Musings of a FT Adventure

(AKA – If the pioneers did it so can we)

Log

Wed

6/12/2

Night before – what’s wrong with the clock? Oh, G’s it’s only 0215 hrs, now 0311 hrs, 1 eye open, 0404 hrs. What time were we gonna leave?

Thurs

6/13/2

Ah, it’s time to get up – lots to do – so little time – last min details – prioritize – go over 4 list in head & paper – co-driver Ed’s here – load up his gear - 4 & 44 hitch, light, safety chain, etc. etc – pulling out at 0820 hrs – trailer tracking well – 1^st hill tells this trailer is heavy – well built but HEAVY – rte 20 to Grass Valley – good test of trailering skills & vehicle capabilities – 1^st stop – rest area Donner Summit - 4equip – all is well – down from the summit – less fun than going up or level. Reno traffic – trailer much wider than tow vehicle – don’t forget! Settling in for interstate driving. Speed limit 75 in Nev – rig likes that speed – trailer tows well at high speeds – ramps in basket noisy – turn up the radio. Salt Lake City – here we come! What’s that smell? Ed say’s “brackish water”. Good Bye Salt Lake – Gallup NM you’re next. Best driving hours 2000 to 0100 hrs – cooler, less traffic. 1^st night sleep in a truck stop. Truckers leave engines running all night. Big noises, bright parking lot lights – I’ll never get to . . . . .

Fri

6/14/2

Wow, it’s daybreak – time to hit the road. Trip-tik good idea. Other states have better hwy markings – California worst! Making good time. Albuquerque here we come. POW – what was that noise? Must have been a blow out on an 18 wheeler going the other way – divided hwy – flap, flap, flap – oh darn – it was us – Ed driving – left rear on tow rig. Shoulder not wide enough – too dangerous to change tire – wide shallow grassy area between us & frontage road. Decision to traverse to frontage road a good one – much safer. Working as a team – back on the road in 20 minutes. Thoughts go to tire warranty – spare tire etc. etc. – keep carcass for warranty purpose. Albuquerque at night – tire store closed. Amarillo our best bet. Hey we’re in TX already. What’s with this rain? Catch some sleep in the Amarillo truck stop. Rain pounding on the rooftop, or is that hail? Wind moving vehicle. So noisy I’ll never get to . . . .

Sat

6/15/2

Wow, it’s daybreak already. Grab a cup of coffee and a sweet roll. Re-trace route looking for tire store. There it is, America’s Tire Store. Take the next off-ramp, double back. Great efficient service. On our way in 30 minutes. Looking for Dallas. Looking for way around Dallas. This town rivals L A. Next stop Shreveport LA. Arrived Ed’s daughter’s beautiful new home, southern architecture, bricks & columns. Nice shower, fresh clothes, good Mexican food, real bed. Slept like a log.

Sun
6/16/2

Sunday morning spend cleaning the rig, getting it serviced, out-fitted for return trip. Sunday afternoon driving around Shreveport. Thoughts naturally go to early morning start, return trip via Tyler TX!

Mon

6/17/2

Lv Shreveport 0630 hrs – arr Tyler, TX 0820 hrs. THERE IT IS! Parked out front – it was love at first sight. Road test – Runs good – typical old truck steering & brakes. I’ll take him – let’s load him up. Drive FT on trailer – whoa, trailer groans & squats. FT much heavier than I was told. Oh well, that’s the card I was dealt. Let’s play it. Secure Rig to trailer. 1^st stage of protecting rig from possible sand storm – rain storm – hail storm – stone bruises, etc. = wrap entire rig in commercial Saran wrap – yep, that’s right tough grade Saran wrap – it’s used commercially to wrap cargo of every size & description why not a FT. I had purchased 4 rolls of 1000’ ea. – roll 2’ width w/ 2” core – I fashioned a sword style fixture out of 1” PVCpipe to facilitate applying said wrap – upon using 2 rolls the rig is pretty well protected – we then covered w/ trucker’s tarp affixed w/ numerous bungee cords. Off we go! – I was afraid of that – load not right – trailer fishtails above 30MPH. – Smoke coming from trailer rt side – pull onto narrow shoulder – cars going by like bullets – tire rubbing – remove fender – damn this is not a good sign – look for shady spot Õ to deal w/ problem – TX hot is Hades hot – drove 10 mi - found Flea Mkt on Rt #69 in a grove of trees – evaluated situation – only option is to take rig off & back it on – need to get some tongue wt – proceeded to undo tarps – able to drive Saran wrapped FT off trailer – turn around & back on – new problem – tail board approx 3” from back of Suburban – negates turning – upon evaluation determined tailboard had to be removed. This is where Flea Mkt owners come in – besides offering much unappreciated advice (at this point we are in a bad mood, to put it mildly) – they do furnish us w/ a much needed hack saw & blades. We had to cut through (2) 1 ½” X 1 ½” 3/16” angle iron & break off (16) ¼” well rusted elevator bolts – this gained us approx 12” clearance – now we can turn but not too far! Not to forget this! “Maneuverability compromised” – Flea Mkt owner great example of So hospitality – friendly, helpful, insisted we use facilities, etc. – 6 hrs later we are re-loaded & ready for test run – PTL it tows great – Calif here we come. What a relief. Wow! Every hill or change in elevation either a struggle or a concern. Where did all these mtns & canyons come from? They weren’t there , or at least much smaller, on the way out – hold your breath on the way up the summit (come on baby PULL) – white knuckle time on the way down – Donner Summit the worst pull going up & no fun going down either! (prayers worked well here)

Tue 6/18/2

Re-traced our route – drive – drive – drive (min 18 hrs a day)

thru Thurs

6/20/2

Suburban performed above & beyond. So did trailer. So did we

7 days, 6 hours & 4,387 miles later we are home & I am kissing the ground in our driveway.

I’m the proud owner of a ’34 GMC Fire Truck.

Who said “I’ll never get to Paradise.” Not me. The pioneers did it and so did we.