Go West Young Man... An Epic Journey...

bigfelipe

bigfelipe

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The preparations are in full swing... T minus 14 days until liftoff for the Ol' Pilot... You'll want to watch this one...

In a nutshell... more or less...

So after spending most of the year working in the post apocalyptic wasteland of death and destruction that is Florida, where the bodies are piling up in the streets and everyone is stricken with Covid and dying on respirators (according to the media), I'm ready to escape...

I have less than 2 weeks to finish my preparations, then my epic journey begins...


Around the 17th of September, I'll be heading out in the RV west over the Appalachians, up through Kentucky and Missouri into the Midwest and up to South Dakota... And that's just the beginning...

From there I'll head west to Yellowstone and the Tetons and south through Utah, hitting Zion, Arches, Grand Staircase, Reef, and Bryce Canyon, before passing through the Four Corners on the way down to Sedona and the South Rim of the Canyon...

After that, I'll make my way through Arizona to Saguaro NP and Carlsbad Caverns, passing Marfa, on my way to Terlingua for the annual Chili Cook-off before hitting up Big Bend and and the Rio Grande...

From there it's pretty open-ended on the drive back... Maybe Austin to Shreveport on to Beale Street in Memphis and the Rock&Roll highway back through the South and on home just in time for Thanksgiving...


3 years or more in the making... Finally going to pull the trigger...



Check out the thread I'm going to be running on the RV preps/mods... Pics to come

The RV prep/upgrade thread...

Getting the Ol' Pilot ready for action... Many things to do... Many things already done... The list is growing... Besides a wash, fluid changes, and packing, I am upgrading the solar panel system, batteries, electric/USB/12 outlets, and the entertainment center is mostly being deleted in favor...
carolinafirearmsforum.com
 
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So it begins... Left yesterday and spent the night in Franklin/Cowee NC. This morning I'm pushing through TN on my way to Kentucky. Ocoee River byway is beautiful...


My view last night...
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Good beer in these parts...
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Cute little guy wandered into my camper 😂

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Driving through the mountains... Had to stop and take it all in...

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Moving on...
 
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I’ve been waiting a hot minute here.
Details, man.
 
Jeppo said:
I can see it now…

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Click to expand...
My wife and I went to buy something she found on facebook marketplace last year. Pulled up at the house and the first thing I noticed was the Giant Sunflowers they had in the front yard. They were at least 15' tall and covered their second story windows. The next thing was the replica of the family truckster in the driveway. It was awesome! He had all the luggage stored in the back. I have never seen a copy done as well. My wife was begging me to go get this junk for sale originally and then she was begging me to leave after we got there. Fun times.

Sorry for the highjack @bigfelipe Look forward to hearing about your adventure!
 
Updated... Stopped by a little drive in for a burger and moving on...

Shake Shack since 1959... Delicious...
 
Make sure you're ready for cold weather, was near freezing over night in yellowstone when i went in late aug. Weather here in sd will start to get more seasonable (60's daytime, 30s-40s nightime) starting next week.

Also be ready for limited services in campgrounds, most are switching to off season.
 
Diablos said:
Make sure you're ready for cold weather, was near freezing over night in yellowstone when i went in late aug. Weather here in sd will start to get more seasonable (60's daytime, 30s-40s nightime) starting next week.

Also be ready for limited services in campgrounds, most are switching to off season.
Click to expand...
Yeah. I'm going to miss the 90° weather by a couple days... 😁
 
With all the parks you're stopping at, an annual pass would be well worth it. All parks out here charge for entry.
 
bigfelipe said:
So it begins... Left yesterday and spent the night in Franklin/Cowee NC. This morning I'm pushing through TN on my way to Kentucky. Ocoee River byway is beautiful...


My view last night...
View attachment 378084
Good beer in these parts...
View attachment 378085

Cute little guy wandered into my camper 😂

View attachment 378087


Driving through the mountains... Had to stop and take it all in...

View attachment 378088

Moving on...
Click to expand...
Big, I am so grateful that You are doing what so many of us old timers never took time to do.......Please, keep us up to date!!
 
Rolled through Souix Falls, SD yesterday. Hit up Woodgrain Brewing for some bevies and met the owner through a mutual friend. He sent me off with some barrel aged milk stout from his stash to sip on later...
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Hit up Bread and Circus for a wicked tasty fried chicken bahn mi,

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and then moved on to Porter Sculpture Park where I camped out for the night...

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So long day yesterday... Woke up and walked the Sculpture Park... Less creepy during the day, but still a metallic lovechild of Lewis Carroll and Dr Seuss, with a Touch of Dan Harmon's Rick&Morty for good measure... The sheer scale is amazing alone...

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If you ever happen by DEFINITELY stop and check it out... Totally worth the $10 to see this guy's talent.
 
After I hit the road from the park, I made my way through the middle of nowhere between Sioux Falls and Rapid City that is I90, on my way to Wall, SD...

I grabbed a coffee at this cute little parking lot shop run by a hilarious and friendly bird in a lot of animal print... She made a helluva latte...

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I stopped in Mitchell and saw the dig site of a 1000+ year old Sioux settlement. Pretty interesting and on athe site of a damned river making a beautiful lake...

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After driving through a few small towns looking for propane, I finally got the tank topped off and then... Randomly drove right by this...

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Boyd's Gunstocks is in nowhere SD... How random? They didn't have a showroom or store, so I moved on...

I grabbed a burger and rings at a local native staffed diner and piece of homemade apple pie to go. The owner told me she brings the apples from the tree at her house as she loaded the fresh pies into the case beside my table... Back on the road... Passing all the tourist traps along the way... Corn Palaces, Reptile Gardens, fake old west towns, and casinos... I did stop by the Lewis&Clark overlook and rest stop since I needed a break anyway. The Dignity Statue is quite impressive.

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Other than the statue, the overlook was mostly the highway and a funny sign warning of snakes ..

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The Missouri River is in the background. It's a nice stretch I've seen before... Back on the road to Wall... Beautiful country even on the highway...

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