I need it blogged in one place so I can reflect back on it and update as necessary. it's going to jump around as my thoughts do and will therefore be somewhat random. This posting was created throughout the day on Monday, 8/29/2005 as thoughts occurred to me.
States Visited:
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NC
SC
GA
FL
TN
KY
MO
KS
NE
SD
WY
MO
ID
WA
OR
CA
NV
AZ
NM
TX
OK
AK
(one other, I forget)
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Things to Buy/Get/Do:
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- Autorouting GPS with removable memory card
* Follow-up with Lowrance on my airmap software functionality - if they have an upgrade where the TBT directions actually work, I will then have what I need.
- Cell phone booster/Antenna. Verify that it will work at full bandwidth with Verizon's network.
- Raincoat/suit. It sucks getting wet when you camp. You get chilled and never dry out.
- A better tent. Preferrably a 3 person tent. Being able to roll completely over AND get on my knees is a requirement. So is zippers that close without grabbing the flaps, short/easy setup and breakdown, and ingress/egress that doesn't require duck-walking and falling on my ass when the grass is wet.
- 3 season sleeping bag. Keep the sheet/blanket in the truck. Everything gets a smoky smell from the fire when camping. it gets quite unpleasant after sitting in the truck for a week or two.
- Thermarest pad.
- A travel partner or three.
- Verizon broadband card/account.
- Ventshades
- Darker window tint (privacy while sleeping in truck, cooler interior)
- Electric cooler - stays cool without ice.
- Move XM Satellite antenna from top of radar detector mount to roof, behind cab clearance lights.
Camping and General Travel Lessons Learned:
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- Bring warm and cold weather clothes, no matter what the weather. I experienced temperatures ranging from 108 degrees and 10% humidity to 36 degrees with driving rains and 50 MPH winds.
- Bring/buy a coffee mug. Most truck stops charge $1.19-$1.39 for a cup of coffee, but only 69 cents if you have your own cup. Over the course of a few weeks, this adds up to a very nice evening out.
- A raincoat is not optional.
- Excessive clothing for the same weather type of weather is just that - excessive. There is no need to bring more than 4 days clothes, no matter how long the trip. Whether at a campground, truck stop, or small town, you will find a place to do laundry. A full suitcase or two wastes a lot of space. You can do laundry while updating blog posts, taking a shower, or performing other duties that require down time.
- While Truck Stop Internet access will get the job done for posting to blogs and email checks, it really is not suitable for long distance trips like this. I missed *so* many opportunities to see things and go places because I would see a sign for something 50-75 miles away, not know anything about it.. such as whether or not it is worth the time/energy/expense to see; only to find out 200 miles down the road that I should have went. Additionally, being able to find things while on the road is a necessity. I can't carry a phone book for every city in the country. Having 24/7 access to SuperPages or similar site would have been a God-send. I will be dropping my flying J wireless Internet account and (as much as I hate to spend this much money) spending the $80/mo for a Verizon broadband PC Card.
- No matter what you prepare for, something you haven't prepared for will happen. Roll with the punches and realize that it's all part of the experience and the worst parts will become the best memories.
- Always, ALWAYS carry 10-15 gallons of extra fuel in cans. You never know when you will be low on fuel and get caught in a traffic jam or area of the country that has 100 miles between fuel stops. This cuts the anxiety level down to zero.
- No matter how good you feel, how much you want to keep going, every 4th night, stay in a motel and a real bed. If you don't, the road will catch up to you.
- In between times, Truck stop showers aren't that bad, and only cost $6. They are money well spent and make you feel human again.
- If you need to make some time (and you are equipped for this - IOW, you are a guy) forget rest stops, truck stops, etc. Every time you stop to use the bathroom, it is 10-20 minutes you lose. Pull off to the side of the road, angle the truck so people can't see the passenger side. Walk around to the passenger side, open the door, grab a book and hold it high so it appears as though you are looking at a map, and go right there on the side of the road. This took a while to get used to, but over the 4 days I used it, saved me 5-6 hours of down time... that's about 350 miles - almost an entire day!
- On a related note, lay off the caffeine or you will be stopping every hour. Water is your friend. If you are using coffee to stay awake, it's time to quit for the day.
- Coffee works WAY better than soda for keeping you awake, although the effects take about an hour whereas soda only takes about 10 minutes.
- Never let the cooler get more than about 30% water. Much more than that and it starts sloshing around. Not only does the sound get annoying, but all of the moving around flattens/decarbonates the soda.
- If not hauling something, remove the drawbar from the hitch, lest you think that the truck is falling apart/your spare fell off somewhere 100 miles back.
- When the roads get really rough, try a different lane.
- Don't put on a clean shirt until after you eat, even if you've just taken a shower. Not following this rule almost guarantees that you will spill food on your (most likely last) clean shirt at the worst possible time - note the ketchup stain on my t-shirt in the picture at the Grand Canyon with the dancer hottie.
- Keep the dirty laundry/ditty bag in the truck bed, even if it's raining. If not, just about the time the cab has reached maximum stench (which you will hardly notice, since it's *your* smell), a hottie will show up out of nowhere and want to it in the truck. *sigh*
- ALWAYHS know where your gun is at (and don't leave home without it)! I have a CCW, carried the entire time, never having it out of arms reach. The one time I put it way in the luggage (and I forgot which piece of luggage) is when some greasy, rotten toothed redneck crazy fucker with a survival knife on his belt approached my rolled-down window. There was no trouble, but it was a bit disconcerting.
- No matter how much ice you have, if you have food in the cooler, don't leave it out planning to get it later. I did this, forgot about it, and had such a mess the next day that I was gagging when I opened it. I couldn't stand to clean it and had to throw out a $35 cooler.
- Invest in a cell phone antenna, if not a booster (I don't mean those cheesy tape-on things). Wilson and possibly others make a system that has an external antenna as well as a booster that acts like a cell tower inside your vehicle. This is a must-have. Murphy dictates that any emergency will happen when you are in the middle of nowhere, 50 miles from any cell tower. Don't ask how I know these things...just know that I had several sleepless nights because of this.
- Bring two cameras - one digital, one film. No matter how good each one is, you'll wish you had the other if you only bring one. Ideally, the digital should be a P&S for all those quick shots. It does need to have a fast lens though, especially with combat tourism - taking lots of pictures at night and from a moving vehicle. The 35mm should be a good SLR for those "oh my God, can you believe this?" shots. - I NEED to get a "faster" digital camera (if there is such a thing) before the next trip.
- Binoculars. Night vision if you can. A Sony camcorder can pull this duty and is *great* for seeing what interesting wildlife is making those sounds in the bushes.
- If you use a CB (highly recommended - along with a good radar detector - I use a Valentine One), bring as much spare money as you can stand. There are always incredible deals to be had.. and I don't mean stolen goods, but truckers selling DVDs they've watched for $2-$5, drivers that lost a haul they were counting on to get home and are selling $400 import radios (CBs) for $100, and all sorts of other goodies. Most legitimate sales will still have their original receipt. Load up and eBay the stuff when you get home!
- Bring an autorouting GPS. I have a Garmin GPS V. While it was an incredibly helpful tool, it only has 19MB of memory and (in busy metro areas) can only store maps for 1/2 day travel. the map loads from the notebook take 30-60 minutes. Either plan accordingly or get a GPS with more memory. I'll be selling this one and either getting a factory unit out of an Expedition or something aftermarket that uses flash cards.
- Pack healthy, ready-to-eat foods (sandwiches, etc).. it's just about impossible to eat healthy on the road. Those chili corn dogs taste good, but they are hell on the waistline!
- Other must-have items:
* Don't waste time with all of those auto/cig lighter power adapters. Buy a 175
watt power inverter (truck stop price - $40. eBay - probably $15). This is enough to charge your cell phone, camcorder, and run a laptop.
* Get rechargable batteries for the digital camera. I went through $40 in batteries on this trip and could have easily charged rechargables during all of the driving time. Plus, with them fully charged every time you leave the vehicle, you never have to worry about them dying at the worst possible moment and getting screwed on battery prices (Twice I had to pay $8+ for AA, hence the $40 in batteries).
* Items you can't travel without (that aren't part of most standard packing lists):
- Windex - Presoak the windshield with it before pumping gas, then clean as usual with the gas station cleaner after pumping. You will never fight stuck bugs again.
- Fill up with the good (green colored) bug cleaning windshield washer solvent. It's available at auto parts stores and is SO much better than the blue stuff, but almost impossible to find on the road.
- Towels, at least two.
- Paper towels - at least two rolls. You will use these for everything. Gas stations are often out at the pumps, rest areas usually just have those hand dryers drying your face and toothbrush on your shirt gets old REAL fast), you WILL spill fuel on your paint at some point,.. and a 100 other reasons.
- 2.5 to 5 gallons of drinking water - You'll like your brewed coffee better, you can brush your teeth, and refill your water bottles for pennies instead of spending several $ each time you stop. In an emergency, you have water for the engine (or just to clean the windshield).
- Bring a (healthy) dog; unless you are staying someplace fancy. They are great companionship.. and if you meet somebody that doesn't like them, or a motel that doesn't like them, you've just easily weeded out the evil people, right?
- Fix a flat, tire plugs, AND an air tank/compressor. If you bring a spare, you will have two flats. If you bring 4 spares, your axle will fall off. Stick with one spare and some repair tools.
Semi-Random thoughts:
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- I always wondered if I just wanted to see the things I missed, or if I had some Nomad blood. I realize that 2 weeks on the road can't cure a lifetime jonesing to travel, but I'm leaning towards Nomad. While I am glad to be home and catch up on sleep, I am already thinking about the next trip.
- I need to decide how I want to go about the traveling. There are some large decisions to be made, and a lot of serious thinking to be done here. Do I get a 5th wheel and do the campground thing - staying for a week at a time and visiting/traveling on weekends... or do I buy a big truck/semi and commit to 1-2 weeks hauls that permit me to see things and (with a big enough sleeper) take the
dogs with me?
- No matter how much you haul ass, you will *average* about 500 miles per day on an extended trip. You may do 1000 miles one day, but it will catch you to you a few days later and you hardly travel at all. On a related note, (again, on an extended trip) your average speed for the day will be about 15 MPH slower than your traveling speed. 20 MPH slower if you are trying to take on too many miles.
Plan accordingly. This trip was 2500 miles shorter than I thought it would be, and I missed a lot of sites because of this error. I only allocated 10 MPH. Over the course of 2 weeks, driving 10-14 hours a day, that extra 10 MPH adds up to nearly 2000 miles.. not an insignificant amount!
- If you are the type to travel alone, try to work out a few one day rideshares ahead of time so you can get a feeling for what the person is like. For the most part, I enjoyed the time alone, but there were a few days where I would have killed to have even a really annoying person in the truck for a few hours just to have somebody to talk to - the CB only goes so far.
- There is SO much to see in this country. This trip has left me longing to see more things than I wanted to see before the trip. If you've never done this, don't waste another day, start planning now. I am in awe. I've got one thousand places to go in the USA, and then a whole world to cover!
