Head West Not So Young Man 2

[daugen]

larro, thanks, so nice to hear from you. Be safe down there, though you are pretty far inland.

yes, storm continues here into Friday morning, not so much the rain but the wind.
I've driven motorhomes in high winds and it isn't much fun, very hard on my arms and neck correcting
for "drift".

they say Friday the storm will be just off Outer Banks or directly East two hours drive from me.
I can see me making it home in my new rv and finding a pine tree across the driveway.
It's only a 2+ hour drive but it seems in something like this, when in doubt, don't.
My old fireman genes want me home prepared for anything. Generators ready, grapple on tractor.
You know what storms do to pine trees.

 

[daugen]

Free when I went 2010 but according to google reviews it's now 5$ to park. There was a just a couple people there and maybe two divers in the water.

Unless these places have a silent benefactor, they have to earn some money to keep the lights on, or maintain what they have.
5 bucks seems reasonable to me. More than that, with Senior US Park pass, plenty of places to see without a big entrance fee.
And now with amazing Google Maps imaging out there, you can at least check out the places with the big fees.
I don't do caves or heights. And thanks to plantar fasciitis which I'm having a hard time getting rid of, I can't walk long distances.
So distance from parking lot to attraction can't be too long. My good friends have hiked and hiked in the Utah parks, and their pictures
are amazing.

I wonder if "scenic rest stops" are in the POI on the nav unit...dealer sent me manual, good project for a rainy day.

Not a fan of rest stop junkola, but I do want to get a tshirt with something about Route 66 on it.
Isn't it Get Your Kicks on Route 66?

Fun to go all over the place on this but am about to segment this into quarters and focus on the trip from home to New Orleans.
I've already driven the Natchez Trace. I think it would be fun to get a ride on a real paddlewheeler if there still is such a thing, and then
spend a couple of days in New Orleans. Have never been there.
Will post another route map soon.

Pretty certain delivery will be pushed back. Weather forecast has stayed at 3 inches and 35 mph winds, but that could easily double.

 

[Diggin It]

There are paddlewheelers, but I'm not sure any are still steam powered. Maybe.

Nawlin's like any urban area, ain't made for RVs. Tight streets, close parking areas and so on. You'd almost have to leave it somewhere and rent a car.

 

[Jim Shooz]

I had plantar fasciitis a couple of years ago. One of the treatments suggested, that I tried was to take a coke sized bottle, fill with water, and while sitting in a chair with the bottle on the floor, roll the bottle backwards and forwards under your foot. Foot could be bare and bottle could have been in the fridge for an hour or so.

 

[daugen]

d - I'm pretty sure these Duravis . Hard to beat a commercial highway-rib tire for long-life on pavement..... just wanted to suggest that tread style........

Rgds, D.

Dave, thanks. Those two thick solid bands of rubber on either side really add to durability and mileage,
but....but....I'd rather have wet weather traction for all the time, and knowing I'm coming through the Rockies in Spring,
I want as much absolutely silent grip as I can get. Why not ask for everything?....

In a perfect world, I'd put one size larger Michelins on front, and replace the Continentals in the rear with Michelins.
Before I sell this rig to Buckeye in three years, that's likely what I will do.
I study tirerack.com carefully, have been "into" tires all my life, always liked the smell of rubber in the tire shops.
My interest really came on when I was a volunteer fireman in a small town with lots of winter snow and you just had to get there,
back then 2wd cars, not SUVs or trucks, so I learned the value of putting snow tires on the rears and learning what tread patterns meant.

Only problem with great grip is shorter life and likely more noise. Pretty tough on a micro siped tread pattern wheeling a five ton rv
around sharp curves in Colorado...going to eat that tire right up. But if it keeps me from sliding off the road in a sudden on the road snowstorm,
I'll give up the long life. Problem with the oem Continentals is they are poor performing tires in really important areas like dry and wet grip, noise, etc. and then
they don't last long. Maybe 15,000 miles. I think they rate 23 out of 25 in their category. The bottom of the barrel.
They look nice though. Sigh.

 

[daugen]

I had plantar fasciitis a couple of years ago. One of the treatments suggested, that I tried was to take a coke sized bottle, fill with water, and while sitting in a chair with the bottle on the floor, roll the bottle backwards and forwards under your foot. Foot could be bare and bottle could have been in the fridge for an hour or so.

a rolling arch massager, great idea Jim. Cold or hot?
laser treatments irritate the area, allegedly a good irritation, promoting healing.
I wear orthotics all the time, but I'm also on my feet all day long.
When sitting down, even with socks on, that sounds like a good way to calm a sore foot

 

[daugen]

There are paddlewheelers, but I'm not sure any are still steam powered. Maybe.

Nawlin's like any urban area, ain't made for RVs. Tight streets, close parking areas and so on. You'd almost have to leave it somewhere and rent a car.

Thanks. I pick my rv campgrounds in areas like this based on having a jitney downtown, which the campground I'm staying at does. They take you down to Bourbon Street or whatever and pick up on the hour. Same thing in St. Louis.

when I pick campgrounds I often look for "big rig" and "drive through" notations.
The challenge is figure that out on the fly as you try to figure out if you'll fit in the Abilene Steak house parking lot, or wherever.
Too wide to leave on a street, but figure it's no different than a bread van. And they sure get around everywhere.
Wish there were radar distance beepers in rv like I have in my car and truck.
Very expensive to park by touch. No bumper back there...


going or returning, crossing the Mississippi twice, so want to go for a boat ride.
Absolutely abhor loud party boats full of drunks, so need to be careful here. No booze cruises...
Maybe some kind of nature cruise but that won't be a paddlewheeler.

So what's there to see on the water on the Mississippi River?
If I'm going to do this once, where should my boating adventure be?

 

[Deere Dude]

The most exciting drive I've EVER been on is Going to the Sun. It's in far northern Montana. There are length restrictions - max vehicle length - 21'. But there is a shuttle bus service that makes the entire trip. This is NOT a trip for those who fear heights, narrow roads or passing vehicles on narrow roads at great heights.

There is a saying. "Should you be so very unfortunate to drive off this road, and some do, you will be able to recite the full Lord's Prayer, twice, before you and your vehicle hit bottom".

That is the nicest and most scenic road I have ever been on. My first trip was with a Toyota pick up going through it a couple times and was very scenic but plenty scary. My next trip a couple years later was with a 23' motor home pulling an 8' trailer and went through Going to the Sun Road and had to be focused but no problem. That was before they had restrictions, or at least I knew they had restrictions. The last trip from Alaska to home with a big pickup and pickup camper I was over 21' and was a law abider so I bypassed my favorite road.

 

[Larro Darro]

. . . . . . And thanks to plantar fasciitis which I'm having a hard time getting rid of, I can't walk long distances.
So distance from parking lot to attraction can't be too long. My good friends have hiked and hiked in the Utah parks, and their pictures
are amazing..

I've been dealing with PF all year. Compression socks {or taping my foot} got me through the really bad days. I found the SB brand worked best for me.

https://www.amazon.com/SB-SOX-Compression-Sleeves-Women/dp/B01M2B4FDG/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3HNZJP85VJ5HT&keywords=sb+socks+compression&qid=1567428847&s=sporting-goods&sprefix=sb+socks%2Csporting%2C165&sr=1-4

But stretching helps a ton. Lots of good info on You Tube about it.

5 National Parks in Utah, plus lots of BLM and National Forest land. Lots of hikers live there when not on the trail due to all the public land. When you live in a van, you go to where the camping is free.

 

[farmer2009]

Mom had PF growing up. She slept in the boots and had rubber bands that she stretched her foot with before she ever put weight on them. Then she’d go get her golf balls and roll them under her foot. She always had socks on as she kept the golf balls in the freezer.

There are ferries across the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. You really need to call ahead and check operation. Some are cars only and some will hold 6-8 semis. Alot of the ferries around here don’t run in high water. Being your doing this in the spring. You could easily run into high water.

There’s the General Jackson in Nashville. It’s a diesel paddle boat. Dinner and a show as well as being able to see the city from the river. Better like country music and chicken. Sure you’ll find something.