WE ARE MAKING THE 48 STATE DRIVE AGAIN.
That’s right, we can’t believe it either, and we’ve only been back for three weeks. With Ted discovering a new route and our discovering ????? (Sorry, we can’t tell you that one, but it’s huge!) we now believe we can make the 48 state drive in 94 hours. Don’t get us wrong, we are very excited and proud of our 97 hour time, but with these two new discoveries, we just can’t allow those extra hours to get away. We are either going this summer or next May. We’ll keep you posted. Speaking of keeping you posted, just before we leave we will give you a heads up and you are going to love what we have planned in keeping you posted throughout the trip. You are going to feel like you are in the car with us. So get ready, here we go again!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Thursday, July 1, 2010
So, what ARE our secrets to a Guinness World Record 48 State Drive?
We have had many requests asking us to name some of our secrets behind making the world record 48 state drive. Oh, how we would love to share them all with you, but due to the fact there are some out there dying to break our record, we just can’t make some of these secrets public. Some of the things we do, those that would seem obvious to some, we are finding out that other teams have not discovered. Great. We hope they continue to either do it the wrong way or fail to do some of the things the right way.
Of course the route is the number one secret. Keep in mind that we hold the “shortest” route on record for a 48 state drive, 6500 miles. That said, that route is NOT the “fastest” route. We’ll give you a hint why, “The “shortest” distance between two points is not always the “fastest”. We are blessed to have the greatest “Mapster” in the world, Ted Jacobs. Ted won many awards for mapping while in the Army. Believe it or not, Ted called us the day after we set the new record at 97 hours and told us that he has a “faster” route. Tired as we were, Andrew and I said, “Let’s do it”. Next year?
The next most important thing in our record breaking attempts is asking ourselves this, “What saves us another second of driving time?” Sound obvious? You’d be surprised how much time can be wasted out there. We can’t give any secrets away but allow your imagination to run wild. Ask yourself, “What would tempt me to waste time on a four day continuous car trip?” Figure those things out and then find a way to avoid them. Sorry, but that’s all we can say.
We pride ourselves for having a great plan and then executing that plan. Keeping that in mind, a 48 state drive can have a thousand things go wrong. Anything from car failure, flat tires, accidents (either ours are someone down the road clogging up the highway), weather to traffic can throw you a curve ball. The idea is to minimize those hindrances and have options to everything that can go wrong. In other words it’s not an event of just getting into the car and driving. You have to plan and plan well, then execute.
I hate to tease you but we counted 21 secrets we have to a successful world record breaking 48 state drive. We wish we could share them with you but we can’t. Some you can only imagine and some you might say, “Now that’s brilliant!” Put your thinking cap on and try to figure out what you would do to make the trip faster, OTHER THAN SPEEDING OF COURSE. SPEEDING IS OUT OF THE QUESTION! We think you’ll find it fun to imagine what these secrets could be.
Of course the route is the number one secret. Keep in mind that we hold the “shortest” route on record for a 48 state drive, 6500 miles. That said, that route is NOT the “fastest” route. We’ll give you a hint why, “The “shortest” distance between two points is not always the “fastest”. We are blessed to have the greatest “Mapster” in the world, Ted Jacobs. Ted won many awards for mapping while in the Army. Believe it or not, Ted called us the day after we set the new record at 97 hours and told us that he has a “faster” route. Tired as we were, Andrew and I said, “Let’s do it”. Next year?
The next most important thing in our record breaking attempts is asking ourselves this, “What saves us another second of driving time?” Sound obvious? You’d be surprised how much time can be wasted out there. We can’t give any secrets away but allow your imagination to run wild. Ask yourself, “What would tempt me to waste time on a four day continuous car trip?” Figure those things out and then find a way to avoid them. Sorry, but that’s all we can say.
We pride ourselves for having a great plan and then executing that plan. Keeping that in mind, a 48 state drive can have a thousand things go wrong. Anything from car failure, flat tires, accidents (either ours are someone down the road clogging up the highway), weather to traffic can throw you a curve ball. The idea is to minimize those hindrances and have options to everything that can go wrong. In other words it’s not an event of just getting into the car and driving. You have to plan and plan well, then execute.
I hate to tease you but we counted 21 secrets we have to a successful world record breaking 48 state drive. We wish we could share them with you but we can’t. Some you can only imagine and some you might say, “Now that’s brilliant!” Put your thinking cap on and try to figure out what you would do to make the trip faster, OTHER THAN SPEEDING OF COURSE. SPEEDING IS OUT OF THE QUESTION! We think you’ll find it fun to imagine what these secrets could be.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Final Note
Some people have been asking about Rule #1 and it would be wrong if we did not address it. So did we get any speeding tickets on our route??....Take a look at the motor vehicle record for both drivers. That would be big fat zeros. Jay had none and neither did Ted. Again this event is not about speeding, but about strategy and navigation.
See Ted's MVR ran today and Jay's as well.
Motor Vehicle Record
MVR 1Driver:Age:Marital status:Gender:MVR date:MVR status:TED JACOBS60Male06-21-2010ClearLicense number:State:Classification:Issue date:Expiration date:Status:108XXXXXX TNA-COMM,GCWR>26000 07-20-200908-08-2014VALID Violations
Decline
Viol date
Conv date
Type
Pts
Description
License Status: VALID
Motor Vehicle Record
MVR 1Driver:Age:Marital status:Gender:MVR date:MVR status:JONATHAN LOWE55Male06-21-2010ClearLicense number:State:Classification:Issue date:Expiration date:Status:06XXXXXX TXC-N-COM,GVWR<26001 06-12-197003-07-2011CLEAR Violations
Decline
Viol date
Conv date
Type
Pts
Description
License Status: CLEAR
See Ted's MVR ran today and Jay's as well.
Motor Vehicle Record
MVR 1Driver:Age:Marital status:Gender:MVR date:MVR status:TED JACOBS60Male06-21-2010ClearLicense number:State:Classification:Issue date:Expiration date:Status:108XXXXXX TNA-COMM,GCWR>26000 07-20-200908-08-2014VALID Violations
Decline
Viol date
Conv date
Type
Pts
Description
License Status: VALID
Motor Vehicle Record
MVR 1Driver:Age:Marital status:Gender:MVR date:MVR status:JONATHAN LOWE55Male06-21-2010ClearLicense number:State:Classification:Issue date:Expiration date:Status:06XXXXXX TXC-N-COM,GVWR<26001 06-12-197003-07-2011CLEAR Violations
Decline
Viol date
Conv date
Type
Pts
Description
License Status: CLEAR
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Special Thanks
We first want to thank our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We know it's against the rules to have a fourth person in the car but He was with us the entire trip, guiding and protecting us. Thank you Lord.
We each want to thank our wives for not only allowing us to make the trip, but being such an encouragement to us all. We could have never completed the trip and succeded without the support from the love of our lives. Thank you so much Sherry (Jay), Shay (Andrew) and Beth (Ted).
A special thanks to Russell and his crew at Enterprise for making the van available. It performed with excellence!
We want to thank our departing witnesses, State Farm agent Anita Wardwell and Spokane Statesman Review photographer Kathy Plonka for meeting us at the state line of Montana and Idaho. In addition, we want to thank our arriving witnesses, State Farm agent Michael Heyl and his wife Barbara for hanging around at the Vermont state line waiting. All of you guys were so wonderful to take time out for us.
And a very special thanks to WFAA Channel 8, WBAP, KRLD, The Dallas Morning News, The Ft. Worth Star Telegram, the Colleyville Courier and the Spokane Statesman Review for following the story and making it so much fun for us. We were so blessed to have you (literally) along with us on the trip. You all made is to much more fun for us.
And last, but not least, we want to thank all of you for your support. We loved getting your posts and emails, encouraging us the entire trip. We can't thank you enough for your kind words and your prayers.
Sincerely, Jay, Andrew and Ted
We each want to thank our wives for not only allowing us to make the trip, but being such an encouragement to us all. We could have never completed the trip and succeded without the support from the love of our lives. Thank you so much Sherry (Jay), Shay (Andrew) and Beth (Ted).
A special thanks to Russell and his crew at Enterprise for making the van available. It performed with excellence!
We want to thank our departing witnesses, State Farm agent Anita Wardwell and Spokane Statesman Review photographer Kathy Plonka for meeting us at the state line of Montana and Idaho. In addition, we want to thank our arriving witnesses, State Farm agent Michael Heyl and his wife Barbara for hanging around at the Vermont state line waiting. All of you guys were so wonderful to take time out for us.
And a very special thanks to WFAA Channel 8, WBAP, KRLD, The Dallas Morning News, The Ft. Worth Star Telegram, the Colleyville Courier and the Spokane Statesman Review for following the story and making it so much fun for us. We were so blessed to have you (literally) along with us on the trip. You all made is to much more fun for us.
And last, but not least, we want to thank all of you for your support. We loved getting your posts and emails, encouraging us the entire trip. We can't thank you enough for your kind words and your prayers.
Sincerely, Jay, Andrew and Ted
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Official Finish
Total Miles 6893, Total Time 97 hours and 7 minutes. I will have a few more stories after we get a bite to eat. We have not eaten since Mobile, Alabama, so we are very hungry. We are thrilled to have made the trip and overjoyed that everyone was able to experience it with us. I will have another final post later tonight for everyone. Thank you!
96 Hours
We changed our route 3 times on this trip because of construction and traffic. We added somwhere in the vicinity of 106 miles. Having said that adding miles to a trip obviously adds time. It was a gamble and we believe we made the right choice. Having said that I can tell you that 96 hours is not reachable, 97 is still in reach. We are pushing for the finish line but making sure that we are not being unsafe or speeding because that goes against the rules. So well see you all at the finish line. I will keep updating as we cross states off the board. Talk to you soon!
41 officially DOWN and 7 to GO!
At this point 96 hours may tight. It all depends on what traffic we have in the upcoming state. So far it has not been terrible, but not as smooth as we would like. My calculations have us coming close to the 96 hours, but we are re-routing something at the last minute to make up some time. We know for sure, unless something really bad happens that we can break the current documented record of 104 hours so we will just have to how this plays out. Here is a picture from one of our most recent states.
41 almost down and 7 to go.
Our timing in the upper Midwest so far has been paying off. We are keeping on pace however you never know what awaits around the corner. More updates to come!
Ladies and Gentlemen it is going to be a photo finish
We are running the numbers this morning on our entrance into the Northeast, and we are on pace at this point, however it is going to be close. We have calculated our fueling locations and are even going to make a "splash" gas stop to make sure that we hit the right stations. At this point we pretty much know the van and know the fuel tank so it makes the job easier. Say your prayers out there that the traffic is decent so we can bring the record home
Gas Stop #15
I feel like I am on a Nascar Pit crew. Trying to figure out mileage and distance....it is a full time job in itself. We made a gas stop and it took us 2 minutes and 49 seconds.
35 DOWN AND 13 TO GO!
Jay driving while Ted is getting some sleep. On pace, but again it is going to be close. Stay tuned....
Friday, June 18, 2010
Gas Stop #13
Dinner and a gas stop. 4 minutes and 5 seconds. Check out our gas gage. Pretty close eh? Oh and by the way the speed limit was 75 for all you skeptics out there. Again this is not a race, but a strategic event.
I need to have something other than this for dinner. I don't feel well!
I need to have something other than this for dinner. I don't feel well!
Future Posts
We are going to start our countdown as we head into our final 17 states. We are getting ready for a gas stop. We have lined up our food at the gas station and we are geared up for a fast pit stop. We are on pace at this point but this is going to be close. It all depends on the traffic we have up in front of us, which at this point is up in the air.
Blessed
I was checking the national forecast for today and saw what happenend in Minnesota last night. 60 tornados, WOW! The first real rain we encountered was about 2 hours ago. That's right, after driving through a large majority of the country we just encountered rain. What we realized is how blessed we were not to have been caught in that weather in upper Midwest last night. Praise God that we didn't have to face that.
More to come...
More to come...
New Pictures from State #29
Nice scenic drive!
I will give you a hint we are crossing a huge river.
Just a brief shower.
Gas Stop #12
3 minutes and 32 seconds. It was a bit warm outside at this gas stop. No food, fuel only. Back on the road cruising right along. We are still on pace, however we are thinking there may be a bit of construction up North. Actually we are not thinking we know there will be a ton. Let's hope the planning on the Western US states will pay us the dividends we hope they will now.
The drive through State # 26
Look kids the mighty mississip, the old miss, the old man....Deep River!!
Beautiful Farmland in State #27.
Yes we still brush our teeth. We try to stay somewhat hygenic.
Hey we have a kitchen,
So we are through 27 states....67% of the trip complete. More to come!
Gas Stop #11
Gas stop #11 was a little longer 4 minutes 3 seconds. We fueled, went to the restroom and then look what was waiting for us at that 4 minute gas stop. That's right Dunkin donuts!
Gas Stop #10
State #23 and Gas Stop #10 behind us. Total time at the gas stop 3 minutes 36 seconds. Pushing through the night......
Thursday, June 17, 2010
The Navigator or RULE #5
Ted and I would like to take this time to commend Andrew for the excellent job he is doing keeping us on target. There are two obvious reasons why a navigator is necessary, number one being it is rule #5 in the Guinness rules for this event. No navigator, invalidates the attempt. That aside Ted and I can think of a better reason, he is an awesome asset to this challenge. From traffic, to gas stops, to food, to pace, to documentation, to clear direction....etc. He is the one who keeps us alert. Andrew gets the least amount of sleep. With his computer on his lap he continuosly is updating our logs, calculating our mileage and progress, checking updated traffic reports and assuring us of the best availible gas stop ahead. Balancing three stopwatches at one time Andrew always knows where we are supposed to be and where we are at all times regarding reaching our goals. Rule #5? You bet that is a great reason to have Andrew, BUT he has become the greatest asset to our team.
Gas Stop #9 and dinner
Gas stop #9 went well. 2 minutes and 54 seconds for fuel and dinner. A big thank you to Agent Wendy who helped us with dinner. Not my normal meal, but very good. We are headed to state #21. We have completed 52.76% of the trip. Talk to you soon!
It's all downhill from here, maybe??
Well we are just about to hit the halfway mark, 50% of the trip completed. Remember when you would go on vacation and you would ask your parents if you were there yet? Who would think after driving for more than 40 hours that would be halfway. We think that fact is pretty cool. Catch us on WFAA channel 8 in Dallas on the 5 o'clock news.
Staying Focused through State #18
One of the dangers of the 48 state drive is fatigue causing complacency. We continue to remind each other, including notes like these to stay focused on our goal.
Gas Stop #8 in State #17
So we thought we would show you some snip-its of video from our gas stop. We fueled, used the restroom and got more ice in less than 3 mintues and 12 seconds.
Pre stop drill
Jay has already been inside for the ice and to use the restroom. I went inside and used the restroom and will finish filling up the car. Ted is inside now.
Ted is running back out. Everyone is jumping in and just waiting for the car to finish.
Every last drop of gas counts!!!
Final numbers...He shoots he scores...Great stop guys!!!
Race, Not so much....
We have been getting a lot of questions about speeding. This event is not a speeding event. It is about the planned route, executing that route, and on following the rules. If we were to give our route to everyone out there who wanted to try this, then by definition it becomes a race. It would be who could line up and drive the same route but with a faster time. We might as well go out to Texas Motor Speedway do 500 laps and call it a day. So please understand our intentions to keep this a safe event for not only us, but to others on the road.
Gas Stop #7
Gas stop #7 went well. 3 minutes and 29 seconds at 4 am cst was moving pretty fast we thought. A couple of things we have noticed at this point. The bugs that are hitting our windshield are really small birds. The front of our car would be a dream bug collection for some, because every known species in the Western United States is on either our windshield or bumper. Praise the Lord for the glass in our windshield. I can't even imagine Beverly Hillbillying it on a trip like this. Dental Floss anyone?
Secondly there are a lot of deer and such on the roads at this time of night. I grew up in rural Missouri and I have seen my fair share of animals crossing the street, but nothing like this. I was in India a couple of years ago and when they drive down the road they are constantly honking the horn to keep people from walking out in front of the cars and getting killed. We might as well be driving a cab in Delhi because I think we just shorted out our horn. Ha Ha! Shout out to my friend in India. Hello Baba!! He and his family run an orphanage/mission for about 100 boys in northen India.
More to come.....We'll be on WFAA around 6:45 cst. Thank you WFAA! Stay tuned.
Secondly there are a lot of deer and such on the roads at this time of night. I grew up in rural Missouri and I have seen my fair share of animals crossing the street, but nothing like this. I was in India a couple of years ago and when they drive down the road they are constantly honking the horn to keep people from walking out in front of the cars and getting killed. We might as well be driving a cab in Delhi because I think we just shorted out our horn. Ha Ha! Shout out to my friend in India. Hello Baba!! He and his family run an orphanage/mission for about 100 boys in northen India.
More to come.....We'll be on WFAA around 6:45 cst. Thank you WFAA! Stay tuned.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Gas Stop #6 and Dominos??
Well technology is really cool. We are in state #10 and we were going to have to stop for gas, so we calculated where that would be and cross referenced it with pizza restaurants. We found a Shell station right off the highway and I called Domino's and lined up a pizza delivery for when we filled up with gas. We pulled in and the delivery man was waiting there with two big pepperoni pizzas. Sweet!! The total gas stop took a little longer becasue we sunk an extra 2 gallons of gas in the tank after the pump shut off, giving us an extra 70 miles in gas. Total stop time 5 minutes and 5 seconds. I will post throughout the night if I can get a signal, but getting a signal in Alaska may be tough. Ha ha gotcha!!
Questions about sleep and switching drivers
Well those are great questions. Ted and Jay are alternating back and forth driving. It is really hard for them to sleep during the day. I am awake at every turn, so I have scheduled sleep times. I could sleep on top of the car if I knew I wouldn't fall off, so sleeping in the front seat is a piece of cake. We all know that we are not going to get the same sleep we would at home, but it is part of the sacrifice for the trip. I will brag on my father in law for a second, Jay actually won a contest for being awake for more than 108 hours in high school. He has a gift. Ted drives a truck for a living, and can stay awake for long periods of time as well. I have two great drivers! Keep the questions coming!
Gas Stop #5
Well this one was the best one of the bunch and we are striving to do this every time. Gas Stop #4 didn't set to well with us. We fueled and used the restroom all three of us in less than 2 minutes and 49 seconds. Way to go boys!
Fire
The wind is howling today, so it is no wonder that there is a fire in the wilderness. Check out the fire on the left in the San Francisco Mountains.
Nowheresville, USA
I couldn't get a signal for about 2 hours, hence the blog posting bombing I am commencing now, because we were in the middle of nowhere. I shot this video in the middle of the scenic town. We are heading back to civilization as we speak.......
Quick question for our readers, do you want to see more video or pictures? What questions might you have for us???
Quick question for our readers, do you want to see more video or pictures? What questions might you have for us???
State #9
We are 21.88% through the trip and completed state #9 about an hour ago. Jay and just had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and our listening to Sean Hannity on the radio. He is the man! We are having WBAP withdraw, but satellite radio is keeping us going.
Gas Stop #4
Not the best gas stop, but with what we had to work with it was decent. The gas station was about a mile from the pump and it was crowded. I went in to grab drinks and as soon as I saw how long the line was I abandoned the mission. I had to sacrifice the drinks and my bathroom break (too many Diet Snapples) to make sure we stayed on time. All in all it was 4 minutes 28 seconds. We will do better on the next.
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