I am taking the VX to Washington!

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08/15/2011, 03:16 PM
Marlin

I am taking the VX to Washington!

Up until now, my plan for the big move and subsequent deployment was to get the VX, the RS and the F250 to KC,MO. Then I would rent a car and drive to Seattle, and suck it up car less or with a long term rental.
The rental car would be about 800 to get to Wa, and a long term rental would be another 1300 or so. For that much, I can just drive the VX up there and then ship back to KC when I am done. That way, I can do some wheeling in Yellowstone as well as Washington!!!

My only concern is putting that many miles on the VX. I take care of her, but she is getting old.
08/15/2011, 03:59 PM
Gussie2000

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marlin

Up until now, my plan for the big move and subsequent deployment was to get the VX, the RS and the F250 to KC,MO. Then I would rent a car and drive to Seattle, and suck it up car less or with a long term rental.
The rental car would be about 800 to get to Wa, and a long term rental would be another 1300 or so. For that much, I can just drive the VX up there and then ship back to KC when I am done. That way, I can do some wheeling in Yellowstone as well as Washington!!!

My only concern is putting that many miles on the VX. I take care of her, but she is getting old.

One way ride ? I will do it if i were you since you are planning to ship him back,the mileage is a concern to everyone,in my personal case i have been driving the average amount of 600 highway miles weekly for the past three monts,yes,that's a lot thought,but before that 95 % of my daily drive was city no more then 15 miles a day.

Take the VX for the ride,he'll enjoy it ;)
08/15/2011, 04:06 PM
Marlin

The VX will get its first taste of snow in over 3 years. I have wanted to take her in the snow so bad.....
I am gonna end up dead, taking the VX means I can take any roads I want, instead of sticking to the plowed passes:)
08/15/2011, 04:18 PM
RickOKC

$600 in gas (vs. the rental) for the trip, plus an additional $2,000 in gas for off-roading. And another $500 for a personal GPS locator for when you get stuck in a snowbank on a mountain. Oh yeah, and cost of towing out of the snowbank. And oil.

Sure you wanna do this? :laughing:
08/15/2011, 04:22 PM
Marlin

YEP!! I just got my new Magellan Triton 400. Added a very nice topo map of Yellowstone for my 2-3 day hike of dunanda falls. Gonna be sweet!! Solo 20+ mile hike. Unless someone wants to tag along:) I have all the gear, 2 man tent (nice tent, aluminum poles, rainfly that is arctic style, goes all the way to the ground and guys out) Nice water filter, Jetboil style stove and so on. Either way, I am going!!! I will be packing the .357 and a can of bear mace. Should be enough. Mace for the bears, 357 for any "Hostel" style scenarios...lol.
08/15/2011, 05:03 PM
Ldub

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marlin

I will be packing the .357 and a can of bear mace. Should be enough. Mace for the bears, 357 for any "Hostel" style scenarios...lol.

Yeh...don't shoot a grizzly with a .357...much like Mongo, it'll just make him mad...:yes:
08/15/2011, 05:12 PM
Marlin

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ldub

Yeh...don't shoot a grizzly with a .357...much like Mongo, it'll just make him mad...:yes:

I wouldn't shoot a grizzly with anything smaller than a Desert Eagle .50 cal.

Bechler Canyon isn't grizzly territory from I have read. It is a wolf hot spot, and some smaller bears. I couldn't find a report of wolf/human attack out there though.

No worries, I will have my bear bell too!!! I like to think of it as the ice cream truck music for bears. :bgwb:
08/15/2011, 05:34 PM
Ldub

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marlin

I wouldn't shoot a grizzly with anything smaller than a Desert Eagle .50 cal.

Bechler Canyon isn't grizzly territory from I have read. It is a wolf hot spot, and some smaller bears. I couldn't find a report of wolf/human attack out there though.

No worries, I will have my bear bell too!!! I like to think of it as the ice cream truck music for bears. :bgwb:

It is recommended to tie jingle bells to your shoes and use pepper spray when hiking in bear country. The bells make enough noise to frighten a black or brown bear, and the pepper spray is effective in repelling them if they come too close for comfort. An effective way of telling what types of bears are in an area is by observing their scat. That of black and brown bears is usually small, with grass, leaves and possibly seeds in it. Grizzly scat is identifiable because it smells peppery and has jingle bells in it...:laughing:
08/16/2011, 06:52 AM
Ebenezr

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ldub

It is recommended to tie jingle bells to your shoes and use pepper spray when hiking in bear country. The bells make enough noise to frighten a black or brown bear, and the pepper spray is effective in repelling them if they come too close for comfort. An effective way of telling what types of bears are in an area is by observing their scat. That of black and brown bears is usually small, with grass, leaves and possibly seeds in it. Grizzly scat is identifiable because it smells peppery and has jingle bells in it...:laughing:

Ha ah ah ah. I've heard that before too!
08/16/2011, 07:40 AM
Riff Raff

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marlin

My only concern is putting that many miles on the VX. I take care of her, but she is getting old.

I look forward to seeing you in WA with your VX. As far as putting mileage on your odometer, just disconnect the Speedometer Cable for the long road trip and travel with the flow of traffic. Re-connect the Speedometer Cable once you get to WA. Mileage problem solved.

:bgwb:
08/16/2011, 02:43 PM
nfpgasmask

Driving across the country in the VX is always a treat! But I feel ya, none of our VXes are getting any younger. The thought of someday not have a VX kinda freaks me out.

:rolleyes: Bart
08/16/2011, 03:08 PM
Marlin

Quote:

Originally Posted by Riff Raff

I look forward to seeing you in WA with your VX. As far as putting mileage on your odometer, just disconnect the Speedometer Cable for the long road trip and travel with the flow of traffic. Re-connect the Speedometer Cable once you get to WA. Mileage problem solved.

:bgwb:

Oh, I don't care for the odometer, I am more concerned with something breaking. She has NEVER failed me on the trail, no matter what I put her through, so its only fitting that she conk out in BFE Wyoming somewhere.

I don't there is really any traffic to flow with where I am going:) YIPPEEE!!!!
08/16/2011, 03:13 PM
Marlin

When I bought the VX, she had just under 115K miles. I drove it 800 miles home the next day. It will be 3 years in December...my how time flies, and today I went over 129K. That's pretty good, figure an extra 10-15% since I have bigger tires, so around 16K miles in 3 years. I am gonna do 2000 on this little adventure. My back is already hurting from thinking of sitting in the recaro for hours at a time. Throw in the 26 mile hike with a 40lb pack, I will be a bundle of fun when I get to Washington.
08/16/2011, 03:16 PM
nfpgasmask

There is definitely a lot of BFE in Wyoming. If you pass through Reno, LMK.

Bart
08/17/2011, 09:24 PM
Etfren

Were in Washington you going to be? Once I'm finally done getting mine fixed up I'll be ready for some serious wheeling.
08/18/2011, 02:48 AM
MeowMix

Oh good, I'm in WA too! If you find yourself in Spokane you should stop by and say hello. And about that snow thing...don't expect a whole lot of it if you're going to be in the Seattle/Tacoma area. Though if you're going to be inland, on the other side of the mountains like me, I've heard it's supposed to be a heck of a winter for us this year! ;Dy;
08/18/2011, 03:46 AM
Marlin

Quote:

Originally Posted by MeowMix

Oh good, I'm in WA too! If you find yourself in Spokane you should stop by and say hello. And about that snow thing...don't expect a whole lot of it if you're going to be in the Seattle/Tacoma area. Though if you're going to be inland, on the other side of the mountains like me, I've heard it's supposed to be a heck of a winter for us this year! ;Dy;

I will be in Everett for about 7 weeks. Then I deploy. As for the snow, its the getting to Washington that I am looking forward to. Yellowstone starts closing roads 1Oct for snow. I am taking the path less traveled up there! A lot of those passes start getting snow early on.
08/18/2011, 04:37 AM
Ebenezr

Good luck I envy you.
08/18/2011, 02:45 PM
MeowMix

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marlin

I will be in Everett for about 7 weeks. Then I deploy. As for the snow, its the getting to Washington that I am looking forward to. Yellowstone starts closing roads 1Oct for snow. I am taking the path less traveled up there! A lot of those passes start getting snow early on.

Ah, yes...the passes can be a handful, even early on in the season. The worst part is the snow can come in and in a matter of hours dump a foot or three. Nothing the VX can't handle though. Everett is just another city along the coast; Everett, Seattle, Tacoma and Bellevue all feel like one big city to me, lol. Though at least there's lots to see and do over there! ;Dy;