Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Road Trip!

13468973

Comments

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited September 2012
    The in-laws used to live in Carson City, so they took us on the (external) tour of one of the chicken ranches. Defunct now I think (looked pretty seedy back in the day too - chain link and double-wide trailers).
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I thought the Mustang Ranch went broke and Obama gave them Stimulus money to keep going. :shades:
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Hey, that capitalized word that's not a name isn't intended as a pun, is it?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited September 2012
    The Mustang guy absconded to Brazil when the feds tried to nab him back in the 90s. Contrary to popular belief, the feds never ran the ranch.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    :blush:
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    Aren't the Feds and DC culture in general kind of filling the same role (selling) as that ranch? So if you want the sell yourself experience, just take a trip to the beltway. Probably dirtier than a Nevada funhouse, so watch out :shades:
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Bah, I was in DC earlier in the spring enjoying the cherry blossoms. Great place to visit although we messed up by not taking the Metro over the river. At least we were burning my sister's gas creeping around the Tidal Basin.

    Trying to fit in a road trip to the Twin Cities. Haven't been to Minneapolis in umpteen years, unless you count the airport. Half the distance to Detroit and even a couple of hours closer than Chicago.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    So you missed the DC equivalent to the Nevada funhouses (various legislative and judicial branches, and the lobbyists who infest them)?

    In about 6 weeks I will be on a little road trip in a place where people usually drive properly - many time zones to the east of here. Probably a needless splurge...but you only live once.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Heh, I saw Senator Stennis in those hallowed halls back in the 60s. Got a quill pen from the Supreme Court gift shop on another trip. These days, I just go for the food and the gardens (been to Dumbarton Oaks probably six times now).
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    Next time bring a briefcase full of unmarked bills...you might be able to buy yourself a law. Tax breaks for yoopers! ;)
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    You don't have to subject yourself to DC to meet politicians. Just hang around the Anchorage Airport. I used to see Wally Hickel, Ted Stevens and Don Young all the time. My best spot was Hubert Humphrey wandering around the airport all alone, no entourage. I walked up and shook his hand and told him it was a pleasure meeting him even if we did not share the same political views. He was waiting for a flight back to Minneapolis. Very pleasant man. One of the few decent politicians.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited September 2012
    Met Uncle Ted once but never ran into Dandy Don. The governor before Sarah borrowed a canoe from me once, through a friend.

    Said hi to the Idaho gov outside a lunch spot one time but not having a TV, I didn't recognize him until later. Ditto one of the other reps around Boise.

    Met Larry Craig once too, but luckily I never ran into while changing planes in MSP. :shades:

    DC is a fun place to visit in spites of all the pols.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    You did not miss much with Don Young, a rude crude obnoxious person. I was across the room from him in the AK Airlines lounge and he was on his cell phone swearing like an uneducated common thug. I never voted for him after that.
  • explorerx4explorerx4 Member Posts: 19,204
    We had a small road trip today.
    Went to the 'Big E' a multi state fair in Western Mass.
    We took a friend of my oldest daughter's who is from the mid west.
    It was fun walking around eating all those bad foods, walking through each of the 6 New England states buildings, and the agricultural buildings with all the animals.
    When we got back to our house, the Nascar race was on the tv, and she said I want to go to one of those.
    I said sure next spring we will go to the track they are showing on tv.
    It's pretty easy trip from CT, 4 hour drive, 5 hours at the track for the Saturday race, 4 hours back.
    I'm pretty sure she going with us to South Bend next month for the football game, so I think we have a new road trip buddy, or sort of a new 3rd kid. :)
    2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    You want to fly you give up Constitutional freedoms. Soon trains buses will follow. Taking a drive may be our last bit of freedom in this Brave New World.

    http://www.infowars.com/tsa-confiscates-camera-deletes-footage-of-checkpoint/
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited November 2012
    Road Trip to Santa Fe (Inside Line)

    Maybe Fintail will stop in in the next week or so with tales of his latest autobahn driving.

    I'm off to Toledo tomorrow. :shades:
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Are you driving a VW Beetle? Diesel I hope. :blush:
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited November 2012
    My sister's '00 New Beetle seats were quite good. Did a lot of 9 hour trips in it between Virginia and Chattanooga while she owned it, and found the seats very comfortable. Her '05 Forester seats are good too though; cloth unlike my Outback's seats.

    But the weather report looked good so we are in the van again this week, also with the cloth seats. Only thing I miss about the Outback is the heat; otherwise the leather seats in it aren't all that great for longer trips.

    Gas surprised me - never saw it more than a dime cheaper than what it is a few blocks from my house. Didn't think to price diesel.

    And only had three deer jump out in front of us today, all in a row.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    A reporter is looking for any drivers out there who can discuss the creative ways they've tried to keep their car clutter-free. There are so many gadgets, toys for kids, stuff for pets and other goods carried along in vehicles today, and he'd like to know how you manage or organize all these things inside your car. If you think you have helpful tips or ideas, please let us know at [email protected] by Monday December 24th.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Can't remember going north between Nashville and Indy before; some pretty country even if we are hanging close to the Interstate and watching the weather. Plan to stop before dark and take it easy to Port Huron tomorrow and try to hit a few side roads.

    Anyone else going home from Grandma's house?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited February 2013
    2012 Jeep Wrangler: The Big Loop

    Los Angeles, Sacramento, Reno, Virginia City, Bishop, Panamint Springs, Death Valley and back.

    image
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    I'd add one thing. Since you're in Reno, if you haven't been there before take a day and check out nearby Lake Tahoe area. Virginia City, Death Valley -sounds like some Cowboy TV shows and movies. I wonder if the old Ponderosa ranch is still open. If you had more time, you could also side trip to Yosemite.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The in-laws used to live in Carson City. Why they moved back to the UP I don't know. :shades:

    (Don't ask why we decided to move a couple of blocks from them LOL. But the snow was firm enough this evening to actually get to the Lake Superior beach and enjoy a nice sunset).

    I miss the high desert country and our occasional Sierra trips.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    The Ponderosa (Bonanza) ranch is up by lake Tahoe. Tourist trap complete with petting zoo and pony rides.

    http://ponderosascenery.homestead.com/ponderosab.html
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I could and may move to Carson City or Gardnerville area. Better tax structure and close to Lake Tahoe which I never tire of looking at.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    edited February 2013
    Let's be honest, you used to be a hard [non-permissible content removed] up in Alaska, but now after all this time in the San Diego are you are probably too much of a wimp to go back to winters. Nothing to be ashamed of - you just get wiser with age :shades: If you want tax savings something like Henderson or Summerlin near Vegas will probably better fit these days.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    The real buys are in Pahrump. Though you may get lonely out there. I don't need to sell my place here in San Diego. I can keep it as a winter getaway. I mainly need a residence where income taxes are less. Hawaii is still my favorite. And they do not tax pension income.
  • berriberri Member Posts: 10,165
    And they do not tax pension income.

    At least not yet. Seems like states are backing away from that these days. Love Hawaii, but it takes BIG mullah over there!
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    There are places that are not that expensive on the Big Island. I would not consider Oahu or Maui. Maybe Kauai. Still buy close to the water on the Big Island for a reasonable amount. You cannot even think about a lot in CA with ocean view for this kind of money.

    http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/15-892-Paradise-Ala-Kai-Dr-Keaau-HI-96749/2118- 979667_zpid/

    A POC fixer down the street from me just sold for $350k. I have spent time on every major island and fell in love with this area. If you are a high roller this would be my current idea of a good buy.

    http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/15-977-Paradise-Ala-Kai-Dr-Keaau-HI-96749/2117- 991008_zpid/
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I was looking at National's last minute rentals page today and was amazed at how much a rental car goes for in Hawaii these days. I know it's high season, but yikes.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    This is right next door to the house we rent when we are in Hawaii. We snorkel in that lagoon with big sea turtles. Great gated location. I shouldn't do this as it gets me fired up about selling out here and moving.

    http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/14-4708-Alapaki-Ln-Pahoa-HI-96778/2114498789_z- pid/
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Wait till April May. If you want a very quiet peaceful non touristy vacation. I highly recommend this place. Stayed there several times. The pond stays at 90 degrees year round. The Sea Turtles are in the cove most of the year.

    http://www.vrbo.com/5124
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited February 2013
    We're planning Bethel in April. Shouldn't be touristy. :shades:
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    You are a brute for punishment. My buddy almost got killed in a bar in Bethel back in the 1970s. Many would consider Bethel the armpit of Alaska. I say it is a tossup with Kotzebue and the 9 Arctic villages I worked in. Here is the mentality of Bethel.

    In what has been described as an evil hoax, the town of Bethel, Alaska, has learned it is not getting a Taco Bell. Not now. Not ever.


    http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/14/nation/la-na-nn-taco-bell-alaska-2012061- 4
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Must have been why they went damp in '77. They're wet again as of 2010 but I don't think they have allowed bars or alcohol in the restaurants. Always wanted to see Kotz, but never managed that one.

    For alcohol related problems, the police blotter out of Dutch Harbor is becoming world famous.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Bethel was the wild west in the early 1970s. Our Alascom people were out there a lot as it was jump-off to all those villages. It was the time when a sat phone system was being installed in every AK village. You had to be tough going to the villages back then. Most installers packed a 357 with them. The whole thing of booze in the villages is kind of a joke and very sad. Most of our 9 villages were either damp or dry. About 10-12 years ago the PSOs started to check everyone's luggage getting off the plane in the real bad places. We had to stop taking a bottle for our own use or get into trouble.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    And this one caught my eye. :-)
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    The first leg was brutal. We traveled across AZ and NM at night to see the meteor showers. They were a "NO SHOW". Filled in El Paso Costco for $3.11 per gallon. By then it was 7 AM and did not want to stop so early and get a room. So the plan was Odessa. No rooms available at 4 PM. Mostly yucky places. Checked in Midland, same junky motels booked up. One really sleazy place had a room I would not stay in for $269 per night. We called ahead to the Best Western in Big Springs and they had one room for $180 per night. By then we were so beat we took it. It was clean though the Internet was out due to the wind???? 1040 miles in 22 hours with only a couple rest breaks. Speed limit on I20 is 80 MPH. We did not let many pass us and got 16.05 MPG. Not much different than cruising 65 MPH.

    Our next leg got us out of TX to Hope Arkansas. Had a nicer room at the Best western for $71 per night. Also had the best BBQ of the trip at Jake's. Drove by Bill Clinton birthplace and had nice weather. Filled Chevron West Memphis AR for $3.11.

    We drove from Hope AR to Paris Landing State Park Inn, TN. Nice room overlooking the lake for $70 per night. We hit Paris during the annual catfish festival. The hotel had all you could eat catfish and hushpuppies. Very good meal and stay. Next day on to Ohio via Bowling Green, KY. Went to the Shaker Museum. Tried to visit Mammoth Caves and the waits were too long for the tours. We did get Shell gas in KY for $3.29. We spent the last two days here in Ohio. Plan to leave in the morning for Indiana. 2595 miles so far at $509 or 19.6 cents a mile

    to be continued.......
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Durn you, it'll be at least two months until I visit family in Chattanooga, and I'll be jonesing for hush puppies from now until then.

    On the bright side, the fumes around Midland from all the stripper wells probably would have gotten to you if you had found a room there.

    Next time, try stopping at McDonalds a couple of hours before your destination, get on their free wifi, and scope out some places on Travelocity or Expedia. You could even Priceline one that looks okay.

    Surprised the lines are long at Mammoth so early in the season. Maybe because of the sequestration?
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,072
    I was going to say, pricey hotels! I use priceline or hotwire almost every time I travel. Everything has been OK.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited April 2013
    For Seattle, we looked at reviews and prepaid direct for one "off-site" to SeaTac over in Des Moines. I was concerned about not being able to eyeball it. But it worked great and the Mexican restaurant next door was excellent to boot. My wife is about to get a 4G refurb iPad so maybe we'll be better at researching restaurants on the road too, assuming we actually break down and buy some air time. Only really got burnt once on food on the last trip though.
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Steve, from your response to Gary's message I assume you've been to Mammoth Cave. I've been tempted to include a tour of it if I should pass near it. The name alone intrigues me. If you've visited other caves how does Mammoth rate, in your opinion?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Ah, the part I visited was more of a "historic" tour and was a bit of a let down. That was decades ago, and now I'd simply take some of the more "wild" tours that are available.

    I'm not a big cave fan but Carlsbad was more impressive, but a bit further away for many people.

    The other US cave I'd be interested in is Kartchner Caverns in Arizona. It sounds like a neat one; reservations used to be hard to get but I'm not sure if that's true now.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    I use a Verizon Jetpack so finding hotels was easy on the Wifi tablet. The Google NAV works very well finding places as well. Last time I used Travelocity it was not up to the minute. So making hotel reservations on the fly was not possible. I would rather call the hotel and get a name. Too many Expedia horror stories and don't want them having my CC #. Speaking of Midland Odessa. The economy is booming thus the over priced rooms. Dive hotels are full at $200 per night. I looked at about 6 rooms I would not risk staying in and none under $200 per night. The decent places like Hamptons were sold out. I will try to avoid that route ever again. I prefer I40. Just wanted to avoid the late snows.

    On the Road Again......
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    We usually book direct too, but get info from Travelocity or Expedia. Actually my wife usually tracks this stuff down and she uses TravelZoo and Orbitz too. For Seattle she just searched "Seattle airport hotels".

    Got a cousin in Midland in the oil patch biz; don't keep up with her frequently but glad to hear business is booming.

    Good to hear the Jetpack is working well for you. The reviews for it are lousy.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,122
    edited April 2013
    >Went to the Shaker Museum.

    Was that the one at Pleasant Hill? Near Lexington/Versailles?
    http://www.shakervillageky.org/

    Are you hitting the Air Force Museum near Dayton, OH.
    http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    We went to the Shaker Museum at Union City, KY. Close to Bowling Green.

    http://www.shakermuseum.com/

    We did not get up to Dayton. Kind of skirted around Columbus and Cincy and headed on the back roads across IN. I did like that area around Versailles, KY. I could live there on one of those gentleman farms.
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    We will probably head home this week from Indiana. I have avoided all large cities and wil not go through any of them on the return home. I have it mapped across the USA without hitting any city of major size except Albuquerque. Continuing our trip on the Roads Less Traveled. Less than 300 miles of Interstate on the 2100 mile return trip. Also plan to avoid TX and their over priced hotel rooms.

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/05/04/worst-traffic-cities/2127661- /
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited May 2013
    Blue highways, sweet. I took a wrong turn years ago (my co-pilot was napping) and wound up in Albuquerque. No biggie, it was in the general direction of travel. Really like the town, and it's still on our list as a place to live perhaps.

    Sad to read that the marginal motel/hot springs in Jacuma has closed in SD County; sounded like they ran it into the ground the last decade. It was a fun stop the one time we went there; probably too far south for getting to your house and you'll be heading for the barn by then anyway.

    I have an inch high stack of trip lists that I've kept since 1980. Finally got around to photographing each one so I can throw the hard copies away. After a trip I usually make a note or two about the trip on the list and they are fun to revisit and jog our memory of where we've been. Thus the urge to look up the Jacuma motel. Looks like we were there in '99.

    Head north of Santa Fe and hit Chimayo. Buy a rug. Or three. :D
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    Head north of Santa Fe and hit Chimayo. Buy a rug. Or three.

    We may do that. A good friend of ours moved there last year. She has been after us to come visit. I remember the rug factories from the 1970s when we spent a lot of time in NM. Albuquerque is not a bad city to get around in. I still have a bunch of nieces and nephews there along with my sister. They live 45 miles SE of the city. A person could do worse than living in NM. I would like to take 412 out of Woodward, OK to Taos via Cimarron canyon and Eagle's lake. Then down to Chimayo and SF. Depends on the weather. Colorado is still in the grips of winter snow. My Sequoia is a 4x4 with good all weather Michelins. Just not real interested in seeing snow up close and personal.
Sign In or Register to comment.