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Eclectic Boomer: Road Trip "Route 66" with your dogs at Drury Hotel...

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Eclectic Boomer: Dodge Journey along "Route 66"

Eclectic Boomer: Dodge Journey along "Route 66":  2011 Dodge Journey Crew AWD  Chrysler, across its various product groups, has been aggressively returning to the market with excelle...

Eclectic Boomer: Riding "Route 66" for the Cure

Eclectic Boomer: Riding "Route 66" for the Cure: Motorcycle enthusiast groups have become significant contributors to the American tradition of hosting events or “rides” to raise funds for...

Riding "Route 66" for the Cure

Motorcycle enthusiast groups have become significant contributors to the American tradition of hosting events or “rides” to raise funds for worthy causes across the country for several years now.  Most of those we see on the news are very large groups undertaking very large efforts to raise large sums for a cause.  What we often do not see are the hundreds of small motorcycle groups who also take on projects to raise money in smaller ways which are equally important at the end of the day.



Getting ready to head out on "66"



Roger Fox

While overnighting on our return to Texas in Joplin Missouri over Labor Day weekend, we met such a group by the name of “Ride for Relay “.  This group does a fund raising ride every year following Route 66 from Navy Pier in Chicago to Santa Monica, California. Started six years ago by cancer survivor Roger Fox, this group has grown from just a handful of friends to a “full ride” group of about 60 enthusiasts augmented by hundreds of supporters along the way including automotive and motorcycle riders who join the group for segments of the trip.  Roger mentioned he was familiar with our legendary “Republic of Texas” Motorcycle Rally (www.rotrally.com) each year in Austin because of Texas motorcycle enthusiasts who ride with them on the Amarillo leg in Texas.

We happened onto Roger on Labor Day evening in Joplin while fueling up our 2011 Dodge Journey Crew test vehicle. At the next pump, we could not help noticing an extremely sharp looking yellow Honda motorcycle towing a custom trailer holding a matching yellow miniature car in the mold of a Chevrolet. We complimented his “ride” and asked if he was with the group of riders we had noticed at the motel up the street.  They were on Day 3 of their 12 day ride which averages about 200 miles per day. On this evening they were staying in Joplin for the night as guests of the Fairfield Inn (www.marriott.com/fairfieldinn) and the Manager Chris Byers who holds a barbecue for them and local supporters each year.

The group pretty closely follows the old Route 66 from Chicago to Springfield Illinois then on to Rolla and Joplin Missouri and then to Edmund and Oklahoma City Oklahoma, passing through Amarillo Texas to Santa Rosa and Grants New Mexico into Holbrook and Kingman Arizona and finishing through Barstow, Colton and Santa Monica California.  Roger’s nick name on this ride is “U-turn”.  Something about all the turning and herding he does for the 12 days to keep the group closed up and making their schedule to each of those Route 66 stops.

In just the few short years of this ride, they have formed several local friendships along Route 66 who come out every year to ride along awhile or break bread with them when they stop.

Each rider pays 100% of his costs while many local businesses along the route provide lodging and food support and contributions to the cause. In the short history of this group, they have raised over $85,000 for cancer research.

Roger sees this Ride for the Relay as opportunity for himself and his group to not only payback but to pay forward to the communities that have supported them.   An example would be in Joplin where a couple of employees of the Fairfield Inn lost everything in the tornado this past year.  The Ride for the Relay group passed the hat and sent a $1,000 to each to help them get back on their feet.  As Roger points out, “this ride allows you to meet and help friends you never knew you had”.

You can support their 2011 Ride for the Relay by going to their website www.ridefortherelay.org and learn more about the group, get a daily report on the ride and make a donation.  Join them and make some friends you did not know you had.



Dodge Journey along "Route 66"



2011 Dodge Journey Crew AWD



Chrysler, across its various product groups, has been aggressively returning to the market with excellently styled vehicles,  strong and capable power trains, comfortable and well designed interiors, state of the art technology and innovative customer features that are making them, once again, “Best in Class” across several brands and models.

In 2011, Dodge stands out in several categories including Mid Size SUV’s with the improved and upgraded Journey 5-7 passenger mid size SUV.  Dodge Journey, for 2011,  comes in four models from Express FWD (starting at $22,245) to Mainstreet AWD ($24,445) to Crew / RT AWD ($30,145) and the top of the line Lux AWD ($33,465).



Comfortable Command Seating



We road trip tested a 2011 Journey Crew AWD over the long Labor Day weekend, driving about 2,350 miles from Austin, Texas to Chicago and back over seven days.  The trip included long highway, expressway stretches with city and rural driving around Chicago and Austin.  The varied type of driving conditions allowed us to see clearly just how good this 7 passenger family cross over SUV really is.  It did not disappoint us, and in fact surprised us in key areas of comfort, technology and mileage.



Functional Cockpit Styling



The unit we tested was in Bright Silver Metallic Clear Coat with black interior and premium cloth low back bucket seats.  Its power train included the upgraded 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine generating 283 hp coupled excellently to the 6 speed automatic 62TE transmission. The base price was $30,940. The Crew comes with 19X7 wheels and tires and but this unit had the LUX aluminum chrome clad wheels in place of the satin silver painted aluminum ($500). Other optional equipment included one of the Navigation & Sound Groups available with Garmin Navigation, universal garage door opener, Uconnect Touch CD/DVD/MP3 with 8.4 inch high resolution screen, ParkSense rear park assist system and ParkView rear back-up camera ($995) plus Second Row seats with two Pop-Up Child Booster seats ($225).  Delivered with freight, $33,410.

The base package for a Dodge Journey Crew AWD includes all of the features you would expect in either a good SUV or a Family van – all in one well crafted 7 passenger vehicle. The ride is nimble yet powerfully solid - handling well in all driving conditions due to the improved suspensions and careful integration of the AWD system with the power train. This is a fun drive as evidenced by my reluctance to “surrender” the driving to my partner even after 6-7 hours on the road.



Tilt'nSlide w/Booster



Features of the interior include best in class capacity with innovations including Tilt’nSlide action for both sides of the second row to allow access to the third row, integrated child booster seats in the second row, Flip’nStow compartments under the seat cushions, stadium seating in second and third rows, in floor storage bins with washable liners on both sides of the second row, four 12-volt power points, USB ports, 115V 150W power inverter, remote start, illuminated cup holders and a removable rechargeable LED flashlight in side wall adjacent to the back hatch.  We tested the 7 passenger capability in a family outing to Chinatown in Chicago (4  adults and 3 children under 8) and found it met our need and expectations.



Screen Shows Turn Ahead



As for the road trip, the seats are comfortable and leg room is both long and wide in the driver cockpit.  All of the necessary command and control elements for safe and comfortable driving are well within reach, well marked and easy to operate. The well designed one-piece instrument panel serves to set the tone.  The Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) is well positioned in the center of the instrument gauge clusters. It is well lit and has high resolution that is back lit in Dodge red lights.  It is simple and easy to use intuitively. The new multi function three spoke steering wheel with integrated controls allow you to access the EVIC without losing sight of the road.  Of particular note, was the integration with the Garmin Navigation system and 8.4 inch screen in the Uconnect Touch command center at the top of the stack.  As the navigation approaches a turn or other change, it shows it as you would expect on the big screen. And, it also gives you a simple clear picture of the change you need to execute on the small EVIC screen in front of you.  This allows you to keep your eyes on the road and still take advantage of the navigation change instructions.  This was a tremendous feature both on the highway and in the city that worked perfectly all the time.

Did I mention mileage?  The official rating for this Dodge Journey Crew AWD is 16 MPG City and 24 MPG Highway.  We logged our fuel and mileage carefully checking it against the calculator in the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC).  On the highway segments we achieved 26.1 MPG.  City segments averaged 19.7 MPG.  Combined for the trip, the average was 25.3 MPG. With the 21.1 gallon tank, the Journey Crew has a range of over 500 miles.

The 2011 Dodge Journey has received several awards including being a IIHS “Top Safety Pick and the Pentastar V-6 engine is recognized as one of Wards “10 Best Engines” for 2011.  The Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) named it the 2011 “Family Car of Texas” at their annual Spring Roundup after more than 50 automotive journalists were able to drive it and other competing vehicles over a two day period at the Texas Motor Speedway.

If you are looking for a true family car that can handle up to 7 passengers and are struggling between an SUV and a van, take a look at the Dodge Journey.  For 2012, Dodge is adding a fifth level of trim vehicle and adjusting pricing and options to provide more Journey in 2012 for less money for same features.  Go see your Dodge dealer for a test drive.  Bring the kids along to check it out.

http://media.chrysler.com/homepage.do;jsessionid=3C6AE534823A851EFCC6FD4E76A650F3?mid=1

Chrysler to be first US Automaker with an 8 speed automatic ...............

Road Trip "Route 66" with your dogs at Drury Hotels and La Quinta Inns

Many people are hesitant to take road trips that include their dogs because there are so many hotels and motels along the way that do not take pets or if they do, charge high one time fees for pets or restrict number and size of pets. Surprisingly, there are many more hotels and motels that take pets and have reasonable cost or no cost policies than most people think.  So, before you decide not to take the dog, do some checking regarding “pet friendly” lodging availability along the route.  And, with the recent fires and forced evacuations of Texas residents with pets, the need to find temporary lodging that is pet friendly has become very important for more than just casual travel.

There are a number of good sources on the internet for finding pet friendly lodgings along your route.  One we have used is the relatively new travel arrangements aggregator site KAYAK (www.kayak.com).  Just filter by “pet friendly” and it will give you lists of hotels and motels along your route that are pet friendly.  However, the quality of the lodgings and locations along the route may not be consistent with your expectations, making selecting lodgings a “roll of the dice”.

Two good quality chains that we have found are Drury Hotels (www.Druryhotels.com) and La Quinta Inns (www.lq.com).   Both are long established brands with moderate priced, good quality lodgings that cater to families and pets, usually without extra charge.  In a Labor Day trip to Chicago and back (with our two dogs) we used both chains along “Route 66” to break the 2400 mile roundtrip into manageable segments.  We were very pleased again with the quality and location of the properties, the helpfulness and proficiencies of the staffs and the size and amenities of the rooms.  Rates will vary by location, season and day of the week.  Internet specials are available along with affinity discounts like AAA, ARP and others.

In Joplin Missouri on both legs of the trip, we stayed at the La Quinta Inns and Suites on South Rangeline Road just minutes off of I-44.  The rate for a very nice queen room was $80.99 and it included a nice breakfast with lots of choices each morning.  We would note that that the devastating tornado that struck Joplin a few months back passed within blocks of this property. We took a short drive into the area of destruction and can attest that the devastation was beyond what you could appreciate from the news coverage.  But the spirit of the Joplin community and the many people we met at the hotel who were involved in reconstruction was high and very optimistic in putting it all back together over time. 

We stayed another night in Springfield Illinois at the Drury Inns and Suites on South Dirksen Parkway just minutes off I-55.  Again, the accommodations were very nice and the personnel were helpful and available at all times.  The room was a queen again with a rate of $114.99.

At Drury Hotels, the room rate includes a hot prepared breakfast to order (limited menu but more than adequate) and an afternoon “Kickback” at 5:30 each day which includes a wide assortment of hot foods and cold beverages.  The food offering has many items just right for the kids along with plenty to satisfy the adults.  And, the cold beverages include “adult” items as well.  

La Quinta Inns are based out of Dallas Texas and include both La Quinta Inns and La Quinta Inns and Suites.  Drury Hotels is based out of St. Louis and includes Drury Hotels, Drury Inns, Drury Inns and Suites and Pear Tree Inns. We would add that Drury Hotels has been a J.D. Power and Associates winner of “Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Mid-Scale Limited Service Hotel Chains” now six years in a row.  La Quinta has a broad geographical reach with over 800 hotels in the US, Canada and Mexico. Drury Hotels is family owned with over 130 properties in 20 states mainly situated in the Midwest, Southwest and Southeast US.

As you make road travel plans, give serious thought to bringing the dogs with you to not only save the boarding costs (we saved $460 in boarding this trip) but also to include them in the family vacation or trip as well.  Check out both La Quinta Inns and Drury Hotels.  You will save money and have a nice stay.  And, your dogs will thank you too.