Wagons West-Yo!

[roland]

Hey! What's happening. As most of you folks know I went to Ca for some work on my sisters house. The following is my travel log and will update my work progress, followed by my return trip log. Let me just state for the record, I am the original road warrior!

All times are Eastern daylight savings time-for home base reference.

On a particularly sad note, a good freind Gene had passed on, while I was away, he will be deeply missed by me, as well as by other club members. This drink is for you buddy, up to the Gods!

Day 1 Sunday

6:30am Leave
7:30 WVA line
7:40 Ohio line
9:00 Route 70, mile marker 135
9:30 Columbus
10:30 Dayton 245mi-This is the miles I traveled
10:58 Indiana State line-70MPH
11:54 Stopped east of Indianapolis for gas, food, walk around, 21 Gals=$70; First rest room break
12:28 pm Back on Road (bor)
1:00 pm mile marker 54-Indiana
1:21 Past Wagon Train, AVTours
1:47 Illonois, 426mi
3:38 Rest stop, Silver lake rest area, about 38 mi E of St. Louis
3:52 bor
4:20 578mi, St. Louis,Mossorri line, Mostly 70 degrees,Time Zone change
4:49 609mi stop for food, got on route 44 south
5:18 bor
6:30 Get gas and Info, 680.2mi, another $63 for 20gal., Talked to guy from Paris, France and his friend-thier going to Onterio-He really loves this country!
6:53 bor
7:52 saw car on roof 113mile marker, 748mi
9:24 Oklahoma line, 854mi, posted 75MPH
9:40 Rest stop, found out heavy storms north of here, about 84 degrees, lightning everywhere.
10:00 pm went to sleep
12:26 am bor, couldn't sleep anymore-too hot.
1:30 am stop for gas at Tulsa, 938mi. got coffee and cleaned fricken bugs off windsheild.
1:50 am bor
3:06 rest stop 1017mi
3:10 bor
3:30 Oklahoma City 1041mi, got on toll road north of city, got onto route 40
3:35 stopped under bridge-Heavy Rain
Note: lightning storm from Tulsa to here
3:46 bor
4:16 National Weather Forcast came over Radio, Tornado warning, get out of vehicle and stay inside away from windows, they gave mile marker- it's 50 miles east of me-Still on route 40-This part is called Koren War Veterans Memorial Hwy.
5:59am Rest stop 1183mi, End of Day 1 (I'm tired) Rt 40 near exit 7
Note: seen abut 5 cars off the road or in ditch snce Ok City.

Day 2

7:36am bor
7:49 Texas, 70Mph, 1193mi
8:00 stop for breakfast at Irish resturaunt in Shamrock tx and gas
8:56 bor
9:23 1235mi, first Windmill
10:10 Amarillo, 1286mi
10:35 7 cars buriried head down in field, 1300mi
10:39 small wind farm abut5 south side of road
10:45 Large wind farm about 40 north side of road, Oldham Co. Wildorado
11:15 am Platoes and Mesas 1343mi
11:28 New Mexico line, 1359mi, posted 75 MPH, Mtn time zone
11:40 1372 mi, wind mill farm South side of road-Route 40 all the way to Ca!
1:00 pm Stop for coffee and souvineers, 1450 mi-Miles I driven so far
1:15-1:21 at Blue Hole NM in Santa Rosa, 81' deep, 60' wide at top 130' wide at bottom, 3000 GPM outflow, water temp 61 d
1:28 bor
1:40 Saw Mtn with snow on them, not Rocky-Hogback I think.
1:49 Pronghorn sighting
2:36 stop for gas and stretch legs, 1530mi, 20.9 gals=$63, Moriearty NM
2:53 bor
3:20 Albakirky NM, 1556mi, traffic
4:22 stpped to stretch, went in Dancing Eagle cassino spent $5 and got $12.50 from slots got Sirloin dinner there for $12, 1612mi
5:15 bor
5:30 1625 mi, Lava flows, end 1640 mi
6:42pm left NM, into Indian Reservation for 7 miles, 1703 mi
6:51 Arizona line, 1710 mi, Time zone change- they don't follow daylight savings time (time-3hours is my time)
6:54pm stopped at rest stop 1714 and got info as well as rest
8:22pm bor
9:43 In Search of Hopi-gated road, too late they close at 5pm(remember time -3 hrs is my time)
10:07 Sunset behind mtn, my elev=5000', Mtns about 10,000' and 200mi away
10:35 1837mi, went to check ot Meteor crator- too dark to see crateor, too bright for stars. @ gas stn, found out it closed @ 5pm, it's a national park
11:00pm mile marker 214, 6000' elev., 1854mi
11:19 Flagstaff, 1869mi, first LA sign, $63 for 19.7 gals
12:07-12:15am stop to look at stars-WOW, mile marker 154, 1912mi, Big hill out of flagstaff
1:40am stop for sleep at truck stop, 1996mi, mile marker 66. End of Day 2

Day 3
6:30 am woke up and got coffee and walked around
7:23 bor
7:40 Moave Desert, 17 miles till CA, road const. 45mph limit
8:21 California 2058, Pacific time zone-same as before my time less 3 hours
8:25 Inspection station for all vehicles, 2064mi, put on seat belt,asked if i had any fruit, veg,or meat- I said I got some beef jerky. Move along and have a nice day.
8:35 Needles, CA, 2068 mi, Bureau of land Mgt. not open till 7:30am, checked out dessert plant life-got sand in shoes, cactuses and shrubs-very dry. $3.99/gal gas-20mi ago was just $3:09, I can wait.
9am bor
11am Rifle range on side of road-nice, 7 mi east of Barstowe Ca, 200 yd from road.
11:07 Barstowe, 2205mi stop for gas, $3.79/gal got 18gal
11:24 bor
11:50 2233mi Less desert conditions- end of Moave desert-?
2264mi I see smog in the distance
12:27pm Route 10 west, traffic is heavy, 2274
12:56pm 91 degrees, traffic, 2296 mi, still on rt 10
1:27pm 94 degrees-A. C. time, traffic, still on 10
2:00 pm got on 405n, 2324mi
2:13 LOST-2334mi, almost there must be within 1 mile.
2:20 bor, re-read directions, I zigged when I should have Zagged.
2:35 pm Arrived! Met BIL and went to lunch and get 6-pack. Started typing this and have only one left. Not for long.

[LittleRedToyota]

sounds like quite a trip roland. glad the tornados missed ya!

did you drive your truck out there? looks like you are getting about 16 or so mpg? kinda rough with the price of gas.

i'm going to new mexico in early july. i'd like to drive my truck, but i think it might end up actually being cheaper to fly and rent a car there with the price of gas...which will prolly be frickin' $4 a gallon by then.

keep us updated.

[jsb889]

Wowwwww thats a long drive! How was the scenery? To think I thought getting to Dayton was bad...psh. You humble me :-P Any pics of those cars buried in the sand? thatd be a cool sight

[ar15jules]

The cars in the sand are known as "The Cadillac Ranch". I was there once myself. Check out the link below.

http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attra...Acadillac.html

Jules

[roland]

LRT- I did drive my truck, it's loaded down with tools, about 800#.

The scenery is gorgous. New Mexico and parts of Arizona remind me of southern France.

ar15Jules: that's it.

16 Miles per galllon sounds right, if I didn't need my tools, I would've flown.

[GRoPA]

Very cool post. Thanks for taking the time to do it. Good Luck. Be safe. Get pics.

[Emptymag]

Roland,
You gonna have the targets set up for Sunday's shoot?


Sounds like an awesome trip. I would LOVE to drive across this great country again one day.
We did that when I was a little kid... those images of snow in July, Yellowstone park, the Badlands and so much more are still with me.

Good luck with your project and enjoy yourself.

[roland]

I'm in a canyon in the San Fernando Valley. Going to "town today to price materials and get started on small organizational projects.

No clouds in the sky-what a miserable state! Temp is in the mid 80's, no wind. I'm not a fan of the Sun-imagine that-Pgher all the way.

[roland]

I give you the return trip:


DAY 1

10:10PM Left Lynns house. 3406mi on trip ometer.
12:42am Barstowe CA 3530mi, 89 degrees
1:32am ZZYZX rd-funny name for a road, 3586mi, 100 degrees, then shortly later 103 degrees in Baker.
1:49 Elev. 3000' 90 degrees, 3606 mi.
1:54 Elev. 4000' 82 derees, 3610 mi.
2:56 Excaliber Cassino in Las Vegas, 3675 mi. 99 degrees, drove on Las Vegas strip and got first tank of gas-I didn't stop at the casinos because they didn't seem to be big red truck friendly.
4:53 am Arizona State line 3760 mi
5:08 am Good spot to park and sleep. it's hot and I'm tired.

DAy 2

8:24am bor (back on road)
8:37 Utah state line 3788 mi
10:10 am stopped for breakfast, 68 degrees going in, 75 degrees coming out.
10:40 bor
11:32 am Long horn steer, mile marker 171-I'm on Interstate route 15 by the way, 3949mi 84 degrees.
12:15pm Stopped for gas, 3997 mi @ Nephi, Utah, 22.3 gals. 2 seagulls in parking lot, then again about 100 mi south of the great salt lake
12:33 BOR
1:14 Provo, Utah, Smog-Big lake on the left
1:25pm 4055mi, first 2 windmills on return trip
1:28 4059mi, bad accident, sheet on body
1:41 4074mi got on Route 80 East
2:49 Wyoming, 4145 mi 75mph speed limit
2:54pm rest stop, walked around
3:14pm bor
3:44 Large smoke plume to the south, mm40, 4159 mi, also just seen 6 Pronghorn antelopes!
3:50pm 4 covered wagons on left, people playing pioneer,m 4189 mi
3:58 2more pronghorns, n on rt 80 4199 mi
4:57 2 pronghorns south st 80 4270mi
5:06 pm rest stop-took a nap- too hot though 94 degrees
5:36 bor
6:07 pronghorn= mom and 2 fawns 4319 mi
6:13 10 pronghorns at water hole- stopped noting where I've seen pronghorns seen about 100 more-this is definitly the state to go to for hunting pronghorns. Seen 2 really nice shooter bucks.
6:23pm Continentil divide Elev. 7000'
6:29 fuel stop, 4343mi, 21.2 gals, $3.19/gal
6:45 bor
7:34pm 160 windmills n of 80, 4399mi,mm 270
9:17 Nebraska, 4523mi 91degrees
11:15 Entered central time zone
11:40pm Fuel stop, 4692 mi 76degrees 23.3 gals, $2.96/gal, try to make it to the east side of Omaha
12:07 am bor
12:10am Pink Moon rising-cool
12:35 Passed minivan porcupine-has a bunch of cb antenae on it's top
3:40am Omaha
4:05am Iowa, Rest stop to sleep, end of day 2, it was a good driving day! 4970mi.

Day 3

7:15am bor
7:25am fuel stop, 70 degrees-comfy, 4979mi, 20.1 gals, $3.09/gal
7:35 bor
11:19 crossed Mississippi river, Illonois, 5240mi
11: 38 fuel stop and stretch legs 80 degrees
11:55 am bor
1:50pm Chicago, 5387 mi
2pm Indiana 5394mi
2:41pm speed trap, west bound
3:17 5477 mi, house on fire, about 300yd north of 80, mm93.5
4:11 Ohio 5537mi, $5 toll in Indiana
4:23 mm13, car pulled over by cops-it was 3 cars ahead of me!
4:45 mm49 another car pulled over-it had passed me about 5 min. ago, stopped at service plaza and got 19.4 gals, $2.86/gal, 5584mi
5:10 bor
5:13 pm speed trap west bound, 5588mi, mm 54 w/ car pulled over
5:17 speed trap, west bound, mm58
6:07 speed trap, mm115 east bound and at mm118 west bound, car pulled over east bound-holy crap, this is like the pronghorn sightings in Wyoming!
7:02pm speed trap mm180eb and wb at mm185.5
7:18pm rest stop, mm197-took a nap even though just on the west side of Youngstown and not too far from home- I have to get some sleep.
8:07pm bor
8:47pm Pennsylvania, 5764mi
9:57 Home!. 5819mi.

When thinking back on how I started at about 10 pm eastern time on sunday and returned at almost 10 pm on Tuesday, it actually only took 2 days to drive back from California,

[jsb889]

Two days from damn near coast to coast? You drive fast