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eubank · 10-03-2008, 12:28 PM

Oh, boy, do we need this trip! It's going to take a while to get to Chaco Canyon and beyond, but at least we're leaving!

Lynn

Mike Leary · 10-03-2008, 12:53 PM

Are you related to Richard Farnsworth as in the "Straight Story"? Have a great trip, post
lotsa pics. I like to read books about the areas we're in; try "House of Rain", by Craig Childs.

Boondocker · 10-03-2008, 12:53 PM

WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Make sure and keep us posted. BTW, its just my opinion, but you may want a different TV. It will be slow going with that one.

eubank · 10-03-2008, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gen Disarray

WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Make sure and keep us posted. BTW, its just my opinion, but you may want a different TV. It will be slow going with that one.

Yep, that's why I sort of felt that it was going to take us quite a while to make it over to our destinations! But Maria prevailed: I went out and bought ~$670 worth of tires for the truck just a couple of hours ago, so I guess we don't really have to tow with the tractor after all!

Lynn

Wayne&Sam · 10-03-2008, 03:21 PM

Have a great trip!

eubank · 10-03-2008, 03:24 PM

Yes, we're really looking forward to it! We're planning to leave on Sunday; however, the weather forecast for Sunday is snow. Argh! We may have to delay until Monday, but we'll just play it by ear (and how slick the roads are).

Lynn

jerrypeterma · 10-03-2008, 03:26 PM

have a great trip!!

eubank · 10-03-2008, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Leary

Are you related to Richard Farnsworth as in the "Straight Story"? Have a great trip, post
lotsa pics. I like to read books about the areas we're in; try "House of Rain", by Craig Childs.

Hey, House of Rain sounds really good! Gonna have to buy that one!

Oh, and no relation to Farnsworth. The lawnmower, hefty as it is, just won't tow the Airstream.

Lynn

Mike Leary · 10-03-2008, 04:03 PM

Get the book. Then, if you have hole-up along the way,reading about the mystery of the Anasazi will prepare you for Chaco.

eubank · 10-03-2008, 04:09 PM

That's happened before! We got stuck someplace a couple of years ago, so I got The Monkey Wrench Gang. Needless to say, I didn't try to drag it in past the Homeland Security types guarding the dam at Lake Powell.

Lynn

Mike Leary · 10-03-2008, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eubank

We got stuck someplace a couple of years ago, so I got The Monkey Wrench Gang.

Anything Abbey wrote is worth being stuck to read.

sd90mac · 10-03-2008, 08:39 PM

Lynn,

Good luck and have a safe trip. please use larger tow vehicle. The tractor could have problems if you come up on a hill!

Marie

safari57 · 10-03-2008, 09:02 PM

I just read in Gene Crawford's trip thread that he saw a few tractors being used as TV's for SOB's

. I'd be checking the tire pressure on a regular basis though and the passenger is going to get awful tired of standing beside the driver. But snow shouldn't be a problem other than the lack of wipers, heck, even a windshield.

You have a fun time in your travels. When you mentioned snow it suddenly occurred to me that it is that time of year. OMG, I can't believe this one has gone so fast. How long are you intending to be out and about? Any 4CU events included in your travels?

Take care, may all the roads you travel be worthy of aluminum

eubank · 10-04-2008, 07:09 AM

Yep, the tractor does pretty well as a tow vehicle as long as you're moving forward. Stopping isn't too fun since brakes on old Ford 8Ns are not supreme. And backing up is a real pain without mirrors!

But, Marie, you're right: Maria wasn't too keen on riding beside me by sitting on the fender. So now the truck's all ready to go.

Alas, the snow looks more and more likely, so I figure we'll leave Monday. Of course, if we'd known about the weather, we'd head south to the FCU rally at Balloon Fiesta instead of northwest. That would take us to lower altitude and warmer temps, too. Alas, we don't have any reservations, so the chances of finding any place to park down there are next to zero.

I am looking forward to the high country part of the trip, though. The area between Tres Piedras and Tierra Amarilla (near Chama) is absolutely stunning. Regardless of need, we always pull off up there and just stare for a while. Unless they get a tremendous amount of snow -- not expected at this time of the year -- the state will have plowed that road by Monday.

Lynn

Mike Leary · 10-04-2008, 11:35 AM

The road over the pass from Chama into Colorado is to kill for if aspens impress you.

eubank · 10-04-2008, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Leary

The road over the pass from Chama into Colorado is to kill for if aspens impress you.

What I find best is what's at the end of that road: Pagosa Springs! We love to go soak in the hot springs there, though I've never had the gumption to make it down into the Lobster Pot yet. It's one thing to cook yourself, yet quite another to boil yourself!

But leaves? Nope, I still prefer that stretch of really high country on Hwy 64 from Tres Piedras over to Tierra Amarilla/Chama! Amazing country! But it's so lonely up there that the state does not plow the road until all else is done.

Lynn

eubank · 10-17-2008, 01:58 PM

So we had to come back home prematurely and did not get to see the wolf preserve or any of the surrounding areas. (We did make it to Chaco and to Bosque del Apache.)

The problem was a pretty ugly intermittant short in the 12 volt system, which would immediately cause the one circuit breaker to stay tripped and, with a little more time, to burn up the big 40 amp glass fuse. So I disconnected all 12 volt power leads to the distribution, and we drove home the day before yesterday.

This morning I started tracing the problem. It was very fortunate that the short was still showing up when I started, so things were quite a lot easier. It was a pinched positive wire leading to the furnace, which would ground out to the body of the furnace and short out everything in sight.

So much for that vacation! But, like I said, we did manage to get to a couple of places.

Lynn

Boondocker · 10-17-2008, 02:06 PM

Oh what a bummer! It sucks when that sort of thing happens. I was looking forward to hearing more about your trip. Maybe next time out you will have better luck. Tell you what, find somebody silly enough to watch the shop over new years and come on down to the beach. I expect another AS couple I know to be there. It would be warmer than the mountains for sure.

eubank · 10-17-2008, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gen Disarray

Oh what a bummer! It sucks when that sort of thing happens. I was looking forward to hearing more about your trip. Maybe next time out you will have better luck. Tell you what, find somebody silly enough to watch the shop over new years and come on down to the beach. I expect another AS couple I know to be there. It would be warmer than the mountains for sure.

Yeah, it was a MAJOR bummer!

What does sort of entice us at this point is the 4CU rally down at Cottonwood in February. Why? Well, it's not just because the rally would be a real kick! It's that winter is coming here: It snowed the day before our arrival back here, and the weather is obviously just going to go downhill from now on out. February is just about the worst of it, exactly when we're literally desperate for anyplace warmer than here!

Lynn

Boondocker · 10-17-2008, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eubank

What does sort of entice us at this point is the 4CU rally down at Cottonwood in February

Lynn

I hear that, if it were 1000 miles closer Id be all over that one. As it is, I will have to content myself with my nascent tradition of Christmas and new years on the beach.