Head West not so young Man

[aczlan]

I'll put a new map up shortly. Maybe I can figure out how to export the MS map into a pdf.

Install Cute PDF CutePDF - The free PDF Converter, Convert to PDF for free, Free PDF Utilities. (which will create a virtual printer that creates a PDF when anything sent to it) and tell MS Map to print to the Cute PDF printer.

Aaron Z

 

[daugen]

thanks Aaron!

 

[aczlan]

thanks Aaron!

No problem. I use it at home and at work. Simple, stays out of the way and just gets the job done.

Aaron Z

 

[daugen]

car museums. Truck museums. newer than 1950, not into old stuff.
No sinkholes...
anything really neat mechanically...world's largest motor? Not here, I know...
shipbuilding along the Gulf?

And I really HAVE to go see a tractor pull, never done it before. Combine racing?
I'm a motorhead, just not a Nascar guy...

 

[Depmandog]

Tractor pulls, here is a schedule of Lucas Oil pulls. I am sure you can find one that coincides with your trip plans.

http://www.propulling.com/schedules/champions-tour/view-full-schedule

Concerning the St. Louis area...check out the Cahokia Mounds. Archeologists believe this Indian settlement was once one of the largest cities in the world. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cahokia

Your trip sounds fun!

 

[ronjhall]

Another way to get PDF documents is to use Open Office. All sections of it have a PDF option.

 

[aczlan]

Another way to get PDF documents is to use Open Office. All sections of it have a PDF option.

So does Office 2007 or later, but he is using Microsoft Maps which doesn't have an OO equivalent.

Aaron Z

 

[daugen]

I input all the locations on Google Maps, then could not for the life of me get to the directions screen. Data only. I wanted to do this all on Google but will instead use my laptop running Streets & trips plus a gps sensor. that of course is nice but the only one that counts the day of the drive is the RV gps, which is programmed for not taking me under low underpasses and truly ruining the trip. I also have a similar one in my suburban, so I will be running two independent gps, just like I am very used to doing in boats. and I guess I am destined to double and triple entry, but then that's what makes backups work...
I'll go almost anywhere, but hate getting lost...

So, I was about to do a shift print screen which amazingly I have now mastered...ashamed on my MS product and you are saying it won't work?

 

[aczlan]

So, I was about to do a shift print screen which amazingly I have now mastered...ashamed on my MS product and you are saying it won't work?

It will work fine. ronjhall was talking about documents (word or excel files) where in Open Office or newer versions of MS Office you can save directly into a PDF.

Aaron Z

 

[daugen]

well this sort of works, as I couldn't figure out how to get rid of the extraneous non map info. but this works.
took me a bit of fiddling to force the line down the Natchez Trace, and I've put in the "head further West into Texas" advice to good
use and updated Texas. Most of the stops are rv parks, where I will venture out from there. though I won't mind catch of the day or a Walmart parking
lot if something is interesting half way between spots shown.

I'm figuring two to three days for each stop. some more, some less. I'm in no hurry to get home, though I say that now...
In some ways, part of this trip is to see the North Carolina area a little better, hope to buy a farm there next year or the year after.
So part of my travels is to test my assumptions on what should be home, since I know I'm moving anyway. real estate is just too expensive in my area.
Maybe I will see Sedona and never want to leave. Unlikely, I still want to be within reasonable driving distance of family back East.

At this point, I'm happily macromanaged up until Dallas. The micro stuff I'll do the week before, gives me something to do and study.
I hope to keep this thread updated every few days, and if I can figure out how to do it, download some high res Go Pro images shot through the rv's big front windshield. More likely will post to YouTube, which I have never done before. Will cross that bridge when I get to it. Unedited video is useless, need to find the good parts.
Of course if I see something amazing...and trust me it won't be video of the rv getting sucked up the the tornado. I approach each day like I did offshore boating. There are some days to stay home. Also got a NOAA alert radio to leave on when I'm headed through the heartland.

 

[farmgirl19]

Looks like a long and winding, and interesting journey, daugen!

 

[daugen]

thanks! Hope to leave first week in April, work my way South, and get into Texas late April, early May. Honestly, I have no idea of how the time goes, and for the very first time in my life, I just don't care. Spent forty years being early for business appointments, now I'll get there when I get there.

I've been keeping big plastic bins near the kitchen, adding food goodies as I think of them. Can't leave without garlic powder...and I even have a lemon cake mix with lemon icing I will make somewhere along the way, cooking is a nice creative thing to do when one is alone. But I'm sure not going to eat that cake myself.

 

[daugen]

spent a lot of time this weekend finessing this route, and came to the conclusion that I was likely to catch Yellowstone Park the next time, when I go all the way out West.
So this changed the route and means I can easily go through South Dakota and see the many sites there, like Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse memorial.
One of the factors here is that I honestly think by the time I get to Colorado, I'm going to be pretty tired of roaring up the Rockies in a gas motorhome. But we shall see...
can one get tired of purple mountain majesties? Unlikely this trip.

7906 miles so far; packing a synthetic oil change and filter; not sure of getting no names on the road. And at least one oil change, maybe two for the gen.

Here is a serious question for those of you who live with tornadoes as part of life.
Say my NOAA alert sounds while I'm heading East in South Dakota. What to do?
Unlikely a nice concrete overpass is going to be just ahead...
My instinct is like I would do in boating, throw out an anchor...
but first I would want to hide. Hightail to nearest town?
Hitch a tow rope to the hitching stand at the local saloon and ride it out?...

 

[farmgirl19]

Leave your motorhome and if no shelter is nearby, get into the deepest ditch you can see. If shelter is available, leave your motorhome and head into some coffee shop's bathroom, etc. The plumbing pipes can help protect you. And for pete's sake, stay away from the windows!

 

[RobertBrown]

And for pete's sake, stay away from the windows!

Who is this guy Pete?
I thought you were going alone........//

 

[farmgirl19]

Who is this guy Pete?
I thought you were going alone........//

Pete is the dummy that seems to always want to look out the window and watch the approaching tornado. If you want to do that, go outside for a closer look! :laughing:

 

[daugen]

one of the things I learned while boating on the Chesapeake in the summer was try to get to your destination by 2pm. Afternoon storms came up fast, and it only took me getting into a total whiteout situation, a microburst that seemed very attracted to my boat... and that taught me never to listen to the others on the boat, I was captain and if I thought the sky looked funny, in we came. So I will happily throw Pete off the motorhome and let him deal with the tornado.

So my thoughts were to try to travel earlier in the day; would that help in the prairies?

Don't worry FarmGirl, I'm very risk averse; I have stated before I don't like to fly, and for sure, i don't want to fly in my motorhome!
I do think being stopped/parked is a much better way of dealing with nasty weather than trying to fly through it. I'm in no rush...
I need some nifty Batmobile style automatic ground straps that with the push of a button, auger into the ground, lower the air in the tires, and
cinch me in nicely. But yes, I know better, get in the ditch. Or a big old nasty culvert pipe. Hi. and what pretty eyes you have, uh whatever critter you are that
got in here first...

 

[ronjhall]

7906 miles so far; packing a synthetic oil change and filter; not sure of getting no names on the road. And at least one oil change, maybe two for the gen.

.

I use Speedco for oil changes and lube on the road. Great place and good prices. They will do your generator also. I recommend you have a filter for it though.

 

[Depmandog]

Daugen

I wouldn't be too concerned about the plains states with tornados. It's so flat you can see the storms coming for 60 - 100 miles! A quick check on your radar and you can easily avoid crossing paths with a storm (while you are mobile).

Where you would have more problems is the hilly / wooded areas of your routes (southeast / south central).

I am friends with a well known tornado chaser. They HATE to chase outside of the plains...just too dangerous to see exactly where the tornadoes are coming from (keeping in mind they are trying to intercept a tornado...safely).

If you do find yourself mobile and in a potentially tornadic storm - err on the side of caution and take shelter. You don't always see the tornado coming - i.e. a rain wrapped tornado.

All that said, once you settle in for the evening, make sure you have a plan of where to take shelter. Keep mindful that softball sized hail is not unheard of with a supercell thunderstorm. If I thought I might have to run for shelter - I would have a hardhat on!!

Don't worry too much about the weather! Enjoy your trip!

 

[buckeyefarmer]

looks like stop 2 is Gettysburg, and down rt15 near me. The best way south to I81 from Frederick is Rt 340 to berryville va, then VA rt 7 to winchester. But I see stop 3 is down off of I66, somewhere near Front Royal.