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Old 04-14-2008, 05:02 AM   #1
Joe-n-Doe
Montana Fan
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Fernandina Beach
Posts: 311
M.O.C. #7870
Road Trip Spring 2008

April 1, 2008:

Got started 4 hours later than planned and only got 200 miles under our belt today. The pooches were great as we finished loading the K9HAUS. However, when I took their dog beds out to the 5er they went nuts and demanded to go out to the truck. About 3 hours down the road, we discovered I failed to completely close the refrigerator door. Result---everything spilled out onto the floor 18 eggs broken on the floor and edge of the carpet. Dogs got their fill. Overnighted in an Albany, GA Wal-Mart. It was over 80 degrees when we stopped and very warm in the trailer. Discovered the fantastic fan works on DC (thank God!) and it quickly made things inside bearable. Temps dropped enough during the night to force us to close the vents. Travel on US 82 was easy.

April 2, 2008:

Dogs were a bit anxious this morning as we prepared to depart. US 82 was easy driving, scenic, and a good 4 lane road up to the junction with HWY 44 in Arkansas. Encountered construction through Tuscaloosa, AL. Traffic thru some of the smaller towns has resulted in some stop and go driving that is probably hurting our fuel efficiency. Crossed the flooded Mississippi this afternoon. It was sprinkling, but we soon drove out of it. The forecast is for heavy weather along our route tomorrow. Overnighted at the El Dorado, AR Wal-Mart. Fueled 3 times today ($3.94, $3.82, and $3.79).

April 3, 2008:

US 82 and US 287 in Texas are great roads. FYI, Texas provides free WiFi at major rest stops and permits overnight layovers in both rest stops and roadside picnic areas. We encountered bad weather at Henrietta, TX this afternoon (heavy rain and hail). Sailed thru a red light and decided we needed to pull over until it stopped. When it did stop the temps soared to 91 degrees (up from 50 in the morning). Overnighted at a major rest stop near Hadley, TX. Just as we pulled in very heavy winds kicked up. We extended the slides while cooking dinner and closed them immediately after eating. We thought the wind would rip the awnings and didn’t like how it shook the slides. Overnight the temps dropped to 41. Fueled twice today ($3.94 and $3.89).

April 4, 2008:

Converged onto I-40 at Amarillo. Easy driving today. Encountered a sand storm, powder blue skies, Texas long horns, and SKUNKS today. Overnighted at USA RV Park in Gallup, NM (formerly a KOA). Manager is friendly and sites big enough. Some of the full/long timers staying there don’t pick up after their pets…only derogatory observation made. Fueled twice at $3.87 and $3.94.

April 5, 2008:

Made it to Monument Valley where we had reservations at Gouldings RV Park in the heart of the Valley. Nice RV park, unless you have dogs, especially light colored ones. The red soil gets into their coat and turns light colored ones red. Had it rained, it would have been a real mess for pets and humans alike! The drive from Gallup to the Valley was truly scenic! Fueled once at $3.89.

April 6, 2008:

Self-driving tour of the Valley, Gooseneck, Natural Bridges, and Valley of the Gods. If you haven’t visited this area, put it on your list of places to see. The words others have used to describe the area are accurate! Regardless of where you stay, expect on doing some driving. I’m not sure if there is really a centrally located RV park. I’m glad traffic was almost nil. I think the dust kicked up during a congested weekend would be real nasty. Fueled twice at $4.19 and $4.02. Right rear taillight burned out. Our friendly Canadian neighbor helped me change it.

April 7,2008:

Drove from Monument Valley to Moab. Once again another day of great scenery! Had reservations at Portal RV Resort. Can’t tell you how relived we were to find it had plenty of GRASS! It was a short day and we spent the afternoon decompressing.

April 8,2008:

Drove down to Needles and Anticline Overlooks of Canyon Land National Park. Awesome! Don’t’ go there with your rig hook-up to your TV. Those of you who are only driving thru Moab and fill the urge for a Mickey D, the Golden Arches at the south end of town has a parking lot large enough to accommodate your rig. Wrapped up the afternoon with a visit to Arches National Park. Really nice weather today. WOW! Fueled up once at $3.97. Met MOC’ers Gold Chip.

April 9, 2008:

Off to Dead Horse Point State park and the northern part of Canyon Lands. Doris and I both think Canyon Lands is more impressive than the Grand Canyon. Had some strange weather at the park. Windy, cold, and sunny to overcast, rainy and light snow flurries. That afternoon we had a heavy rain and sleet storm. Another FYI, consider fueling at Maverick Stations. Diesel was 10 cents less than other local stations AND if you go inside and ask for one of their Maverick fuel program cards you will get another 03 cent per gal discount. Fueled once at $3.95.

April 10 to 15:

In the greater Salt Lake area visiting family. Fueled at $3.99. Average MPG has been 9.9. On board TV computer correlates with hard math.
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