Summer 2025 Road Trip - Roll with the punches

[welikecamping2]

So, the past few summers I've been executing long-range road trips across the west/mid-west. My original inspiration was the many threads/posts I read here about people traveling and overlanding and just having a grand old time. I've been an outdoors enthusiast all of my life, and I always dreamed that when I retire, I would just travel about the US, meeting people, seeing places I've never been, exploring and learning about the real history of how America came to be.

In light of this, in the past few years I've planned and executed multiple long-distance road trips using a variety of resources for planning my routes and activities. This year was to be a trip up through Utah, then Colorado into Wyoming, then east to Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota a bit of Montana then back home. This was to be an epic trip and it was, just not in the way I thought. Anyway, on to the pics.

So I will tell the story based on trip I planned, but it will be about the trip we experienced.

First leg was Phoenix to Devil's Canyon cg, just south of Monticello, UT. 400 miles. We started around 8:30 am on June 29. Traveling north on I-17, traffic was light and all systems go. It was a beautiful day. Going through Monument valley, it seemed deserted. I expected to see caravans of multitudes of Cruise America and other rentals. Hardly anyone was out there and we sailed on past the typical tourist stops and cruised on up into Utah. We arrived early afternoon, and had time to explore the mostly empty campground. We found a spot and settled in.

Our goal for this first day was to simply get out of the Arizona heat. It was still a bit warm, but we set out the new zero-grav loungers from Costco. With a few beers and relaxing in the recliners, the miles wore off and we had a quiet, cool night.

 

[welikecamping2]

Second leg, Devil's Canyon to Yampa River sp. 329 miles. We traveled north up through Moab, then east to follow the river. On a Monday, traffic was light and the ride along the river was beautiful, although I had to focus on the narrow road and many turns. We made a stop at Hittle Bottom to let our dog take a swim. Hittle Bottom is a big put-in for rafters that want a quiet ride through the canyon. It is also the site of a homestead established in the early 1900's by Tom Kitsen. Tom carried the mail between towns and used his homestead as a halfway stop. Not much left of it, some foundation walls and some signage..


The views were big and the dog loved his swim so much we a time getting him back in the ride

 

[welikecamping2]

A couple of times on this second leg, I felt a bit of vibration from the front end. I mentally kicked myself as I had planned to get an alignment, but ran out of time and figured it would be okay. The very slight vibration would come, then clear up and everything was smooth for a while. The route now takes us up to 70, then east to Rifle, CO, where we would leave the interstate for some beautiful, narrow, mountain roads. (Hwy 13).

We stopped in Rifle for fuel, and to get some lunch at the Culver's, just off the interstate. I gotta tell you, Rifle is a ********-show. I will never stop there again. There was circle right off the interstate, and we had to wind through it to get to Culver's where we found zero room to park. Giving up on Culver's headed back to the infernal circle, where I took the wrong lane and found myself back on the interstate. Like I said, never again. A couple miles down the road we were able to U-turn and get back through town, but after navigating the narrow traffic-filled streets, I decided to forgo lunch and head to Meeker. Hwy 13 is one that I've always wanted to drive and Colorado did not fail me, it was absolutely beautiful.

Coasting down the hill into Meeker, I felt that vibration again, but then it went away again. Stopped at a burrito stand and got some lunch. Got back on the road to Yampa. Highway 13 leaves Meeker and begins a gradual climb back into more mountains. As we left town, I accelerated up the hill. That vibration again. Then it stopped. Five miles outside of town, I felt the vibration again, and suddenly my transmission literally exploded. Catastrophically. The engine shut off, transmission fluid and diesel fuel leaking everywhere....



Needless to say, we were not gonna make Yampa today. I immediately grabbed a fire extinguisher from the trailer, got the wife and dog out and assess the damage.

 

[ITTOG]

Wow, that start is alarming. I hope it gets better.

Sent from my Pixel 9 Pro XL using Tapatalk

 

[welikecamping2]

I am a retired Systems Engineer. Give me a computer or Network device and chances are I can figure out what is wrong with it and maybe even fix it. Don't know much about vehicles today, back in the sixties and seventies, I worked on cars and motorcycles in the carport, when you could actually do that sort of thing, so I have a general idea of automotive systems. Today's systems, I don't even try. I know enough to know when somebody else knows better than I, So I take my truck to the shop and let them maintain it. Mechanically, it had just recently come from the shop, where they do their 440 point service inspection and recommendations. Okay, maybe that's a few too many points, but the shop I use is very detailed, and I trust them. Up until lately, when I had to schedule maintenance when the diesel guy is in(!) Hey, I'm not deflecting, like I've used this shop for many years and different vehicles. Anyway, I had already decided to go with a diesel specific shop in the future. but, I digress.

I was able to successfully coast to the edge of the highway. On the right, a 30 foot embankment. On the left, I was sticking out about a foot into the lane. A very dangerous spot. I immediately called my insurance, as I have roadside assistance, but going through their process, I felt like it was pretty urgent that I be moved. Meanwhile, the wife is searching for towing in Meeker. I asked the agent if I could just get a tow myself, then make a claim later. This worked for her. First place I called, it was 3 weeks before they could even look at the truck. Second place says, "we'll come and get you and bring you back to town, then we'll figure out what we can do". That worked. the flatbed showed up about 15 minutes later.

Super nice guy. Understood immediately what was happening and looking at the underside of my truck, he could only shake his head. We locked and chocked down the trailer, then he loaded the truck, me, the wife and the dog for a ride into town. On the way in, we chatted about the gravity of this situation, and he had a few thoughts on how long it would take to repair.

We arrived at the dealership in Meeker. There we met, Jeremy, the Sales Manager. As we went off to discuss the situation with Jeremy, Reno, the tow truck driver went back for the trailer. At this point, I gotta say, EVERY person we met in Meeker that day was the kind of people you like to meet every day. We are so grateful to the people of that town, it will always be a special place to me. Truth be told, there's nothing really special about Meeker, it's like a thousand other ranch towns, but the people we met really shined.


Jeremy is a salesperson. He's motivated to make a sale. We discussed our options. He estimated that we could possibly have the transmission replaced and all the subsequent damaqe repaired in 3 or so weeks, depending on freight. At any rate, we were spending the night in Meeker instead of Yampa. Reno brought the trailer back to the shop and it had a flat. They opened their tire shop and replaced the tire. Meanwhile, Jeremy threw out a few more options. We could purchase a new truck. We could purchase a used truck. It was a GMC dealership, so all the new trucks that met my requirements were GMC. Amazingly, on their used lot was a 2019 RAM 3500 Laramie 4x4 that fit all my requirements, and then some.

 

[welikecamping2]

We decided to sleep on it. I was totally stressed out and we were both exhausted by now. Denis, the tire guy slapped a new tire on the trailer, then offered to drag the trailer over to the city park, where they offer camping with electrical hookups - very reasonably.

The city park is nice, it is built along the white river and you can get to the river for fishing if you like. It's really pretty


We grabbed some dinner from the local Mexican restaurant, and had a few beers while we discussed our plight.


We met our neighbors, an older couple from Albuquerque, and a younger guy from Denver, who just bought this fifth-wheel and was here for fourth of July.

 

[welikecamping2]

So, after carefully considering all of our options, we decided to pull the trigger on the used 2019 RAM. I would have loved to have a new GMC but for two big factors. One, it's not really a good practice to break in a new truck pulling a big trailer through the mountains and two, A new truck was 3x the cost of a used truck. In all my planning, including potential problems, I never considered having to purchase a new vehicle in barely the start of our voyage. But, here we are:



Beauregard is a 2019 RAM 3500 4x4 Longbed Laramie. Already set up for heavy-duty towing (Gooseneck), a class V receiver in the back, that ginormous Ranch Hand Grille, leather interior, upgraded electronics and a virtual starship worth of buttons, controls, settings displays and connectivity. No less than three 400 watt outlets, six or so USB, Harmon Kardon audio and killer gas mileage. After a morning of making calls, signing papers, shaking hands and thanking everyone, we finally hitched up Beauregard to our camper. We were back on the road.

Today's leg would take us north on hwy 13 through Craig, then after much navigational discussion, we decided to go east, following the Yampa through Steamboat and the mountains to the east where we turned north on 14, headed to Laramie and then get on 80 east to our next stop at Ogalalla, NE. At this point, we had only lost a day - we were supposed to be in Iowa for the fourth. Anyway, another beautiful drive through Colorado and the stress was starting to melt away.

We made a pit stop in Laramie. I fueled up the new truck, while the wife went across the street to grab some fast food - we still had another 5 hours to Ogalalla. I fueled up the truck, then pulled the rig around to a side street where we could get back on the road quickly. As usual, I did a walkaround. That is when I found this:


Yep. That's the left rear wheel on the trailer.

 

[welikecamping2]

You might think that at this point we might just be ready to just give it up, and rightly so. We were defeated at this point. Fortunately, right across the street, behind the fast food place was a big dirt lot where the truckers like to park overnight. I gently rolled the trailer into the dirt lot along a line of tall trees that separated us from a sketchy looking trailer park. Started calling around and found a place, Laramie Trailer Works. They were just closing, but said if I could get there in the morning (a couple miles away), they would look at it.

So, basically camping in a dirt lot a few yards from the interstate, surrounded by truckers that don't care about how much noise they make. I hit a nearby convenience store and bought a bunch of IPA's. It took a few to get to sleep that night.

The next morning, I dragged the trailer over to the Laramie Trailer Works. They took a look and said it was ugly. They had to wait for it to cool off before they could look at it further. So, we left it there and did some touring for a couple of hours.

Wyoming Territorial Prison. Butch Cassidy did time here


They had a mock up western town from buildings moved there, but there were no informational signs. There was a windmill, however


After burning up a few hours waiting for diagnosis, we made our way back to the trailer works. Bad news. We knew the bearings were gone, but the races had welded to the axle and all the grease was gone from the rear axle. It was toast. What sucked is that these axles were less that 2 years old, and had maybe a couple thousand miles on them. Fortunately, the front axle was fine. I knew when I bought the trailer, it was more on the economy side, but the amount of repairs over the years has just been astounding. And now this.

We are days away from a major holiday. We are supposed to be in Iowa for this holiday. Trailer guy tells me it would be several days before they could get a new axle, and that the holiday would impact the whole process. We decided to leave the trailer there and go on to the rest of our trip. We had stuff to deliver, people that were counting on our arrival and had made plans with others. We unloaded the trailer, cramming as much food as we could into the igloo ice chest.

So far as itinerary, we were supposed to be in Ogalalla that night, a winery the following night, then arrive at our first destination for the fourth.

 

[sburks737]

I hate that your going through this but really appreciate you documenting and telling the way it really went down. Its real life.
I rarely go on a trip and not have SOMETHING go wrong.
Just roll with it!

 

[welikecamping2]

Thanks for that, Sburks737. My experience has been similar, but I've never experienced major issues to this degree. I think after hearing about the trailer in Laramie, we were both in shock. The stress from the trip and the stress of what we just went through. Throughout this experience, we both repeatedly discussed just how damn lucky we had been thus far. We found fortune in that the initial breakdown was only miles from Meeker, that not only had a place that would tow us back, but would help to fix our problems. Sure, they stood to make a profit and why not, that's why they are in business.

My first shout-out is to Northwest Auto Sales and Service of Meeker, CO. Jeremy, the sales manager, Aaron, the service advisor, Reno, the tow truck driver, Denis, the tire shop guy and Donna, the receptionist. Reno was on scene no more than 15 minutes after I hung up. Denis opened up the tire shop after already closing, replaced my trailer tire then towed my trailer over to the city park where we spent the night. Aaron the service adviser always had a kind word and Donna the receptionist making sure we had cold water and a place to sit. Jeremy gets a special shout out. I don't like sales people. I especially don't like sales people that sell automobiles. Jeremy is different. He was sincerely kind and compassionate right from the start. He worked to help us with options to make the right decision for us - with absolutely zero pressure. He could have easily taken advantage of our situation for his profit but he did not. He did the right thing. He is a stand-up guy. I'm sitting across from him trying to negotiate trading a truck that was going nowhere for a good while for a new truck off his lot. I had zero leverage so I didn't even try. I only appealed to his compassion, asking for the best deal he could offer. He did not fail. In trade, he gave me market value for my old truck, less what they estimated to be their repair cost. It was a fair deal and unlike past deals with automotive sales people, I felt like he went over and above to make me a fair deal. I also got a decent truck at a decent price. The difference in technology and capability between the 2012 Laramie and the 2019 Laramie is astounding. There is the DEF thing, but this truck is a beast. Amazing that I had this catastrophic mechanical failure and sitting on their used lot across the street was the solution waiting for me to take it on. Did I want to buy a new truck? Hell no. (secretly yes), but here we are. But, how lucky was that? Not to mention that in these troubling times, and being retired living on a fixed income, we had the wherewithal to deal with a totally unexpected major financial hit. We are, indeed, blessed. Because of Northwest Auto, I will always be fond of Meeker, CO.

My next shout-out goes to Laramie Trailer Works, of Laramie, WY. Taten was the service advisor there. He helped us by letting us essentially store our trailer in his lot until he could get the parts (about a week) and fix it. He also helped me diagnose and resolve an electrical connection issue to the trailer. Laramie trailer works fixed my trailer and did not charge me an outrageous amount, we were very happy with the service.

At this point, despite all the bad things that happened, it sure seemed that good fortune was following us. We decided on the fly to turn east at Craig, despite that I wanted to continue north on 13 up to the interstate in WY. Had we done that, and the trailer wheel problem had occurred on this road, that would have been the end of our trip. There is a lot of empty country up there. So glad we didn't go that way. Even worse, I am amazed that the trailer wheel did not catch fire. I am amazed that the whole damn rig didn't catch fire and start a major forest fire in Colorado. So glad I am not that guy and so glad I am a diesel guy. Looking at the smoke under my truck after the transmission cratered - if it had been a gasser, there would have been a fire and my puny chemical extinguisher would have been ineffective.

We are indeed fortunate.

 

[AbleGuy]

you sir are a rare (and admirable) person philosophically to focus on that last statement ⬆️

your incredible calmness under fire is impressive …I likely would have had a stroke in either of those two cases of potentially trip ending disasters!

how the heck did you develop such a mellow, go with the flow attitude?