Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 04-24-2016, 07:22 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
larrie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Oregon Ciry Oregon
Posts: 2,843
Quick Georgia to Oregon trip

On my way back from picking up 86Scotty's old van from the people he sold it to in Georgia. Flew into Georgia on Wednesday and expect to be back in Oregon on Tuesday. Lots of miles per day but not as much as some people. Am limiting my self to six or seven hours of driving per day. Will do a full trip report after I get back.

One thing that I noticed is that many of the new long haul rigs are no longer 18 wheelers, they are ten wheelers. All the dual tires on both the tractor and trailer have been replaced with single super wide tires. Does anyone know the reason? I am assuming that it has something to do with fuel economy.

__________________
Larrie
Read detailed trip reports, see photos and videos on my travel blog, luinil.com.
Current van: 2002 Ford E350 extended body camper with Colorado Camper Van pop top and Agile Offroad 4WD conversion.
larrie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2016, 02:26 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
rockbender's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Bend, OR
Posts: 800
Congrats on the new rig, Larrie! That is super cool that Eric's rig is staying in the 'family' (and going to be living in OR too!).

I can't answer your super single question, but I'd guess it is a fuel economy thing? I'm guessing that carringb will chime in on this!
cheers!
__________________
Josh
2009 Express AWD, CCV Top & 50-ish home build. Daily driver/camper/kid hauler
rockbender is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2016, 01:24 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
WhitH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Eugene, Oregon
Posts: 1,126
Thats a haul Larrie! I grew up in and still have family in North Georgia and have done that drive a number of times. Oregon is a long way from Ga.... in many respects.... Enjoy the trip, hope you have some decent weather.
__________________
2015 Chevy Express 3500 Duramax
w/ Quigley 4x4 & Agile Fox shocks
Sold 2005 E350 Chateau
Quigley with Agile RIP, 6.0 PSD
WhitH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2016, 04:16 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
86Scotty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: TN
Posts: 10,222
Quote:
Originally Posted by WhitH View Post
Oregon is a long way from Ga.... in many respects....
subtle....................
86Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2016, 09:34 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
larrie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Oregon Ciry Oregon
Posts: 2,843
My wife and I have been thinking about getting a slightly larger camper van. The Sportsmobile that we currently have is just a bit to small for us. I came across a posting on the Sportsmobile forum about a van that would meet our needs. We had actually seen this same van at a camp out in Jackson WY several years ago and really liked it. The only issue was that it was in Georgia. about two weeks later I was on a plane to Georgia to pick it up and drive it home.

The Wednesday 6:30 A.M. flight to Atlanta went by quickly and the owner picked me up at the airport and drove me back to his house. We talked easily on the 45 minute drive back to his house. Once we got to his house I looked over the van and he showed me its camping features. As we were doing the paperwork his 12 year old son came home and I asked him to count the money. His eyes got real wide when he saw the pile of $100 dollar bills on the table. He kept asking his mom and dad if he could have a couple of them.

Once all the paperwork was done I got in the van and headed north, after a quick stop for groceries. That night I spent in Georgia at Morganton Point Recreation Area on Blue Ridge Lake in the Chattahoochee National Forest. It had been a long day but before bed I made dinner and got to know the new van.





I had designed the trip home to take seven days with stops at developed campgrounds. The campground requirements were that they were a short drive from the freeway interchanges, were on a body of water and that they have showers. I used a combination of Apple Maps, the Ultimate Campground app and the Truck and RV Fuel Stations app to layout the trip. The drive home went as planned except for one night.

Thursday morning I drove to Tennessee to visit Eric aka 86Scotty. He gave me more information about the van and showed me some of the things he did when he built out the interior. After spending a couple of hours with Eric, thanks for your time, I headed west and spent the night at Blue Heron Campground on Crab Orchard lake in Crainville IL. The campground is on the edge of the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Reserve. The camp host was surprised that I stopped there. They usually only get local fishermen, not people on road trips. She was surprised to see the campground listed in the campground app.



Friday it was on to Nebraska City and the Riverview Marina and Campground on the banks of the Missouri River. While Lewis and Clark did not sleep at the park they did pass by its location. If you do not believe me you can stop there and read the sign.



The plan for Saturday night was to be at the Vedauwoo USFS Campground east of Laramie, WY. Unfortunately the campground was not yet open for the season so I headed for Laramie where I spent the night at the Petro truck stop. The Iron Skillet restaurant is right next to the truck stop and has a great buffet with five kinds of meat, a large salad bar, lots of veggies, and good looking deserts. Total cost for all you can eat was $14.00 plus drinks. The food was really good. One of the nice things about truck stops is that they have showers for the truckers. In talking with one of the attendants he recommended that I take a shower before 8:00 A.M. This would allow me to miss the trucker rush. The cost of the shower was $13.00 and included towels. The showers were clean and well maintained.





Sunday morning came early and I headed west once again. This was the most hazardous portion of the trip. The winds in Wyoming are strong and were pushing the van around. Saw lots of electronic signs along the I80 giving information on wind gust speed. On Sunday the gusts were over 50 MPH. Add to the gusts snow blowing horizontally across the road and the driving conditions were treacherous.



At one point I was going into a corner on the snow covered road when a sustained gust hit and pushed the van sideways across the road onto the edge of the breakdown lane. I was now aiming for the end of the guardrail instead of the road. I was struggling to regain control and realized that I would not be able to bring the van back onto the road and it looked like I would be skewered by the guardrail. I felt myself relax, for the impact, as the guardrail got closer and closer. I remember saying to the Mahanta, my inner spiritual guide, “this is not going to be good.” Just then the outside tires slid off the pavement onto the gravel under the snow giving me traction and control again. I narrowly missed the guardrail and got back onto the road with the van still sliding sideways. I carefully brought the van out of the skid and headed down the road. I was glad that there were no other vehicles around when this happened. Otherwise I may have hit one. After that there was more snow and wind to work my way through. The snow finely ended so I just had the wind and the gusts to deal with for the rest of the way across Wyoming. The winds seemed to die as soon as I reached the Utah border.

I spent the night as planned at the Willard Bay State Park in Perry, UT. The park is tucked in between the Great Salt Lake and I84.





Monday I headed north and the winds picked up again in northern Utah and all across Idaho. Driving the van into the wind killed my mileage. A heavy rainstorm south of Twin Falls kept me focused on the road for about 50 miles. The wipers were on high speed so I could get at least a glimpse of where the road was. Monday night was spent at Farewell Bend State Park. The park is located in Oregon on the Snake River about 30 miles from the Idaho border.





Tuesday morning dawned sunny and cold. A great day to drive home on familiar roads through the Blue Mountains and along the Columbia River.

There were lots of trucks along the way with very few cars, except within cities. Driving through Boise I decided I would much rather be in the company of trucks that personal vehicles. Trucker are more predictable that car drivers.

Statistics
Canton, GA to Oregon City, OR 2,705 miles per Apple Maps
Canton, GA to Oregon City, OR 2,738 actual miles

Used 208 gallons of gas at an average price of $2.29/gal
Highest price paid for gas $2.24/gal in Oregon City
Lowest price paid $1.96/gal in Tennessee
__________________
Larrie
Read detailed trip reports, see photos and videos on my travel blog, luinil.com.
Current van: 2002 Ford E350 extended body camper with Colorado Camper Van pop top and Agile Offroad 4WD conversion.
larrie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-28-2016, 09:58 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
MKRyan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Pocatello, ID
Posts: 290
Garage
Way to go Larrie! Nice van. I was in the Tetons and met you and Eric at the meet and greet and 'toured' Eric's and now, your, new van. I'm glad the van is back in the forum.
Have you sold your old rig yet?

Thanks for the report. Long trip home, with some scary moments. Glad you made it safely. And, thanks for the pictures of the trip.

Hope to see you and the new rig somewhere on the road!

Mike
__________________
2006 Ford E350 6.0 PSD, RB 50, 4x4
MKRyan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-29-2016, 06:05 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
86Scotty's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: TN
Posts: 10,222
Great TR Larrie. Thanks for sharing. That moment of drama had me worried for a second, I'm glad it worked out.

The van looks great. Enjoy!

86Scotty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-29-2016, 08:38 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
twogone's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Taylor, Mississippi
Posts: 1,648
Good trip report! I must have missed it... what did you do with your other van?
__________________
'95 SMB E350 Quigley 7.3
https://www.taylorarts.com
... If you have to ask, you'll never understand...
"... torpedo'd, because we don't generally cotton to bullshit around here." -jage
"... do they ooch apart in the night?" -Dia
twogone is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-29-2016, 04:11 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
larrie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Oregon Ciry Oregon
Posts: 2,843
Sliding that big a vehicle around in the snow will definitely get your heart pumping. Was glad that I learned to drive in upstate NY. We got lots of snow to practice on as a kid.

Will be putting my old van up for sale on Monday. Have to do a little maintenance and give it a bath on the outside and vacuum and dust the inside first.
__________________
Larrie
Read detailed trip reports, see photos and videos on my travel blog, luinil.com.
Current van: 2002 Ford E350 extended body camper with Colorado Camper Van pop top and Agile Offroad 4WD conversion.
larrie is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

» Sportsmobile Registry

Tatonka

gephoto

[HOONIVAN]

Shaggy
Add your Sportsmobile
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sportsmobile SIP or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:25 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.