overtherainbo Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Hello, Fellow Babies, and TommyK. Drove cross country in my '77 GMC van to attend my brother's wedding at the family ranch in El Dorado County, California a few years back. Yeah, yeah, point of pride, my ol' van, 7000 mile trip to the Coast and back, and I had to replace the light dimmer switch. Trucks are for forever. I had been rebuilding and upholstering the interior, and installed some circuits with an external marine hook-up so I could camp along the way. I did a little tinkering with the engine, but I'm just a hobby mechanic, so before I left town, I had my mechanic throughly check my van. I had a freaking great time along the way. But wait, there's more... . I left Virginia Beach on May 29, and in Virginia there was no doubt that Spring was in high gear and had kicked Winter outta town. Rain had washed vast amounts of bright green pollen into the gutters, the whole countryside seemed to have a light green haze; in fact, there were warnings in the news that the unusual amount of pollen had created a breathing hazard for asthmatics and elderly people. So I set out with my trusty little collie, Ladybug, and together we made lots of camping side trips so I was about a week gettin' to Kansas. I stayed with friends on their little farm in eastern Kansas. Had a great visit, and after about three days I set out north on Rt. 59 back up to Interstate 70 West. After several hours I could see overcast skies ahead; and for the rest of the day I traveled through increasingly heavy rain. The kind of rain where you can't see more than maybe 200 feet -- thankfully most of the other drivers were traveling at a reasonable speed. After dark the rain turned into a great, whacking snowstorm with visibility about 40 feet --- it was June 10th! Yikes! You didn't really think a little thing like a huge snowstorm would get me to check into a motel? Really? Hey, I've driven my motorcycle on ice lots of times, my friends all know I'm crazy... I just wasn't ready for that. I actually had left a few days early, because David called and sounded so forlorn and lonely on the phone, "Aren't you gonna make my wedding?" So I had left before I put the insulation and new paneling in on the driver's side. And I didn't have a winter coat! I admit that part is dumb... I grew up in the western Sierras. But I was still at least a hundred miles from the mountains --- in summer! All the way out I had hot summer weather, In fact I was impressed with the heat and humidity in Kansas, and in retrospect I'm still surprised that the local Leos didn't think it was important to warn tourists away from fields that might spontaneously break out in pop corn... By the time I got to Denver, my friends had to use an ice pick and hot water to get me and Ladybug outta the van. Guess I have the typical western attitude, " You eastern dudes wanna talk 'snow storms' with me? Snort ! !" But my experience tells me now that snow storms - in and out of season - are likely to provide the greatest danger... Apparently it's never smart not to worry about road conditions in the mountains. milod, rct, Bender 4 Life have good information. The rest of the trip on rt. 80 through Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada was cool, but bearable. But it was a good lesson that driving in the mountains can have snow well into summer. You have to remember the winter lasts much longer and the season begins earlier in the mountains - or ****when you are traveling significantly above sea level. I didn't realize the trip from Topeka, Kansas was lifting me to 4 or 5000 feet above sea level. Your kids should have a good set of emergency stuff with them. Tire chains, road flares, cell phones, maps, blankets, protein bars, *freaking winter coats*, liter bottles of water in case the engine overheats, ... you can think of lots more good stuff. Like milod said, "a winter survival kit" is a very definite good idea. And a little time spent to make sure your kids know how to get the tire chains on the tire. Part of my confidence is that Interstate 70 and 80 is heavily traveled by truckers - professional drivers - truckers down shift at the top of a grade so the engine can assist with the braking - always. And it seemed to me that the drivers I encountered on the western highways were more considerate than in Virginia Beach where the open highway is still novel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overtherainbo Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 He Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rogerb Posted September 23, 2011 Share Posted September 23, 2011 Don't ride the breaks when comeing down long down hill runs. Pick a lower gear. But don't let the RPM red line either. I grew up in the Smoky Mountains of east Tennessee. This was the advise I was going to offer as well. I have seen bad wrecks caused by riding your breaks going down the mountain. Use the "slow low gear" and save your breaks!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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