USA by Lincoln: the ultimate road trip

Into the great wide open

What’s the best way to top off a year’s exchange in the USA?

For musician Marcus Warner and mate Connor Read, it was to buy a 1978 Lincoln Continental MkV for $5000 and embark on an epic 35-day, 10,000-mile road trip across America, from New York to San Francisco and back.

Devil’s Tower, Wyoming

“When it came to manoeuvring, everything I’d ever heard about American cars was perfectly demonstrated in this 19ft-long land yacht,” says Marcus.

“I found that I wasn’t steering the Continental so much as navigating it: turn the wheel a few times and several minutes later the front end gently starts to move; a few more minutes and the rest of the car begins to follow.”

Lincoln at rest in Ohio

The trip didn’t get off to a great start. Just four hours in, somewhere in New Jersey, the duo pulled over to find a puddle of coolant under the car.

After Marcus burned himself while bypassing the knackered heater core, they eventually got back underway and made it to Ohio, where they pitched their tent in a quarry.

Sweet home, Chicago

With money tight, the pair booked the cheapest room they could find in Chicago – a $20 Airbnb a mile south of Englewood, the backdrop to Spike Lee’s 2015 gang violence musical Chi-Raq.

Despite hearing gunshots nearby in the middle of the night, the pair survived unscathed – as did the car, parked on the street outside.

Wisconsin woes

Leaving Chicago, Marcus and Connor headed north-west on Interstate 90, stopping in Wisconsin at a cheese shop with a giant cow outside.

The cheese was pretty good, but at that point they realised that the big Lincoln was leaking coolant again.

Wisconsin's wide-open roads

The Continental has a 23-gallon fuel tank – “but I’m fairly certain you burn off the first two just coaxing the carburetted 7.5-litre engine into life,” says Marcus, “with a lot of pumping and feathering of the throttle.

“Once it gets going, however, driving the Lincoln is a fantastic experience – albeit one where everything happens in slow motion.”

South Dakota

After the overheating delays, the pair had some time to make up, so the interstate beckoned.

“The V8 doesn’t really roar so much as chug,” says Marcus, “and I learnt quickly to not so much as look in the direction of the throttle unless I was prepared to burn off $5 of fuel; on open roads we managed as much as 16mpg, but around town it was more like half that.”

Devil’s Tower, Wyoming

The Lincoln's 7-5-litre engine, though torquey, is laughably underpowered (at just 166bhp) given its size and immense weight.

Says Marcus: “After a seemingly endless spell of interstate driving, we pulled over and pitched our tent outside a spooky-looking abandoned farmhouse. I made a video explaining that, if we didn’t make it out, I loved my family.”

Bighorn Mountain Range, Wyoming

“Driving towards our accommodation in Basin, Wyoming, it suddenly began snowing. Soon we were in a blizzard, and with two inches of compacted snow on the road I seriously considered turning the car around before we hit a tree.”

Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming

“I didn’t tell Connor how worried I was about the blizzard, although I think he could tell. Just when I thought that we couldn’t go any further, the road began to descend and the snow turned to rain.”

Glamping cabin, Basin, Wyoming

The duo had a policy of staying in pre-booked accommodation in order to save cash – Marcus had only about $200 left in his bank account by this time – but arriving in Basin, Wyoming at midnight they took what they could find…

Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming

Although a luxury two-door might seem incongruous in the stunning scenery, the Lincoln’s relaxed nature was perfectly suited to the wide-open spaces of Shoshone National Forest.

Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming

“Despite the car looking like a Rolls-Royce on steroids and getting barely nine miles to the gallon,” says Marcus, “I thought it would be perfect for a road trip.”

Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming

“I’ve never been so cold in my life as I was in that tent,” says Marcus of his Wyoming camping experience. “It rained and snowed for two nights solid, but it was worth it.”

Jackson Lake, Wyoming

Even the mighty Lincoln Continental is dwarfed by Jackson Lake, which was made even larger by the construction of the Jackson Lake Dam in 1911.

The Grand Tetons, Wyoming

Sometimes, Mother Nature is so powerful that no words are necessary. The Grand Tetons, Wyoming is just such a place.

Arriving in Montana

After three days in Yellowstone National Park, the Brits and their Lincoln headed into Montana and their favourite part of the trip.

“I loved the quietness, the emptiness and the vastness of this state,” says Marcus.

Route 287, Montana

Already running behind schedule, Marcus and Connor had miles to make up. The Lincoln was still leaking coolant – this time from the radiator – but, having already spent $120 on accommodation, the pair simply had to cross their fingers and hope.

Camping in Montana

Pitched up a few miles outside Butte. “I wasn’t too fazed by the isolation,” says Marcus, “until I heard howling in the distance at 4am!”

Scenic Viewpoint, Washington

Despite the coolant leaks, the Lincoln made it through the rest of Montana, Idaho and Washington with no issues.

Kerry Park, Seattle, Washington

Sunburnt, unwashed and exhausted, the duo arrived in Seattle at around 9pm, parked up and enjoyed the city for a few days before worrying about repairing the Continental.

O’Reilly’s, Seattle, Washington

In true student fashion, Marcus completely forgot about the radiator until the second night in Seattle, but had to tackle the problem before it got worse.

Eventually, he found a motor factor with the only MkV radiator in the state of Washington and fitted it in the car park, along with changing the oil and filter.

Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park, Washington

With the car repaired, the pair left Seattle and returned to the sweet pines of Route 101 as they traversed the Olympic National Park.

Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park, Washington

With views like these, in the spectacular Olympic National Park, it’s no wonder the Lincoln crew were running behind schedule.

Olympic National Park, Washington

Cool headlamps – when they work! – are concealed behind retractable covers during the day.

Olympic National Park, Washington

Musician Marcus and his beloved Lincoln take a break in the Olympic National Park.

Ruby Beach, Washington

After leaving the National Park, the duo spent the following four days on the Pacific Coast Highway, alternating between campgrounds and pitching their tent on the beach.

Ruby Beach, Washington

Is there any more pure pleasure than living from your classic, and camping beside the sea?

Coast of Oregon

“We found a wall of mussels in Oregon and cooked them over a campfire and drank beer,” says Marcus with a smile. “It is still one of the best meals of my life!”

The Lost Coast, California

Next up was California, where the British students went out of their way to discover the Lost Coast, a stretch of the CA-211 that reminded them of Scotland, of all places, and was virtually deserted.

Redwoods, somewhere after the Lost Coast, California

“We nearly killed the Lincoln getting there, but it was worth it,” says Marcus. “I’d been waiting my whole life to see the redwood trees, and they did not disappoint.”

California State Route 1

A pensive Connor takes in the view from the roadside, during a pause on the long slog along Route 1.

California State Route 1

Off the beaten track, the views are simply spectacular – and despite being a car designed for the city, the Lincoln looks oddly at home here.

California State Route 1

Next stop: San Francisco.

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

After spending three nights in Oakland because they couldn’t afford to stay in central San Francisco, Marcus and Connor commuted in the Lincoln on the final day, taking in the iconic Golden Gate and Lombard Street before heading east towards the Sierra Nevada.

Mono Lake Scenic Viewpoint, California

On Route 50 through the El Dorado National Forest, the Lincoln’s headlights failed, and the dark and twisty mountain roads made for a tense drive, but they arrived at Mono Lake in good time the following morning.

Mono Lake Scenic Viewpoint, California

“The scenery at Mono Lake was incredible,” says Marcus, “and we actually did some exercise, hiking and visiting the hot springs, but two days later we hit the road again, bound for Las Vegas on Nevada State Route 95.”

June Lake Campground, California

“The car behaved for a while before the headlights began getting progressively worse,” says Marcus, “so we admitted defeat, pulled over and pitched up.”

Nevada

Two days later, the Continental crew hit the road again, bound for Las Vegas on Nevada State Route 95. It was hot, but somehow the MkV trundled on without complaint.

Nevada

To be on the safe side, the pair decided it was in their best interest not to go through Death Valley, but instead skirted around the north on Nevada State Route 95.

Nevada

The double-wishbone front, live-axle rear suspension of the Lincoln is hardly sophisticated, but it provides a comfortable ride on the wide open roads of Nevada.

Throw in powered steering and a three-speed auto and it makes for a relaxing long-distance companion.

The Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada

After a night in the casinos of Las Vegas and a buffet breakfast at one of the lesser establishments, the pair headed to Dolan Springs, hungover and dehydrated. Then the fuel pump packed up…

Caesar’s Palace staff parking lot, Las Vegas, Nevada

They managed to limp the car back, and set about replacing the fuel pump in 120-degree heat. The old one came out easily enough, but the new unit was a slightly different shape and proved a nightmare to fit.

Five hours later, night fell and they were still there. Every hotel was either closed or full, so there was nothing for it but to pitch the tent in the parking lot.

The Grand Canyon, Arizona

With the car fixed, the target was to make Monument Valley by that evening, dropping in to see the Grand Canyon along the way.

As the sun began to set they reached it, and ‘dropping in’ turned into two hours before they had to move on. 

Monument Valley, Utah

After the Continental was stolen from their campsite outside Monument Valley – and, miraculously, recovered four hours later, undamaged and with all their worldly goods still inside – Marcus and Connor struck out for Colorado, some 11 hours away.

Pikes Peak, Colorado

After three nights of recovery in Colorado, it was time for the Continental to defy all expectations once again.

On the way up it suffered vapour lock, and on the way down there were hardly any brakes, but the Lincoln conquered Pikes Peak. Yet another epic experience to tick off the bucket list.

Pikes Peak, Colorado

Marcus navigates the USS Continental, with its barge-like turning circle, down Pikes Peak: “The MkV certainly won’t be much use on any track days, but that isn’t why I bought it.”

Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, Colorado

After visiting the Garden of the Gods, a local park, Marcus and Connor threaded the Lincoln south through New Mexico then Texas towards Oklahoma.

Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, Colorado

Amazing rock formations beside the road look as if they might fall onto the car at any moment!

Roslyn, Pennsylvania

Lincoln meets its twin in Pennsylvania, as the trip nears its conclusion. 

Having put 10,000 miles beneath its wheels in 35 days, the Continental – like its occupants – was tired. The brakes were making the car nearly undriveable, the headlights were useless, the passenger window was broken and the heater and indicators had stopped working. But what an incredible ride!