Driven: 2011 Lotus Evora S

Start time: 6:10am Saturday; odometer 865 miles
End time: 8:45pm Sunday; odometer 2219 miles
Total miles: 1354
Fuel consumption: 58.98 gallons, average 23 mpg Every year my BFF Marty and I take a cross-country motorcycle trip, but last year I had to skip as I was still trying to get settled in my new job as creative director at Automobile Magazine. This year's trip was again foiled due to work. I'd been texting Marty all week about his trip plans and details, as I was so jealous. According to media reports about Harold Camping's Doomsday, the world was going to end, and here I was stuck at the office. The powers that be must have wanted my last days on earth to be heavenly, because on Friday, the keys to a Lotus Evora S landed on my desk. I swear I could hear angels singing, but then panic set in because the key itself is slightly confusing. After a crash course on how the key works, I was off to the gym. As I powered my way through an endless ab workout, all I was thinking was, "what should I do this weekend?" There were friends and events in Detroit that could have created a fun night, but the thought of taking the Evora S to a Detroit nightclub left me feeling a little unsettled in the tummy, and not from doing abs. That night I sat at home doing some Facebooking while occasionally glancing out the window to admire the beautiful lines of the Evora S parked outside. Suddenly it hit me. I texted Marty and asked what his ETA was for the campsite at the River's Edge in Georgia. His reply was 6 p.m. Saturday. My reply back? "CU there." The next morning, I tucked an overnight bag, my motorcycle tent, and a sleeping bag behind the front seats, loaded my iPhone playlist, and was on my way at 6:10 a.m. Yes, there's a sealed rear storage compartment, and I assume it's insulated, but I did not want my gear to melt into one chunk from the heat of the engine. Best to keep things like protein bars and temperature-sensitive items in the cabin. Two unobtrusive 12-volt power ports were available for my radar/laser detector and my Garmin. Thankfully, a third connection for the iPhone was in the glove box. Initially, I thought that perhaps the devil's sense of humor was at work in these last days: I get a fine car, but no satellite radio subscription, and the entire Alpine system is archaic.