Across North America in Five Weeks!

[Birdmon]

Wow!!! Just an awesome thread. I am bummed I missed it when you were in the planning stages. Will be sure to follow your trip!!!

Safe travels brother!!!

 

[hecrod]

It is very nice to read your kudos and attaboys... thank you!

Today marked the end of week one... about 1,400 miles in the books already... but still a loooong way to go. About 200 miles a day, not a blistering pace by any definition... and I don't have to worry about passing anyone (only two trucks so far, and only because it was way steep and they were lagging), but it is still a bit tiring. Not complaining though... I'm blessed.

I just got to Calgary where we will stay until early afternoon Sunday, unless it is determined tomorrow that the rear seal has to be replaced. We'll see... Our plan was to be here until Sunday anyway, as my daughter is flying in from Boston tomorrow, and my wife departs for Boston on Sunday. Why? Two reasons...

1. They don't both fit in the 40!
2. Unfortunately not many people, my wife included, can take 5 weeks at one time! She has to go back to work on Monday. I myself had never done it... it is just a benefit my company gives to those employees with more than 5 years of service. Every 5 years you get this additional time off... again, blessed.

It's a good time for me to say a little about this wonderful place I work at... Biogen. We're a biotechnology company in the business at the end of the day of improving peoples lives, especially those suffering from neurological diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis. We have some great hopes for a medication against Alzheimer's... who may have touched some of you indirectly I suspect. I know my family has been...

That said... cheers to all my coworkers / friends in 7-2... thinking of you all the time!!!



On the pseudo-technical side... I'm averaging about 13.5 mpg. In the ballpark of what I should expect right? Everything else is good... more on the oil leak and what I'll do about it tomorrow.



I only have two "40 pictures" today... so I'll add a couple of others just because! The Canadian Rockies are magical... and the 40 took us there!!!

By Lake Louise... after 9 PM last night...

By Morraine Lake earlier today...

An now the obligatory poster-like 40 picture... right outside Morraine Lake, notice the same background mountains as the picture above. And yes, the incline is correct! Steep!!!

And my most recent view out the windshield!!! Approaching Calgary from the West... with the Canadian Rockies behind... My oh my, what a change!

More soon... Read and Ride along!!!

 

[ginmtb]

13.5 mpg loaded that much and at elevation/driving through the mountains seems like a really good number.

Great photos enjoying following along.

 

[airon23]

This may become one of my favorite threads!

Ditto

That last picture almost looks photo shopped it awesome.

 

[handcannon]

I just have to chime in with---WOW, and love the story and pics. You are living my dream.

The last pic in post #122 really looks like I-84 between where you leave the Columbia River and Pendleton (northeastern Oregon), in the spring time of course due to all the green.

You are so right about alzheimers. My wife's aunt (I knew her since sometime in the late 50's) recently passed away due to complications from alzheimers, and my oldest cousin is now an alzheimers victim. She is not the same person I grew up with. Tell all your co-workers to keep up the good work on the alzheimers cure. Any advances you make is definitely a step in the right direction.

Looking forward with great anticipation to pics and reports from your trip.

Don

 

[sggoat]

yeah, but then you need to be in NY, and that's just not worth it.

Central NY is a beautiful area-Finger Lakes

 

[hecrod]

Had the 40 checked by the guys at Tools in Motion in Airdrie, AB. What a shop, and what a great group of people! Knowledgeable and fair...

So the guys spent a good half hour cleaning the underside... difficult to pinpoint the source of the leak with all that oil coating the underside from the back of the engine on back to the rear differential, and then got to looking for the culprit. And what was it? Well, the back of the valve cover was it... and that's all we could be certain of at this point (there may be other sources... can't tell at this point). Tried to source a gasket locally without success. I will buy one online and will have it sent to Billings MT, where I'll try to have it installed towards the end of this coming week.

All in all a good outcome. Could have been worse... I'll continue to monitor and add oil as needed. You won't hear me mention this again unless there is a material change.

The guys also found and replaced a damaged valve cover vent hose. Total cost? Fair, more than fair. I would go back to them, too bad I may never get to that place again. To Calgary residents... please consider giving them your business... they are a good shop!

Now, who arranged for all of this? @45Kevin... who called some people around, scheduled the appointment, followed up, bought a seal and sleeve just in case (with his own money and on his initiative)... now is that amazing or what?! Seriously!

Got to talk to Kevin last night, and met him today over lunch... Owns a 45 (Duh!), which he has taken to many places around, to include Moab. Kevin... you're one of the good guys... thank you!

That... right there... is what MUD is all about. I hope to be able to repay the favor to someone soon...


As to where we are on the trip, daughter arrived... wife leaving tomorrow morning. On to the next phase! Tomorrow we'll be camping close to Glacier National Park in Montana. Should be another fantastic day.

@White Stripe... They are 16' wheels... will look into the tire size tomorrow. Stock gears.

 

[DSRTRDR]

as far as the vibration at 55 that goes away when you use throttle: I assume you have checked tire pressure ?

 

[CruiserRad]

Subscribed! What an amazing journey! Thanks for allowing us to tag along. I don't see AZ on your route, maybe next time!

 

[hecrod]

Another couple of hundred miles today… from Calgary to Glacier National Park’s entrance in Montana (St. Mary’s), with a couple of stops along the way…


But first, I found this drive from Calgary to the US border via Route 2 to be fantastic. Maybe the fact that I’m driving slow allows us to take more of it in, but fact is that the visuals throughout the entire 8-hour (including stops) was extraordinary… just a sample below with the Rockies on the US side visible in the distance (they were visible from 100+ miles out!). And yes… it was as windy as that windsock flag indicates!

Our first stop was at the Canadian Grain Elevator Discovery Centre in Nanton. Glad we stopped! For a grand $5 per person you get a personalized tour of the inside of one of these elevators… the ingenuity and engineering behind their operation is truly outstanding. Almost no motorized equipment… most of it operated by pulleys and counterweights. An engineer’s paradise…

We also visited the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump World Heritage Site near Fort Mcleod. Also a very educational place… of Native American Indian aspects, dating back to 6,000 years ago! That’s my daughter Chelsea on the spot!

The border crossing back into the US??? No one in line! Can you believe that? We even had to wait a couple of minutes for the attendant to show up and wave us in! And friendly to boot.


Our first picture back in the US… with the "Welcome to Montana" sign in the background... very windy still.

Now with my very happy and energized daughter in tow…

Tomorrow? Going to the Sun Road… need I say anything more?

@White Stripe... They are Mud Terrain 255/75R17... yes, 17 not 16...
@DSRTRDR... I had checked the tire pressure (and had it aligned as well) before shipping it... haven't checked since. I'll do that in the next 1-2 days. Thanks for the note.

Hector & Chelsea!

 

[White Stripe]

I think that equals out to be a 32" tire. If u plan on really going freeway speeds, I would trade someone your 4.11 differentials for 3.70 which came in FJ60 axles.

 

[1911]

If u plan on really going freeway speeds, I would trade someone your 4.11 differentials for 3.70 which came in FJ60 axles.

And in '79 and later USA-spec FJ40 axles.

 

[Disasterman]

Subscribed. Great itinerary and you get to have the family along, you are very lucky indeed. Glacier is very cool with some great vistas, you won't be disappointed. Some cool small towns too.

 

[Birdmon]

I have to say I am traveling vicariously through you right now!! Great pictures!! Keep them coming!

 

[hecrod]

Got a bit cold last night... 41F... had me shivering for a little while. At least until I finally got up to make myself some coffee! It's all good though... a little cold ain't going to kill no one...

We were up by 630... made ourselves a good breakfast... on the road by 8 and shortly thereafter at our familiar stop, the gas station. This is the 3rd picture of gas stations I post, and I'm just figuring out that many of these are quite picturesque on their own! This one was right by the entrance to Glacier National, on the eastern end (St. Mary's), which was quite lonely at this time of the day. Beautiful start of the day... crisp, quiet, deep morning shadows, bright blue skies... picture perfect!

We took the "Going to the Sun Road"... which crosses the park through Logan Pass at 6,500+ altitude. It was bound to be a workout! The road was just opened this past Saturday because of winter snowfall... which totals 80+ feet on a typical winter... think about that! Only ~50 miles, but what a 50 miles!


First picture was by the first lake coming in... again, from the East, Saint Mary Lake...

Got to Logan Pass... no issues with the 40. Nice and easy all the way to the top. Then we hiked for a good couple of hours, in the snow (people were skiing up there!!!) and uphill for views like the one below. Life is good... although I need to get in better shape... hiking uphill in the snow is hard on the calves!

Finally getting to the other side (West Glacier) after driving downhill, at a speed limit of 25mph, for a couple of hours. Granite rock on the right, sheer drops of hundreds of feet on the left. There's a reason this road took more than 20 years to get built! I'll try to add a time-lapse my daughter filmed later tonight... bound to be really good... stay tuned!

By Lake McDonald at the end of the day... where it was a nice and hot 83 degrees!

Tomorrow??? Another couple of hundred miles, ending the day at Deer Lodge MT. Planning to visit the Flathead Indian Reservation, and some spots in both Missoula and Deer Lodge.


Read and ride along!

And in '79 and later USA-spec FJ40 axles.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll definitely look into this once I return... seems worthwhile.

 

[hecrod]

1,900 miles in... ~4,000 to go...

Another very good day today... nice 2 hour drive on a gravel road... 4 hours on highways... buffaloes... and my daughter drove a stick-shift for the first time!

The entire route today had us driving South-Southwest through Montana... Found this nice photo spot right out of Kalispell, on our way to the National Bison Range in the Flathead Reservation in Dixon.

At the National Bison Range... with the Rockies never too far away!

Where we took the long 2-hour loop dirt road, taking us up to this nice vista at 4,600 feet! Here we learned about Lake Missoula, which in prehistoric times surrounded the entire area where this picture was taken all the way to the mountains in the distance. Ice dams would break every 50-100 years, creating currents with water flows greater than all current world rivers combined! These floods would reach all the way to the Pacific Ocean creating canyons and other geologic features. It is the largest ice-dammed lake (2,000 feet high dam... Hoover Dam is less than 800 feet!) known to have occurred. Those who like geology bounce2 should visit this part of the State of Montana... just fantastic...

I learned all of that from that informational spot in the middle of the picture below... I like this stuff...

And the buffalo didn't disappoint! This one crossed right in front of us... dozens more along the way... massive animals.

Followed by hours and hours of nothing but this... I don't mind one bit! Although, I had to drive on I-90 for a while, and with a speed limit of 80, driving at 50 is a bit scary to say the least!

And most importantly... first day ever of Chelsea driving stick shift!!!




Awesome... awesome day... we'll end the day in Idaho tomorrow...

Read and ride along!


Hector and Chelsea...

 

[micruz60]

You are making great memories!
Wave when you get to Teton pass, Wyoming.

 

[spotcruiser]

Very nice.

 

[gmac]

I'm in Bozeman, MT. If you need anything let me know. Safe travels.

 

[sterling]

Excellent job on building great memories Dad......bonus points for memories built in a 40!