Road Trip Through The Americas

[Dave72dt]

That part of SD looked a lot like Nebraska to me.

[Don Coatney]

Don are you copying the link from the link bar or using the share options through photobucket?

I am copying the link from the link bar

[steveplym]

I am copying the link from the link bar

 

I would copy it from the share part on the right side of the page.  Seems to be working okay that way.

[Don Coatney]

Day 10

 

Landed in Sheridan, Wyoming. Total miles to date 3598.

 

Started the day in the Custer state park looking at the animals. Saw quite a few. Next stop was Mt Rushmore then on to Deadwood.

 

Lnk to the photos. Hope this works

 

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/DonCoatney/library/#/user/DonCoatney/library/Billy%20Austin/Day%2010?sort=3&page=1&_suid=1379548726289012410208253756816

 

 

 

[Young Ed]

You guys look like you're having a blast. Glad I got to be a small part of it. Yes link works this time.

[pflaming]

Only 950 +/- miles to Seattle: Sept 19 - 20. Then three days to Carmel, CA: Sept 23.   Whoa, I've got to get my truck tuned up, that's next Wednesday +/-. 

[busycoupe]

Just wondering, what kind of pace are you maintaining? I have a business coupe pretty much identical to Bills and it seems most comfortable to drive at 50 to 55 mph. It will do 70+ but anything over 60 sounds busy to my ear.

Dave

[ptwothree]

Hey Don...did you get to drive yet?

[mrwrstory]

Just wondering, what kind of pace are you maintaining? I have a business coupe pretty much identical to Bills and it seems most comfortable to drive at 50 to 55 mph. It will do 70+ but anything over 60 sounds busy to my ear.

Dave

Any of the roads coming down the coast from SF, i.e. Big Sur is more like 40-50mph

[greg g]

So if you do the math 10 days and 3600 miles = 15 MPH.  Nearly 3X that of a Conastoga wagon.    Factor i actual driving time ad it more like 40 MPH.

[Don Coatney]

Actual driving time is 44 MPH.

 

I am the navagator. no wheel time for me.

 

Billy has pushed the crusing speed to around 65 on good roads.

[Don Coatney]

Day 11

 

Total miles to date 4107

 

Left Sheridan, Wyoming on the back roads and toured Yellowstone

 

Biggest treat today was many buffalo, one elk, one bear, many mule deer, jack rabbits, and a lot of road kill. Climbed to 8,065 feet, lots of snow. Ended the day near Butte, Montana.

 

Link to todays pictures.

 

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/DonCoatney/library/#/user/DonCoatney/library/Billy%20Austin/Day%2011?sort=3&page=1&_suid=137964092929601953850119776358

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[greg g]

When we were on our way from Rapid City to Y'stone, we were stopped and delayed for about 40 minutes while they righted and towed a Hay hauler that at jackknifed due to snow at the top of a pass.  Can't remember what road we were on.   You got you some really tall tires in the shadow shot.

 

We did not go west of Y'stone that trip. 

[Rodney Bullock]

OK Don, I'm paying attention

[Dan Hiebert]

Wow, that buffalo is as big as the car.  And that's just mean - snow shots when a lot of us are dreading the impending onslought of winter

[pflaming]

Dan, our son and his family live in Maine. Out there MANY spend summers fixing up their snowmobiles, ice shacks, skiis etc., and  can hardly wait for winter, the worse the better. Very interesting how folk in different climates view climate. Me, I'm the fair weather type. 

 

AND those Jelleystone pictures were awesome, never been there.

[vanbuskirk]

Very interesting trip. We did a 3300 mile trip in the P-15 in August. To the Rockies including the now flood ravaged areas. Climbed several mountains, including Mt Evans.

[greg g]

Hey when were you guys out there?  We spent a week in the Vail area with my bother/wife Aug 4th through10th.  We did the "scenic" route to Hagerman Pass, (13700 ft) near Leadville,  did Rocky Mtn Park, almost hit by lightening at the Alpine visitors center, went up to Steam Boat Springs, Georgetown, and had to have a bite and a beer at Tommyknockers brew pub in Idaho Springs.  Saw Bear, Moose, and Rocky Mtn Bighorns. 

[vanbuskirk]

We were in Colorado from August 10-14.  Have to disassemble differential to find bad vibration. Rebuilt drive shaft did not help.

Wheels shake violently when spun on jack stands.  Is there a bearing part number somewhere on this website?

[TodFitch]

Very interesting trip. We did a 3300 mile trip in the P-15 in August. To the Rockies including the now flood ravaged areas. Climbed several mountains, including Mt Evans.

acolo067rkymtaug10.jpg

Someday, maybe, I'll drive my old Plymouth up Mt. Evans just to see if it can do it. Been up there a couple of times in "modern" cars. Modern in quotes because the first time was when I was a child and that car, if it still exists, would be 50 years old.

[TodFitch]

We were in Colorado from August 10-14.  Have to disassemble differential to find bad vibration. Rebuilt drive shaft did not help.

Wheels shake violently when spun on jack stands.  Is there a bearing part number somewhere on this website?

http://www.ply33.com/Parts/group3#3-F

[Scruffy49]

Early winter this year. S'posed to be a chilly 77 for the high here Sunday, low of 54... This time of year, that is arctic temps compared to normal. And it has been raining all morning. Not good, have some motorcycle forum friends in from out of town, tent camping...

[Don Coatney]

Day 12

 

Not much to report today except a lot of driving. Left Butte Montana at 6:15 AM and arrived in Seattle at 8:00 PM. Highest miles driven in one day to date. Ending mileage 4759.   This is the furthest from home that we will go. Great weather all day until we hit Seattle when it started to rain.

 

Link to todays photos.

 

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/DonCoatney/library/#/user/DonCoatney/library/Billy%20Austin/day%2012?sort=3&page=1&_suid=137973875135309172427918539194

 

 

 

 

 

[TodFitch]

Averaging 400 miles per day. . . You guys aren't taking much time to slow down and smell the roses are you? Sounds like you'll be in the SF Bay Area around Tuesday at that rate. . .

 

OTOH, if you are willing to slow down a bit, US-101 down the Oregon coast is every bit as pretty as California 1 down Big Sur. I-5, other than a few nice views of Mt. Shasta, is quite boring compared to the drive down the coast.

[Scruffy49]

Hmmm, that yellow building looks an awful lot like the St Regis Montana area, did you guys pull in and see the trout collection? Or see all the marijuana plants in the ditches through that area? Literally a generic weed around there, it has gone native.

 

How did the car like coming down the hill from the Wild Horse pull off, across the Columbia River at Vantage, and then up Ryegrass? Those two hills are notorious for destroying tractor trailers.

 

Be glad you aren't back in west TN yet, been raining almost 24 hours now, Shelby County smells like dead fish. Had friends roll out yesterday, said it poured until Little Rock, but was at least drizzling all the way past Fort Smith turn off from I-40...

 

If your schedule allows, lose I-5 at Kelso-Longview WA, cross the Columbia into Oregon and follow 101. Seaside is a nice little town, Astoria is very interesting (don't stop, the car will insta-rust), you'll go right past Fort Clatsop (Lewis and Clark's winter lodgings). If you have to make up time, wait until you've gone through Tillamook before hooking east to I-5, you want to avoid the "Pornland" (Portland) metroplex at all costs if the car won't clear 80 mph comfortably with room to spare.

 

FYI, it is illegal to pump your own fuel in Oregon, don't even try unless the attendant is scared that he will damage the car. And a LOT of stations have strange pricing, they are priced per liter, as the state tried for the last several decades to become part of Europe (failed miserably, other than the blatantly rampant communism)...