Last weekend saw Shane Van Gisbergen and I driving from Charlotte to Atlanta Motor Speedway for the NASCAR weekend. The Cadillac Escalade stayed in Mooresville and we took the Chevrolet Tahoe High Country that SVG uses every day.
As I mentioned last week, the Tahoe is essentially the same as the Escalade under the skin, with the same LS engine and running gear. It doesn’t have quite as nice an interior nor as good a dash layout as the Cadillac but there’s not too much wrong with it. In fact, it turned out to be a real mile cruncher as we had a great run down there in just over four hours.
Off topic slightly, but I can’t for the life of me see why GM Australia and New Zealand isn’t bringing the Tahoe into Aus instead of the GMC Yukon. The Chevy badge is known and respected – only enthusiasts have heard of GMC. Plus (IMO) the Tahoe looks better. The huge grille on the Yukon only serving to emphasise what a large SUV this will be in Australia.
The run back home on Sunday evening was also a cinch, just taking a little longer due to some post race traffic exiting the Speedway. Leaving straight after the Cup race, we were still home by 11pm.
The only irritation for me was the stupidity of the regulations here allowing the use of red turn signals on the rear of vehicles. It’s obviously evident in daytime, but the drive back to Charlotte in the dark showed just how dumb it is, given the lack of contrast between tail lights and turn lights on the rear. There’s documented statistical evidence to say that amber rear indicators are safer than red, and yet most cars and trucks continue to have red.
Whilst we were at the Speedway, I went to inspect the line of Chevy pickups to be used for the drivers parade and found that they weren’t all Silverados. There were a few of the latest Colorados in there and the bloke in charge let me have a decent squint at them. It’s a shame that this truck is never going to make it to Australia as it’s a good jigger by the look of it, and easily outsells the Ranger in the US especially when you combine numbers with it’s sister, the GMC Canyon. Mind you, the sales class leader in this segment is the Toyota Tacoma by a country mile, unsurprisingly as it’s just had a major redesign. It’s also available, unlike the competition, with a longer load bed option that makes it especially attractive to motocross or trials enthusiasts.
Rear indicators apart, the highways are brilliant over in the south east of the country so far in my experience. I’ve now made my way north from Mooresville to Washington DC and the Interstate roads have been awesome. Well maintained, mown verges and an almost universal absence of litter, whilst also being lined by stunning countryside and trees, increasingly full of autumn colours, cruising along has been a pleasure with a pretty much universal high standard of driving. The almost total opposite of motorway driving these days in the UK, judging from my recent visit.
I have read a fair bit about the crumbling infrastructure of the United States, and that may well be the case in other areas but, so far, I’ve seen the opposite. I can only report on what I see, and Australia is way behind in terms of road standards and condition from my experience, not only on this trip, but also earlier in the year driving around in the north west.
En route for Washington DC, I took a few hours to drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway. This magnificent road, maintained by the National Park Service, runs 750km from the south west of North Carolina in a northeasterly direction into Virginia, taking in the southern and central Appalachians. I drove along a 130km part of the Parkway, from Fancy Gap to Roanoke and it was brilliant. There’s a speed limit of 45mph everywhere but I never went over 40 as there was so much to see. Stunning views, with pockets of farms and deer roaming around, made it an awesome few hours. The picnic areas are beautifully maintained and my post Labor Day timing meant that the traffic was very light as most people had gone back to work. I can’t recommend this trip highly enough.
I also visited the Virginia Civil War Museum in New Market VA, on the way to the capital. Fascinating to a history lover like me, and cheap to enter with a seniors discount! Again, the setting is so well tended it’s a pleasure just to take in the surroundings. One thing is for sure, everywhere I’ve been in the US this year has shown me that they are the world’s most enthusiastic grass mowers! And I, for one, love that.
Through it all, the Escalade continues to impress as it eats up the miles and wafts along. It’s not a sporty vehicle and to try to drive it like one would be a travesty. Let the V8 torque do the work and relax in the excellent seats whilst enjoying the superb radio system. I’ve been listening to all sorts of talk shows, covering everything from NASCAR to politics, with some Country music thrown in!
This trip has, so far, only emphasised my main sentiment from the last adventure, earlier this year. And that’s that the average Aussie visitor to the USA should get out into the wider country far more than they do. Las Vegas, New York and LA might be on the top of so many people’s wish lists, but they’re no longer on mine. I’ve been to all three cities, and more besides, over the years, but, compared to the heart of the country, they’re boring to me. State after state continues to surprise and delight in one way or another. I should make it clear that I am not making any political judgments and nor do I intend to. I simply see the opportunity to enjoy the country as a visitor. Let’s see what Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York State throw up in the coming week.
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