Haulin MJs, here to there and back

[Pete M]

yup, that risk is always hiding on the other side of the equation.      that's why I'd like to see them take the small detour to see the grand cherokee, I mean canyon.  it's totally worth 2 extra hours of driving on a perfectly flat road in arizona, even if it's just for a lunch break and some pictures.    

[johnj92131]

Meteor Crater is just off I-40 and worth a short stop.

 

http://meteorcrater.com/

 

Santa Fe, New Mexico is a wonderful place to spend a day.  Parking a truck and trailer is an issue.    Santa Fe is the oldest state capitol in the entire United States.   Founded in like 1607, it has been the government seat ever since, under Spain, Mexico and the United States.

 

A good bit out of your way:   Fort Union National Monument, also in New Mexico.  Located on the old Santa Fe Trail, you can still see the ruts in the trail from the old Conestoga Wagons.

[krustyballer16]

Good info so far guys!
Does anybody have any suggestions on anything to give me a few more hours of energy and will to keep driving? Monsters and red bulls don't do anything. I go up chug one and go to sleep.
5 hour energys and such just make me hot and sick....
I don't drink coffee.
I'll have water with us...

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[Pete M]

oooo! I forgot about meteor crater!  that's an awesome quickie stop too!  

 

take regular breaks every couple hours for fuel/food/pee and take a 5 minute "nap" in your seat where you set your head back, close your eyes and calm your brain.  taking breaks reduces the fatigue that sets in.  can't help you with sleepiness though other than always keep in mind that making it a few more miles down the road isn't worth the lives of your family.   most walmarts/rest areas allow you to overnight as long as you're not setting up camp or anything.    

[Pete M]

oh, and Joshua tree nat park is right by 29 palms!  I haven't been to that one yet, but my dad did on a business trip once and said it was cool.

 

[schardein]

Isn't there an entry fee at the crater?  Seems like I detoured off to see that, only to find a substantial entry fee.  I was a little disgusted there was no warning in any brochures I had, and didn't go in.  That was waaaayyy before internet and cell phones LOL.

 

Ditto advice for long trips.  Drink plenty of water, which will then require frequent rest stops.  Stop, relieve, walk around a little, stretch, hit the road.  Drink water.  Repeat.

 

Ditto for a few hours of sleep in a rest stop or Wal-mart parking lot.  I follow the rule of its better to have it and not need it, but I've never had a problem (2nd Amendment).

[johnj92131]

Yes, there is an entrance  fee for everything.  Results of people who don't want to pay taxes to fund public treasurers.

Being a senior citizen, I have a Golden eagle pass.

Why national Parks should only be a good deal for seniors, I have no clue.  Seems to me these treasures should be shared with all.   Especially, our kids and grandkids.

 

Can not think of a better way to share what a great place this country is.

 

End of rant.

[krustyballer16]

oh, and Joshua tree nat park is right by 29 palms!  I haven't been to that one yet, but my dad did on a business trip once and said it was cool.
 

I went thru Joshua tree 2 September ago when I was out there. Didn't really impress me.

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[jeeppapa]

Drove KC to LA area 4 times last year. 9 times in the last 2 years. Stay as far South as possible absolutely essential that time of year. Use the toll roads if you can save time. It’s worth it in the long run. Have CB or the like, parts of 40 there is no cell service, miles of desert. Great way for real time monitoring weather ahead of you. Make sure your room reservations are made early. After 8 it can be tough to get a room some times. Make sure your hotel has an area to park your rig and trailer, some don’t. Call ahead of time. If you hit snow make sure the Hwy are still open ahead of you. Parts of 40 will shut down in heavy or blowing snow. If it does get a room ASAP, when that happens rooms go fast. Pulling a trailer expect the trip to take allot longer. The wind in the desert and over the Continental Divide can get really bad. Expect 3 long days on the road there and back. The closer you get to CA the higher gas prices are going to be and everything else. Over 3 bucks a gal now. Keep tract of time zones. Get on the other side of the bigger cities before you stop for the evening. Rush hour traffic can kill your time. Be prepared for any emergency, ie blankets, pillow, tools, food, good aired up spares for tailor and cars. Expect the unexpected because will happen. You’ll save money and time on the road by buying your drinks before you leave. Bring a thermos for coffee. Don’t get caught peeing on the side of the road. In some states that will get you an indecent exposure charge which can get you on the list of guys that can’t hang around grade schools. Expect to be road worn to the bone. Eat well get plenty of sleep don’t chance anything. Don’t push your limits. A trip like this can be a relationship tester so don’t keep a weapon were she can reach it. There are many people buried in the desert and Mexico isn’t that far away. Unfortunately my exgirlfriend was only able to make half the trip but I can say this, Porta Viarta is beautiful this time of year. The most important 2 things your taking to CA will be in the seat next to you. It sucks that she can’t drive too but that may change. There is allot of straight flat road on the southern route. Good luck and God speed.


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[krustyballer16]

Drove KC to LA area 4 times last year. 9 times in the last 2 years. Stay as far South as possible absolutely essential that time of year. Use the toll roads if you can save time. It’s worth it in the long run. Have CB or the like, parts of 40 there is no cell service, miles of desert. Great way for real time monitoring weather ahead of you. Make sure your room reservations are made early. After 8 it can be tough to get a room some times. Make sure your hotel has an area to park your rig and trailer, some don’t. Call ahead of time. If you hit snow make sure the Hwy are still open ahead of you. Parts of 40 will shut down in heavy or blowing snow. If it does get a room ASAP, when that happens rooms go fast. Pulling a trailer expect the trip to take allot longer. The wind in the desert and over the Continental Divide can get really bad. Expect 3 long days on the road there and back. The closer you get to CA the higher gas prices are going to be and everything else. Over 3 bucks a gal now. Keep tract of time zones. Get on the other side of the bigger cities before you stop for the evening. Rush hour traffic can kill your time. Be prepared for any emergency, ie blankets, pillow, tools, food, good aired up spares for tailor and cars. Expect the unexpected because will happen. You’ll save money and time on the road by buying your drinks before you leave. Bring a thermos for coffee. Don’t get caught peeing on the side of the road. In some states that will get you an indecent exposure charge which can get you on the list of guys that can’t hang around grade schools. Expect to be road worn to the bone. Eat well get plenty of sleep don’t chance anything. Don’t push your limits. A trip like this can be a relationship tester so don’t keep a weapon were she can reach it. There are many people buried in the desert and Mexico isn’t that far away. Unfortunately my exgirlfriend was only able to make half the trip but I can say this, Porta Viarta is beautiful this time of year. The most important 2 things your taking to CA will be in the seat next to you. It sucks that she can’t drive too but that may change. There is allot of straight flat road on the southern route. Good luck and God speed.


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This! Alot of stuff there! I'm hoping weather isn't bad. Hope it warms up some. I don't wanna make hotel reservation cuz I don't know how far I can drive each day. And I was hoping to not b driving 6 of my 9 days but I bet I will be especially back home since we'll lose 3 hours.
Thanks

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[johnj92131]

5 years ago, we made a winter trip from along I-40 back to San Diego just as the road was reopened from a snow closure.   Literally saw dozens of SUVs that slid off the road.

 

So... If you are going to run into snow on I-40, seriously consider going south to I-10.  A whole lot better in bad weather.

 

[jeeppapa]

Hot tea packs a lot of caffeine. Get some B 12 tabs, that can give you a bump. I can’t do energy drinks either. Get the protein packets that you can put in a drink. I put them in Gator Aid that goes a long way. Keep some medication within reach ie tums, aspirin, gas-x, Tylenol, anti diarrhea, stuff like that. Sucks having to stop for things like that. I traveled alone on most of the trips. Put a cooler within reach. Carry a bandana or wash cloth. If you start to fade a bit. Dip the cloth in the ice water and wipe your face. Amazing how good that can feel and refreshing. When you think your 3 hours away from stopping for the night pick a place to stop. Then call a hotel and reserve a room. It sucks when your dead beat and you can’t find a room. I’ve had to sleep in the car just because it wasn’t safe to drive any farther and no hotel for miles. It was the smartest thing to do. Going through Oklahoma City is a good route. Personally Vegas sucks to many people to much traffic. Bunch of hype and BS. If you take 40 and you have time Grand Canyon isn’t that far off the Hwy. If your into nature it’s much better time spent then Vegas. It’s ah inspiring good for the soul. I’ve done it with a box truck pulling a car on a trailer,easy. Spent an hr there then hit the road again. Was worth every extra min spent. Vegas is a good place to fly into stay at a hotel and see. If you want to stop at a casino your going to see plenty of big tribal casinos in New Mexico and AZ. The South West is beautiful it’s a great drive. I’ve done the CO. route with a trailer in the winter and it was a nightmare, huge mistake and I was driving a new diesel 5 ton pulling an MJ. Took 5 days, almost drove out in the desert and shot myself. Carry a map of the western United States and Cali with you it will give you details that your phone won’t. Best to have a backup. Heads up some of the rest stops are going to be closed. Be patient on the roads traffic is like the rain you can’t do anything about it so just go with the flow especially in CA. Don’t forget to use the car pool lane on LA HWYs 2 or more people in a car. $345 ticket if your caught with one person in a car. Don’t follow to close traffic can come to an abrupt stop and frequently does on the HWYs. People drive more aggressively here but it’s amazing how few accidents there are compared to the amount of traffic on the roads. The driving is going to be a grind but your going to see some in credible sights. Make sure you hit the beach at least once. FYI 80 degrees in LA tomorrow.


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[schardein]

16 hours ago, jeeppapa said:

A trip like this can be a relationship tester so don’t keep a weapon were she can reach it. There are many people buried in the desert and Mexico isn’t that far away. Unfortunately my exgirlfriend was only able to make half the trip but I can say this, Porta Viarta is beautiful this time of year. 


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Hahaha... so now you have me wondering if statistics on this exist!  Is offing your significant other on a long road trip a thing?!

[jeeppapa]

Could be. Ya ever wonder why the mob never took hold in LA. They would send guys out and these mobsters would just disappear. Most LA cops in the 40s to the 70s were WW2 vets. Killing wasn’t out of the question when it came to keeping the mob out of LA. There’s lots of people under the sand. The Mohave is not far from LA lots of sand. When a person is buried in the sand there is very little evidence of a fresh grave. In the Late 80s a prospecter found a guy on a barka lounger, it’s a pool lounger with wheels. The body was mummified from the heat, still had hair on his head. They dated the body from the 50s by his Levi’s. Who ever killed that guy just put him in the chair and rolled him out into desert. No ID and undetermined cause of death. But he didn’t get there buy himself. The pictures where pretty macabre.

 

 

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[mvusse]

On 1/31/2018 at 10:51 AM, krustyballer16 said:

All this would be fine to do normally, but I don't wanna bbe pulling a loaded trailer around everywhere. Especially on the way there with John's truck on the trailer.

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I did some sight seeing in WV two years ago on the way back from delivering the remains of one of my MJs. Even towing an empty trailer was no fun on WV back roads. Don't know how bad something like that would be out west, though, as I've never been there. And I even has the advantage of mostly knowing those back roads from many many white water rafting trips when I was younger. Girlfriend had never been there, though.

[Eagle]

Niacin (or niacinamide) can also help keep you alert. but don't push it. With anything, when you push beyond your body's natural limits your reflexes, your reactions, and your judgment all go south in a hurry.

[krustyballer16]

Anybody need any stock parts? Might have something and could save on shipping. No doors or hoods or anything big.
I've got a blue and a tan dash I know. Maybe hub caps, dummy light gauge clusters. Stuff like that.


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[Pete M]

if you're going to the southwest, maybe look up some junkyards and bring home a stash of clean steel?  

[krustyballer16]

if you're going to the southwest, maybe look up some junkyards and bring home a stash of clean steel?  

Probably won't have time to go to junkyards. And there really isn't anything I need... I'll be getting of stuff from Bo, lol

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[jeeppapa]

Get your tranny serviced a if it doesn’t have a cooler put one in. Make sure you have good brakes, new fuel filter and clean air filter. I had an O2 censer go south on on 1 trip. It was a Sunday the stores closed at 5 I made it into the town at 4:45 got installed was back on the road by 5:30. If I’d missed the store closing that could have cost me anouther day. It was a small town and I just got lucky. You are going to hit some long up hill grades many of them. Take as many breakdown variables out of it as you can and you’ll be fine. Check your wheel bearing too. You don’t want to be stranded under some HWY mechanics thumb. They will stick it to you big time. .


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[gogmorgo]

On January 31, 2018 at 3:56 PM, krustyballer16 said:

Good info so far guys!
Does anybody have any suggestions on anything to give me a few more hours of energy and will to keep driving?
 

I've found caffeine pills very helpful, if you know how to use them. You can find them with the sleep aids in almost any pharmacy. The trick with caffeine is it doesn't wake you up, it just slows you getting tired. Energy drinks don't really last in your system long enough to be useful, unless you drink an unhealthy quantity, I find they mostly just give me the jitters. The other advantage to caffeine pills as opposed to a caffeinated beverage is that they don't come with all the sugary side effects or triple your need to stop for bodily functions. It's also much cheaper. Usually I'll pop one or two an hour starting in the early afternoon. You just have to watch, cause just because you're alert and don't feel your body is getting tired doesn't mean it's not happening, and you will hit a wall where you don't really have much choice but to stop and sleep for a bit.

Doing ridiculous drives across the continent has sorta been my thing the last few years. More than once I've done 6000 miles in 12 days. I also currently live about 1000 miles from home, and I've been known to make the odd trip back over a three-day weekend, while still getting in a couple days of visiting.

Another thing I find helpful is maintaining a decent diet. If you live off gas station junk you'll feel like junk. Hit up a grocery store for some healthier (and less expensive) options. Jerky's a thing, I like the little individually wrapped cheese blocks, oranges are good, carrots, maybe something else if it's in season. Those frozen burritos are also great for wrapping in foil and tucking in the engine bay somewhere, although if you go for too many of those you may need to open a window...

[krustyballer16]

Get your tranny serviced a if it doesn’t have a cooler put one in. Make sure you have good brakes, new fuel filter and clean air filter. I had an O2 censer go south on on 1 trip. It was a Sunday the stores closed at 5 I made it into the town at 4:45 got installed was back on the road by 5:30. If I’d missed the store closing that could have cost me anouther day. It was a small town and I just got lucky. You are going to hit some long up hill grades many of them. Take as many breakdown variables out of it as you can and you’ll be fine. Check your wheel bearing too. You don’t want to be stranded under some HWY mechanics thumb. They will stick it to you big time. .


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Filters are new. Tranny should be good. Only 32,000 miles on the truck. But I may pick up new fuel filters just to keep with me.
I need to get my spare out this weekend and check it and make sure I know how to lower it from under the truck.



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[krustyballer16]

I've found caffeine pills very helpful, if you know how to use them. You can find them with the sleep aids in almost any pharmacy. The trick with caffeine is it doesn't wake you up, it just slows you getting tired. Energy drinks don't really last in your system long enough to be useful, unless you drink an unhealthy quantity, I find they mostly just give me the jitters. The other advantage to caffeine pills as opposed to a caffeinated beverage is that they don't come with all the sugary side effects or triple your need to stop for bodily functions. It's also much cheaper. Usually I'll pop one or two an hour starting in the early afternoon. You just have to watch, cause just because you're alert and don't feel your body is getting tired doesn't mean it's not happening, and you will hit a wall where you don't really have much choice but to stop and sleep for a bit.
Doing ridiculous drives across the continent has sorta been my thing the last few years. More than once I've done 6000 miles in 12 days. I also currently live about 1000 miles from home, and I've been known to make the odd trip back over a three-day weekend, while still getting in a couple days of visiting.
Another thing I find helpful is maintaining a decent diet. If you live off gas station junk you'll feel like junk. Hit up a grocery store for some healthier (and less expensive) options. Jerky's a thing, I like the little individually wrapped cheese blocks, oranges are good, carrots, maybe something else if it's in season. Those frozen burritos are also great for wrapping in foil and tucking in the engine bay somewhere, although if you go for too many of those you may need to open a window...

Energy drinks don't do anything for me I can drink a monster and go straight to bed.
I drink mt dew a lot, I know, not good.
Think caffeine pills would still work?
And I don't like gas station food really.
But love beef jerky!
And I'm sure with her being pregnant, there will be tons of healthy snacks packed.

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[jeeppapa]

Probably won't have time to go to junkyards. And there really isn't anything I need... I'll be getting of stuff from Bo, lol

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Really wish you had more time to get a taste of CA. It’s a beautiful state so really try to take as much as you can in. Get out of the car and taste the ocean and touch the rocks.


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[krustyballer16]

Really wish you had more time to get a taste of CA. It’s a beautiful state so really try to take as much as you can in. Get out of the car and taste the ocean and touch the rocks.


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I liked it when I was there in 2016. Drove from Scottsdale to Palm springs then route 1 from Laguna beach to long beach. It was nice. But I'm not much of an ocean or beach person.

Like to hit up some antique stores lol

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