Moving Chicago to Seattle - Prepping the vehicle

[verman84]

My wife accepted a position in Seattle and her company is paying for the entire move (gas/frieght/meals/loging etc all tax assisted) from Chicago. They will drive all of our things out there and we will drive ourselves and enjoy the road trip. We leave in 2 weeks.

We have an 08 sr5 4x4 4.0 v6 w/120k miles and thankfully we won't be towing anything so I can just concentrate on enjoying the drive.

Here's a list of things I've done and plan on having done beforehand. I'm afraid with all of the other logistics of moving I'm to miss something.

We have some BFG Long Trails that only have 10k miles on them so they're good to go. The spare on the other hand isn't a matching tire so I'm going to have it inspected and possibly replaced if needed.

Already done

• Changed oil/filter/air filter
• Replaced original battery w/ Costco interstate 700cci battery
• Replaced front/rear diff and transfer case fluids
• Greased all driveline points

Need to do

• Tires rotated
• Check spare/replace if necessary
• Pick up a puncture kit
• Transmission fluid drain/refill
• Coolant drain/refill
• Power steering drain/refill
• Overall inspection
• 5th gen brake swap - I want to get this done immediately so that I can ensure its working before we leave. We've got some frozen calipers that are very noticeable.
• Clamp loose CV boot and re-lube.
• Would love to have my sway bar end links & bushings replaced as well. It just doesn't feel as tight as it used to.
• Fire extinguisher

 

[kiwiyoda]

More of an aside - I drove San Francisco to Charlotte a few years back with all of my possessions in and on top of the my 4runner. In all of the logistical confusion prior, I naively forgot to take a fire extinguisher. It occurred to me afterwards that had something caused even a small fire in the vehicle, somewhere isolated, I would have had no option but to stand on the side of the interstate and just watch everything burn.

So if you don't already have one......

 

[verman84]

Fire extinguisher.
So if you don't already have one......

It occurred to me last night before I went to bed and I forgot to write it down. Its a great thing to have in the vehicle at all times but especially on a long distance drive through the west in hot weather during fire season, it seems like a no brainer to me. I'll pick one up.

Thanks for the heads up, that was exactly the reason I wanted to post so that I could have multiple sets of eyes looking it over. I love my wife, but she's not much help in this department.

 

[JSeligman2828]

Welcome to the PNW! You'll love it out here. Weather should be nice and dry on the way out so it should be a fairly easy drive as you'll be on I90 the entire time I believe?

With that said I highly recommend stopping at a few places along the way if you have time..

I've only been here for 2.5 years but I would recommend stopping in Coeur d'Alene, ID right before you hit the border!

Did your wife get a job at one of the big 4? Amazon, MSFT, Boeing, or SBUX?

 

[nivlak]

I agree that stopping along I-90 Coeur d'Alene (CDA) area would be great. If you do, stop at Hudsons and get a burger https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hudsons-Hamburgers/50990737798

Or if you wanted the longer, more scenic route and wanted to camp along the way, go south of Missoula, MT and check out Lolo hot springs and drive highway 12 to Lewiston, ID and Clarkston, WA then up to Moscow, ID. If you make it to Moscow, ID on a saturday morning you should check out the farmers market. It is a huge even each week. Then while in Moscow pick up a gyro at Mikey's, a little hole in the wall Greek place. Then you can head up to CDA check out the lake then continue on I-90 through the desolate dry land farms and the such until you get to the Columbia Basin where things are irrigated and the you'll have to wash your rig from all the bugs...

Good luck. Best trips I've found are the long road trips. Take your time and enjoy!

 

[verman84]

I've been interested in moving out there since my first visit 12 years ago and my wife loved it the first time I brought her out there 6 years ago. We've talked about it for a long time but were waiting for our careers to solidify and the right opportunity to come along. When her company reached out with an offer to transfer and pay for the move, we figured that was the perfect opportunity. I love hiking, cycling, skiing, backpacking, and just being in the mountains. Plus it will give me a great place to hit some trails.

We're going to take 90 the whole way. We plan to stop at the badlands and mt rushmore, yellowstone if possible, and visit my brother in missoula. We're giving ourselves 5 days to do the whole trip, we have a flex day that we could add but my wife would have to start her new job the next day so we're trying to aim for 5.

As for Coeur d'Alene, we might try to stop for lunch or something as its just shy of halfway between Missoula and Seattle. It looks incredible. My brother and I have already started talking about using it as an annual meetup point to go camping etc.

My wife works for Starwood hotels (Sheraton, Westin, W etc) so she was able to transfer. I'll just look for something when I get there (web design/art director) I already met with some folks from Amazon this week so we'll see how that pans out.

I can't describe how excited I am to finally be somewhere close to mountains, 4x4 trails, etc. Coming from the midwest, I always had to fly to my backpacking trips or spend 8 hours driving to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I love the midwest but the terrain just isn't that interesting compared to out west.

 

[M1911]

I grew up in Evanston. There is a reason that I don't live there anymore. Good luck with your move.

 

[FI460]

It occurred to me last night before I went to bed and I forgot to write it down. Its a great thing to have in the vehicle at all times but especially on a long distance drive through the west in hot weather during fire season, it seems like a no brainer to me. I'll pick one up.

Thanks for the heads up, that was exactly the reason I wanted to post so that I could have multiple sets of eyes looking it over. I love my wife, but she's not much help in this department.

Can't beat the PNW in my opinion! Just the huge diversity in areas keeps me in the area. You can go from the mountains to the desert in no time.

The only advice I have to offer is bigger is better with a fire extinguisher. I saw a fire get out of hand a few years back because of that. My buddy and I each hit it with those little vehicle mounted fire extinguishers that you see everyone carry about 15 and 30 seconds after it started, and both extinguishers almost put it out! But almost wasn't good enough. We both carry 5 lb'ers in our rigs now.

 

[Blue15]

Gosh you should feel right at home, Seattle is not much different the Chicago, Seattle's is crime, drug and gang problem are out of control, which is why I'm always packing when I need to venture down that part of I-5, refuse to be another Seattle victim. Yep, like Chicago they also hate guns. They also have a socialist on City Council, not sure if Chicago has one of them nuts.

Aside from that, Welcome to PNW.

 

[fdbyrne]

When I was reading this thread I kept laughing at the regional (and personal) differences you get between people that live in Chicago, Seattle, and the rest of us that live elsewhere. Not laughing at the points of view, just the differences.

I can see the logic of having a fire extinguisher, puncture kit ect., but it wouldn't have occurred to me to add either. I would, on the other hand, add an extra cell phone charger and both a rifle and pistol with plenty of ammo just in case it turns into something out of a Mad Max movie. For any problem that the guns can't handle, the cell phone can.

I do agree with all the maintenance stuff though. Fresh fluids are always a good thing.

 

[radlynx]

replace your drivebelt if you have not done it yet.

 

[radlynx]

violence is pretty much everywhere. guns I believe just makes things worse. so to the OP, just stay away from road rage and you'll be fine.

When I was reading this thread I kept laughing at the regional (and personal) differences you get between people that live in Chicago, Seattle, and the rest of us that live elsewhere. Not laughing at the points of view, just the differences.

I can see the logic of having a fire extinguisher, puncture kit ect., but it wouldn't have occurred to me to add either. I would, on the other hand, add an extra cell phone charger and both a rifle and pistol with plenty of ammo just in case it turns into something out of a Mad Max movie. For any problem that the guns can't handle, the cell phone can.

I do agree with all the maintenance stuff though. Fresh fluids are always a good thing.

 

[fdbyrne]

Like I said, I'm not commenting on anybody else's opinion. I just think that it's funny the different mindsets that you see when you get people from all over the world in the same forum. To each their own.

The sum of my life experiences so far leads me to want to arm myself. Not everybody is going to feel that way.

 

[verman84]

I definitely appreciate everyone's input. None of it falls on deaf ears and I appreciate hearing different points of view collected from wildly different life experiences. And while I wouldn't mind discussing that sort of stuff somewhere else, I mostly wanted to keep this thread on track for long distance driving/maintenance just in case anyone else ventures in here looking for similar advice.

On a somewhat related note though, my guns will have to come with in the car as the freight company won't haul guns/ammo. I don't feel the need to have any of them readily accessible though and I can always brush up on local laws if needed but I honestly don't see it happening.

Are there any stretches that I should look out for specifically being sparse of gas stations/etc? I know I'm not going through Mongolia or anything but I know that there are parts of SD/Montana/Wyoming that go miles without seeing so much as a sign.

 

[chitown40]

k out for specifically being sparse of gas stations/etc? I know I'm not going through Mongolia or anything but I know that there are parts of SD/Montana/Wyoming that go miles without seeing so much as a sign.

Provided you are doing mostly interstate driving, there should be plenty of signs warning you on "Last gas for xxxx miles..."

 

[Gdmeadors]

I have made the trip on I-90 from Ann Arbor, MI to Portland several times without any problems. We did run into a thunderstorm or two with strong winds and hail. Nothing you have not already seen in Chicago though!

There are lots of fun and interesting places to see along the way, many of which have already been mentioned. I would not worry about running out of gas. Just fill up when you can. I usually would get gas when my tank was about half way empty. It is a fun drive and allowing five days is a fairly leisurely pace.

We live near Portland and always enjoy visiting Seattle. Have a safe trip and enjoy your drive.

 

[RunnerAK]

While its not prepping the vehicle, I'd recommend getting a AAA Plus membership before the trip (includes 100 miles of towing). It will pay for itself if something goes wrong and you need a tow, plus they will bring you gas, jump start your car, or unlock it if you get locked out. Good for peace of mind.