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Old 07-13-2015, 02:41 PM   #1
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Cross Country Trip

Hey all,

Made it to our first destination, Wichita Falls, TX. We left Friday and did 550 miles, 650 miles, and 300 miles to get here. Those were some long days, the sights were nice, we saw some thunderstorms for the first time in two years, and have enjoyed some heat. We stayed at Flying J Truck Stops both nights on the road...

I changed the oil in the generator before we left, I am running SAE-30 Royal Purple in her now....so far, 25 hours and no problems. Having the generator is key with these temps, we stop an hour out, fire it up, and set the front two AC units to cold...by the time we get to a stop, the coach is cooled to low to mid 70s...

Only one near miss...A Chrysler 300M thought he could overtake me in the grassy median in AZ...I was actively passing a semi. I was going 70, he was doing maybe 55. The car promptly gave up, then passed me normally once I completed the pass...some people are just too much in a hurry. I was talking with my wife, who was behind me at the time, she said look at this idiot...

This is us rolling out of Monterey.





First rest stop.


Here are some nice shots of the Arizona Sky.




Stopped at an abandoned town in NM to walk the dog a start the generator...caught a nice glimpse of the night sky.




Here is our stop in Tucumcari, NM.



We are happy to be here for a week and with 50 amp power...the AC units are keeping up so far...we set them on 60 last night, then hopefully throughout the day it won't get too hot. I had made some foil insulation window coverings, they work surprisingly well and only have $40 tied up in them from Home Depot. By an IR thermometer, the living room windows went from 140 degrees to 80 degrees during the daytime heat (in CA), we will see about it here. I am also making a removable shade for the restroom skylight.

Fully loaded with all of our stuff and a third tank of freshwater, we weighed 29, 860 pounds total...we have 3800 pounds of cargo in the trailer. Averaging 7.7 mpg hand calculated...having the 98 gallon TransferFlow tank is pretty awesome, I do not stop for fuel during the day...I kept speeds to 60 mph in CA and 70 mph on the flats after..

I will post some of the next leg when we get there.

Take care.

Cale
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Old 07-13-2015, 04:34 PM   #2
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Looks awesome, why is the wife following behind in a car??


.
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Old 07-13-2015, 04:55 PM   #3
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Looks awesome, why is the wife following behind in a car??


.
Our route to MD is nearly 4,500 miles. With the distances we are traveling each day, the two kids wouldn't be able to handle the truck all day. We have a Honda Odyssey with a video screen. I hooked up the Wii U and the kids either watch movies or play games. Makes it easier to make our daily goals.

Plus, we are visiting family, nice to have the van to cart family around.

Cale
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Old 07-13-2015, 05:46 PM   #4
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Looks like you are making great time!

Don't forget to update your location in your signature.....
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Old 07-14-2015, 03:11 PM   #5
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A question...

I seem to recall from, I don't know how many years ago, that "people" can ride in a 5th wheel trailer. Can't in a bumper pull trailer, but can in a 5th wheel.

Am I wrong?

Thanks,

Pirate
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Old 07-14-2015, 03:57 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by Pirate View Post
A question...

I seem to recall from, I don't know how many years ago, that "people" can ride in a 5th wheel trailer. Can't in a bumper pull trailer, but can in a 5th wheel.

Am I wrong?

Thanks,

Pirate
Pirate, it's state by state dependent, not all states allow for passengers in the 5th wheel.

You may also want to rethink that idea after a review of this thread.
http://www.dutchmenowners.org/forums...reck-2098.html

While no one was inside I don't think it would be survivable. JMO.
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Old 07-14-2015, 04:43 PM   #7
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Cale, looks real good, watch the A/H on the highway, but coming from California, you already know!! People thing we can stop with all this weight behind, because were just driving a truck..........
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Old 07-14-2015, 05:42 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pirate View Post
A question...

I seem to recall from, I don't know how many years ago, that "people" can ride in a 5th wheel trailer. Can't in a bumper pull trailer, but can in a 5th wheel.

Am I wrong?

Thanks,

Pirate
Just another one of those senior moments but I thought that if there was two way communication a rider can be back there. But here again as was said, state by state but how often would one be asked if there were riders in the rear?
Gritmas has the right idea but toast is toast whether riding in the fiver or sitting in the passenger's seat of your class A.
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Old 07-14-2015, 06:18 PM   #9
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Cale,

Remember riding your skateboard down the sidewalk as a kid... that's the Oklahoma Turnpike north out of Wichita Falls. If the kids like McDonald's they'll have a blast, there is one at every rest area.

Safe travels.
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Old 07-15-2015, 02:10 AM   #10
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Cale,

Remember riding your skateboard down the sidewalk as a kid... that's the Oklahoma Turnpike north out of Wichita Falls. If the kids like McDonald's they'll have a blast, there is one at every rest area.

Safe travels.
Thanks, hopefully it is nice, smoothe, and flat....we will have 999 miles to our next stop...leaving Saturday, arriving on Sunday.

By any chance, have you done the turnpike pulling thenVoltage? What was the cost?

Cale
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Old 07-15-2015, 02:13 AM   #11
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Cale, looks real good, watch the A/H on the highway, but coming from California, you already know!! People thing we can stop with all this weight behind, because were just driving a truck..........
Honestly, only had one bad driver incident so far...there are many more people passing by, slowing down to pace me and staring as they go by...I feel like some kind of freak show at times.

Wife gets mad, as we are bedding down for the night at various stops, I get a lot of inquisitive questions about the trailer and truck. People asking if it is hard to tow, to truck drivers impressed with the size of a home on wheels.

Cale
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Old 07-15-2015, 02:42 AM   #12
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Thanks, hopefully it is nice, smoothe, and flat....we will have 999 miles to our next stop...leaving Saturday, arriving on Sunday.

By any chance, have you done the turnpike pulling thenVoltage? What was the cost?

Cale
You got the flat part right... but it will be thumpity thump all the way to OKC, after that it smooths out. If I remember it was about $20 / $30 from the Red River to Mizzou.

A long drive like that should be a little easier with the trailer where you can stop just about anywhere and take a break.
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Old 07-18-2015, 04:24 PM   #13
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Cale, where you at today, A little rain coming to Calif.??
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Old 07-18-2015, 05:30 PM   #14
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Headed north today...picked up I-44 into OKC...now I-35 heading to Des Moines, Iowa. Pretty windy up here today, glad I have a DRW, getting a little pushed around. Unsure where we will be stopping tonight, but planning on being in Racine, WI tomorrow afternoon. We have covered 2200 miles so far...

Cale
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Old 07-18-2015, 06:47 PM   #15
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Headed north today...picked up I-44 into OKC...now I-35 heading to Des Moines, Iowa. Pretty windy up here today, glad I have a DRW, getting a little pushed around. Unsure where we will be stopping tonight, but planning on being in Racine, WI tomorrow afternoon. We have covered 2200 miles so far...

Cale
Give my regards to Racine I have relatives up in that neck of the woods. One of my great uncles lived there, Dad worked there back in the late 40's. IIRC Great Uncle Victor owned Lakeshore Electric Company. They made major money rewinding the generators on the ore ships, but that is ancient history.

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Old 07-18-2015, 07:46 PM   #16
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Cale, Man your putting the mileage on those tires, and yes I love having DRW on my truck, you can't understand the change from SRW to DRW until you have a truck with them.....safe trip the rest of the way!!
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Old 07-18-2015, 08:49 PM   #17
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Thanks for the assist in Kansas Cale
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Old 07-18-2015, 09:32 PM   #18
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RV,

I have my first DRW truck. A 2011 Silverado crew cab, long bed. I call it the Queen Mary cuz it has a turning radius like an ocean liner!! My others have been an extended cab short wheel bed and a four door short bed. Takes a bit of getting used to the extra length!!

But yup, love the DRW for pulling the Voltage!!!
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Old 07-18-2015, 11:31 PM   #19
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Cale, Man your putting the mileage on those tires, and yes I love having DRW on my truck, you can't understand the change from SRW to DRW until you have a truck with them.....safe trip the rest of the way!!
Yep! Sitting in Cracker Barrel having dinner right now, north of Kansas City. Just over 500 miles today. By chance we were able to lend a hand to a fellow Voltage owner, Bergy., who was bit by the China tire bombs today.

Cale
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Old 07-19-2015, 03:36 AM   #20
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Long day, 610 miles! Hard to think I can throw down 1000 miles for an Iron Butt on a motorcycle, but traveling like this is much different. We normally keep it to an easy 300 miles per day, but to hit all the stops for the time we are given, we are pressing. We have stayed at a lot of truck stops and rest areas (Iowa right now) which allow for the long days of driving, but I would not recommend doing this as a normal thing....definitely ORM the trip before rolling to ensure it all makes sense.

On the agenda tomorrow, the I-80 Truck Stop in Walcott, Iowa (The World's Biggest Truck Stop).

Cale
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