Road trip from Fairbanks Alaska to Arkansas

[Rick]

No that would be a good start on a weekend. Truth be told, Sunday sounds more possible.
We have a lot of things to sort out on this trailer as well.

Sunday as it turns out will be better for me also. I have workers coming on Saturday morning, be here most of the day working in the crawlspace, didn't know that when I said Saturday. They stopped by this afternoon to see if this Saturday was ok with me.

Sometime Saturday when ya get the chance give me a call just to let me know ya made it in alright.

 

[Glaciers]

Well I haven’t been keeping my wallet and my gloves in my back pocket for years now. The wallet went into the shirt pocket and the gloves got set down. The problem was it’s warm down here, so that I just left the bathhouse in my Tee shirt. 45 degrees so it felt normal. The gloves get forgotten all over. In the truck they go into the door pocket. A the house and shop I probably have 10 pairs scattered around.
Well it’s 4:42 coffee has stopped perking and I just need Karyn to get motivated. Long way to drive, going to try to make Fort Smith today and find a motel to get showered up and some sleep. 180 miles from Fort Smith to Mountain Home. Get up early and get there.

Kinda identify with Clark Griswald

 

[Glaciers]

Karyn is up and cruising!! 5:03 and she’s made the bed getting dressed and sucking up plasma, (coffee for you tea drinkers).

 

[Rick]

So you're in Amarillo now?

 

[JWinAZ]

Re: The misplaced wallet. Sister-in-law is headed back to the mid west now on the route she has taken several times. On her way to her final night in Kearney, Missouri. We got a call yesterday afternoon, she told us that she had put Kearney, Nebraska into her GPS phone app. and didn't realize it until she was well on the way to Nebraska. Several hours later she made the right Kearney. All's well that ends well, but there is a lesson there.

 

[RicinYakima]

The answer is paper maps and know how to use them.

 

[JWinAZ]

Paper maps are the only way to go. I wonder how much longer they will be easily available?

 

[Petrol & Powder]

I'm not sure a paper map would fix setting out for the wrong destination.

GPS and Smart phones are only as good as the user.

As for paper maps as a navigational back-up - YES.

And if you're travelling in territory where the primary language isn’t your language – have a map in your language. I know a guy that was relying on GPS in a foreign country and the GPS unit failed. I had strongly suggested he have a map,…. in English, as a back-up. He was too cool and too hip for that old paper map thing. It didn’t go well for him.

 

[RicinYakima]

In the late 1990's when I was doing a lot of meth drug lab raids in the national forests, the agency bought us Garmin GPS map boxes. Twice it tried to take us down logging roads that had been bulldozed out to stop vehicles years before. Ever try backing a 4 ton 6X6 up a steep mountain one lane road, not fun. After the second time, I bought current topo maps that I kept updated in my response gear bag. Once every year I would go to the various FS stations and get a road update.

 

[smokeywolf]

As far as our trips and navigations over the last 20 or so years, google maps have led us astray many times while the good old Thomas Guide Map Books, almost never.
Back in the '70s and early '80s when I was working in law enforcement, no officer's posse box (usually a Halliburton Case) was without a Thomas Guide Map Book covering the county.

 

[Rick]

Yep, had a Thomas Guide for every county in SoCal. No point in going to work without them.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

ADC map book, best $8 I ever spent

State maps were free at Welcome centers back in the day

Virginia VDOT would send you a free state published road map of any county if you asked for it.

You had to pay for the nice Topo maps but they were worth every penny.

I’ll admit to using a smartphone these days but the battery never goes out on paper map, you don’t need cellular service or WiFi to make a paper map work and I’m pretty sure you can’t “jam” the signal from more than an arm’s length away.

 

[JWinAZ]

One of the things I really like about paper maps is that you can see a large area in good detail. Helpful for orienting to the places you are headed to. Also good to have maps of different scales; USA, region, state, and metro area for instance. I like the AAA maps, Delorme gazetteers and USFS maps.

 

[Glaciers]

Well left New Mexico yesterday morning early, got to watch the sky start its change and finally crest the horizon. Nothing like desert sunrise and sunset. Well except when you happen to be driving directly into the sun.
Well after New Mexico, we drove through the top of Texas, Amarillo were we were greeted by wind coming up gust to 38 but worked out just fine. Then crossed over to Oklahoma still on 40. Beautiful States. I just flat love this country! Then after dark we crossed into Arkansas. Finally. Couldn’t make to Mountain Home just to tired. 600 plus miles is enough for one day.
And we stayed in a Motel 6 in Alma. One of the nicest ones we have been in. Great shower, and there’s a restaurant on the other end of the building. Some great smells coming from there. Might have to go over there and get a real breakfast. 167 miles to go to reach the Crows Nest RV Park in Mountain Home.
So that’s 5,325 plus the last 167 miles to the RV Park.
But we are going to have breakfast first at the restaurant.

 

[Rick]

On the bright side John, today will be a short day for you. 3 1/2 to 4 hours isn't anything compared to what you've been doing.

 

[Rushcreek]

My 30 year old son and I went on a road trip last year.
He laughed when I brought a Road Atlas for the trip.
A couple of states later, he was studying it closely and actually KNEW where we were and where we were going.
From North Texas, we crossed New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, then back through Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico.
All in 9 days.

 

[Matt_G]

My 30 year old son and I went on a road trip last year.
He laughed when I brought a Road Atlas for the trip.
A couple of states later, he was studying it closely and actually KNEW where we were and where we were going.
From North Texas, we crossed New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, then back through Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico.
All in 9 days.

Yep, and that atlas doesn't need service or a charged battery to work either.
What a concept.

As the comedian Brad Upton once said:
"Have a you ever taken a smartphone away from a 20 something year old?
They look like they just got hit over the head with a shovel."

 

[Glaciers]

You know I love Karyn to death. She’s a great Lady.

But.

Has no grasp of time. The space time continuum totally escapes her.

We are in Springdale at the Walmart. A least we are out of the Motel.

 

[Rick]

So you took highway 49 thru Fayetteville to Springdale to highway 412? That will work, it's actually a few miles shorter but a tougher drive, a lot more small towns to go thru, a lot more connections to make. The 412 to highway 65 south just north of Harrison. You will end up north of Harrison so after going thru Harrison you'll make a left on 62/412, an hour from Mtn. Home.

 

[Petrol & Powder]

You know I love Karyn to death. She’s a great Lady.

But.

Has no grasp of time. The space time continuum totally escapes her.

We are in Springdale at the Walmart. A least wi are out of the Motel.

It's a female thing.
My girl is very good about being on time and she hates to make anyone wait on her account.
However, I must routinely explain to her the mechanics of distance and travel time. I love her, and we have come to an understanding about travel (something we both enjoy but approach very differently)