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Keith McCord reportingMaybe you've done this: taken one those college "road trips" where you jump in the car with a few friends and set out on an adventure. Well, we found three young men from North Salt Lake who just wrapped up a journey that had an unusual twist.
Their road trip attracted international attention because of its strategy and purpose, which were all in fun. The three wanted to drive in each of the 48 contiguous states in the shortest amount of time without breaking any speed limits. They call it "The Great American Road Trip."
Joey Stocking, Josh Keeler and Adam Gatherum are all in their early 20s and have been friends for years.
"Our start point was on the Vermont-Massachusetts border. We left Vermont on I-91," Keeler explained.
The guys began their trip last Sunday morning and completed it just about an hour ago at Four Corners. We spoke with Keeler when the guys were in the middle of Montana. He says hitting all 48 states took some careful planning, and in some cases they were in a state for only a few minutes.
"We've done that in quite a few states now, and often times we've gone into them, we've gone just a few hundred feet. When we crossed into Oklahoma, we didn't make it more than 500 feet into that state," Keeler said.
This is not a new idea. A previous trio, who plotted a different route a few years ago, did it in about 127 hours. Keeler, Stocking and Gatherum did it in just over 100 hours.
Getting that done meant it was a 24/7 journey; that is, no stopping except for refueling. One guy drives, the other navigates, and the third sleeps. "We usually each drive for two gas tanks; and each gas tank will last from four to five hours. Usually 8-10 hours each, and then we rotate," Stocking explained.
The guys drove a Toyota Scion, and it got about 30 miles per gallon on the trip. Menlove Dodge-Toyota of Bountiful, one of the sponsors of the trip, helped pay the gasoline.
Keeler's dad, Jim Keeler, says with fuel prices skyrocketing, that was much appreciated. "Originally, when we started planning the trip, gas was going to cost us $325, and right now it's up to about $1,200," he said.
So why did men do this trip? Hey, they're in their 20s! It's an adventure! But what will they do for an encore? Well, they've talked about maybe doing a similar trip across the Atlantic and hit all the countries in Europe.
They have a Web site with a blog and photos on their trip. Check it out by clicking the related link.
E-mail: kmccord@ksl.com
