TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:18 am

Abscate wrote: I moved out of a 30 year 8 person family house to a small ranch on Long Island 5 years ago. Pros moved the furniture, I moved belongings in 26 foot Uhauls x3

They should not rent such a large truck to “ civilians” . These things are too big for the inexperienced.

I managed to get all of it in a 24" truck including two motorcycles. There were half a dozen large mirrors in there. Nothing got broken.

Part of the trick was a couple new packages of ratchet ties. Nothing could move back there when I got done with it. It was a bondage freak's Ultimate Wet Dream.

Mere mortals can drive big trucks as long as they're not stupid about it. I was loaded nearly to gross. Couple hundred more pounds I would have needed a CDL. I know because I stopped at every weigh station. That's important as you get closer to Oklahoma City. They have an aversion to overloaded U- Haul trucks in Oklahoma.

I saw two similar U- Hauls whose operators experienced severe problems. Another story for another time. Suffice to say if you're used to blazing up and down the Thruway at 75 mph your likelihood of difficulty rises exponentially.

You're driving a truck. Maintain 55 mph and I'll tell you why. First, flip the nose on the truck when you pick it up and check the oil. Then, behold the GM big block! You're lookin' at eight liters that would pass everything but a gas pump if it was in a Corvette. That's equivalent to half a dozen '50s through '66 VW motors.

Next, drive that sumbitch at 65 mph from Schenectady to Binghamton. You probably won't harm anyone but yourself and the livestock on I-88. Top it off with gasoline in Binghamton. Calculate your fuel mileage. It will be around 4 mpg.

Maintain a steady 55 mph down to Maryland or Virginia where gas is cheaper. Top off down there. Calculate your fuel mileage. It will be around 6 mpg.

While 6 mpg is still crap it's 50% better than 4 mpg.

If you have Sammy Hagar playin' the whole way and you can't drive 55 you should be drivin' a smaller truck.

If you've spent a lifetime drivin' overloaded farm trucks you won't have any difficulties.

.
.

Sat Mar 08, 2025 7:45 am

Wow sounds like you have never been past mile marker 5. Plan your trip plan your stops, way easier to have the stops and a reservation at the hotel motel. It is not rocket science. I know how far I want to drive with comfort.

Sat Mar 08, 2025 12:10 pm

Welcome to Colorado!!

Sat Mar 08, 2025 12:20 pm

Manfred58sc wrote: Welcome to Colorado!!
A worthwhile comment. :D =D>

Sat Mar 08, 2025 1:39 pm

Manfred58sc wrote: Welcome to Colorado!!
Indeed. \:D/

Sun Mar 09, 2025 9:32 am

Scottyrocks,
I driven cross country dozens of times due to military moves. I’ve been retired for 5 years now but still find myself itching to move every 3 years. We moved back to Florida last year from Colorado Springs which took multiple round trips. If you and your wife are comfortable using an app for making reservations, I’ve come up with a pretty good method for setting up hotel reservations with the help of my wife.
We typically use the Hilton app but also use Bonvoy (Marriot) and worst case scenario google. When I’m traveling solo, I share my route with my wife on Apple Map so she can follow my progress. Typically after I stop for dinner and get back on the road, I tell my wife how many more hours I’m good for and she checks the app for hotels along my route. She’ll let me know where they are and how much farther or shorter than my intended stopping point. I’ll tell her which one I want and she makes the reservation and send me the new address.
There have been a few times when weather or natural disasters have affected my routing enough that I had trouble finding a hotel. The most recent was the Texas fires last year. It was very helpful have my wife search for the hotels while I navigated the detours.

Good luck!
Buenos

Mon Mar 10, 2025 1:17 pm

Manfred58sc wrote: Welcome to Colorado!!

Thank you! I am super excited to be here full time!

Mon Mar 10, 2025 1:22 pm

mukluk wrote: Manfred58sc wrote: Welcome to Colorado!!
Indeed. \:D/

Great picture!

We have one more week here, then we go back to NY to, in earnest, get the house ready for sale.

I have seen a few ACVWs since being here, and also back in October when we visited the first time.

Our new house is directly north of Denver. Once we're here, come the warm weather, I'll have the car out a lot. I love the roads and driving here - so much better than the traffic-strangled roads of the NY metro area.

Mon Mar 10, 2025 1:25 pm

Buenos Diaz wrote: Scottyrocks,
I driven cross country dozens of times due to military moves. I’ve been retired for 5 years now but still find myself itching to move every 3 years. We moved back to Florida last year from Colorado Springs which took multiple round trips. If you and your wife are comfortable using an app for making reservations, I’ve come up with a pretty good method for setting up hotel reservations with the help of my wife.
We typically use the Hilton app but also use Bonvoy (Marriot) and worst case scenario google. When I’m traveling solo, I share my route with my wife on Apple Map so she can follow my progress. Typically after I stop for dinner and get back on the road, I tell my wife how many more hours I’m good for and she checks the app for hotels along my route. She’ll let me know where they are and how much farther or shorter than my intended stopping point. I’ll tell her which one I want and she makes the reservation and send me the new address.
There have been a few times when weather or natural disasters have affected my routing enough that I had trouble finding a hotel. The most recent was the Texas fires last year. It was very helpful have my wife search for the hotels while I navigated the detours.

Good luck!
Buenos

My wife may fire up one of her old iphones for me to take on my solo trip so she can track me (I'm an android guy). And the hotel apps are a great idea. Thank you!

Mon Mar 10, 2025 6:42 pm

A passenger navigator makes life easier on the road.
A remote navigator even better if you want peace and quiet

Mon Mar 10, 2025 8:16 pm

How far north of Denver? Denver is not really Colorado.

500 miles a day is on the lazy side, IMHO, but to each their own. That is about 8 hours of driving, if that. You'll find it fairly easy to average over 60mph.

We don't plan our trips that far out....a day at a time. I'm not sure what my wife uses, but she uses an app, or website and finds us a room about an hour before we need it as we drive down duh road.

The only time that we had a problem was in Omaha. Our trip corresponded w/the College WS and the hotels were expensive and few. We drove another 1:15 to Lincoln, about 90 miles and everything was wide open....and cheap. The wife had stuff to see in Lincoln, so it worked out for the best.

Tue Mar 11, 2025 7:09 am

2 hours, break
2 hours , lunch
2 hours, break
2 hours, then dinner

Use early evening if needed to get to hotel or on east side of a city for next morning.

500 miles per day, 3 days. Leave the 800 mile marathons for the inexperienced.

Tue Mar 11, 2025 8:29 am

my59 wrote: A passenger navigator makes life easier on the road.
A remote navigator even better if you want peace and quiet

The first trip, driving my DD will be solo. The second trip, after flying back, will be two vehicles in a sort of convoy. So I will not have a passenger right next to me on either trip.

The plan to get the Beetle out there, as of now, is to rent a 3/4 ton pickup and a car trailer. This is the trip that will be part of the 2 vehicle convoy.

The cost of both trips will still be considerably less than the cost of having the car shipped.

Tue Mar 11, 2025 8:38 am

Stinky123 wrote: How far north of Denver? Denver is not really Colorado.

500 miles a day is on the lazy side, IMHO, but to each their own. That is about 8 hours of driving, if that. You'll find it fairly easy to average over 60mph.

We don't plan our trips that far out....a day at a time. I'm not sure what my wife uses, but she uses an app, or website and finds us a room about an hour before we need it as we drive down duh road.

The only time that we had a problem was in Omaha. Our trip corresponded w/the College WS and the hotels were expensive and few. We drove another 1:15 to Lincoln, about 90 miles and everything was wide open....and cheap. The wife had stuff to see in Lincoln, so it worked out for the best.

The new house is in Thornton. We don't want to be in the city, and we don't want to be in the sticks, either.

The Thornton/Westminster/Arvada/North Glenn area is basically suburbia, but not far from open areas, and the Rpckies are right there, just west of us. We will have time to see most of the rest of the state.

My 500 mile day is just an estimate. If I was going to split the driving evenly between all three days, it's actually 600 miles.

I will be doing more research, especially re lodgings, way before I make the first trip. For significant reasons, I can't just take off at whim on an 1800 mile drive.

Thu Mar 13, 2025 6:00 pm

I do almost cross-country every few months. I have a home in OMaha. :lol: I practically live on I-80.

I am about to purchase me a 32-foot Fleetwood Bounder. I plan to use it for lots of cross-country driving for my retirement.

I find moving a process. You just do it in increments to keep the stress level low.

Thu Mar 13, 2025 6:45 pm

My wife and I like our road-trips. Mostly I drive and she finds us a hotel where we think we'll wind up. Works good.

Max

Fri Mar 14, 2025 2:03 pm

Max Welton wrote: oprn wrote: If we take the Buggy (3.5 hour range) we carry several full Jerry cans.
An open car cross-country? You get wet when it rains and cold if it snows.
Yup! Just take the purse off your shoulder, strap on a set and go for it! Anything the bikers can do, I can match!

Dusty1 wrote: are little fuzzy kitty cats. Try it on a motorcycle. It rains, you get wet. If it's cold you get cold. The real fun is when it's cold and raining.
It's always cold here when it rains and sometimes it is even mixed with a bit of snow at altitude or on the extreme ends of the season. The worst is hail storms. Now that my friend is not fun! :shock: It's akin to being stung by a thousand bees!

Now as for talking all the way there... that's the beauty of an open car with dual exhaust. She can talk all she wants and I can't hear a word she is saying!! :D :D :D

Sat Mar 15, 2025 12:59 am

Let us know you are safely arrived by changing your location to

Pikus Peakus

I still miss “Islet of LANGERhans”

Sat Mar 15, 2025 10:54 am

my59 wrote: A passenger navigator makes life easier on the road.
A remote navigator even better if you want peace and quiet

Peace and quiet equals sleepy- time. You need some soothing doom or death metal for late night driving.

We started our last long trip about an hour past my bedtime. I drove the whole thing. I talked the whole way. Didn't stop. Didn't take a break.

I could tell about four hours out. My buddy was doin' the math tryin' to figure out if he could grab the wheel if he punched me. I still kept talkin'.

Can you believe it?! :lol:

.
.

Sun Mar 16, 2025 12:41 am

Dusty hit on the head above with the big truck

Drive at 55

4 second following distance , minimum.