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- #21
I'm not sure it or we, will ever be that clean again!
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Jarbidge or Bust - "Overlanding" Nevada 2015
- Thread starter FJ60Cam
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I'm not sure it or we, will ever be that clean again!
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- #22
Google maps shows Memphis to Sparks,NV as 2032 miles/ 30 hours. Google is not giving you any time to stop & eat, get gas, take a leak, or anything. If we do 12 hour days, we've got 2-1/2 days of driving ahead, and we're starting that 1/2 day at 5:00 in rush hour traffic. I'm hoping to land somewhere around Fort Smith, AR for the night. I know there's no point in pulling an all nighter because we'll never get going the next day.
So we mash the motor and peel out. Well, we don't really peel out. The truck is so heavy that there's no peeling out. But we make our way to the interstate and get in the fast lane. In no time at all we are crossing the Mississippi River.
(Stock photo from the interwebs. For reasons to be explained later, I have no pictures of the trip out)
So we mash the motor and peel out. Well, we don't really peel out. The truck is so heavy that there's no peeling out. But we make our way to the interstate and get in the fast lane. In no time at all we are crossing the Mississippi River.
(Stock photo from the interwebs. For reasons to be explained later, I have no pictures of the trip out)
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- #23
At this point, I've got maybe an hour TOTAL of interstate driving on the motor swap. And that hour wasn't continuous. It was spread out over a few different drives. I really wished I had several more months of test driving or maybe a few shorter road trips under its belt before driving it nonstop across the country, but that wasn't in the cards.
I wasn't expecting any problems, because I hadn't had any so far, but I was on high-alert the whole time, watching the temps and listening for weird noises.
I got the weird noises right away. Right around 75, the shifter (at least that's what I think it is) started making a weird high-pitched noise. Something vibration related. I play around with it, and can't get it to go away. Driving slower is not an option. So we live with it.
I had also planned to rotate & balance my tires before leaving. I rotated them myself, but never got around to getting them balanced. Now I'm kicking myself. From 60-75, they have a pretty good wobble. However, it really started smoothing out over 75, so that helped set the pace.
But that was it as far as problems. This thing was running bad ass. I tried to keep it at 80 (I didn't have time to get the cruise control to work), and when I say keep it at 80, I mean that I had to watch the speed and continually slow down a little. It had no problems at that speed and often I would look down and see that I was going 85+ without realizing it. I had tightened up and/or replaced a lot of steering stuff in the past several thousand miles, and also added back some castor - this thing was rock solid at speed, believe it or not. Two fingers on the wheel solid. With the heavy load, it even rode pretty smooth. If it weren't for the wind & tire noise, I wouldn't have much to complain about. And we didn't - that's what the loud stereo system is for!
Eventually I found our happy spot with my foot, the tires and the engine, and was able to keep it locked at 82-83.
Here's a show-off Scan Gauge (speed calibrated to the GPS) shot of the speed-creep though...
I wasn't expecting any problems, because I hadn't had any so far, but I was on high-alert the whole time, watching the temps and listening for weird noises.
I got the weird noises right away. Right around 75, the shifter (at least that's what I think it is) started making a weird high-pitched noise. Something vibration related. I play around with it, and can't get it to go away. Driving slower is not an option. So we live with it.
I had also planned to rotate & balance my tires before leaving. I rotated them myself, but never got around to getting them balanced. Now I'm kicking myself. From 60-75, they have a pretty good wobble. However, it really started smoothing out over 75, so that helped set the pace.
But that was it as far as problems. This thing was running bad ass. I tried to keep it at 80 (I didn't have time to get the cruise control to work), and when I say keep it at 80, I mean that I had to watch the speed and continually slow down a little. It had no problems at that speed and often I would look down and see that I was going 85+ without realizing it. I had tightened up and/or replaced a lot of steering stuff in the past several thousand miles, and also added back some castor - this thing was rock solid at speed, believe it or not. Two fingers on the wheel solid. With the heavy load, it even rode pretty smooth. If it weren't for the wind & tire noise, I wouldn't have much to complain about. And we didn't - that's what the loud stereo system is for!
Eventually I found our happy spot with my foot, the tires and the engine, and was able to keep it locked at 82-83.
Here's a show-off Scan Gauge (speed calibrated to the GPS) shot of the speed-creep though...
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- #24
So me an' the boy are flying down the road, eating up the miles, livin' the dream. It's getting dark but we are running on pure excitement.
We make it to Fort Smith, AR in record time. There's no way we are stopping here. We're gonna keep rolling and bank some time for the days ahead.
The group is planned to Rendezvous in Sparks at noon on Saturday. My loose plan was to make Ft. Smith Wednesday, as close to Denver as possible on Thursday, land somewhere mid-NV on US-50 Friday night and then drive the last few hours Saturday morning.
Sometime that evening, Alex texts me to see where I am. He left a day earlier, having to make the further drive from NC. He's crossing into Colorado now and looking for a place to stop. He's going to Slee's the next day and then plans on camping in the mountains somewhere. He asks if I want to meet him in Glenwood Springs tomorrow (Thursday) night and caravan the rest of the way.
We took I-40 to & from the Rubicon, and I really didn't want to do that again. My plan was to head north in OK, pick up I-70 across Colorado & Utah, and then take 50 (The Loneliest Road) across Nevada.
Alex says he was then going to do a short day, stop and camp at some hot springs on 50 near Eureka (or Austin?) then drive a few hours Saturday morning.
This is perfect if I can make it to Glenwood Springs the next day.
I'm running the numbers and plugging in the new coordinates into Google maps. I'm now aimed at Tulsa for our first night. If we start early in the morning, gain an hour crossing time zones, and keep our stops to a minimum, we might be able to pull it off.
I tell him I can't make any promises, but that we are gonna try and make it.
I'm also playing with Siri, voice-texting everyone I know, showing off pics of the Scangauge. I'm texting back and forth with Pasquale, who sends me pics of his FJ Cruiser.
He's got the dash torn apart and tools everywhere. He's balls-deep in several last minute electrical projects. Sounds like I'm not the only one who ends up wrenching at the last minute.
Finally, we are closing in on Tulsa. I consult Yelp to find a place to stay. I want the perfect balance of low price, safety, and sausage in the continental breakfast.
I pick something in Broken Arrow and we call it a night.
We make it to Fort Smith, AR in record time. There's no way we are stopping here. We're gonna keep rolling and bank some time for the days ahead.
The group is planned to Rendezvous in Sparks at noon on Saturday. My loose plan was to make Ft. Smith Wednesday, as close to Denver as possible on Thursday, land somewhere mid-NV on US-50 Friday night and then drive the last few hours Saturday morning.
Sometime that evening, Alex texts me to see where I am. He left a day earlier, having to make the further drive from NC. He's crossing into Colorado now and looking for a place to stop. He's going to Slee's the next day and then plans on camping in the mountains somewhere. He asks if I want to meet him in Glenwood Springs tomorrow (Thursday) night and caravan the rest of the way.
We took I-40 to & from the Rubicon, and I really didn't want to do that again. My plan was to head north in OK, pick up I-70 across Colorado & Utah, and then take 50 (The Loneliest Road) across Nevada.
Alex says he was then going to do a short day, stop and camp at some hot springs on 50 near Eureka (or Austin?) then drive a few hours Saturday morning.
This is perfect if I can make it to Glenwood Springs the next day.
I'm running the numbers and plugging in the new coordinates into Google maps. I'm now aimed at Tulsa for our first night. If we start early in the morning, gain an hour crossing time zones, and keep our stops to a minimum, we might be able to pull it off.
I tell him I can't make any promises, but that we are gonna try and make it.
I'm also playing with Siri, voice-texting everyone I know, showing off pics of the Scangauge. I'm texting back and forth with Pasquale, who sends me pics of his FJ Cruiser.
He's got the dash torn apart and tools everywhere. He's balls-deep in several last minute electrical projects. Sounds like I'm not the only one who ends up wrenching at the last minute.
Finally, we are closing in on Tulsa. I consult Yelp to find a place to stay. I want the perfect balance of low price, safety, and sausage in the continental breakfast.
I pick something in Broken Arrow and we call it a night.
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- #25
I don't know if it was Tulsa in general or just this hotel, but the water was pretty gross. Bring your own if you stop here. Luckily we had the fiver on board, still full of Memphis' finest.
The hotel was nothing to brag about, but it served its purpose. We woke up, grabbed some of the continental breakfast (including sausage
) and rolled out about 7:00 am.
We didn't quite make it in to Tulsa proper the night before. We were just outside, in Broken Arrow. This meant we had to share the road with the morning commuters.
Traffic, though dense, moved quickly. Soon we found ourselves back on the open road. We shoveled on the coals and made our way to Kansas.
The drive was pretty uneventful for most of the day. Just miles and miles of farms and cows and mind-numbingly repetitive terrain.
The hotel was nothing to brag about, but it served its purpose. We woke up, grabbed some of the continental breakfast (including sausage
) and rolled out about 7:00 am. We didn't quite make it in to Tulsa proper the night before. We were just outside, in Broken Arrow. This meant we had to share the road with the morning commuters.
Traffic, though dense, moved quickly. Soon we found ourselves back on the open road. We shoveled on the coals and made our way to Kansas.
The drive was pretty uneventful for most of the day. Just miles and miles of farms and cows and mind-numbingly repetitive terrain.
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- #26
Alex and I check in periodically, and I think things are looking good for meeting in Glenwood Springs. It will be late in the day, but we should be there.
He mentions that he's found a trail just off the interstate and that we can camp in the mountains, but that there's also places to stay in town.
I would like at least one more shower before the shower-free week ahead, and we are planning to camp the next night. But the idea of not spending $$$ on the likely expensive hotel room is tempting too.
I run it by Andrew and his eyes light up when I ask if he wants to camp. Camping it is!
We make it to Colorado, where the speed limit increases to 80. For the first time in the trip, I'm not passing everyone around me. I have to bump it up to 85 to keep up with traffic. I found myself in the slow lane, coming up on a truck, and a faster car approaching quickly in the fast last. Slowing down is not an option, so I punch it to pass the truck. Even at 85, it downshifts and picks up speed easily. I'm even with the truck and I feel the motor bog down a little. It won't go any faster. I look at the Scangauge (truck speedo pegs at 85) and it says we are doing 93. I let off the gas, it comes back to life... and then bogs down again. Right at 93 mph. I must've found the governor
(Later internet research sort of confirms that there is a 98-100 mph speed limiter. My computer probably thought I was going 100, but the scanguage shows the corrected speed.)
We make it to Denver right around rush hour. I touch base with Alex, and he says we are about two hours away.
On the other side of Denver, we make the first initial climb into the mountains, and for the first time, I can feel the motor straining. I see a 200-series rapidly approaching, so I give it all I've got - I can't let him pass me. I do eventually back off because a loaded 60 just can't handle the turns, but I think I could've taken him.
About this time, I look down at the temps and the engine & transmission temps have SKYROCKETED! I don't remember what they were, but for the first time on the trip, I was a little worried. I knew they weren't in the danger zone, but they were way higher than I was expecting, especially with the cool temps outside. However, as I engine-braked down the back side of the mountain, I can see the heat disappearing as quickly as it appeared. (After returning home and mentioning this in my swap thread, I found that this is normal. These motors run hotter than older motors, and run waaay hotter when you work them. But they cool down quickly.)
The next thing we know, we are cruising through the Rocky Mountains. We are loving it. We wind our way to the Eisenhower Tunnel at 11,100 feet...
(pics stolen due to phone death and subsequent loss of pictures)
We then pass through all of the ski areas that I recognize from all of the oval bumper stickers that the rich folks back home sport on their SUV's. Copper mountain, Vail, Boulder Creek, etc. We are seeing quite a bit of snow still at the top, and the temps are in the low 40's.
Finally, we make it to Glenwood Springs where Alex is waiting nearby for us in a parking lot.
He mentions that he's found a trail just off the interstate and that we can camp in the mountains, but that there's also places to stay in town.
I would like at least one more shower before the shower-free week ahead, and we are planning to camp the next night. But the idea of not spending $$$ on the likely expensive hotel room is tempting too.
I run it by Andrew and his eyes light up when I ask if he wants to camp. Camping it is!
We make it to Colorado, where the speed limit increases to 80. For the first time in the trip, I'm not passing everyone around me. I have to bump it up to 85 to keep up with traffic. I found myself in the slow lane, coming up on a truck, and a faster car approaching quickly in the fast last. Slowing down is not an option, so I punch it to pass the truck. Even at 85, it downshifts and picks up speed easily. I'm even with the truck and I feel the motor bog down a little. It won't go any faster. I look at the Scangauge (truck speedo pegs at 85) and it says we are doing 93. I let off the gas, it comes back to life... and then bogs down again. Right at 93 mph. I must've found the governor
(Later internet research sort of confirms that there is a 98-100 mph speed limiter. My computer probably thought I was going 100, but the scanguage shows the corrected speed.)We make it to Denver right around rush hour. I touch base with Alex, and he says we are about two hours away.
On the other side of Denver, we make the first initial climb into the mountains, and for the first time, I can feel the motor straining. I see a 200-series rapidly approaching, so I give it all I've got - I can't let him pass me. I do eventually back off because a loaded 60 just can't handle the turns, but I think I could've taken him.
About this time, I look down at the temps and the engine & transmission temps have SKYROCKETED! I don't remember what they were, but for the first time on the trip, I was a little worried. I knew they weren't in the danger zone, but they were way higher than I was expecting, especially with the cool temps outside. However, as I engine-braked down the back side of the mountain, I can see the heat disappearing as quickly as it appeared. (After returning home and mentioning this in my swap thread, I found that this is normal. These motors run hotter than older motors, and run waaay hotter when you work them. But they cool down quickly.)
The next thing we know, we are cruising through the Rocky Mountains. We are loving it. We wind our way to the Eisenhower Tunnel at 11,100 feet...
(pics stolen due to phone death and subsequent loss of pictures)
We then pass through all of the ski areas that I recognize from all of the oval bumper stickers that the rich folks back home sport on their SUV's. Copper mountain, Vail, Boulder Creek, etc. We are seeing quite a bit of snow still at the top, and the temps are in the low 40's.
Finally, we make it to Glenwood Springs where Alex is waiting nearby for us in a parking lot.
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Is this the same stretch where they run the "Ike Gauntlet" to test/compare all the different trucks' towing capabilities?
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- #28
I hadn't heard of the Ike Gauntlet, but after checking, that's it! That's a very fitting name, there's some serious climbing there.
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- Thread starter
- #30
We meet up with Alex and come up with a game plan for the evening. It had been raining on us off & on since Denver, and GWS had rain forecasted for the evening, but it looked like it would be dry until we were at least in our sleeping bags.
We decided to proceed with camping on the trail. We didn't really have any formal food for dinner, so we stopped by the store and grabbed some burgers to grill at camp. We hit the Transfer Trail just as the sun was setting. The trail was only minutes from the store.
(another stolen pic)
We get to the start of the trail, and I figure now is a good time to see if 4-wheel drive works. I hadn't actually shifted into 4-wheel drive since rebuilding the t-case.
Alex also has the genius idea to dig out our handheld ham radios for trail communication.
We make our way up the trail and look for a campsite. Alex turns into a small, flat-ish meadow that shows promise. I pull in behind and we hop out. The ground is pretty soft from all the rain, and there is the possibility of more, so we decide to keep going.
We had to cross a small ditch to get into the meadow. It wasn't that big of a deal, but it was muddy and you needed momentum. To get back on the trail, though, you had to make too tight of a turn to have any momentum. My axles got crossed up and flexed to the max and my rear bumper dug into the bank. I turned on my locker and backed up. I tried it again with both axles locked but found myself dug in even more.
Here we are, it's now almost dark, we've driven 850 miles, we are tired & hungry, I'm stuck in the mud and we haven't even found a campsite yet.
Alex winches me back to dry ground. I give it another go, but am forced to exit in the downhill direction. It will be hard to turn around, and we don't even know where the campsites are, so we head back down to camp at the staging area, which had this cool view of the town.
We set up camp and Alex fired up his grill for the burgers.
Dinner was a burger and sweet potato fries. And a long awaited beer.
We decided to proceed with camping on the trail. We didn't really have any formal food for dinner, so we stopped by the store and grabbed some burgers to grill at camp. We hit the Transfer Trail just as the sun was setting. The trail was only minutes from the store.
(another stolen pic)
We get to the start of the trail, and I figure now is a good time to see if 4-wheel drive works. I hadn't actually shifted into 4-wheel drive since rebuilding the t-case.
Alex also has the genius idea to dig out our handheld ham radios for trail communication.
We make our way up the trail and look for a campsite. Alex turns into a small, flat-ish meadow that shows promise. I pull in behind and we hop out. The ground is pretty soft from all the rain, and there is the possibility of more, so we decide to keep going.
We had to cross a small ditch to get into the meadow. It wasn't that big of a deal, but it was muddy and you needed momentum. To get back on the trail, though, you had to make too tight of a turn to have any momentum. My axles got crossed up and flexed to the max and my rear bumper dug into the bank. I turned on my locker and backed up. I tried it again with both axles locked but found myself dug in even more.
Here we are, it's now almost dark, we've driven 850 miles, we are tired & hungry, I'm stuck in the mud and we haven't even found a campsite yet.
Alex winches me back to dry ground. I give it another go, but am forced to exit in the downhill direction. It will be hard to turn around, and we don't even know where the campsites are, so we head back down to camp at the staging area, which had this cool view of the town.
We set up camp and Alex fired up his grill for the burgers.
Dinner was a burger and sweet potato fries. And a long awaited beer.
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- Thread starter
- #31
Even after a car wash and a few hours of rainy interstate on the way home, I still have some of that ditch & grass stuck in my rear bumper...
- Thread starter
- #32
Speaking of ham radios…
All the OG overlanders run ham radios. They are right up there with snorkels as far as bolt-on street cred. They run circles around CB's in low power mode, and leave them in the dust at higher power.
On the Rubicon, I heard about the cheap Chinese handheld radios. For just a few bucks, you can join in the fun and stay abreast of group communications. Very handy. And very portable.
Then there's the whole repeater thing, which lets you talk to the other ham geeks at even greater distances about UFO's and government conspiracies. With CB's the best you are going to do is be able to do is talk to drug dealers or hookers at truck stops from a few blocks away.
Wanting in on this action, I ordered a Baofeng handheld, an external mic, and a magnetic mount antenna.
For about $60, I was able to buy a seat at the table and make sure I didn't miss out on any turns or decisions about where we were headed next. Very worth it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HX03AMA/?tag=ihco-20
I didn't have a license yet and had to operate in outlaw mode, but I'll get one soon.
All the OG overlanders run ham radios. They are right up there with snorkels as far as bolt-on street cred. They run circles around CB's in low power mode, and leave them in the dust at higher power.
On the Rubicon, I heard about the cheap Chinese handheld radios. For just a few bucks, you can join in the fun and stay abreast of group communications. Very handy. And very portable.
Then there's the whole repeater thing, which lets you talk to the other ham geeks at even greater distances about UFO's and government conspiracies. With CB's the best you are going to do is be able to do is talk to drug dealers or hookers at truck stops from a few blocks away.
Wanting in on this action, I ordered a Baofeng handheld, an external mic, and a magnetic mount antenna.
For about $60, I was able to buy a seat at the table and make sure I didn't miss out on any turns or decisions about where we were headed next. Very worth it.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HX03AMA/?tag=ihco-20
I didn't have a license yet and had to operate in outlaw mode, but I'll get one soon.
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Cruiserdrew
On the way there
I've been running Simplex renegade/outlaw since 2009.
Yet, there is no reason for this and it smacks of vanity. (literature reference, but seriously)
Ham radio was bueno on this trip. I think we stayed on 146.400 the whole trip.
FWIW to those that think they can't pass the HAM license exam 
...it happens to be a felony...and can also have downstream legal consequences for the licensed folks in a group.
Do you guys also rebel around driver's liceneses too? Just curious how one decides what rule(s) to rebel against? Its not like the authorities, especially all things federal, Faceplant, etc., don't already know more about you than you know about yourself
.
Just say'n. Rant over.
Carry on
...it happens to be a felony...and can also have downstream legal consequences for the licensed folks in a group.Do you guys also rebel around driver's liceneses too? Just curious how one decides what rule(s) to rebel against? Its not like the authorities, especially all things federal, Faceplant, etc., don't already know more about you than you know about yourself
.Just say'n. Rant over.
Carry on
- Thread starter
- #39
The REAL reason to get licensed is because chicks dig hams
FWIW to those that think they can't pass the HAM license exam
Do you guys also rebel around driver's liceneses too? Just curious how one decides what rule(s) to rebel against? Its not like the authorities, especially all things federal, Faceplant, etc., don't already know more about you than you know about yourself
Just say'n. Rant over.
Carry on
I also speed on occasion and have even been known to remove the tags from mattresses....ima badass