyone is able to see absolutely every place they wanted to go on a trip!

We always plan to hit certain sites as we make our way to our destiny. And, many times the journey is far better than the destiny. Not always, but we generally have a plan B in the event circumstances affect the main plan.

I suggest that you put together a bucket list of places you'd like to visit and just begin checking them off one by one!

I'm a creature of habit though. I like to revisit places we've previously visited.... some places we've returned a number of times!
 

Ton

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Jan 20, 2009
Location
Free Union,VA
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early 2001 jetta
Front Royal,VA is my road trip of choice. Amazing small town with big box stores if you need them. Next favorite is Lancaster,PA.
 

Jetta SS

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Oct 30, 2006
Location
Grand Bay, AL
TDI
'98 Jetta
Gatlinburg, TN Smoky Mountain National Park. The TDI really shines on those steep mountain roads with switchbacks. Windows down, the scenery, the mountain air - it's a beautiful combination of diesel and nature.
 

TurboModified

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Joined
May 25, 2015
Location
Mexico
TDI
2003 Jetta TDI GLS
Chiapas Mexico. Beautiful waterfalls, Mayan ruins, great food, and a landscape that is breath taking. I've been fortunate to take my TDI all over Mexico, but yes, there are many more places I want to stop and enjoy.
 

MAXRPM

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May 7, 2008
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US
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00 Jetta and 99.5 Golf, 2015 Passat TDI,BMW 2
nothing like hw1 Pacific coast hwy going through Pacifica, Half moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, Pebble Beach, Big Sur, Santa Barbara, Malibu, it would be hard to beat.
 
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johnnloki

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Jan 24, 2007
Location
bowmanville ON
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04 Golf TDI
Drove from Bowmanville Ontario to North Myrtle Beach, with a great detour...Waynesboro to Roanoke on the Blue Ridge Parkway, two years ago in my Mk4. It was a super mild winter in late February, so the conditions were great, but the road was mostly empty. Best drive ever.



Had 1500km on my now perfectly broken in EBC 337 brakes to throw the anchor out when needed. Had a loaded roof box and my 8 month old little one in the back keeping my right foot mostly under control, though I still left a year's worth of rubber off my Blizzaks on that mountain pavement, for sure.



It only added about 3 hours to my drive from Toronto area to Myrtle Beach. I would not drive there any other way. Driving direct, it's a 16 hour drive to go with the quickest route, 19 hours of driving to go this way, though you will stop to have your breath taken away. Completely worth it.


If you're nearby the BRP, Just. Do. It.


The only regret is that I wish I would have started in Front Royal and/or gone all the way down to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That would have been around 35 hours of driving. That would have been a little too rough with an infant, probably would have taken 4 rushed days instead of 3 very leisurely days to drive.... though I still think about doing it now. (a couple of weeks later I did the run home in one 18 hour long shot)



I still got 29 MPG driving... really driving (tempered by the little one and the roof mounted weight, of course)... on these wide open and empty twisting winding mountain roads. Policed by the park rangers, not the police, so you're not having to worry at all about speeding tickets either....



Second place: Did the Grand Algoma run through Central Ontario summer of 2017. Pretty good drive, but it's no Blue Ridge Parkway. Also, the drive from Wawa to Chapleau is really flat and boring and hunted by the Chapleau OPP police.


East Coast Cabot Trail drive is the next one to get checked off the automotive bucket list.
 
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Spenlowren

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Dec 19, 2018
Location
Ontario Canada
TDI
tiguan 2019
Panama, New Scotland, Dominican Republic. The last time I was on tour I'd been hanging around in British Columbia and loved it the most. I used almost all ways of travelling including autostop and can definitely say that sleeping under the stars is the real thing that every man must try at least one time in their life. The longest and toughest way was from Vancouver to Victoria; I took a rental car that I had to return back in time but failed (https://iversta.com/, a free trip tip for those who want to get to Vancouver from Richmond Hill) and almost got a fine for climbing up a tree near Markham.
 

Jetta_Pilot

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Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Location
West Hill, Ont.
TDI
2015 Passat Highline TDI Candy White (SEL Premium) long gone 2002 Jetta TDI
Chiapas Mexico. Beautiful waterfalls, Mayan ruins, great food, and a landscape that is breath taking. I've been fortunate to take my TDI all over Mexico, but yes, there are many more places I want to stop and enjoy.
You're lucky having a 2003 TDI and it uses LSD as did my former 2002 Jetta. My 2015 has to have ULSD. So I curtail my driving in Mexico very much. I hope that the promise of ULSD by Dec.31st everywhere will happen. I see one pump at a Pemex near me which has sticker ULSD 45 :confused:, but I don't believe it! Each October I drive 4,600 km to get here and in the spring I drive many more km's. I chose some scenic route such as the Natchez Trace, Blue Ridge Pkwy, the Grand River Road in Wisconsin and whatever I can come up with.
 
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Blue_Hen_TDI

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Oct 23, 2005
Location
Slower, DE
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owned: 96 B4V, 06 Golf, 12 NMS, 15 GSW
nothing like hw1 Pacific coast hwy going through Pacifica, Half moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, Pebble Beach, Big Sur, Santa Barbara, Malibu, it would be hard to beat.

Yes. Everyone should make this trip at least once in their life. Every turn is a new postcard view.


I will also submit that if you are on the east coast, anywhere along or near the Blue Ridge Parkway is great, and for summertime only, it's hard to beat New Hampshire and Maine. Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor and lobster are all delicious.
 

stickboy1971

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Dec 24, 2018
Location
Byron, GA
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2005 Jetta Wagon
2nd on Banff. Was going from Spokane, WA to Edmonton and we went that route. Simply breathtaking. A new postcard in the windshield around every corner.
 

ezshift5

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Joined
Sep 2, 2003
Location
West Coast
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2013 JSW TDI (Enroute BB).......2017 Jetta 1.4 turbo 5M ....................
Sacramento - Newport (RI). In a 1970 VW 1.6 liter (unmodified) bug.

Checked valve clearance enroute.............still .006.

Wish I could find my notes. (Can't recall fuel economy).

ez
 

Mike in Anchorage

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Jan 4, 2009
Location
Anchorage, AK
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2016 Touareg Lux, 2015 Golf Sportwagen SE, new 4 Sept 2017;2009 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen (Ruby) sold to VW on 22 SEP 2017
Agree with the Icefields Parkway. Or the Going to the Sun Highway in Glacier NP. For those venturing further north, the Seward Highway is stunning. And if you have a sunroof, driving through Zion NP on a sunny day is really fun.
 

Frod

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Aug 14, 2022
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US, Seattle
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2015 Mk7 Golf Sportwagen TDI
East Coast Tasmania bro, I travelled there with my wife and dog, and it was amazing. The best of the trip is the magnificent landscapes around you, it's worth seeing. After the trip, I recommend everyone to go there at least once in their life. Man, I'll never forget that trip. BUT it was my 1st long road trip with my dog, and my back car seats were scratched 😂 So, I had to buy back some covers for my dog here. It didn't spoil the experience, anyway, so everything is fine
 

Ton

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Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Location
Free Union,VA
TDI
early 2001 jetta
Drove from Bowmanville Ontario to North Myrtle Beach, with a great detour...Waynesboro to Roanoke on the Blue Ridge Parkway, two years ago in my Mk4. It was a super mild winter in late February, so the conditions were great, but the road was mostly empty. Best drive ever.



Had 1500km on my now perfectly broken in EBC 337 brakes to throw the anchor out when needed. Had a loaded roof box and my 8 month old little one in the back keeping my right foot mostly under control, though I still left a year's worth of rubber off my Blizzaks on that mountain pavement, for sure.



It only added about 3 hours to my drive from Toronto area to Myrtle Beach. I would not drive there any other way. Driving direct, it's a 16 hour drive to go with the quickest route, 19 hours of driving to go this way, though you will stop to have your breath taken away. Completely worth it.


If you're nearby the BRP, Just. Do. It.


The only regret is that I wish I would have started in Front Royal and/or gone all the way down to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. That would have been around 35 hours of driving. That would have been a little too rough with an infant, probably would have taken 4 rushed days instead of 3 very leisurely days to drive.... though I still think about doing it now. (a couple of weeks later I did the run home in one 18 hour long shot)



I still got 29 MPG driving... really driving (tempered by the little one and the roof mounted weight, of course)... on these wide open and empty twisting winding mountain roads. Policed by the park rangers, not the police, so you're not having to worry at all about speeding tickets either....



Second place: Did the Grand Algoma run through Central Ontario summer of 2017. Pretty good drive, but it's no Blue Ridge Parkway. Also, the drive from Wawa to Chapleau is really flat and boring and hunted by the Chapleau OPP police.


East Coast Cabot Trail drive is the next one to get checked off the automotive bucket list.
I have never been to the Smoky mountain national park.
 

Mozambiquer

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Mar 21, 2015
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Versailles Missouri
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2004 VW Touareg V10 TDI, 2012 Audi Q7 V6 TDI, 1998 VW Jetta TDI. 1982 VW Rabbit pickup, 2001 VW Jetta TDI, 2005 VW Passat wagon TDI X3, 2001 VW golf TDI, 1980 VW rabbit pickup,
Last year in March we took a trip from Missouri where we live to upstate New York for a coworkers wedding (more of an excuse to go out there...) stopped at Niagara falls and a couple other spots on the way out, then on the way back went south and visited friends in Laurel MD. Talk about some good food there! Lots of authentic Mexican and south/central American foods (our friends are Mexicans and they knew where to take us.) Also went to Nando's. Kinda funny though to be in an originally South African restaurant and all the waitresses were Hispanic, so we just ordered in Spanish.
From there we went further south into North Carolina and back up through the Tail of the Dragon.
Obligatory TOTD shot...
Then on back through Nashville and back to Missouri.

I of course wished to have had more time, but it was fun.

The other fun one was going to North Carolina and out to the outer banks in 2020, so there was hardly anybody out there. The tcm failed on my passat on that trip, which made it more adventurous. I got a cheap Ford expedition to tow my passat back as I didn't know what was actually wrong, having not packed my laptop and vcds...
 

Ton

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Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Location
Free Union,VA
TDI
early 2001 jetta
Alaska is an interesting place to visit. I would not necessarily recommend it for a TDI. But it was fun with a motorhome.
 

Ton

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2009
Location
Free Union,VA
TDI
early 2001 jetta
Last year in March we took a trip from Missouri where we live to upstate New York for a coworkers wedding (more of an excuse to go out there...) stopped at Niagara falls and a couple other spots on the way out, then on the way back went south and visited friends in Laurel MD. Talk about some good food there! Lots of authentic Mexican and south/central American foods (our friends are Mexicans and they knew where to take us.) Also went to Nando's. Kinda funny though to be in an originally South African restaurant and all the waitresses were Hispanic, so we just ordered in Spanish.
From there we went further south into North Carolina and back up through the Tail of the Dragon.
Obligatory TOTD shot...
Then on back through Nashville and back to Missouri.

I of course wished to have had more time, but it was fun.

The other fun one was going to North Carolina and out to the outer banks in 2020, so there was hardly anybody out there. The tcm failed on my passat on that trip, which made it more adventurous. I got a cheap Ford expedition to tow my passat back as I didn't know what was actually wrong, having not packed my laptop and vcds...
It sounds like a good time to hit the outer banks. I wish I could be there when no one else was around.
 

Mike in Anchorage

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Jan 4, 2009
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Anchorage, AK
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2016 Touareg Lux, 2015 Golf Sportwagen SE, new 4 Sept 2017;2009 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen (Ruby) sold to VW on 22 SEP 2017
Alaska is an interesting place to visit. I would not necessarily recommend it for a TDI. But it was fun with a motorhome.
Um, why not for a TDI? Many of us have run TDIs here for decades and do just dandy with them.
 

Ton

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Um, why not for a TDI? Many of us have run TDIs here for decades and do just dandy with them.
Motorhomes are more comfortable. You can lay flat on a bed @ night without doing the hotel thing. I didn't notice many tdi's in Alaska. Mostly pickup trucks of some stripe or another. Not trying to argue, just something I noticed.
 

MrFahrenheit99

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Location
Culver City, CA
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2003 Golf TDI 5 speed
Motorhomes are more comfortable. You can lay flat on a bed @ night without doing the hotel thing. I didn't notice many tdi's in Alaska. Mostly pickup trucks of some stripe or another. Not trying to argue, just something I noticed.
I worked outside Nome, AK during the summer and I'd agree that TDI's weren't common. I suppose it depends on what part of Alaska you are visiting, but in general it seems that ground clearance is your friend in Alaska. Very rough roads with rock chipped windshields almost inevitable. Not saying it can't be done, but the lack of available parts in most of Alaska I think skews people to cheap domestic trucks.
 
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