To be honest, I've had a hard time getting back into the swing of things
around home after getting back from that trip. Everything just feels
out of place, and I just want to go back out and get on the road again.
I suppose the regrets of getting both vehicles damaged in a hail storm
have something to do with that, but I think it has more to do with just
how perfect everything felt on the journey. From getting closer to my
wife, to seeing new and amazing places. It was exactly what I bought
the thing for.

That said, I want to get started rehashing some of the journey. I'll
start with the travel days.

I was having a heck of a time trying to figure out which way to go.
I-70 had days it was open and days it was closed and had traction laws
in effect. I-80 had terrible winds and was closed because of blow over
laws. Going the safest rout via I-40/44 would add another whole day to
the travel and go from 3 days on the road to 4 days. I really wanted to
avoid this. So I set out west heading to Kearney, Nebraska and figured
I could decide the next day depending on conditions which route I would
have to take. I-70 was still open, but I-80 was closed because of
winds. 620 miles later we were in Kearney staying at a Cabela's on the
Lincoln Highway. This was our best freebie place of the trip. There
were about 6 other RV's there that night. Most even had their slides
out, which surprised me. But it was away from everything, safe, and
quiet. Having been my first time staying in a store parking lot, I felt
better about the situation after this night, though I did have my pistol
ready for defense if need be.

By the next morning the situation had changed and the winds calmed down
in Wyoming, and it had snowed up west of Denver and they had closures
and traction laws in effect. So we went north on I-80 and headed toward
Salt Lake City. It was windy, but manageable and we went 680 miles and
got to the very end of the state and stayed in the town of Evanston, WY
at a Walmart. This was completely different than Cabela's with about
15-20 semi's ending up in the lot overnight. Manageable if you have to
I guess, and in our case we had to because I needed to go a little
further that day to make the last day of travel again doable. During
the day, we crossed over the Sherman Summit in WY, at an elevation of
8640 and they had gotten a little snow there. It was windy and cold.
There is a rest area right at the top and we had pulled in for a short
break, and I got a valuable lesson. I am very aware pulling the TOAD
you cannot back up, but I was a little stupid recognizing the ground conditions. I came to a stop on a slight incline and there was a little
packed snow underneath the tires. Without the TOAD I'm sure the RV
would have just walked away, but trying to move the powerless 5,000lb
Bronco, the RV surprised me by having a hard time getting going.
Lesson: keep moving on snow conditions and always stop going downhill!
I'm sure I could have applied the old slight break pedal trick to get it
to stop the differential from spinning, but it eventually hooked up and
I didn't have to unhook the TOAD to get out of there. Once we got down
to Evanston, I was very relieved having gotten through the worst of the mountain passes. I knew I would have to address the same weather
question on the return journey.

Both of the first two nights were cold and well below freezing, with it
getting down to 20F for the night in Evanston. The anti-freeze kit I
installed for the Truma on demand water heater worked perfectly during
the day, and the furnace keep things toasty enough to sleep without the
pipes freezing up, and I switched the Truma to ECO mode each night and
used propane to keep it from freezing at the unit on the outside panel.
I was unsure if I would have enough DC to run things all night, or if I
would have to run the generator, but I still had 12.4 volts in the
morning. That pleased me greatly as I knew it could do at least the
whole night without worrying. Even through the mountains and with the
wind hitting us head on, we got over 12MPG pulling the TOAD. I can live
with that. The view is a little uncomfortable in winds above 20 MPH,
but slowing down helps. When it got bad, I stayed below 65 MPH.
Without winds it cruises along at 70 or more quite easily.

The last day we started going through Salt Lake City, and it was much
warmer, around 60F, and it was a gorgeous day and pleasant drive. The
entire state of Utah is like one big park, with cows. My kind of place.
Very beautiful and it has a welcoming feel to it. People were all
very nice everywhere we stopped. I could live in that state. Rolled
into the campground after a leisurely 350 miles at around 3PM and just
relaxed for the rest of the day.

more to come...


--
Better Days Ahead!
Darwinism Is Junk Science!!

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

To be honest, I've had a hard time getting back into the swing of things around home after getting back from that trip. Everything just feels
out of place, and I just want to go back out and get on the road again.
I suppose the regrets of getting both vehicles damaged in a hail storm
have something to do with that, but I think it has more to do with just
how perfect everything felt on the journey. From getting closer to my
wife, to seeing new and amazing places. It was exactly what I bought
the thing for.

That said, I want to get started rehashing some of the journey. I'll
start with the travel days.

I was having a heck of a time trying to figure out which way to go.
I-70 had days it was open and days it was closed and had traction laws
in effect. I-80 had terrible winds and was closed because of blow over
laws. Going the safest rout via I-40/44 would add another whole day to
the travel and go from 3 days on the road to 4 days. I really wanted to avoid this. So I set out west heading to Kearney, Nebraska and figured
I could decide the next day depending on conditions which route I would
have to take. I-70 was still open, but I-80 was closed because of
winds. 620 miles later we were in Kearney staying at a Cabela's on the Lincoln Highway. This was our best freebie place of the trip. There
were about 6 other RV's there that night. Most even had their slides
out, which surprised me. But it was away from everything, safe, and
quiet. Having been my first time staying in a store parking lot, I felt better about the situation after this night, though I did have my pistol ready for defense if need be.

By the next morning the situation had changed and the winds calmed down
in Wyoming, and it had snowed up west of Denver and they had closures
and traction laws in effect. So we went north on I-80 and headed toward
Salt Lake City. It was windy, but manageable and we went 680 miles and
got to the very end of the state and stayed in the town of Evanston, WY
at a Walmart. This was completely different than Cabela's with about
15-20 semi's ending up in the lot overnight. Manageable if you have to
I guess, and in our case we had to because I needed to go a little
further that day to make the last day of travel again doable. During
the day, we crossed over the Sherman Summit in WY, at an elevation of
8640 and they had gotten a little snow there. It was windy and cold.
There is a rest area right at the top and we had pulled in for a short
break, and I got a valuable lesson. I am very aware pulling the TOAD
you cannot back up, but I was a little stupid recognizing the ground conditions. I came to a stop on a slight incline and there was a little packed snow underneath the tires. Without the TOAD I'm sure the RV
would have just walked away, but trying to move the powerless 5,000lb
Bronco, the RV surprised me by having a hard time getting going.
Lesson: keep moving on snow conditions and always stop going downhill!
I'm sure I could have applied the old slight break pedal trick to get it
to stop the differential from spinning, but it eventually hooked up and
I didn't have to unhook the TOAD to get out of there. Once we got down
to Evanston, I was very relieved having gotten through the worst of the mountain passes. I knew I would have to address the same weather
question on the return journey.

Both of the first two nights were cold and well below freezing, with it getting down to 20F for the night in Evanston. The anti-freeze kit I installed for the Truma on demand water heater worked perfectly during
the day, and the furnace keep things toasty enough to sleep without the
pipes freezing up, and I switched the Truma to ECO mode each night and
used propane to keep it from freezing at the unit on the outside panel.
I was unsure if I would have enough DC to run things all night, or if I
would have to run the generator, but I still had 12.4 volts in the
morning. That pleased me greatly as I knew it could do at least the
whole night without worrying. Even through the mountains and with the
wind hitting us head on, we got over 12MPG pulling the TOAD. I can live
with that. The view is a little uncomfortable in winds above 20 MPH,
but slowing down helps. When it got bad, I stayed below 65 MPH.
Without winds it cruises along at 70 or more quite easily.

The last day we started going through Salt Lake City, and it was much
warmer, around 60F, and it was a gorgeous day and pleasant drive. The
entire state of Utah is like one big park, with cows. My kind of place.
Very beautiful and it has a welcoming feel to it. People were all
very nice everywhere we stopped. I could live in that state. Rolled
into the campground after a leisurely 350 miles at around 3PM and just relaxed for the rest of the day.

more to come...

Lessons learned the hard way by most of us. I would sacrifice a body part
for 12 MPG. Speaking of Utah, I will be passing through there later this summer. I want to visit Capital Reef, which is the last of the Mighty Five
for us to see.

--
Biden has no idea what he is doing but he’s really, really good at it.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 4/30/2025 9:45 AM, George.Anthony wrote:

Lessons learned the hard way by most of us. I would sacrifice a body part
for 12 MPG. Speaking of Utah, I will be passing through there later this summer. I want to visit Capital Reef, which is the last of the Mighty Five for us to see.

We passed through there on the way to the second place. Utah 24 goes
right through it. Beautiful area for sure.


--
Better Days Ahead!
Darwinism Is Junk Science!!

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 4/30/2025 9:25 AM, Ralph E Lindberg wrote:

On 2025-04-29 20:47:31 +0000, sticks said:

To be honest, I've had a hard time getting back into the swing of
things around home after getting back from that trip.  Everything just
feels out of place, and I just want to go back out and get on the road
again. I suppose the regrets of getting both vehicles damaged in a
hail storm have something to do with that, but I think it has more to
do with just how perfect everything felt on the journey.  From getting
closer to my wife, to seeing new and amazing places.  It was exactly
what I bought the thing for.

That said, I want to get started rehashing some of the journey.  I'll
start with the travel days.

I was having a heck of a time trying to figure out which way to go.
I-70 had days it was open and days it was closed and had traction laws
in effect.  I-80 had terrible winds and was closed because of blow
over laws.  Going the safest rout via I-40/44 would add another whole
day to the travel and go from 3 days on the road to 4 days.  I really
wanted to avoid this.  So I set out west heading to Kearney, Nebraska
and figured I could decide the next day depending on conditions which
route I would have to take.  I-70 was still open, but I-80 was closed
because of winds.  620 miles later we were in Kearney staying at a
Cabela's on the Lincoln Highway.  This was our best freebie place of
the trip. There were about 6 other RV's there that night.  Most even
had their slides out, which surprised me.  But it was away from
everything, safe, and quiet.  Having been my first time staying in a
store parking lot, I felt better about the situation after this night,
though I did have my pistol ready for defense if need be.

By the next morning the situation had changed and the winds calmed
down in Wyoming, and it had snowed up west of Denver and they had
closures and traction laws in effect.  So we went north on I-80 and
headed toward Salt Lake City.  It was windy, but manageable and we
went 680 miles and got to the very end of the state and stayed in the
town of Evanston, WY at a Walmart.  This was completely different than
Cabela's with about 15-20 semi's ending up in the lot overnight.
Manageable if you have to I guess, and in our case we had to because I
needed to go a little further that day to make the last day of travel
again doable. During the day, we crossed over the Sherman Summit in
WY, at an elevation of 8640 and they had gotten a little snow there.
It was windy and cold. There is a rest area right at the top and we
had pulled in for a short break, and I got a valuable lesson.  I am
very aware pulling the TOAD you cannot back up, but I was a little
stupid recognizing the ground conditions.  I came to a stop on a
slight incline and there was a little packed snow underneath the
tires. Without the TOAD I'm sure the RV would have just walked away,
but trying to move the powerless 5,000lb Bronco, the RV surprised me
by having a hard time getting going. Lesson: keep moving on snow
conditions and always stop going downhill! I'm sure I could have
applied the old slight break pedal trick to get it to stop the
differential from spinning, but it eventually hooked up and I didn't
have to unhook the TOAD to get out of there.  Once we got down to
Evanston, I was very relieved having gotten through the worst of the
mountain passes.  I knew I would have to address the same weather
question on the return journey.

Both of the first two nights were cold and well below freezing, with
it getting down to 20F for the night in Evanston.  The anti-freeze kit
I installed for the Truma on demand water heater worked perfectly
during the day, and the furnace keep things toasty enough to sleep
without the pipes freezing up, and I switched the Truma to ECO mode
each night and used propane to keep it from freezing at the unit on
the outside panel. I was unsure if I would have enough DC to run
things all night, or if I would have to run the generator, but I still
had 12.4 volts in the morning.  That pleased me greatly as I knew it
could do at least the whole night without worrying.  Even through the
mountains and with the wind hitting us head on, we got over 12MPG
pulling the TOAD.  I can live with that.  The view is a little
uncomfortable in winds above 20 MPH, but slowing down helps.  When it
got bad, I stayed below 65 MPH. Without winds it cruises along at 70
or more quite easily.

The last day we started going through Salt Lake City, and it was much
warmer, around 60F, and it was a gorgeous day and pleasant drive.  The
entire state of Utah is like one big park, with cows.  My kind of
place.   Very beautiful and it has a welcoming feel to it.  People
were all very nice everywhere we stopped.  I could live in that state.
Rolled into the campground after a leisurely 350 miles at around 3PM
and just relaxed for the rest of the day.

more to come...

 Ugh... HATE long travel days, been there, done that, try not to. 3PM
is a nice stop time>

One of my ol-coworkers used to kick his family out of bed before 6AM and
on the road by 6. But then he stopped for breakfast about 8AM and
stopped for the day between noon and 1PM.
That would let the kids have all afternoon to play in the motel/
campground pool/etc

I am not enjoying them as much as I used too, I'll sure agree to that.
If we were just rambling around, I can see cutting the miles way back.
But when you have a spot to be at a certain time, and nothing planned in-between then, I kind of like to get going and get there. This
outgoing trip did get a little long with the two days over 600 miles,
but to be honest, they were not that bad. You're just trying to get to
a parking lot to eat and read email before trying to get some sleep.

I think the sweet spot for me if I have a way to go is about 500 miles.
That is still a long day, but it doesn't kick your ass too bad. A
little extra driving each day for me is worth it if it give me one less
travel day, and one more at the place I want to get to. That said, I
certainly can understand how other people do not like to drive that many
miles in one day. Especially in an RV, or pulling a trailer, or both.

One thing is for sure, I will never again plan going over the mountains
in cold conditions again. Too much stress. I will take the southern
route getting to Utah or AZ next time. If that means 4 days, so be it.


--
Better Days Ahead!
Darwinism Is Junk Science!!

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

sticks wrote:

On 4/30/2025 9:45 AM, George.Anthony wrote:

Lessons learned the hard way by most of us. I would sacrifice a body
part
for 12 MPG. Speaking of Utah, I will be passing through there later
this
summer. I want to visit Capital Reef, which is the last of the
Mighty Five
for us to see.

We passed through there on the way to the second place.  Utah 24 goes
right through it.  Beautiful area for sure.

There are not many unbeautiful areas in Utah.

--
bill
Theory don't mean squat if it don't work.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Wed, 30 Apr 2025 15:08:21 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

On 4/30/2025 9:25 AM, Ralph E Lindberg wrote:

On 2025-04-29 20:47:31 +0000, sticks said:

That said, I want to get started rehashing some of the
journey. I'll start with the travel days.

Thanks for the report, enjoyable reading. And I can't help saying
that "went north on I-80" made me laugh.

 Ugh... HATE long travel days, been there, done that, try not
to. 3PM is a nice stop time>

I think the sweet spot for me if I have a way to go is about
500 miles. That is still a long day, but it doesn't kick your
ass too bad. A little extra driving each day for me is worth
it if it give me one less travel day, and one more at the place
I want to get to. That said, I certainly can understand how
other people do not like to drive that many miles in one day.
Especially in an RV, or pulling a trailer, or both.

Yeah, I'm finding 300 miles pulling my trailer is about as much as
I can do in a day without getting stressed/worn. Of course I'm
not going over 60 mph, so that really adds time.

--
Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> West Lafayette, IN, USA

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 5/1/2025 8:23 AM, Ted Heise wrote:

On 2025-04-29 20:47:31 +0000, sticks said:

That said, I want to get started rehashing some of the
journey. I'll start with the travel days.

Thanks for the report, enjoyable reading.

You're up next aren't you? Got it all planned out?

--
Better Days Ahead!
Darwinism Is Junk Science!!

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Thu, 1 May 2025 14:25:37 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

On 5/1/2025 8:23 AM, Ted Heise wrote:

On 2025-04-29 20:47:31 +0000, sticks said:

That said, I want to get started rehashing some of the
journey. I'll start with the travel days.

Thanks for the report, enjoyable reading.

You're up next aren't you? Got it all planned out?

Yup. I'm sure the more adventurous here are rolling their eyes,
but...


Wyoming Trip Itinerary

Date Leg Option AvgLow AvgHi Travel Comments
Thu May 22 --> Kahoka, MO
Kahoka RV Park (Campspot) 58 °F 73 °F 5:30 Full hookups
~15 miles into MO
Fri May 23 --> Nebraska City, NE
Victorian Acres RV Park (Cmpst) 57 °F 74 °F 5:00 Full hookups

Sat May 24 --> Lemoyne, NE
Prairie View RV Park (Campspt) 52 °F 70 °F 6:30 Full hookups
N shore of Lake McConaughy
Sun May 25 --> Evansville, WY
River’s Edge RV Park (Campspt) 44 °F 67 °F 5:00 Full hookups
NE edge of Casper
Mon May 26 --> Yellowstone
Fishing Bridge RV Park (Xanter) 35 °F 55 °F 6:00 FHU; Two nights
At Yellowstone River and Lake
Yellowstone NP
Hiking? Cycling?

Wed May 28 --> Dubois, WY
Dubois CG (Campspot) 38 °F 59 °F 3:00 FHU; Two nights
On Wind River
Grand Tetons NP
Hiking? Cycling?

Fri May 30 --> Ranchester, WY
Lazy R CG (Campspot) 47 °F 68 °F 5:30 FHU
Sheridan, WY temps
Sat May 31 --> Moorcroft, WY
Timber Ridge CG (Campspot) 49 °F 68 °F 3:00 FHU; Three nights
http://townofmoorcroft.com/

Devils Tower
Hiking? Cycling? Nearly one hour drive from CG

Tue Jun 3 --> Chamberlain, SD 6:00

Wed Jun 4 --> Sac City, IA 6:00

Tue Jun 5 --> Moline, IL 5:30

Wed Jun 4 --> home 5:00


--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 5/1/2025 3:58 PM, Ted Heise wrote:

On Thu, 1 May 2025 14:25:37 -0500,
sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

On 5/1/2025 8:23 AM, Ted Heise wrote:

On 2025-04-29 20:47:31 +0000, sticks said:

That said, I want to get started rehashing some of the
journey. I'll start with the travel days.

Thanks for the report, enjoyable reading.

You're up next aren't you? Got it all planned out?

Yup. I'm sure the more adventurous here are rolling their eyes,
but...

Wyoming Trip Itinerary

Date Leg Option AvgLow AvgHi Travel Comments
Thu May 22 --> Kahoka, MO
Kahoka RV Park (Campspot) 58 °F 73 °F 5:30 Full hookups
~15 miles into MO
Fri May 23 --> Nebraska City, NE
Victorian Acres RV Park (Cmpst) 57 °F 74 °F 5:00 Full hookups

Sat May 24 --> Lemoyne, NE
Prairie View RV Park (Campspt) 52 °F 70 °F 6:30 Full hookups
N shore of Lake McConaughy
Sun May 25 --> Evansville, WY
River’s Edge RV Park (Campspt) 44 °F 67 °F 5:00 Full hookups
NE edge of Casper
Mon May 26 --> Yellowstone
Fishing Bridge RV Park (Xanter) 35 °F 55 °F 6:00 FHU; Two nights
At Yellowstone River and Lake
Yellowstone NP
Hiking? Cycling?

Wed May 28 --> Dubois, WY
Dubois CG (Campspot) 38 °F 59 °F 3:00 FHU; Two nights
On Wind River
Grand Tetons NP
Hiking? Cycling?

Fri May 30 --> Ranchester, WY
Lazy R CG (Campspot) 47 °F 68 °F 5:30 FHU
Sheridan, WY temps
Sat May 31 --> Moorcroft, WY
Timber Ridge CG (Campspot) 49 °F 68 °F 3:00 FHU; Three nights
http://townofmoorcroft.com/

Devils Tower
Hiking? Cycling? Nearly one hour drive from CG

Tue Jun 3 --> Chamberlain, SD 6:00

Wed Jun 4 --> Sac City, IA 6:00

Tue Jun 5 --> Moline, IL 5:30

Wed Jun 4 --> home 5:00

Nice! That looks like a fine plan with plenty of good things to do.
Hope it is a great time and looking forward to the highlights!


--
Better Days Ahead!
Darwinism Is Junk Science!!

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

sticks wrote:

On 5/1/2025 3:58 PM, Ted Heise wrote:

On Thu, 1 May 2025 14:25:37 -0500,
   sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

  On 5/1/2025 8:23 AM, Ted Heise wrote:

On 2025-04-29 20:47:31 +0000, sticks said:

That said, I want to get started rehashing some of the
journey.  I'll start with the travel days.

Thanks for the report, enjoyable reading.

  You're up next aren't you?  Got it all planned out?

Yup.  I'm sure the more adventurous here are rolling their eyes,
but...


Wyoming Trip Itinerary

Date    Leg Option            AvgLow    AvgHi    Travel    Comments
Thu May 22 -->  Kahoka, MO
    Kahoka RV Park (Campspot)    58 °F    73 °F    5:30    Full
hookups
                                ~15 miles into MO
Fri May 23 --> Nebraska City, NE
    Victorian Acres RV Park (Cmpst)    57 °F    74 °F    5:00
Full hookups

Sat May 24 --> Lemoyne, NE
    Prairie View RV Park (Campspt)    52 °F    70 °F    6:30
Full hookups
                                N shore of Lake McConaughy
Sun May 25 --> Evansville, WY
    River’s Edge RV Park (Campspt)    44 °F    67 °F    5:00
Full hookups
                                NE edge of Casper
Mon May 26 --> Yellowstone
    Fishing Bridge RV Park (Xanter)    35 °F    55 °F    6:00
FHU; Two nights
                                At Yellowstone River and Lake
    Yellowstone NP
    Hiking?  Cycling?

Wed May 28 --> Dubois, WY
    Dubois CG (Campspot)        38 °F    59 °F    3:00    FHU; Two
nights
                                On Wind River >>     Grand Tetons NP
    Hiking?  Cycling?

Fri May 30 --> Ranchester, WY
    Lazy R CG (Campspot)        47 °F    68 °F    5:30    FHU
                    Sheridan, WY temps
Sat May 31 -->  Moorcroft, WY
    Timber Ridge CG (Campspot)    49 °F    68 °F    3:00    FHU;
Three nights
                                http://townofmoorcroft.com/

damn. Out there in the middle of nowhere, and they're just now
thinking about letting people have chickens in their
yard?.............but just hens - no roosters. Mayor's got to keep
some sort of control over things, you know. ----------------------------------------------------------------
The Moorcroft Town Council is considering changing Ordinance 1-2024,
Title 2 - Animals and Fowl, Chapter 2; to allow in town residents to
have chickens (up to 6 - no roosters).
Please fill out your information and answer the below questions to
send the Mayor and Council your thoughts on this subject.
There will also be a Public Meeting at 7:30 pm, May 14th, 2025 at the
regularly scheduled meeting of the Council to voice your opinions. ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Devils Tower
    Hiking?  Cycling?                Nearly one hour drive from CG

Tue Jun 3 --> Chamberlain, SD                6:00

Wed Jun 4 -->  Sac City, IA                6:00

Tue Jun 5 -->  Moline, IL                5:30

Wed Jun 4 --> home                    5:00

Nice!  That looks like a fine plan with plenty of good things to do.
Hope it is a great time and looking forward to the highlights!

--
bill
Theory don't mean squat if it don't work.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

sticks wrote:

On 4/30/2025 9:25 AM, Ralph E Lindberg wrote:

On 2025-04-29 20:47:31 +0000, sticks said:

One thing is for sure, I will never again plan going over the
mountains in cold conditions again. Too much stress. I will take
the southern route getting to Utah or AZ next time. If that means 4
days, so be it.

I remember the transfer from San Diego to Norfolk VA. Don can't drive
due to medical issues. We packed the car with everything critical and Charlotte's bed/playpen. Something told us we'd need it.

I planned the southern route as far as possible with only 2 planned
diversions. Don wanted to see the Alamo so we stopped there. In
Birmingham I wanted to meet an old friend so we stopped there. Rest
was 10-14 hours driving for the most part. Frequent stops to change Charlotte's diapers.

The first motel had a loaner crib that fell apart as soon as we put her
in it so we rearranged the back of the car and used the Grayco
pack-n-play. We kept it on top of the various bags and boxes after
that.

Not knowing what to expect, I'd snagged snow chains (didn't need but
had incase) and had winter tires put on the car. We escaped all the
snow and only saw it as we were entering Norfolk and it was snowing
fairly heavy as we pulled up to the inlaws.

The final stint was almost 18 hours driving with minimal breaks as we
knew snow was headed in and I was determined to get there first. Yes, alternative plan was hole up in Richmond but fortunately it held up
just long enough. Norfolk got 10inches of snow in the end but less
than an inch before I got us to Don's parents who were housing us until
we could get into our apartment (pre-rented when in San Diego with help
of Fleet and Family Services, a military associated assistance to us
Navy as we transfer.

If not familiar with Norfolk/Virginia beach/'Hampton Roads' area, we
are the east coast 'snow line'. Most years we get only a dusting of
snow but we have odd years with a foot or more. We are only funded for
snow gear for the average. That means almost nothing. I knew enough
to scoot home before it or wait 3 days for melt off.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 5/1/2025 8:51 PM, Carol wrote:

sticks wrote:

On 4/30/2025 9:25 AM, Ralph E Lindberg wrote:

On 2025-04-29 20:47:31 +0000, sticks said:

One thing is for sure, I will never again plan going over the
mountains in cold conditions again. Too much stress. I will take
the southern route getting to Utah or AZ next time. If that means 4
days, so be it.

I remember the transfer from San Diego to Norfolk VA. Don can't drive
due to medical issues. We packed the car with everything critical and Charlotte's bed/playpen. Something told us we'd need it.

I planned the southern route as far as possible with only 2 planned diversions. Don wanted to see the Alamo so we stopped there. In
Birmingham I wanted to meet an old friend so we stopped there. Rest
was 10-14 hours driving for the most part. Frequent stops to change Charlotte's diapers.

The first motel had a loaner crib that fell apart as soon as we put her
in it so we rearranged the back of the car and used the Grayco
pack-n-play. We kept it on top of the various bags and boxes after
that.

Not knowing what to expect, I'd snagged snow chains (didn't need but
had incase) and had winter tires put on the car. We escaped all the
snow and only saw it as we were entering Norfolk and it was snowing
fairly heavy as we pulled up to the inlaws.

The final stint was almost 18 hours driving with minimal breaks as we
knew snow was headed in and I was determined to get there first. Yes, alternative plan was hole up in Richmond but fortunately it held up
just long enough. Norfolk got 10inches of snow in the end but less
than an inch before I got us to Don's parents who were housing us until
we could get into our apartment (pre-rented when in San Diego with help
of Fleet and Family Services, a military associated assistance to us
Navy as we transfer.

If not familiar with Norfolk/Virginia beach/'Hampton Roads' area, we
are the east coast 'snow line'. Most years we get only a dusting of
snow but we have odd years with a foot or more. We are only funded for
snow gear for the average. That means almost nothing. I knew enough
to scoot home before it or wait 3 days for melt off.

Mostly pretty good weather there, but when it snows big, man it is hell.
I was there once when all the pines were leaning over from the heavy
wet snow. My one boy is a cop just up the road in Richmond.

His mom moved them there against my wishes when he and his brother were
young. I was "allowed" to see them one time at Christmas. I left our
home in northern Illinois at 9PM leaving a house full of Christmas
guests with my wife. Drove straight to Richmond and picked them up, and
then took off and drove straight to Cape Coral Florida. That was one
hell of a drive at a little over 1800 miles, but seeing my boys allowed
me to stay awake I guess. Probably kill me if I tried that now.




--
Better Days Ahead!
Darwinism Is Junk Science!!

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

bfh <redydog@rye.net> wrote:

sticks wrote:

On 4/30/2025 9:45 AM, George.Anthony wrote:

Lessons learned the hard way by most of us. I would sacrifice a body
part
for 12 MPG. Speaking of Utah, I will be passing through there later
this
summer. I want to visit Capital Reef, which is the last of the
Mighty Five
for us to see.

We passed through there on the way to the second place.  Utah 24 goes
right through it.  Beautiful area for sure.

There are not many unbeautiful areas in Utah.

That’s a fact.

--
Biden has no idea what he is doing but he’s really, really good at it.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

George.Anthony wrote:

bfh<redydog@rye.net> wrote:

sticks wrote:

On 4/30/2025 9:45 AM, George.Anthony wrote:

Lessons learned the hard way by most of us. I would sacrifice
a body part for 12 MPG. Speaking of Utah, I will be passing
through there later this summer. I want to visit Capital
Reef, which is the last of the Mighty Five for us to see.

We passed through there on the way to the second place. Utah
24 goes right through it. Beautiful area for sure.

There are not many unbeautiful areas in Utah.

That’s a fact.

-- Biden has no idea what he is doing but he’s really, really
good at it.

Hey. You need a new sig line. Biden's not only out of the picture,
he's off the wall and in in the attic.

--
bill
Theory don't mean squat if it don't work.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 5/1/2025 11:03 PM, bfh wrote:

George.Anthony wrote:

-- Biden has no idea what he is doing but he’s really, really good at it.

Hey. You need a new sig line. Biden's not only out of the picture, he's
off the wall and in in the attic.

President Jill let's him out for $300K


--
Better Days Ahead!
Darwinism Is Junk Science!!

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

bfh <redydog@rye.net> wrote:

George.Anthony wrote:

bfh<redydog@rye.net> wrote:

sticks wrote:

On 4/30/2025 9:45 AM, George.Anthony wrote:

Lessons learned the hard way by most of us. I would sacrifice
a body part for 12 MPG. Speaking of Utah, I will be passing
through there later this summer. I want to visit Capital
Reef, which is the last of the Mighty Five for us to see.

We passed through there on the way to the second place. Utah
24 goes right through it. Beautiful area for sure.

There are not many unbeautiful areas in Utah.

That’s a fact.

-- Biden has no idea what he is doing but he’s really, really
good at it.

Hey. You need a new sig line. Biden's not only out of the picture,
he's off the wall and in in the attic.

I know. I have been just erasing it before hitting send but missed it this time.

--
Trump has many ideas about what he is doing and he’s really, really good at it.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

George.Anthony wrote:

bfh <redydog@rye.net> wrote:

George.Anthony wrote:

bfh<redydog@rye.net> wrote:

sticks wrote:

On 4/30/2025 9:45 AM, George.Anthony wrote:

Lessons learned the hard way by most of us. I would sacrifice
a body part for 12 MPG. Speaking of Utah, I will be passing
through there later this summer. I want to visit Capital
Reef, which is the last of the Mighty Five for us to see.

We passed through there on the way to the second place. Utah
24 goes right through it. Beautiful area for sure.

There are not many unbeautiful areas in Utah.

That’s a fact.

-- Biden has no idea what he is doing but he’s really, really
good at it.

Hey. You need a new sig line. Biden's not only out of the picture,
he's off the wall and in in the attic.

I know. I have been just erasing it before hitting send but missed it this time.
-- Trump has many ideas about what he is doing and he’s really, really good at
it.

That one's kinda multi-interpretable.

--
bill
Theory don't mean squat if it don't work.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

sticks wrote:

On 5/1/2025 11:03 PM, bfh wrote:

George.Anthony wrote:

-- Biden has no idea what he is doing but he’s really, really
good at it.

Hey. You need a new sig line. Biden's not only out of the picture,
he's off the wall and in in the attic.

President Jill let's him out for $300K

Oh. Yeah. Forgot about that.


--
bill
Theory don't mean squat if it don't work.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

sticks wrote:

On 5/1/2025 8:51 PM, Carol wrote:

sticks wrote:

On 4/30/2025 9:25 AM, Ralph E Lindberg wrote:

On 2025-04-29 20:47:31 +0000, sticks said:

One thing is for sure, I will never again plan going over the
mountains in cold conditions again. Too much stress. I will take
the southern route getting to Utah or AZ next time. If that
means 4 days, so be it.

I remember the transfer from San Diego to Norfolk VA. Don can't
drive due to medical issues. We packed the car with everything
critical and Charlotte's bed/playpen. Something told us we'd need
it.

I planned the southern route as far as possible with only 2 planned diversions. Don wanted to see the Alamo so we stopped there. In Birmingham I wanted to meet an old friend so we stopped there. Rest
was 10-14 hours driving for the most part. Frequent stops to change Charlotte's diapers.

The first motel had a loaner crib that fell apart as soon as we put
her in it so we rearranged the back of the car and used the Grayco pack-n-play. We kept it on top of the various bags and boxes after
that.

Not knowing what to expect, I'd snagged snow chains (didn't need but
had incase) and had winter tires put on the car. We escaped all the
snow and only saw it as we were entering Norfolk and it was snowing
fairly heavy as we pulled up to the inlaws.

The final stint was almost 18 hours driving with minimal breaks as
we knew snow was headed in and I was determined to get there first.
Yes, alternative plan was hole up in Richmond but fortunately it
held up just long enough. Norfolk got 10inches of snow in the end
but less than an inch before I got us to Don's parents who were
housing us until we could get into our apartment (pre-rented when
in San Diego with help of Fleet and Family Services, a military
associated assistance to us Navy as we transfer.

If not familiar with Norfolk/Virginia beach/'Hampton Roads' area, we
are the east coast 'snow line'. Most years we get only a dusting of
snow but we have odd years with a foot or more. We are only funded
for snow gear for the average. That means almost nothing. I knew
enough to scoot home before it or wait 3 days for melt off.

Mostly pretty good weather there, but when it snows big, man it is
hell. I was there once when all the pines were leaning over from
the heavy wet snow. My one boy is a cop just up the road in Richmond.

(snips but glad you made it safe!)

Yes, we are a funny area. 1 inch snow halts the city. 4 inches causes
panic. Reality is just stay home and let it melt off. They only have
gear for the interstates. Those later try to catch major throughways
but residential areas aren't touched. Last I checked, they don't sell
winter tires, just 'all season'.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)