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summerkid · 10-07-2005, 06:34 PM

... this is a bit of a rush but I'm headed from Chicago to Salt Lake City to pick up a trailer tomorrow, Oct. 8, or Sunday. I expect to be coming back Tuesday/Wednesday.

It's about 48 hours of driving, and the dog & I will be barreling through it as quickly as caninely possible (and with as little planning as humanly possible, come to think of it). I'm not booking any hotels because I don't want to be locked in if I run into something tricky (first towing experience).

Anybody available between Cheyenne & Omaha?

Thanks,
Theresa

letsgo · 10-07-2005, 07:13 PM

just pull into the truck stops, and park in front of the restraunt door you'll be quite safe, BUT dont have a conversation with anyone period... unless NO not even a little old lady.

There are 2 books you can buy THE TRUCK STOP and or THE INTERSTATE AUTHORITY, they will be your guide to everything at all turn offs on all the interstates.

AND DONT STOP AT WALMARTS untill you have travelled a bit.

good luck

drive safe

**azflycaster** · 10-07-2005, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by letsgo

AND DONT STOP AT WALMARTS untill you have travelled a bit.

I have never stopped at Walmart, all of my trips have less then one day. What is the issue with Walmart?

overlander63 · 10-07-2005, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azflycaster

I have never stopped at Walmart, all of my trips have less then one day. What is the issue with Walmart?

They are a place to park for the night. Some places have a good store team, and you have no problems, and some, well, are not so good. Also, you may wind up in a bad part of town, or find yourself in a locale that doesn't allow overnight parking at all. Add to that some unsavory types that will steal your hubcaps, and you get the picture...

summerkid · 10-07-2005, 09:19 PM

that's great info, letsgo! it's going to be a grind but sometimes that's the way life is. and i can stop off in tipton & see 85MH325 & (Laurie)85MH325, but that'll be just for fun, not overnight, since they're pretty close to chicago.

silver 67 · 10-07-2005, 09:45 PM

77 R GO C MH. I think he lives in Lincoln, Neb. He's a doc. Might have a suggestion or two on where to stay. Met him and wife at a rest stop in Iowa this summer. Very Nice folks and great vintage orange shag in MH.

SilverRanger · 10-08-2005, 03:47 AM

While on our recent trip south we stopped and had dinner and then caught about four-five hours of sleep at a Cracker Barrel off the interstate somewhere in North Carolina. When we pulled in I saw a sign for RV/bus parking but they were all occupied by cars. There was plenty of space in the back and it was much quieter.

summerkid · 10-08-2005, 10:15 AM

This is great. I think I'll be fine. Weather's holding up and crossing the Rockies in Wyoming looks fairly straightforward, unlike some of the passes in my home state of Montana or even that nasty stretch of I-80 in western Pennsylvania.

Happycampers · 10-08-2005, 01:23 PM

Try Flying J and Love Truck stops.. very rv friendly. Good luck and travel safe..

summerkid · 10-08-2005, 01:53 PM

Yeah, the worst thing about looking at the courtesy camping posts was seeing all the lovely places I COULD be staying, like at GT/Moonbeam's place in Canada, or GStephens in Texas. But NOOOOOOOO, I have to be hoofing it along I-80, marveling at the Nebraska scenery & making do with truck plazas.

C Johnson · 10-08-2005, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by summerkid

marveling at the Nebraska scenery & making do with truck plazas.

IS that sarcasm ? I bet it is a lot like most of South Dakota

maxandgeorgia · 10-08-2005, 06:49 PM

Safe travels, Kid. If you were trekking I-70 instead of I-80, I'd say come on by and fish a while in our pond while overnighting! Hope you hear from someone along the way from the forum

summerkid · 10-16-2005, 04:59 PM

While I wouldn't recommend doing 3,000 miles in 5 days on your first time out, the 1,442 miles with my new '59 18D went smooth as silk. The door lost its seal somewhere around Mile 900, causing a big gap & mucho fretting, but luckily I had strapped it shut anyway via the original Bargman latch, and thankfully it held.

Providence probably had a hand in this successful venture, since I left town with $600, a screwdriver, a pair of wire snips, a couple of bungee cords, twine, scissors & a Triple A card. I used everything but the wire snips & Triple A. If a tire had blown, I'd have been totally flummoxed. Fortunately, I turned left instead of right when I got to the PO's block in Salt Lake, and the kind stranger who sent me in the right direction followed me & helped me rejigger my hitch & jury-rig what passed for safety chains or I might still be sitting in the dirt looking at the whole mess. (He even brought beer & went to the hardware store for locks!) My life gets frightening Blanche DuBois-ish at times.

Got home at 11 p.m. yesterday & Airstream Caravel ("DAVE") checked in via email at 1 a.m. to see whether I had arrived & he was knocking at my door by 7:50 a.m. We made one whole polishing pass by sundown. The neighbors are enthralled by the whole show!

So now I've towed AND polished in one whirlwind experience. Since I need to liquidate a few toys, watch for a really nice '59 with a professional polish job on eBay in a week or so!

overlander63 · 10-16-2005, 05:09 PM

It's good to see you got home safely. I am sure we are all looking forward to seeing photos of your new toy.

summerkid · 10-16-2005, 05:25 PM

here's the '59 with the unpolished Bambi in the background for reference (also, previous post should say "frighteningly" rather than "frightening") ...

this is the first of four passes. the nuvite won't arrive till tomorrow so we were slumming with leftover rolite ...

summerkid · 10-16-2005, 05:28 PM

don't forget, this is only the first pass. you can kind of see dave & me, fuzzy-like, in the reflection, and the dull square is what we started with this morning.

john hd · 10-16-2005, 05:36 PM

more more!

kid, lets see some more pics!

nice container garden btw!

john

summerkid · 10-16-2005, 05:42 PM

To start with, here are my 2 "angels" in Salt Lake ... Bart, on the left, was just storing the '59 for the PO, and Ed, on the right, is the wonderful guy who spent a good amount of time just helping me out.

After the nonsense with the hitch & safety chains, we checked the lights (amazing, they worked) and I was off. I must admit, after locking myself out of the trailer right off the bat & being such an unprepared novice, I was thrilled when I hit the gas and .... the trailer followed, like a big obedient bug (well, OK, this was AFTER I first hit the gas, THEN released the hand brake).