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

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If you want to hit Tellico I will muster a crew and we will meet you.

If you head through Atlanta PM me and I will meet up with the Cado for beers, or you can crash at my place.

This is a dream of mine, so I would gladly help someone else make it a reality.
 
Hey man your trip sounds awesome, I'M SO JEALOUS ! Personaly I would see if you could tell the new job if you could start the after your full two month trip. Take the time while you can. If you roll to Denver hit me up; would glady do a day/morning run. Could try and do an over possibly; see what get done in cruiser mods. A lunch and a beer could also just work. 3.246.1594
 
Guys,

Again I'm overwhelmed with the support and ideas. Thank you. It's amazing to put this thing into action.

Acadia - I am a huge nonbeliever in gps. I've resisted getting one for years, and I hate it when people just turn themselves into automatons, driving blindly and listening for the "turn right" without any idea of the landscape or people around them, or of where they're actually going. I'll likely sell the gps after the trip, as I do the compass and atlas thing. That said, if I'm in the middle of nowhere, it'd be nice to have some idea of where I am. I see the usefulness in certain applications.

Beno - I'm still debating what do do that week. I have to be in sf at the end, so what happens between is totally up in the air. Let me know what you're thinking as it gets closer.

Rekcut - where in Texas? I drove across that place last time i went cross-country, and it's f'n huge!


Nocal - I'm assuming that there are bypasses for most of the nasty chyt. Is that not right? I'd love to do the rubicon, but again, I'm not armed with a travel coach and a trailer here - I have to drive this thing home 9000 miles. What are your thoughts?

I'd love to get a group together, either for dinner/drinks or to do a run. I love the sierras and would love to get out in them for any stretch of time.

Dan - I'd wanted to start the trip with a run through Tellico. I thought it was closed through the end of march? If I'm wrong, I'm 100% in for a day. Monday the 16th?

Krazi - thank you for the offer.

All - if you're up for meeting, could you please pm me your contact info? Phone number, email and city would be great. Also, if you could let me know what you're thinking, it will help me plan accordingly.

Hopefully I'll have some pics up soon of the truck as it starts to get road-ready. I think I'm going with a locker, likely an ARB with the amount of road I'll be doing both on the trip and in the future. Hoping for a Warn XD9000, and then I'm just hooking up my cb, doing a systems check, etc. etc.
 
Here is a couple of links. Its NW of Austin, SE of Abilene. Its also called little Moab as it will give you a good reference point for what its like in Moab. Lots of Land Cruisers

LSCR

Katemcy Rocks
 
jgordon said:
Nocal - I'm assuming that there are bypasses for most of the nasty chyt. Is that not right? I'd love to do the rubicon, but again, I'm not armed with a travel coach and a trailer here - I have to drive this thing home 9000 miles. What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...

There are some bypasses but not a lot. You really have to know where they are sometimes too so you are not backing up through a hard part. I have only done it one time which was last year with the TLCA event Rubithon. It really lives up to its reputation. I have heard depending on the time of the year the trail can be harder. By the end of the season people have rolled rocks and it can be easier. Some places there is just no place to go but between some rocks. I would be very surprised if any FJ60's with less than 35's and SOA have made it through the whole trail without some body damage.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/members/nocalfj60-albums-2008-picture2573-rubicon.html

I am not saying you can't make it through the whole trail with 33's, SUA, and a locker but body damage is highly likely. Just be prepared for body damage and don't worry about it much or you will not have as much fun on the trail. You can checkout all my damage from the trail on my cruiser. Some of it was due to my first time driving a trail that hard and learning but a lot was just out of my control. The toybox helps a lot cause you can take it very slow and stop before you get in trouble and pick a new line.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/171896-scrapes-bruises-scars.html
 
Don't waste money on the radar detector... just never go more than 10 over you'll be fine.

As far as the window tint goes, i'd go with at least 20%. with 20% all around (including the front windows) so little light gets in that nobody can really see in that easily. They can see you making faces on the interstate during the day, but can't really see you at night while you are sleeping. I have run that for years travelling all over the country and up and back to alaska and have been fine. Remember.. if your window is rolled down (like when you are pulled over by a cop) you have no window tint. don't give them a reason do get pissy about the tint and it should not be a problem. worst they can do is write you a ticket or get you to peel it off... that's much better than sleeping in the back where everybody can see. DONT GIVE COPS A REASON. just be nice and roll all your s*** down when they stop you.

For up near the arctic circle i actually taped cardboard to my rear windows to get it a little darker. just dont tape to the tint unless yo uwant to peel it off later.

If you pass through Denver/boulder area hit me up, we can go out for beers, or go camping/wheeling in the mountains for a weekend... or we can go boarding. I'd love to hear the stories you'll have by then.

i'm also not a bad wrench and have spare parts if the $hit hits the fan and you need something.

As far as alaska goes, it is a great drive. GET THE MILEPOST and it will be your travellers bible up north.

We went up from seattle to prince george, then to dawson creek then up the alcan hwy past ft. nelson to watson lake then up to tok ak. from there drove to fairbanks and down to denali where we spent a week. freakin awesome. then down to seward and saw the exit glacier. From seward we drove over to Valdeze which was one of the most beautiful places i've ever been believe it or not. camped right on the water downtown. from there we drove to tok again, and across to the yukon where we took a left and went up to eagle and the arctic circle.

I wish we had gon across the top of the world HWY.. but i was an idiot. supposed to be nice up there.

anyways, on the way down we took the cassiar hwy down to stewart and Hyder AK. you can walk up to bears feeding there and watch them from a little boardwalk. kinda neat. Byt this time you'll be used to seen wildlife so seeing them from a boardwalk will seem cheesy.. but it's cool. Then we came the rest of the way back down.

I tell ya.. to describe how wonderfull that trip was would be impossible here. call me if you need motivation. pm me for my number. or drive here and we can talk about it. over a few beers around a camp fire. i tend to not shut up about it when i get going.

If you are driving up for just a taste.. you may want to try and hit up whistler, vancouver, hyder and stewart. go get hyderized in hyder, eat gooooood food in vancouver, ski in whisler (there is a nice campground just north of town.. all of my stuff got stolen there, but it was a nice place to sleep.. )


also, check out hot springs along the way in canada, there are plenty. may want to get some hot springs books for the US too.

try to make AK... and try to make cruise moab...

you'll love the experience.

also, please don't rush it. no matter how long you take... you'll wish you'da taken longer.

The glaciers.. the bears... the rivers.. the sun... the old mines.. all the weird people.. all the cool people.. oh now ya got me going.


You'll love the north west too... spend time up in the cascades.

Will there be tons of snow when you are going? will the bears even be out in alaska?

Also, screw the GPS.. go out and try to get lost. I love using maps.

I wish you were doing the trip a little later, i'd come a long.


Marco
 
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Well, the wheels are in motion. Winch is at my wrench along with the locker. He's going to help on the install as well as go through the truck with me checking systems, tolerances, etc. I realize I could probably do both myself and learn about the truck, but my rear diff and my winch are systems that I don't really want to experiment on just before a 12k mile trip.

Tomorrow I have a number of things planned - long overdue inspection, fluids/filters, wire my cb, wire my radar detector (i hear you on the advice to not speed and to not spend money, but I already own it and I like knowing where the cops are). I have trouble relating to the general concerns I've read on here about lack of power - my truck will cruise all day at an indicated 65 (haven't corrected for the 33s) and will pass with ease. She just don't like them hills.

fjman - I appreciate the offer. I'm going to be with my girlfriend and a couple that we know, introducing the women. this will be just prior to my leaving her for 2 months to hang out with cruiser heads and wander the country while she goes back to work and misses me. Sooo....not sure it would go over well for me to cut out. That said, when I get back I'm more than down for a meet in VA - I've heard great things about the wheeling and the countryside.
 
Not sure if I'll be in town but will know closer to April if I will. If I'm here I'll show you around Central Oregon and keep your micro brew buzz going. Bring your Snowboard, Mt bachelor stays open into mid April. Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort - Mt Bachelor

April is late winter in the high desert of central Oregon and Washington. High country routes do not open until July, however, lots of desert running available east of Bend. When you come up from Northern California stay East of the Cascades on 97. You'll run right into Bend, Or. If the timing is right I could meet you south of here and we could run east then north back to bend through some pretty neat country on BLM and National forest roads.

PM even if it is while you are on the road...short notice is okay. I'll PM you my Cell #.

hd
 
Wow! sounds like an amazing trip, I know I want to do something like this eventually. If you are near longview, tx

(longview tx - Google Maps)

come hit us up! We have a few cruiser/toyota guys here at my school and between all of the stuff we have, we could literally replace everything on your truck if you had any trouble. At least come have a :beer: with us if you're cruising through!
 
If any of you guys ever plan on wheeling up in Alaska there are quite a few of us up here I see some mention of it. I am young, but have had the same cruiser since I started driving and I love finding new places to get my self stuck.
 
I'm definitely up for wheeling Alaska. You're close to the Denali reserve, which is on my list. The only other thing I want to do is hit Kodiak, provided the bears are awake.

I'm going to be in Alaska mid-April. PM me your info and I'll keep you in the loop as things get closer.
 
So the latest updates are in.

I wired in my cb radio (cheap radio shack model).
I wired in my radar detector.
Installed a winch (xd9000) and went through the truck with my wrench, Jose Rivera of Metro Land Cruisers.
Had my locker installed.

Aside from a few more adjustments, I think the truck is pretty much ready. Now I'm on to planning the trip itself. I have some books on "scenic drives" and cool trips and places to see, but there's no substitute for experience. Given my schedule, what roads/ back roads, sights, and towns would you recommend? I love food, and I have the gut to prove it - any can't miss restaurants on the route that I should hit? side of the road bbq shacks, taco stands, etc - Let me know.

I'm also trying to get an emissions sticker. I'm having weird issues with getting it through. If anyone has a friendly shop in the nyc area (long island or west chester would work too) please pm me. I really do want to get a sticker on this thing before I leave.
 
Excellent! I just drove from Albany to Lexington, KY yesterday in one shot and having the truck prepared made the trip a breeze.
 
Man, awesome trip, if you come through the idaho panhandle on your way north, look me up, place to stay, tools, beer, general road items. BTW hwy 95 is a good route north. Check it out
 
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