Bludozer
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #61
Just got back from roughly 2 weeks and 5,000miles in the truck. Didn't skip a beat and didn't burn a drop of oil. Only hiccup we had was the A/C deciding to blow a gasket about 2 hours from home 
. A handful of DD trips to work away from 240k and genuinely runs better than many 80s I've been in with half the miles. Always amazes me what these trucks will do for you if you treat them right.
Left Va and after a few stops on the road, landed in Santa Fe. First time I had been there and quickly became one of my favorite towns I have been to. Really spectacular architecture and culture...not to mention the views and proximity to amazing outdoor activity. Enjoyed it, will be back someday.
Left Santa Fe and headed for SW Colorado area (the goal of the trip). Grabbed a quick bite in pagosa on the way in and beelined for Durango. Another amazing town. Set up camp and got some rest.
Left for Silverton/Ouray/Telluride area. Hit a few trails, saw a few sites, camped, just all around had a blast. Only problem is it rained just about the entire time. Bummer, but not normally a huge problem - the springbar tent held up very well...but 2 nights straight in non-stop rain was about all I could ask from my pregnant wife, she is a trooper.
So made the snap decision to head to the desert. Moab. Not our first time there, so the usual tourist spots/trails weren't the priority. Sitting in a line of 30 Jeeps waiting to roll over a rock when its 103 outside is not as fun as its made out to be. Goal was to get away from the crowds, see some beautiful sites and not get rained on. After PMing a member here (won't mention him directly since I'm sure everyone will then start PMing him) he led us to a specific area in the Moab region that was just that - perfect. Felt like we were the only ones there. Couldn't have asked for more. Set up camp on some BLM land in the area, did a couple more trails, hiked a little, loved every minute of it.
After that, made the 2,000 mile trek home, and here I sit, planning the next one.
Some things I learned, and some takeaways (some tech related, some not) since there is always room for improvement on every trip.
- I need to switch out my sliders. My wife had trouble getting in and out the entire time, will be more complicated in the future. Slee step sliders are the cure.
- I am changing my gearing choice. 5.29/35s makes sense for me 99% of the time, but if I have any hope of more trips like this, I need 4.88s instead. There is a lot of highway between Virginia and Utah. A brand new set of nitro 5.29s will be for sale in the classified section soon, PM me if interested.
- The Speski barrier was the most crucial last minute purchase I made. Was so happy I had it, beyond useful.
- OBA would be really nice, but I'm not sure the extra expense would be truly worth it, not a priority at the moment - filing it in the 'nice to have' category. On Board Water on the other hand is a different story. Our gatorade jug on labs bumper set up actually worked ok for what it was (pic below), but something more sophisticated is on the horizon.
- I undervalued the importance of rear drawers. Had them in my last truck and used the hell out of them, I need a new set.
- I'm not sure if upgrading to a fridge is worth it. Besides the obvious drastic expense over even the best cooler, it adds so much extra complication. Extra wiring, extra battery or solar or both, is hard mounted and hard to remove. How is that worth it over needing to grab ice every 4-5 days? I'm not convinced. Having the ability to sleep back there in a pinch as well is very nice - not easy with a fridge if its more than one person.
- Our sleeping set up was the most comfortable camping I have ever done. Springbar tent, camptime cots, Exped Mega Mats. Was the perfect base camp. Only complaint is the stakes. Here in Va, takes a few minutes, no problems whatsoever. Out there in CO/UT...totally different story. Bent stakes and lots of curse words. Won't be changing all of this out immediately, but I don't see us going that far again with the same set up.
- Lastly and most importantly. There is no good Italian food west of the Missippi. I love it out there, landscapes are amazing, outdoor activity proximity is amazing, but good lord beyond your tacos/burritos and tex/mex, learn how to cook
. A handful of DD trips to work away from 240k and genuinely runs better than many 80s I've been in with half the miles. Always amazes me what these trucks will do for you if you treat them right.Left Va and after a few stops on the road, landed in Santa Fe. First time I had been there and quickly became one of my favorite towns I have been to. Really spectacular architecture and culture...not to mention the views and proximity to amazing outdoor activity. Enjoyed it, will be back someday.
Left Santa Fe and headed for SW Colorado area (the goal of the trip). Grabbed a quick bite in pagosa on the way in and beelined for Durango. Another amazing town. Set up camp and got some rest.
Left for Silverton/Ouray/Telluride area. Hit a few trails, saw a few sites, camped, just all around had a blast. Only problem is it rained just about the entire time. Bummer, but not normally a huge problem - the springbar tent held up very well...but 2 nights straight in non-stop rain was about all I could ask from my pregnant wife, she is a trooper.
So made the snap decision to head to the desert. Moab. Not our first time there, so the usual tourist spots/trails weren't the priority. Sitting in a line of 30 Jeeps waiting to roll over a rock when its 103 outside is not as fun as its made out to be. Goal was to get away from the crowds, see some beautiful sites and not get rained on. After PMing a member here (won't mention him directly since I'm sure everyone will then start PMing him) he led us to a specific area in the Moab region that was just that - perfect. Felt like we were the only ones there. Couldn't have asked for more. Set up camp on some BLM land in the area, did a couple more trails, hiked a little, loved every minute of it.
After that, made the 2,000 mile trek home, and here I sit, planning the next one.
Some things I learned, and some takeaways (some tech related, some not) since there is always room for improvement on every trip.
- I need to switch out my sliders. My wife had trouble getting in and out the entire time, will be more complicated in the future. Slee step sliders are the cure.
- I am changing my gearing choice. 5.29/35s makes sense for me 99% of the time, but if I have any hope of more trips like this, I need 4.88s instead. There is a lot of highway between Virginia and Utah. A brand new set of nitro 5.29s will be for sale in the classified section soon, PM me if interested.
- The Speski barrier was the most crucial last minute purchase I made. Was so happy I had it, beyond useful.
- OBA would be really nice, but I'm not sure the extra expense would be truly worth it, not a priority at the moment - filing it in the 'nice to have' category. On Board Water on the other hand is a different story. Our gatorade jug on labs bumper set up actually worked ok for what it was (pic below), but something more sophisticated is on the horizon.
- I undervalued the importance of rear drawers. Had them in my last truck and used the hell out of them, I need a new set.
- I'm not sure if upgrading to a fridge is worth it. Besides the obvious drastic expense over even the best cooler, it adds so much extra complication. Extra wiring, extra battery or solar or both, is hard mounted and hard to remove. How is that worth it over needing to grab ice every 4-5 days? I'm not convinced. Having the ability to sleep back there in a pinch as well is very nice - not easy with a fridge if its more than one person.
- Our sleeping set up was the most comfortable camping I have ever done. Springbar tent, camptime cots, Exped Mega Mats. Was the perfect base camp. Only complaint is the stakes. Here in Va, takes a few minutes, no problems whatsoever. Out there in CO/UT...totally different story. Bent stakes and lots of curse words. Won't be changing all of this out immediately, but I don't see us going that far again with the same set up.
- Lastly and most importantly. There is no good Italian food west of the Missippi. I love it out there, landscapes are amazing, outdoor activity proximity is amazing, but good lord beyond your tacos/burritos and tex/mex, learn how to cook
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