Help me plan/plan for a cross country trip. Want to grab a beer and/or wheel?

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Guys,

Great ideas and advice. I was thinking about curtains but a tint is probably a better idea. Again, I appreciate all the tips and offers. And the Toyota museum would be a great time as well. I'm even thinking about learning this intraweb box and starting a blog to document the trip for friends and family.

MWalls, I realize Alaska has more to offer than I could see in a year, much less a few days. I just figure the truck was made for places like Alaska, and when else am I going to get the opportunity? And, I'd like to say I drove to Alaska. I think KC is a little out of the way on my way out, but I'll definitely try to swing through on my way back. Should match nicely with the route. And I hear you have some good bbq out that way.

On another note, I don't want anyone to think that if they offer to grab a beer, I'm going to wake up on their couch. An offer of a place to crash is great, but I wouldn't want to impose, and I definitely wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to hang or wheel because someone felt uncomfortable about offering/not offering. I have done this before and I'm fine on my own as well.

What are your thoughts on the timeline? It looks like I'm spending a lot of time in Cali and less time in the states between NC and Colorado. I put the timeline together as a preliminary thought, so it's more than open to revision.
 
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If your in Utah.... I will be here until May. Then i will be in Alaska from May - October. i do the drive every year as i guide flyfishing trips in both places. Great trip in the cruser! let me know if i can help out with any lodging or activities in either state.
Have fun,
Tom
 
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jgordon said:
Guys,

MWalls, I realize Alaska has more to offer than I could see in a year, much less a few days. I just figure the truck was made for places like Alaska, and when else am I going to get the opportunity? And, I'd like to say I drove to Alaska. I think KC is a little out of the way on my way out, but I'll definitely try to swing through on my way back. Should match nicely with the route. And I hear you have some good bbq out that way.

On another note, I don't want anyone to think that if they offer to grab a beer, I'm going to wake up on their couch. An offer of a place to crash is great, but I wouldn't want to impose, and I definitely wouldn't want to miss an opportunity to hang or wheel because someone felt uncomfortable about offering/not offering. I have done this before and I'm fine on my own as well.
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Oh if you have time go for it. not many people can say they have done it especially in a cruiser. I would make sure you have plenty of fuel and extra gas cans along with tire plugs and a good pump. I hope one day to do it in one of my cruisers. i would go up to fairbanks and maybe even the artic circle. Not much there but its always something to say you been there. then drive down to anchorage, you will go thru denali park. then go around the coast and hit what you can and over to valdez. then back up to the alcan
If you do come back thru here on the way home i will get a group together and we will hit up a good bbq place.
 
All Cruiserheads are welcome at Steamworks, (except Brian in Oregon, that guy scares the bee-jesus out of me) just ask for JT. I'm not there on weekends...and I get great deals on beer and we have a lot of beer that needs drinkin:beer::beer::beer:

Oh and of course, some sweet wheeling, hunting, flyfishing, spin fishing, snowboarding.....
 
Now with some sense of organization!

I finally have some detailed timing on this thing. I'm speeding up the first part of the trip due to scheduling issues with my friend in SF and the woman. Here goes:

March 12 - leave NYC, hit DC, night in DC
March 13-15 - in Charlotte, NC
March 16-18/19 - drive west (anyone want to hang between NC and CO?)
March 19-22/23 - in southern Colorado/Utah/AZ/NM - definitely looking to do some CO wheeling, some desert wheeling etc.
March 23-27 - get to SF I'd love to continue west and wheel in Utah/Nevada, but I understand it's midweek. If no one's available (Coughcough Alaska60 fishing cough) I'll cut north and hit some Rocky mountain snowboarding

March 27-30 - in SF with a good friend
March 30-April 4 - in SF/ Napa with the woman
April 4 - put the woman on a plane (I think in Sacramento, as CLongacre has offered to do the Rubicon trail with me (been dreaming about this for years) and he's in Sacramento. I know NorCalBorn mentioned a German restaurant and a meet in Alameda. I'd love to figure out a way to meet some SF cruiser heads, have a meal with you guys, do the rubicon with a group and generally hang out. Does that work for anyone?
- Maybe German food April 4? Rubicon trail April 5, 6, 7 - whatever you guys can do, if you're available. I've got nothing but time. Maybe Hollister off road park during the week, as it seems like something I could do on my own or with a crew.

After that I cut north. I figure this gives me more time in Oregon, Washington and Alaska, so if anyone wants to meet up in the Pacific NorthWest, I'll be rolling through basically the week of April 6. Figure a week and a half to get into Alaska proper?

I'm looking to meet up with AK Cruiser Freak and do some Alaska wheeling, see Kodiak island and some barrrs (if they're awake this early in the year) and generally bum around AK for a while. Then I'll cut south again, try to hit CruiseMoab, maybe see Edmonton and RockDoc and his crew, then Idaho to hang with a friend, then back to reality, taking the longest way possible.
 
I am incredibly jealous. That looks like a ton of fun and pretty much mimics what I would want to do.

Are you planning on sleeping in hotels the entire way? If you build a sleeping platform / storage system it would be much cheaper and easier to get going every morning.
 
MJM said:
I would tint those windows they will help with:Security (a road trip like that is the last place to loose your stuff) It is nicer to sleep in a truck that people can not see into. Also it will stay way cooler when that AC goes out.
I have slept in my 60 all over the place with a dark tint people do not know what is going on.

MJM
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How dark do you tint them? Is there a standardized naming convention for different levels of tinting? I know Kevin Rowland tinted his what he called limousine black.
 
Great question. I have a tinting session scheduled at Tint King in Boston (MA, outside of Boston) next Wednesday (seeing a friend and he was really happy with the job they did for him. They suggested limo tint for me as well, especially given the privacy issues. Limo tint is 18% i believe. I had a jeep (sorry) that I tinted to 35% all around, as 35 is the lowest you can legally go in front and I don't really like the windows to be different. He suggested 35 up front, 20-25 in the back. What have the guys on the board done, especially those who did it for privacy and camping?

GL, I realize a platform would be the best, but given my utter lack of carpentry skills and a limited budget/time, I think I'm going to get some kind of roll-up mattress and my sleeping bag and call it good. I pack light, so I don't think I'll be moving large quantities of crap around each night. I'm definitely not planning on doing hotels each night. If I need a break/shower/etc. I will, but I'm planning on camping/truck/kindness of friends and strangers, both for company/cool experiences and to keep costs down.
 
jgordon said:
Great question. I have a tinting session scheduled at Tint King in Boston (MA, outside of Boston) next Wednesday (seeing a friend and he was really happy with the job they did for him. They suggested limo tint for me as well, especially given the privacy issues. Limo tint is 18% i believe. I had a jeep (sorry) that I tinted to 35% all around, as 35 is the lowest you can legally go in front and I don't really like the windows to be different. He suggested 35 up front, 20-25 in the back. What have the guys on the board done, especially those who did it for privacy and camping?

GL, I realize a platform would be the best, but given my utter lack of carpentry skills and a limited budget/time, I think I'm going to get some kind of roll-up mattress and my sleeping bag and call it good. I pack light, so I don't think I'll be moving large quantities of crap around each night. I'm definitely not planning on doing hotels each night. If I need a break/shower/etc. I will, but I'm planning on camping/truck/kindness of friends and strangers, both for company/cool experiences and to keep costs down.
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If you don't have much in the rear cargo area and you're not too tall then the back of the truck with the rear seat folded down makes a pretty good sleeping area too.

As for tint, get another pair of front door windows and have all of them limo tinted. Then you'll be able to have all the windows the same tint and when inspection time comes around, just swap out the glass in the front two doors. I thought this would present a problem with nighttime driving, but I took a spin in a truck with limo tint all around and it was fine. No problem seeing all around outside the truck at night.
 
Have you figured out what roads your going to take?
 
poorcirculation

check this round the world blog out, my other favorite pastime.

also x3 the mobile interweb, for all the RTH and whatnot, I bet if you post up a couple days lead time on the various regional club sites you'll have way more couches to surf and wheeling to do.

I am sooo jealous of your trip coming up, been fidgeting for a road trip since I sold the bike:frown: to buy the '80 :clap:

good luck, subscribed.
 
Legal tint in 50 states is 20% behind the front doors which can have nothing on them. CO also allows 35% all the way around, but I can't speak for other states. "Limo" is 5%.

% designates amount of visible light let through (I'm 3M dealer).
 
I believe tint is measured in how much light can still enter the car i.e. 15%-20% so and and so forth. The front driverside and passengerside windows have a different legal limit than the rest. So cops can feel comfortable knowing they can see you and know you aren't training a gun on them or stashing your weed with them standing beside your door. If you find a cool tinter, he or she will match the rear windows and just tell you not to remember where you got your tint job, but some law enforcement will pull you over if they think you are running too dark of a window. I just needed to match so I took the risk

Beat me to it Tink
 
Hmm. Tint laws look odd. For example, NYS says no darker than 70% on any window besides the rear window (law enacted in 1991). Yet I was told 35% in 1998, and drove around with 35 all around from 1998-2001, in and around new york city. I'm going to have it done in MA, which says 35%, so I guess i'll ask them about it, get it done to my preference, and deal with the consequences later (too many tickets and I'll pull it).

Tinker, what % do you think I should get for privacy of sleeping/gear? I'd like to go as light as possible while accomplishing the privacy goal. Thanks again.

MWalls - I honestly haven't given it much thought. I'd love to stay on B roads as much as possible. I was actually just reading the new motor trend - if I could take roads like this the entire way, I would.
Good
Better
What do you think?

Trapper, are you or any of the Colorado crew free the weekend of March 20? If there's a crew that would be interested in a camping/wheeling trip for the weekend, or some food/beers/cruiser talk, it would be fantastic.

I'm definitely aiming for mobile intraweb. Debating getting an iphone so I can update mud and email without having to buy intraweb access each time I stop.
 
Lemme ask the guys, at the very least we'll grab some beers and prob. tootle around a bit. Maybe camp, depends on weather...March is still Winter in the Hi-Country. We can also head South and do some minor rocking and take some pix. Nothing that will break anything...

Oh and don't forget Coffee shops and Steamworks and etc. usually have free wi-fi in these parts
 
X3 or 4 on the GPS unit but bring the Atlas as well :) leave the radar detector at home or use the $$ you where going to spend on it to pick up a GPS.

If you do make it through K.C. maybe I'll be able hook up with you for some BBQ as well :beer:
 
Sounds like a fun trip planned. The Rubicon trail is just awesome with scenery like no other trail. I drove it last year for the first time at Rubithon. If you are planning on driving the cruiser on the Rubicon, then just be honest with yourself on what damage to your cruiser is acceptable. I would definitely get a locker if you want to drive the trail. Slider are really a necessity in my opinion too for the trail.

Maybe we can schedule a get together for the 60 guys in the SF bay area when you are in town.
 
The Lonestar Roundup is in Texas March 18th - 22nd. You might swing your tip down through that part and then head back up to Colorado. Its a great time
 
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