T4RGrocerygetter
New member
Hello everyone, it’s been a while since checking in but I promised myself I’d give a briefing on the trip I took last winter so here goes.
Long story short, I have always dreamt of driving cross country. I was graduating in Dec. ‘18 and spring ‘18 I finally bit the bullet and bought a 05 4runner w/ 125k and saved as much money as I could throughout the summer. I started a spreadsheet with mileage, fuel cost and any cost I could think of and by the end of the trip was within $500 of my estimate.
I was starting at home in Latham, NY and the destination was Bend, Oregon. On the way there my fiancé and I spent a few nights in Montana (Big Sky, Whitefish Lake), drive up to Golden BC and stayed a few nights and skied Kicking Horse, and finally ended up in Bend, OR.
Aside from Airbnb’s, around late August I posted an ad on CL looking for a couch to sleep on for a month while I was in OR. I managed to make a deal with a retired couple to stay in the guest room of their considerably large home and watch their cats while they went to their second home down south. I had a private bathroom and the kitchen to myself for a month.
I took my previously purchased Mt. Bachelor season pass and snowboarded 27 of the 30 days I was there. Yes, there was lots of powder.
The entire trip there consisted of sub zero temps, icy roads, beautiful scenery, and lots of snow. The only thing that malfunctioned was my front turn signal bulb, I changed that somewhere in Wisconsin or Minnesota and was on my merry way. Aside from that, the ol 4runner was packed to the brim with ski gear and it didn’t skip a beat. I know it was stupid but I planned the driving schedule poorly and we ended up sleeping at 2 rest stops and a Starbucks, if anything, it was a lesson learned.
BTW, The tires were brand new Nokian WRG3’s that we’re installed right before I left and I was impressed with how well they handled.
Without further ado, here are some pics.
North Dakota
Big Sky, Montana
Yellowstone
Northern Montana
Kicking horse, BC
Big guy back home in NY found a loaf of bread in the snow
Smith Rock, Oregon
The destination
My Uncle Loves to fly. He had a buyer for his wives car in Humboldt County, CA, so we volunteered to pick the buyer up and fly him to Bend. The sale was successful.
My playground for the month
Land cruisers were abundant
Way home somewhere in CO I believe
Til this day, I think about that trip for at least a couple of minutes every day. I don’t regret a single cent or second that was spent on that trip.
I would recommend to anyone, if they get a chance to take off a month before started their career or after retiring, to drive cross country and see the US.
The next step is a 4wd Sprinter Van with more money and maybe a snowmobile or 2. That’ll probably be after retirement or between jobs if I can get the old lady to move to the mountains one day.
Thanks for looking everyone and safe travels.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Long story short, I have always dreamt of driving cross country. I was graduating in Dec. ‘18 and spring ‘18 I finally bit the bullet and bought a 05 4runner w/ 125k and saved as much money as I could throughout the summer. I started a spreadsheet with mileage, fuel cost and any cost I could think of and by the end of the trip was within $500 of my estimate.
I was starting at home in Latham, NY and the destination was Bend, Oregon. On the way there my fiancé and I spent a few nights in Montana (Big Sky, Whitefish Lake), drive up to Golden BC and stayed a few nights and skied Kicking Horse, and finally ended up in Bend, OR.
Aside from Airbnb’s, around late August I posted an ad on CL looking for a couch to sleep on for a month while I was in OR. I managed to make a deal with a retired couple to stay in the guest room of their considerably large home and watch their cats while they went to their second home down south. I had a private bathroom and the kitchen to myself for a month.
I took my previously purchased Mt. Bachelor season pass and snowboarded 27 of the 30 days I was there. Yes, there was lots of powder.
The entire trip there consisted of sub zero temps, icy roads, beautiful scenery, and lots of snow. The only thing that malfunctioned was my front turn signal bulb, I changed that somewhere in Wisconsin or Minnesota and was on my merry way. Aside from that, the ol 4runner was packed to the brim with ski gear and it didn’t skip a beat. I know it was stupid but I planned the driving schedule poorly and we ended up sleeping at 2 rest stops and a Starbucks, if anything, it was a lesson learned.
BTW, The tires were brand new Nokian WRG3’s that we’re installed right before I left and I was impressed with how well they handled.
Without further ado, here are some pics.
North Dakota
Big Sky, Montana
Yellowstone
Northern Montana
Kicking horse, BC
Big guy back home in NY found a loaf of bread in the snow
Smith Rock, Oregon
The destination
My Uncle Loves to fly. He had a buyer for his wives car in Humboldt County, CA, so we volunteered to pick the buyer up and fly him to Bend. The sale was successful.
My playground for the month
Land cruisers were abundant
Way home somewhere in CO I believe
Til this day, I think about that trip for at least a couple of minutes every day. I don’t regret a single cent or second that was spent on that trip.
I would recommend to anyone, if they get a chance to take off a month before started their career or after retiring, to drive cross country and see the US.
The next step is a 4wd Sprinter Van with more money and maybe a snowmobile or 2. That’ll probably be after retirement or between jobs if I can get the old lady to move to the mountains one day.
Thanks for looking everyone and safe travels.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
