Roland Dane: The Great American Road Trip - Part 3

After enjoying the sights and sounds of Washington DC, especially the Georgetown district, for a couple of days, the Cadillac Escalade and I set out north towards Watkins Glen, the venue of the weekend’s NASCAR event. The Glen is somewhere I’ve been wanting to go to for years, given its Formula 1 history, and the reports from all and sundry about the beauty of the setting in Upstate New York.

But first things first. After crossing the Mason Dixon line that signaled entry into the state of Pennsylvania, I headed for Lancaster County. I’ve long been fascinated by the Amish community and their way of life, and Lancaster has one of the larger Amish populations in the US.

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The area is stunningly well kept, with a myriad of small to medium sized farms and immaculate lanes and gardens. Of course, not everyone there is Amish by a long shot, but there is the same sense of order and cleanliness throughout, from what I saw. There’s a huge Germanic base to the population in general, as evidenced by many of the place names ending in ‘Burgh’.

One of the stand outs for me for this area was the proliferation of trust boxes alongside arrays of fresh vegetables and eggs laid out at the front of so many properties. It’s a system that clearly works and is respected.

The sight of the traditional buggy on the road ways was cool to witness, as were horse drawn ploughs in the fields, and carts carrying the tobacco crop back to the drying sheds on the farms. Apparently not all Amish still use these buggies, however plenty clearly remain in action. You and I might not wish to lead our lives that way, but it’s good to see those that do want to can go about their lives in the way they wish.

Heading north to The Glen, it would have been crazy to get that close to the Niagara Falls without taking them in. The journey takes about two and a half hours, in a north westerly direction, from the town of Watkins Glen to the Falls, but well worth it. We, the #2 daughter and I, were smart enough to follow the advice of others and head over the border to the Canadian side to get a real sense of the scale and power of this wonder of nature. And then the drive back to the racing world took us down past Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes, through the vineyards of New York State. Another wonderfully picturesque trip and highly recommended.

Post an exciting weekend’s racing at The Glen, I headed for the nearby town of Corning. The home of Corning Inc, famous for glass manufacturing in particular, the aptly named Glass Museum there is a real treat and a must visit destination in that part of the world. The town itself is also a gem with a beautiful historic section full of cafes and restaurants that are not part of any chain!

Heading down to Pittsburgh on the final leg of my journey as I make my way back to Charlotte to drop off the Cadillac and start the trip home, I started thinking about a chat I had with the doorman at the hotel in Washington DC. I’d asked him why there were no big limousines to be seen anywhere around the city these days. I’ve not only grown up seeing these ‘stretch’ limos on tv and in films for decades, but I used to sell them in the Middle East and Asia myself 30 years ago.

The answer was very straightforward.

They’ve all died a death as the ubiquitous black Chevrolet Suburban has replaced them. It’s obvious once you think about it. The Suburban is infinitely more practical, easier to get in and out of, carries more luggage and costs less! With the inevitable blacked out windows, everyone looks like they’re a CEO, a Senator or part of a Secret Service detail.

Take a look back at the Suburban over the decades, and how it’s developed from a gawky looking, huge estate car on stilts, to the latest suave looking product that is at home in the swankiest settings in town. It’s become a highly successful workhorse for the chauffeur car trade, replacing not only the old limos but also the standard Lincoln Town Car that was omnipresent forever on the streets of Washington and New York.

So, I have to ask the question as to why GM Specialty Vehciles (GMSV) are not bringing this model into Australia? Given that it retails in the US for similar money to the shorter, standard, GMC Yukon, doesn’t it make more sense than the Yukon?

The Suburban could be a tool of the trade for top end of the chauffeur business in Sydney, Melbourne and the other major cities. I reckon that it would go down a treat with them especially if it had the diesel engine option with a 1200km range. The back seat punters wouldn’t know, or care, whether the engine was diesel or petrol, but the resale value of the diesel would be outstanding down the road.

If the crew at GMSV are hell bent on establishing the GMC brand now, with the Yukon, then at least look at bringing into the longer wheelbase version of that model, the XL, which is basically a higher spec Suburban in any case. Get the price right, and the engine option right, and it’ll sell in good numbers. Unlike the standard Yukon, it won’t have any real competition. Against the likes of the Mercedes V Class in a top line specification, the Suburban is a far classier, and roomier, alternative for upscale transportation.

Anyway, back on the road, I’ll be sad to say goodbye to the Escalade. It’s a wonderful cruiser at highway speeds in the US and not as thirsty as you might expect. It’s also one of those vehicles that gets a thumbs up from other road users. Clearly the Cadillac badge still means something.

There have been many pleasant surprises along the way, large and small, but one of my favourite little gems of typical American convenience is the ability to latch every petrol delivery handle into position whilst the car is filling up. Why can’t we have these?

This trip has been another fascinating insight into the heartland of the United States, away from the big metro areas for the most part. Most of the roads continue to impress me as well as the infrastructure, once you’re away from the older, rust belt, cities. It really has been a treat to drive through the hills and mountains of three states in particular – West Virginia, Virginia and New York. The highways are great, the fuel stops and hotels easy to find and everyone has been hospitable and polite. Given we speak pretty much the same language, it’s hard to think of a better place to take a road trip if you’re going overseas. Just don’t talk politics…