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There’s one thing about sliding behind the wheel of a Mustang that makes each car parking zone exit really feel like the beginning of an journey. Possibly it’s that V8 growl promising good instances forward, or perhaps it’s simply that these automobiles have been born to eat up miles. Both approach, if you happen to’ve obtained a pony automotive and an itch to journey, America’s obtained some roads that’ll scratch it completely.
Positive, you might take any automotive on these journeys, however the place’s the enjoyable in that? A Mustang on the open street is like bacon on a burger: technically elective, however why wouldn’t you need it to be even higher? Whether or not you’ve got a basic Foxbody or a brand new mannequin bursting with horsepower, listed below are a number of the greatest journeys throughout the US which can be simply higher with a Mustang.
Pacific Coast Freeway: The Ocean Street Dream
The PCH runs 655 miles from Orange County to the Oregon border, however the actual magic occurs in that 123-mile stretch from Carmel to San Simeon. That is the place your Mustang will get to indicate off these dealing with chops when you faux you’re in a automotive business.
Truthful warning: this isn’t a street for setting land pace data. With all these curves hugging the clifftops, you’ll be doing extra shifting than a youngster studying stick for the primary time. However that’s a part of the appeal. The Pacific spreads out under like nature’s personal screensaver, and each hairpin flip reveals one other million-dollar view that makes you overlook about your mortgage funds.
Cease in Monterey for some world-class seafood, as a result of nothing pairs with horsepower fairly like contemporary crab. The locals have been watching cool automobiles cruise via for many years, so don’t be stunned in case your Mustang attracts some appreciative nods. Simply keep in mind to park removed from the seagulls except you desire a paint job that features some undesirable “equipment.”
Tail of the Dragon: Curves With out Finish
Situated on US Route 129 between Tennessee and North Carolina, the Dragon isn’t only a street – it’s a ceremony of passage. With 318 curves packed into 11 miles, this stretch of asphalt has extra twists than a cleaning soap opera plot.
Your Mustang’s suspension will get a exercise right here that places most health club periods to disgrace. This street was virtually designed for sports activities automobiles, although it’s price noting that a few of these curves are tight sufficient to make a pretzel jealous. The excellent news? Fashionable Mustangs deal with approach higher than Uncle Bob’s ’78 Cobra II ever did, so that you’ll even have a combating probability relying on the mannequin you deliver.
The Dragon attracts critical driving lovers, which implies you’ll spot every part from classic Corvettes to trendy supercars. There’s an unstated camaraderie right here – everybody’s chasing the identical good line via the following nook. Simply don’t get so caught up admiring another person’s experience that you simply miss your braking level.
Phrase of recommendation: Depart the ego at house. This street has humbled loads of hotshots, and the bushes lining the route have seen greater than their share of pricy paint scratches. Take it at your personal tempo and benefit from the dance between automotive and street.
Route 66: America’s Rolling Storybook
Yeah, yeah, everybody is aware of about Route 66. However right here’s the factor: there’s a cause this 2,448-mile ribbon of Americana turned legendary. From Chicago to Santa Monica, it’s like a museum of American street tradition, besides the reveals serve pie and the admission is simply the price of gasoline.
Your Mustang will really feel proper at house right here among the many classic neon indicators and basic diners. That is the place American automotive tradition was born, again when horsepower was king and gasoline was cheaper than espresso. At present’s Route 66 is a mix of preserved historical past and trendy conveniences, permitting you to chase nostalgia with out sacrificing air-con.
Cease on the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas, the place 10 Caddies are buried nose-down within the filth like automotive garden ornaments. It’s bizarre, fantastic, and fully American. Your Mustang will look positively refined by comparability.
Grand Canyon: Roads Towards Immensity
The drive to Grand Canyon Nationwide Park from Flagstaff covers about 80 miles of excessive desert that’ll remind you why Arizona surroundings exhibits up in each different Western film. At 7,000 ft of elevation, your Mustang would possibly really feel a bit much less peppy than normal: skinny air impacts naturally aspirated engines simply as altitude impacts sea-level vacationers.
However belief me, if you attain that first viewpoint and see the canyon stretching out like Earth determined to indicate off, you’ll overlook all about misplaced horsepower. This gap within the floor is 277 miles lengthy, as much as 18 miles huge, and greater than a mile deep. Makes your day by day commute appear fairly manageable by comparability.
The South Rim stays open year-round, providing the basic views that everybody acknowledges. Desert View Drive presents a 25-mile scenic route with a number of overlooks, superb for letting your Mustang pose towards some really spectacular backdrops. Simply keep in mind that canyon winds could be sneaky – hold a agency grip on the steering wheel and perhaps skip the convertible prime if it’s gusty.
Monument Valley: Highways By means of Fantasy
The 17-mile Valley Drive loop via Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park isn’t technically difficult on your Mustang, nevertheless it’s spiritually important for any American automotive fanatic. That is the panorama of a thousand Western films, the place crimson sandstone buttes rise from the desert flooring like historic skyscrapers. The straight strains permit your Mustang to shine (and allow you to benefit from the surroundings with out worry of an upcoming twist).
The unpaved loop street is well-maintained however dusty, so perhaps save this one for after you’ve completed displaying off your contemporary wax job. Your Mustang will deal with the route simply advantageous: it’s not rock crawling, only a leisurely cruise via a number of the most photogenic surroundings on the continent.
The silence out right here is exceptional. Flip off the engine at one of many viewpoints and hearken to nothing however wind and the occasional vacationer’s digital camera shutter. It’s a superb reminder that generally the perfect soundtrack on your Mustang is simply the sound of tires on filth and the whisper of desert breeze via the home windows.
Rocky Mountains: Roads Nearer to the Sky
Colorado’s mountain passes supply a number of the most spectacular driving in North America, although your Mustang’s engine will certainly discover the skinny air above 10,000 ft. Path Ridge Street in Rocky Mountain Nationwide Park tops out at 12,183 ft; that’s excessive sufficient to present your naturally aspirated V8 a correct exercise.
The Beartooth Freeway (US 212) between Montana and Wyoming climbs to 10,947 ft and consists of sufficient switchbacks to make a Swiss mountain street jealous. Going-to-the-Solar Street in Glacier Nationwide Park stretches 50 miles via terrain so beautiful it nearly hurts to have a look at.
Pack a jacket even in summer season: mountain climate adjustments quicker than a youngster’s temper, and getting caught in a sudden storm whereas carrying shorts and flip-flops is a rookie mistake. Additionally, take your time with the altitude adjustment. Your physique wants a couple of minutes to adapt, and so does your engine. Fashionable gasoline injection helps, however physics is physics.
Horizons That Keep in Reminiscence
Right here’s the attractive fact about Mustang possession: these automobiles make each drive really feel like an occasion. Whether or not you’re cruising PCH at sundown, attacking the Dragon’s curves, or simply working to the grocery retailer, there’s one thing particular concerning the expertise that common transportation simply can’t match.
These street journeys aren’t simply concerning the locations – although every one delivers surroundings that’ll fill your digital camera roll and your reminiscence financial institution. They’re about remembering why we fell in love with driving within the first place, again when getting someplace was half the enjoyable and the journey mattered as a lot because the arrival.
So gasoline up that Mustang, throw some snacks within the again seat, and decide a path. America’s highways are ready, and so they’ve obtained tales to inform. Your job is simply to hearken to the engine, watch the surroundings roll by, and keep in mind that a few of life’s greatest moments occur at 65 mph with the home windows down and the radio up.
