My Journey
- Thread starter YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
- Start date
Littlehouse
Adventurer
Thanks for continuing your stories on here. It's a dream of mine to load up the dogs and girlfriend, and travel the states. Stories like these keep the dream alive that it may be possible in the future. Losing Montana really hit hard... I can't imagine losing my pups, and hope to give them some sort of the life they deserve..like you did with Montana.
chet6.7
Explorer
Jerry,I always enjoy your posts.The dog looks right at home in the front seat,mine used to ride that way too,she would hop over to the driver's seat while I gassed up.
I realize you will need some time to sort out the changes that rig will require.
I agree with you about driving at night,except for the interstate,I like to go through metro areas after 10PM.I will post a couple of links for stuff you may or may not be interested in.
http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/81780-Ursa-Minor-Pop-Top-Jeep-JK
http://herd.com/
Top that bumper off with 2 pairs of Hella 4000's,Eurobeams and fogs.
I realize you will need some time to sort out the changes that rig will require.
I agree with you about driving at night,except for the interstate,I like to go through metro areas after 10PM.I will post a couple of links for stuff you may or may not be interested in.
http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/81780-Ursa-Minor-Pop-Top-Jeep-JK
http://herd.com/
Top that bumper off with 2 pairs of Hella 4000's,Eurobeams and fogs.
unkamonkey
Explorer
I wondered about this as well. Mine measures at 9'6" when the top is down. Trees come into the game.
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Clay.....yea it's higher than most rigs.....the salesman tells me it's 13' 5”. I did a Google search and tractor trailers range from 13' 6” to 14'. The other Renegades I looked at were around 12' 6”. It's been a real adjustment for sure.....
beartrap.....the techs said that I'll start out getting about 8 miles to a gallon and once it's broken in it'll go up to 9 and maybe a bit higher. That's another adjustment for me as I was in the 12 to 14 miles per gallon range with the truck camper. My hope is that as my comfort level increases I'll spend more time sitting and it will balance out. I'm using this line a lot lately.....time will tell.....
Littlehouse.....thank you.....traveling with the dogs is my dream come true. I would imagine that anyone (including you) that loves dogs and travel could relate to that. Another line I seem to use a lot lately.....I'm very thankful.....
chet.....I thought about switching out fog lamps at IWS when they were relocating them. I decided to stick with the stock fog lamps after spending nearly $4,000 on after sales upgrades. I need food and fuel money too.....
SulVento.....thanks for following along and posting up. All good so far.....
This past spring traveling from Mexico to Montana we spent a night in a place called Ebbs Canyon. I knew this rig was capable of handling that particular dirt road into the National Forest so that was the goal for the day. Another late start and then a late arrival once again (it was dark out). I headed up the road to our campsite and immediately noticed that the road had been improved and a layer of gravel was added. I was stoked ! 300' up the road, partially around a bend BAM ! a nearly 3' high berm in the road ****** !! I can't back up.....I can't go forward with this lengthy wheel base. I'm parked at a weird angle both horizontally and vertically. After 30 minutes of trying to unhook the Jeep I finally resorted to the hammer and at last we were unhooked. We spent the night at the entrance to Ebbs Canyon.....honestly not a bad thing. The sunset was nice and the nearly full moon was awesome.....
beartrap.....the techs said that I'll start out getting about 8 miles to a gallon and once it's broken in it'll go up to 9 and maybe a bit higher. That's another adjustment for me as I was in the 12 to 14 miles per gallon range with the truck camper. My hope is that as my comfort level increases I'll spend more time sitting and it will balance out. I'm using this line a lot lately.....time will tell.....
Littlehouse.....thank you.....traveling with the dogs is my dream come true. I would imagine that anyone (including you) that loves dogs and travel could relate to that. Another line I seem to use a lot lately.....I'm very thankful.....
chet.....I thought about switching out fog lamps at IWS when they were relocating them. I decided to stick with the stock fog lamps after spending nearly $4,000 on after sales upgrades. I need food and fuel money too.....
SulVento.....thanks for following along and posting up. All good so far.....
This past spring traveling from Mexico to Montana we spent a night in a place called Ebbs Canyon. I knew this rig was capable of handling that particular dirt road into the National Forest so that was the goal for the day. Another late start and then a late arrival once again (it was dark out). I headed up the road to our campsite and immediately noticed that the road had been improved and a layer of gravel was added. I was stoked ! 300' up the road, partially around a bend BAM ! a nearly 3' high berm in the road ****** !! I can't back up.....I can't go forward with this lengthy wheel base. I'm parked at a weird angle both horizontally and vertically. After 30 minutes of trying to unhook the Jeep I finally resorted to the hammer and at last we were unhooked. We spent the night at the entrance to Ebbs Canyon.....honestly not a bad thing. The sunset was nice and the nearly full moon was awesome.....
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YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
The following morning the dogs and I were so ready for a long hike into some wild open places. After a few cups of hot coffee, we hit the national forest road and hiked into the canyon. It felt so good to let the dogs run free and to enjoy the crisp morning air in the Utah mountains. We got in a 6 mile hike that morning and I hit my 4,000 miles walked for the year goal (my third straight year).....
Today is Day 53 on the road. I swear it seems like it's been either overcast or raining for most of those days. But now things are changing.....yesterday the temperature topped out at 64 degrees and the skies were so clear.....
Now I'm finally chasing the good weather again as we continue south. Last night was spent in Cedar City, Utah....
Today is Day 53 on the road. I swear it seems like it's been either overcast or raining for most of those days. But now things are changing.....yesterday the temperature topped out at 64 degrees and the skies were so clear.....
Now I'm finally chasing the good weather again as we continue south. Last night was spent in Cedar City, Utah....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
Clay.....the height is a bit stressful.....hopefully I'll get accustomed to it.....
Our next stop was the Valley of Fire just north of Las Vegas. I had an appointment with Freightliner for Monday morning so I needed to stay close to town. That being said, I also wanted to overnight somewhere that was super dark so we could see the super moon. We found what we thought would be a quite spot off the interstate not too far from a truck stop. The odd thing about this lot was the number of signs that read “No Fireworks”.....they were everywhere. We settled in for the night.....
The super moon rose and it was pretty nice. The pictures suck but I'd imagine most people saw it for themselves.....
Not sure what time the fireworks began, but I'd say around 7 p.m. I hit the sack at 11 p.m. and they were still going off. So much for the “No Fireworks” signs and a quite night. We woke up in the morning and watched the super moon set.....
Our next stop was the Valley of Fire just north of Las Vegas. I had an appointment with Freightliner for Monday morning so I needed to stay close to town. That being said, I also wanted to overnight somewhere that was super dark so we could see the super moon. We found what we thought would be a quite spot off the interstate not too far from a truck stop. The odd thing about this lot was the number of signs that read “No Fireworks”.....they were everywhere. We settled in for the night.....
The super moon rose and it was pretty nice. The pictures suck but I'd imagine most people saw it for themselves.....
Not sure what time the fireworks began, but I'd say around 7 p.m. I hit the sack at 11 p.m. and they were still going off. So much for the “No Fireworks” signs and a quite night. We woke up in the morning and watched the super moon set.....
YukonMontanaTannerTrapper
Explorer
With an 8:00 a.m. appointment at Freightliner, we were up early and back on the interstate headed south to North Las Vegas. I’ve had quite a few issues since purchasing the new rig.....some IWS took care of during our 8 day stay at their facility. Two issues were warranty items with the actual truck.....the steering wheel was installed about 30 degrees off center (it drove me nuts on the interstate) and the cab windows were difficult to operate. One motor was replaced and silicone did the trick on the driver’s side......
The following day I had an afternoon appointment with the Renegade dealer in downtown Las Vegas. More issues to resolve. The strut that controls the exit door on the coach fell off, which I hadn’t noticed, therefore I closed the door which caused several major dents on the exterior of the door (new door was ordered). Another huge issue is one of the cabinets has developed a fairly significant crack in it. Not sure how this will be resolved. So we’ve just been hanging out in Vegas trying to stay busy......
Freightliner has been great as they’ve allowed us to stay in their RV lot for 6 nights now. It’s not much but it’s free and it works fine for us.....
The following day I had an afternoon appointment with the Renegade dealer in downtown Las Vegas. More issues to resolve. The strut that controls the exit door on the coach fell off, which I hadn’t noticed, therefore I closed the door which caused several major dents on the exterior of the door (new door was ordered). Another huge issue is one of the cabinets has developed a fairly significant crack in it. Not sure how this will be resolved. So we’ve just been hanging out in Vegas trying to stay busy......
Freightliner has been great as they’ve allowed us to stay in their RV lot for 6 nights now. It’s not much but it’s free and it works fine for us.....
shellbackcva59
Observer
Dang, bad luck on new purchases seems to be following you. I sure hope you get everything straightened out and can start enjoying your new rig.
chet6.7
Explorer
That is a complex machine,I suspect it will be kind of like a boat,there will always be something that needs attention.The down time gives you a chance to become more familiar with the rigs systems.I hope the issues get sorted soon, and you can start piloting that thing across the continent.
GregSplett
Adventurer
More is not always better?Hope they take care of you so you can back to doing what ya do!