cross country road tripping in 1989 Jeep Wrangler

[alosix]

Since you're an East Coast resident, and driving a vehicle that lacks air conditioning, I don't think spending time in the desert in summer would be very enjoyable for you. That means you probably won't want to spend much time in Moab -- save it for the Fall or Spring. You can drive across the deserts of Nevada and eastern California at night, when it will cool off to 95F!

I need to 2nd that. I think the air temp was 120 degrees trying to cross it in Sept during the middle of the day. I ran through all of the water I had in the Jeep. Windows down and all but the top zipped out of it.

The dog also hated me , but then its a GSD/Akita mix. It doesn't like the heat much anyway.

Save that part for a night trip. The Jeep will thank you and your body will thank you . And really, after like 10 minutes, the desert on RT 40 just looks like the desert There may be some interesting things to see in the Mojave, but from what I can tell you can't see them from RT 40.


For AZ, Lake Havesua (sp?) was a nice treat. Cool to see the london bridge there. You could probably also spend a night or two in the national park at the grand canyon.

I've been surprised out west by just how many campgrounds are in the national parks. you just don't see that on the east coast.

 

[grahamfitter]

A colleague of mine rode a motorcycle from Boston to Los Angeles in three days last summer. He said it was the worst ride of his life and he'd gladly do it again. Compared to that a Jeep Wrangler is luxurious.

I agree with everything already said, especially about the ear plugs making a big difference when you're not in the mood for noise.

However you setup the Jeep, sleep and eat, make sure you drink lots of water -- dehydration creeps up on you and makes you miserable before you realize what's going on. For long drives I prefer the shade of the soft top compared to sitting in the sun with the top down.

Sounds like a great trip, have fun!

Cheers,
Graham

 

[goodtimes]

I've lived out of my TJ for a week or two at a time...like KC, I pulled the passenger seat and rear seat and installed a platform. Sleep on top of it, store junk underneath it. The dog loved it too...lots of room for her to stretch out while burning up the freeway.

Anytime I am going to be on the freeway for more than 15 or 20 minutes, I wear ear plugs. Even with the "new" sailcloth that they started using in 2003 (?), they are just plain loud...and that adds to the fatigue issue. A hard top would be better...

When sleeping in my jeep, I never had a problem at the truck stops. I would just pull into the back of the parkinglot, stack my gear behind the drivers seat (or on the drivers seat), and rack out...no need to tell them, they really don't care. A bonus is the diner with the greasy food for breakfast, fuel and water (or gatoraid, or whatever) is easy to get, and there is usually quick access to the freeway, making an early start on the days drive easy to accomplish.

 

[computeruser]

Been doing more thinking...in no particular order:

A. What route are you taking to get between NY and Chicago? Is Chicago a must in both directions?

B. If you truly have the time to burn, have you considered taking US-2 (and adjacent roads) as your East-West route? I always wanted to do that, but haven't had the chance yet.

C. Pacific Coast Highway from SF to LA is a fun daytrip. I think southbound is the better way to do it.

D. If you spend any quantity of time in the desert, you need REM's New Adventures in HiFi album. It just fits the landscape. Especially at 100mph+, though that won't likely be an issue for you.

E. The middle of the country is boring as #### on the interstate. Seriously mind-numbing. On this account we did the Fort Collins, CO to Cheyenne, WY to Ann Arbor, MI run (~1300 miles of our 4300 mile meandering SanFran to MI trip, if memory serves) in one shot, starting at 11pm after a half-day of hiking on "difficult" trails and 400 miles earlier in the day. It sucked and I would not recommend it. But it probably sucked less than if we'd taken our time to do that section. Either find interesting sideroads to break up the I-80 monotony, or consider a northern or souther substitute, such as my US-2 idea.

F. I've used the same ratty full-size US+Mexico+Canada road atlas for trips all over the country. It provided adequate detail to get you where you want to go, without having so much as to confuse you or lead you onto tertiary or unmaintained roads where you shouldn't be. The state-specific Gazetteers are pretty good for detail, but you can be plenty entertained with the regular road atlas - just follow the dotted "Scenic Route" roads, you'll be a happy camper.

G. Autorouting GPS is really nice, especially for unfamiliar cities. Topo is interesting for places with terrain. Something like my crappy Magellan Crossover + RAM mount would probably keep you entertained for <$200 off eBay.

H. I like Michigan. And not just because I live here. Check out a couple of the threads in the Central States area and completed expeditions section (UP Overland 2008, UPCruiser's trip reports for Whitefish Bay and the Keeweenaw, Haggis' UP trip thread). If you like photography, there is a LOT of good stuff up there. The sunsets and sunrises in the UP have something special to them, possibly owing to the northern latitude. Also consider the western side of the lower peninsula, too, for sand dunes and wineries and stuff like that.

I. Truck stops are fine for sleeping. I've spent quite a few nights at them, usually sleeping semi-upright in the driver's seat. Just pull in wherever, back into a reasonably secure spot and knock off for a few hours. Rather than the dark back corner, I try to park near the lamps, and cover the windows with a towel or sheet.

J. U-joints, ball joints, and steering linkage. Make sure they're good, tight, and well lubed. Vibration sucks. Loose steering gets old real fast. Also make sure that t'case and axle (pinion) seals are good.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll think of more "wisdom", but this is enough for now.

On a personal note, I really do envy you being able to take this kind of trip. There are few things I would love more than to load up a couple weeks worth of stuff into my '02 Wrangler and head west.

 

[blkshprd]

Okay, so it seems that the consensus is to avoid the deserts this Summer unless driving at night or to go in the Fall. Fair enough. I am happy to spend July heading up PCH towards San Fransisco and all points North and then use the Fall to amble back and cross the Moab or deserts in Sept / October.

For computeruser, I have no fixed plan as to which road to Chicago as of yet. I had definitely intended to use PCH for the northern California leg of the drive, having done that drive when I moved here after high school. Don't envy me just yet -- I am damn nervous about taking off. But as the saying goes: "Leap and the net will appear"

Lastly, for the people who built beds in their jeep out of plywood, how did you attach the legs? Pics would be ideal but if you did something special with two by fours, do tell.

Thanks again.

 

[RedDog]

I can't agree more with several references to the heat. Most of my experience on the desert was on motorcycles and in short order we developed a practice of hitting the road at 2 or 3 am with every intention of checking in at our next destination by 11 am or noon. Being on the highway between Vegas and Barstow, or Phoenix and Palm Springs at 2 in the afternoon can only be thought of as suicide. I also explored the area a couple times in a Toyota SR5 pickup and a VW Scirocco - both lacking AC. Same result. Travel early. You also get the advantage of making some serious mileage in the early darkness with little of no traffic and can make good time.

 

[1leg]

I hope the pictures help. In my build thread, post 13 explains what I used to build it.
Something I would do different, add some secure tie down point to the platform. Oh ya, Make sure the platform is really secured down to the floor I was able to use the back seat mounting bolts for the back platform and the front seat bolts for the front platform. You haven't mentioned security. Being a photographer you have a lot of expensive gear that needs to be stored in a secure place. I would suggest the front area under the platform. If you have the time you could enclose the area on the sides and have a hatch built into the top that locks. There should be a lot of secure space in there for your gear.

Igloo makes a 5 day cooler that are cheap and work great. They have many sizes to choose from. I think i have the 24 or 36 that works great for a 3 or 4 day stay. You will be eating on the road so you only need something to hold a few drinks and snacks.

For your tie downs you can use these for a little more security Locking tie downs
I don't own any yet. but plan too.



My jeep tread

Your welcome to PM me any question, Have a great trip, sound like a lot of fun. Be safe.

 

[locrwln]

The only caveat I would add on the desert driving is it depends on where you are planning on crossing. Up here in northern Nevada the night time temperatures drop big time. It can be 90-100 degrees during the day and drop into the 50's or lower (depending on the elevation). Unlike the Las Vegas area, when the sun goes down here, so does the temperature.

A buddy and I both had '90 Wranglers with the 258/4.2l. They are very tough motors, we both ran ours pretty hard figuring if they blew up, we could justify swapping in a v8. Neither of us ever blew them up, sold them with the 6's in them. Also, they seem to have one speed, doesn't matter if you are loaded/empty/pulling a trailer, if they will climb a hill at 50mph, they seem to do that no matter what else you have done to them.

Just keep an eye on the engine oil and radiator fluid and you should have no problems.

Jack