*EPIC TRIP* Taking my Trail on the Trail!!

Fantastic job keeping us desk jockies updated. If we still decide to do a hood swap when you get back it will be cool knowing at least part of my truck was on an epic journey lol
 
DAY 16

I had to do this post a little different since I did t have service last night. I typed everything up first.

Today was OK, I spent most of my time today taking care of business!! You know you never really get a vacation. It seems that even though I'm on an obligation free trip I still have obligations to deal with!!
Last night while traveling up warm springs Rd in Ketchum Idaho I found it to be at least bumper deep in snow and zero cell signal so I decided to come back down, call Kristi, catch u guys up then go set up camp to figure everything out in the am. As I pulled up to my camp site I saw a fox running through which was cool!!
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I set up camp even had a fire going!! That's a big deal because out of everything that's the one thing I have yet to master is a fire, I can get one started but can't really keep it going. I have yet to bring any firewood, I have only used coleman fire logs which suck or scrap / left over fire wood. Anyways I sat around it for a little bit before going into my tent and watching a video on my phone I had downloaded. Last night's camp was by far the best set up!! The low was 33° so I got in my lightweight blue bag and then into the heavy military bag (the zipper is broke) I would have used only that bag if it wasn't broke!! I woke up to clouds moving in so I decided to pack up and head on down to town for some coffee (I was out of creamer!!) And some breakfast (I was also out of eggs!!) Whole paking up the Tent broke.
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Right at the tab. I had remembered seeing a sports store thing at the end of the Rd so I would stop there after checking yelp for the best breakfast! And heres what I came up with
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It was great. This is Buck, he is a regular who eats there everyday and his favorite is the pancakes. This being said that's what I got. It was good stuff. After that I decided to go to the little sport store and check on a tent. After talking with the guy, obviously was an expert or really good at pretending, I was sold on a tent. I asked the magic question and my dreams were shattered!! How much....$350. WOW! Now, I'm not saying it's not worth it I'm just saying it's not worth it to me!! So I passed on that deal. I did talk with him a while on what I was doing and he assured me that even if I did get to the top of the mountain to cross it, the backside would be way worse with the snow. Now, when I planned this trip I was thinking that April or May would be ideal because no winter weather and not too hot. Now if you look at the Google map I started in 2012 you'll notice it does not include the North West well the TAT does. May would be OK I think however that's bike week duh!!! So April it is and snow I will have to deal with I guess. So I had to back track, again. I traveled down to 20 where I ran into heavy rain over to 84 and then towards Boise. I found a sportsman warehouse, where I got the tent, and went to see if they would help me out with it breaking. I had only had it for a month, I had no receipt and it was dirty, this was a long shot. Well, kudos to sportsmans warehouse they gave me a gift card for the tent so I bought a new one and a few other things. Next it's in to Toyota Dealer to get service done and take care of the leak in the left rear tire. I came across Peterson Toyota, they worked me right in with no appt. They found 3 punctures in the tire!! This makes for a total of 5 punctures so far 1 from a nail and the others from rocks and such on the Trail. To me I think that is ridiculous for an all terrain tire and I'm thinking maybe this is why Nitto did not want to sponsor me!!! None the less I was able to get it fixed and the truck back on track! By this time it was 5pm mountain time and the TAT was 30miles North. I decided to head to the Trail and then try to find a place to camp with my new tent!! I got back onto the Trail and shortly after passing into OR I found Farewell Bend state park. OK spot right off main Rd with no att service and cost 20$ which is crazy!! So put in perspective 20$ more and I have warm bed shower and TV.* I set up camp, which is way easy with he new tent In pleased!! I got my old fashioned lantern provided by JRs Automotive working and cooked some chicken and Potatoes with onion. Now I don't have signal so I'm writing this in my notes to copy and past first thing in the am!! Till tomorrow



Ha-ha. Y'all thought I had no pics!! Don't worry I feel the pain, the only part of the book I like is the pics to. So without further ado here ya go!!

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Fantastic job keeping us desk jockies updated. If we still decide to do a hood swap when you get back it will be cool knowing at least part of my truck was on an epic journey lol
Ha-ha. Yeah, about that!! You may not want it it's got scratches all over it like the rest of the truck unfortunately!!

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Nothing fancy just an amazon mount

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Mkk...what camera? You using any stabilizer software after the fact? Because your truck is rocking and rolling but your horizon stays quite level, theres some sort of stabilizing happening somewhere. If it was hard mounted the image would rock with the truck and it doesn't appear to quite as much as normally would.
 
Welcome to Oregon. Doesn't look like your path makes it's way up to Portland but if you detour let it be known. Would be happy to buy you a beer.
 
Mkk...what camera? You using any stabilizer software after the fact? Because your truck is rocking and rolling but your horizon stays quite level, theres some sort of stabilizing happening somewhere. If it was hard mounted the image would rock with the truck and it doesn't appear to quite as much as normally would.
No camera. All phone!
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Mounted to that guy

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[MENTION=95539]SIRWILLYSC[/MENTION] are you all right? 24 hours and no posts?
Thanks for the concern. I am alright now. I was stuck on the side if Wolf Mountain in OR since about 3pm PST I woke this morning more stuck than yesterday since the snow re froze over night. Thankfully while cooking my breakfast about to make the 30+mile hike some folks came up on 4wheelers. After about an hour in a half digging and pulling I'm out.

I'm in Pineville OR on hwy 27 heading on the TAT. I will be posting full write-up for yesterday once I get to a hotel for the evening. Also I must add ATT is a horrible choice for cell service while on this trip, I think I will stop and get a Verizon prepay.

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Thanks for the concern. I am alright now. I was stuck on the side if Wolf Mountain in OR since about 3pm PST I woke this morning more stuck than yesterday since the snow re froze over night. Thankfully while cooking my breakfast about to make the 30+mile hike some folks came up on 4wheelers. After about an hour in a half digging and pulling I'm out.

I'm in Pineville OR on hwy 27 heading on the TAT. I will be posting full write-up for yesterday once I get to a hotel for the evening. Also I must add ATT is a horrible choice for cell service while on this trip, I think I will stop and get a Verizon prepay.

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Glad you are alright! I knew something was amiss. Looking forward to the story lol.
 
Can't wait for the write up on all that!

Say what you will about Verizon but I've stayed with them because in my experience mountain biking in semi remote areas in Texas and Colorado I've had much greater success than my friends on AT&T and Sprint. Of course when you get actually remote none of them are going to have service. Verizon at least gives you the best odds.
 
Thanks for the concern. I am alright now. I was stuck on the side if Wolf Mountain in OR since about 3pm PST I woke this morning more stuck than yesterday since the snow re froze over night. Thankfully while cooking my breakfast about to make the 30+mile hike some folks came up on 4wheelers. After about an hour in a half digging and pulling I'm out.

I'm in Pineville OR on hwy 27 heading on the TAT. I will be posting full write-up for yesterday once I get to a hotel for the evening. Also I must add ATT is a horrible choice for cell service while on this trip, I think I will stop and get a Verizon prepay.

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Verizon phone is a must!


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DAY 17 & 18

WOW!! Man what a last couple days!!! As with many things in my life the past couple days have been lessons wrapped in blessings!!
When I started planning this trip in 2012 it was based off of a forum I was reading (like y'all ) about someone in a Tacoma (I work in Automotive and LOVE Toyota and they have paid me well!!) Traveling across the US. I started mapping places I wanted to go in mine, these place are in the map I shared on here. About a yr later I found out about the Trans America Trail and it was everything I wanted. Off road and I could enjoy most if the places I wanted to see in my map. I figured the perfect time to take the trip was Apr. Winter would ve too cold and summer too Hot i was available spring so None the less, long story short I never planned for snow!! After all where I'm from its 90° right now!

I should have known after the first time getting stuck scare for 3hr on the side of mountain with no cell signal in the snow. Snow is my nemesis!!! I can across some today and thought again like a dummy that I could handle it!! Well turns out hauling ass toward a batch of snow is not the best approach!! I was stuck from 2-3pm pst till 10ish the next day, I know I'm a dummy!!!
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After trying to get out I decided to try cell signal to call for help but nothing. Lucky I had stopped to get groceries, and I have made a habbit of getting gas at half a tank or b4 big climb, so I could camp if need be. I was still stressed though because ultimately I was fine however I didn't have the choice to leave when I wanted as I have always had. So I changed into dry undies, and slept very well for the circumstances believe it or not. Once I woke up I was hoping that running the engine for hrs the day b4 and then hrs in the am (I turned it off to sleep) would melt the snow enough to get out, I was wrong. I was still WAY stuck. So I cooked some breakfast and had started to make coffee when out of nowhere I was blessed with Tony, his son Garret and dog to help me get unstuck!!!

I have lots of video that I will get out soon!

After getting unstuck I continued on and got rerouted a couple times today because there is NO WAY I will go through snow again. I came to the conclusion that I wanted a hotel and deserved it. The ones in the little towns I was in were too high so I looked in a town I knew the name of, Eugene OR. Turns out a bunch of motivated people got together and decided they wanted to run FOR FUN!! So all the hotels were taken, also interesting notes when u look on Google for a hotel, the phone sets it's own date not today's date. That said I'm overpaying tremendously for a room, that's 100miles from where I need to be (slightly misinterpreted themap!!) I will get the video up tomorrow, tonight I'm ready to chill and relax. Here are the pics from everything!!



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In Oregon I stayed at Farewell Bend state park which was only OK. I would have rather tayed down the Rd on the side of the river. Nine the less the scenery leaving was great
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Made it all the way to Oregon without one of these
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My Nemesis showed up early
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At one point I had to break out the chain saw and cut a tree blocki g the path just to come up to snow I refused to drive on.
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Then out of nowhere I got ballsy and decided that I could do it!! Well I was stuck. I tried everything. Even this!!!
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The back bumper is officially ready for replacing between Moab and my redneck engineering!!
Knowing I was stuck I figured that I would make a sign just so if anybody came up on me during the night.

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Lucky I'm out now!! Thanks for those that were concerned. Know if you don't hear from me for 24full hrs theres probably a problem!! I have tons of video hopefully I can get loaded but I'm best so I will talk to y'all l8er

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Verizon phone is a must!


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Hello Mom!
You should know that there are many on this forum that would help your son. All he has to do is ask and the word will go out.
Tell him instead of depending on a cell signal, a CB radio is what he needs to get local help in case of trouble.
 
Hello Mom!
You should know that there are many on this forum that would help your son. All he has to do is ask and the word will go out.
Tell him instead of depending on a cell signal, a CB radio is what he needs to get local help in case of trouble.
I wondered about that. If I'm hardly getting FM would I get CB? For any real distance that is. The closest police/fire was 39miles. I didn't even know places like this existed!!! Meanwhile Tony & Garret had signal on a Verizon phone.

BTW I'm truly greatful for everyone following because of this forum I feel I am not alone on my Journey and that's awesome because after all the only thing we all know about one another is that we have similar interests in vehicles, and apparently traveling with no plans!!! Thanks everyone and

Stay Tuned

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[MENTION=95539]SIRWILLYSC[/MENTION] Which cell service provider are you using currently? I used to have Verizon but switched to Google Fi, which utilizes T-Mobile, Sprint, and other networks, but (to the best of my knowledge) not Verizon.
 
I wondered about that. If I'm hardly getting FM would I get CB? For any real distance that is. The closest police/fire was 39miles. I didn't even know places like this existed!!! Meanwhile Tony & Garret had signal on a Verizon phone.

BTW I'm truly greatful for everyone following because of this forum I feel I am not alone on my Journey and that's awesome because after all the only thing we all know about one another is that we have similar interests in vehicles, and apparently traveling with no plans!!! Thanks everyone and

Stay Tuned

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CB only has so much range, you need someone kinda close (depending on your setup that could be anywhere from 2 to 10 miles) monitoring the channel. If you plan on future trips getting your tech (or general) license and a decent radio is a good idea, if there is a monitored repeater in range you have a good chance of getting someone.

If you are concerned about not being able to contact anyone what I would recommend is a delorme in-reach, it's expensive but you can also just rent them for when you need it. CB is cheap though, and its good for trail rides, so I would recommend a decent magnet mount antenna and CB radio in addition to whatever else you do.
 
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