2014 Road Trip From Wisconsin To California In A Ph

[48Dodger]

I like the idea of this......a Pilot-House road trip. Just a man, his truck, and the road.

 

My good friend Merle has mentioned he would like to make a road trip from his house to mine for the next Tailgate BBQ he decides to attend. Hopefully that's next year he's talking about. Next year is a biggie for me cuz I turn 50 and want to celebrate it at the Q.

 

I mapped his location to the ranch, and got 2,191 miles using a route I would use knowing a bit about the west side of the country. In my opinion using Interstate 80 is BORING....just my opinion. To much desert and droning asphalt. So I drew the route through these key points.

 

Waukesha, WI 

Desmoines, IA

North Platte, NE

Denver, CO

Salina, UT

Ely, NV 

Fallon, NV

Carson City, NV

Minden, NV

Pinegrove, Ca

Clements, Ca

 

Will he make the trip? Will he get the support along the way? Will anyone tag along for a part of the way? Hmmm.....

Merle has a great truck and a young man's heart...I say do it! I was 21 when I rode my bicycle across country and still enjoy that experience to this day. It's tough to plan a trip like that, and thought it would be interesting to get some input now and maybe a bit of support for the adventure. He's got maybe 10 months to put it together...  

 

48D

[Don Coatney]

Tim;

I think you should beat him to it. Toss an engine in that black smoker and head to his planned festivities in Cheesville. Plan your route through Tennessee and we could race for the chase to his place.

[48Dodger]

lol.....I actually started to google "Cheesville" to see where that was.....duh...lol.

 

48D

[ggdad1951]

that would be ONE LONG drive!  I doubt I'd be able to handle the drive to Cheeseville this fall in FEF, much less a cross country trip!

Edited May 2, 2013 by ggdad1951

[48Dodger]

I agree Mark, but dem ol' cowboys got tough somehow....maybe a week in the saddle would change a man....

 

Get use to the life of ridin on a straight axle.....

 

Ridin' under the shootin' p'wr of a straight 6.

 

Maybe its time to head out West...see what's there....see what the ol' iron is made of....

 

48D

[pflaming]

 He can see Franke in Omaha, then drive the sandhills to North Platte,  then drop a bit south on HWY  6 to Denver. What would be his return route? 

 

SLC, Black Hills, SD. . . . 

[ggdad1951]

he'd have to swing thru MN....learn what real sports teams are like.....

[TodFitch]

Sure is easy to suggest plans for other people.

 

My car has beam axles and a 4.375 rear end, so I suspect its closer to your '40s truck than a '40s car is in terms of how it drives and the speed it is comfortable at.

 

My round trip to the Tucson show with the other driving in the area was 2113 miles. On the return trip did about 500 miles on first day and about 400 miles on the second day. My take away from that is the car does fine but I'm a lot better off at maybe 250 to 300 miles per day with time for stretching and sightseeing. Whole point of driving the old vehicles is to enjoy them and that is easier if you're not sore from sitting and tired from driving. You do have to drive the old vehicles, not just point them down the road.

 

So plan on that 2100 miles taking at least 5 or more likely 7 days. For those of us who are still working, than means a minimum of two weeks off work. If you are doing that type of trip it makes sense to add in a bunch of seeing the USA. There are a bunch of national parks, historic sites, etc. that you can easily include, so really 3 weeks or a month would be better. For me that means after retirement rather than before.

[48Dodger]

Sure is easy to suggest plans for other people.

 

Oh no, no, no, no,......not my idea at all.....just my thoughts and encouragement..

 

Merle's post

 

48D

Edited May 2, 2013 by 48dodger

[ggdad1951]

At least with a resto like FEF, the drive would be killer on the accelerator leg....holding it down that long would get tiring!  A 90 mile trip was!

[Young Ed]

Thats what the throttle cable is for!

[pflaming]

ggdad: so true, I had a 110 mile freeway stretch home from the BBQ. Had muscle cramps the next day and a slight pull in my back. Yet it was well worth it. I don't have a radio so all I had was the 'hum' of that flat head. "Priceless"!

[John-T-53]

HWY 50 through Nevada - the loneliest road! That would be cool. Might be smart to pack a few extra cans o' gasoline!

[TodFitch]

HWY 50 through Nevada - the loneliest road! That would be cool. Might be smart to pack a few extra cans o' gasoline!

 

Yeah, they seemed to have trade marked that phrase for US50 in Nevada. But I don't recall more than 75 miles or so between small towns when I drove it a few years back. And there was traffic. Not a lot, maybe a car every 15 or 20 minutes.

 

I should have taken a photo of the "next services 100 miles" sign on California 62 just east of Twentynine Palms when we passed it driving the old Plymouths to Tucson in April. And by "no services" they really meant there is nothing. No houses, no cellphone coverage, no traffic, no nothing. Just four old Plymouths, the asphalt and the desert. Much more lonely than US50 in Nevada.

 

I understand there are several sections of the Alaskan Highway with huge distances between stops. Don't know about the traffic there.

 

So, in my opinion, there are other roads more lonely than "the loneliest highway".

[buds truck]

If Merle "mans up"   and does it, my daughter and her husband live outside of Des Moines and I am sure would love to put him up for the night and feed him.

[Don Coatney]

 feed him.

 

 

Have you ever seen Merle eat

[Merle Coggins]

Oh, you guys...

 

Yes, this has been my idea for a couple of years now, and I've plotted a few different routes on my computer. My biggest worry was between Denver and Tim's place. Some of the routes would go through some high elevation where snow might be an issue in early April. And since I don't know the routes through there I wasn't sure which way to go. I would appreciate the advise from you westerners. I even toyed with the idea of going a northern route across US2 through ND and MT, then dropping down through OR. I was also thinking I'd need about 400-500 mile per day average, figuring on 2500 miles one way. With 2 weeks of vacation I'd actually have 16 total days. Even at 6 days out and 6 days back that leaves 2 days for relaxation and BBQ, and 2 more days of cushion.  

 

It's not the ride quality I would be concerned with. It's the lack of cruise control, as mentioned earlier. I drove my truck to Dayton, OH a couple of years ago (400 miles one way, with an overnight stay by my folks in Indy) and it rides well. Most of that trip was on the interstate at 65-70 MPH. But with the lack of seat support, and not being able to move my right leg much, I would get cramps in my hip. The Throttle cable does work for temporary relief, but doesn't work to maintain a constant speed. Now that I've had the seat issue fixed we'll see how much better longer drives can be. This summer will be the first test when I go to the Twin Cities for the WPC meet.

 

This idea is nowhere near dead. If you guys can help me with a suitable route, and places to stop, with people to see, along the way, I'll starting planning a way to take 2 weeks off in April (typically a busy time in the spring). I gotta make this happen at least once in my lifetime.

 

By the way, Mark... we do have REAL Sports teams here in the Badger State.

 

 

 

Edited May 2, 2013 by Merle Coggins

[Mark Haymond]

I played around with different strength springs on my accelerator linkage until I found one that was comfortable. Not so soft that I had to restrain my foot, not so hard that I had to constantly push to hold it down. That makes the driving more enjoyable. Now this thread makes me dream of the open road. I hope Merle gets to do it.

[pflaming]

You can drop down from Denver through Colorado Springs then on west, the elevation is high but it's a plateau so no steep grades. I've driven at least six different routes from North Platte to Sacramento. The most direct is through SLC, it's also the most boring. You make it out, I'll drive the truck back. Then you can make all the home hockey games and stay a day or two longer in the sunshine of CA.

[Merle Coggins]

I've actually toyed with the idea of driving out for the BBQ one week, and convincing Tim to store my truck while I fly home. Then fly back out there later in the summer and cruise home another week. That would split up the 2 weeks of vacation and may make it easier on my work schedule. Then maybe I could plan a return route up the coast into Oregon or Washington, then home via that northern route. That would allow visits to our Idaho and North Dakota members. (I suppose I could stop by our Mini-soda guys too  )

 

Sorry Paul. If you want to road trip a Pilot-House truck back to Wisconsin, you'll have to do it in your own.  

 

Merle

[pflaming]

Hey, can't say I didn't offer!

[48Dodger]

In 2009 I drove to Denver, Co via 80 and then back using 50....what a difference. In 1985 I took 50 and felt the "loneliest hwy" first hand, but since then, it has grown up a bit and is a nice route for a road trip.

 

I was thinking I would drive my truck and trailer out to Cold Springs Stations,NV and follow Merle the rest of the way out of the desert. 

 

48D    

[pflaming]

I drove  hyw 50 from denver then entered CA via Tioga Pass in 1964. We had a new Chevy II wagon and a 6' U-Haul trailer behind. Now Ely NV and Elko were isolated mining towns at that time and Tioga Pass was a sometimes one way road around some curves. Had to honk and listen then proceed.

[ggdad1951]

Merle, do I need to post the picture of the skunk in the popcorn box again?

[Merle Coggins]

So I did some playing around on my maping program while watching the Brewers get their buts kicked by the Cardinals.

Here's a preliminary 6 day trip, based loosely off of Tim's recommended stops;

Waukesha - Des Moines, IA = 351.3 miles

Des Moines - Kearney, NE = 345.7 miles (697.0 total)

Kearney - Loveland, CO = 347.9 miles (1044.9 total)

Loveland - Helper, UT = 437.9 miles (1482.8 total)

Helper - Eureka, NV = 418 miles (1900.8 total)

Eureka - Tim's house = 370.9 miles (2271.7 total)

 

There is almost no interstate on this route. And according to the program each day would be between 7 and 8 hours driving.