Notes From 6400 Mile Trip in 4104

[gus]

Some 4104 Trip Notes

We just arrived home in AR at 8 PM yesterday. The trip was 6400 miles with no problems with the bus. My engine oil leaks continue. They stopped completely for two days after Don Fairchild in Bakersfield, CA changed the valve cover and gasket plus sealing some oil line fittings. I lost a chunk of left rear tire tread (Probably from running over curbs in parking lots!) and the RF air bag appears to be falling apart, but made it home ok.

We traveled through AR, OK, TX, NM, AZ, CA, OR, WA, ID, MT, WY, SD, IA, MO and home to AR. Diesel was most expensive in SD and Southern California (By far the most expensive). Even Northern CA wasn't too bad. WY and Northern Missouri around and south of Kansas City were the cheapest. The most we paid was $3.12 in Wall, SD and the lowest was $2.67 in Thayer, MO.

               
               Good WalMart Locations;

Shawnee, OK - Good location right on the Interstate, good choice of parking spots..

Stockton, CA - Confusing to get to because of highway interchange construction nearby. Right off US99, use the crosstown freeway if on I5.

Hereford, TX - Nice WalMart but there is a free town park with hookups about four blocks east of WM on a nice lake.

Las Cruces, NM  - Good location just off I10.

More notes later;

[jjrbus]

Sounds like a goot trip! Thanks for the report. You can stop all oil leaks on a detroit by drainng all the oil from the engine. Painting them Cat yellow does not work.

[Gary '79 5C]

Gus,
Congrats on a great trip and sharing with us. If a slight oil leak and diesel prices were the only problems, then it is a fantastic life we have being able to travel as we do.
I long for the days to take an extended trip as you have.
Still working in NJ
Gary

[Kwajdiver]

Gus,

Thanks for the report.  How many miles a day did you drive?

Bill

[superpickle]

Well, ya went right by, and didnt say Hi.. 




(sticks out tongue)

[gus]

The most miles in a day was 427 and the least was 164, it all depended on what we wanted to see. We also visited a few friends for 2-4 days each.

pickle,

We left on 4/25 before you registered and since you don't say where you are I didn't know when we passed!!

Continuation of Report;

Ukiah, CA - Good location.  Very small, tight parking lot and store. (US101 is a beautiful drive. For a real thrill take the crooked, narrow, scenic drive on US199 from Crescent City, CA to Grants Pass, OR! I don't recommend this for forty footers.)

Wenatchee, WA - Really scenic view in front if you get there early for the choice spots just above the front drive up the hill, a very nice and large parking lot and store.

Gillette, WY -  Right on the Interstate, good choice of parking spots.

Sioux Falls, SD - Nice large parking lot next to Sam's Club. We parked in the SC lot because the WM was super busy and SC opens much later in the morning, the lot was empty when we left.

Kansas City, MO - There is a convenient WM location just off I29 but we chose to continue further south on I29/US71 to the Isle of Capri Casino. (Park to the right in the truck parking, don't make the mistake of trying to drive up in front of the casino!!)

The only sour note is that the clueless city fathers and RV park owners of Missoula and Billings, MT seem to think that banning overnight parking at WM will force us to stay in their local RV Parks. Of course just the opposite happens, we made sure not to stay there, buy fuel or otherwise spend any money in either city. These were the only places in all our travels that had this policy and I'm sending critical emails to them explaining the folly of their thinking. Quite a contrast to the free city park hookups in Hereford, TX!

More to follow;

[skipn]

Gus,

    If traveling from Billings to Missoula or vice versa if you go through Helena the local
WM lets people stay and it is only 15 minutes more for traveling.  Besides I only
live three miles from WM and would have loved to visit with you.


Skip

[gus]

Skip,

Never thought about Helena. It looks much more out of the way than you say but you should know. I've landed at the airport there a few times and found it to be a friendly place.

With the Missoula and Billings RV unfriendly policies I just assumed this was a MT thing, glad to hear about Helena and will definitely plan on Helena if we pass again. Thanks for the invitation, will take you up on it.

[skipn]

   Gus,

    It is mostly a Missoula and Billings thing. They think they want to be a big city. We have a lot of
beautiful places with friendly people. It may be a little off the beaten path but in those places if
one arrives with respect they will truly be treated like family. With the way Helena is growing I am
afraid that it will be like the other 2 within five years. 

    For that they call it progress.

  Catch you next time.
Skip

[Dallas]

I used to, at one time, live in Billings, Bozeman, Livingston, West Yellowstone, and a few other places in that section of Montana.

My favorite place to stop was west of Billings about 40 miles, Columbus. There is a free campground there, or there was, by driving all the way through town and heading toward the river. Also, there is a "Towne Pump" Truckstop/convenience center right by the freeway.

Another Excellent place to stop is another 20 miles or so farther at Grey Cliff. Not much there but a prairie dog town that is a protected place and fun to watch the critters, and a bar/restaurant that serves some of the best food in 100 miles. They don't mind if you park your bus/rv on their lot for a day or two.

Again, I haven't been there for a few years, but those are fond memories. especially the bar! 

When we travel, we try to stay away from large population centers because they aren't bus/rv friendly any more, and part of it is because as Skip says, "They think they want to be a big city." Besides, we have a lot more fun poking around in little towns and out of the way places.

I'm sorry you had such a difficult time in Montana, Most of the people are friendly, is somewhat reserved. they wait to see how you are going to act before they'll open up to you.

Dallas

GO BUSSING!

[pvcces]

We had the same problems with Missoula and more. They have a permit system downtown that is geared to benefit locals and drive vistors out. Not for me. Our policy is to support those who support us.

You can ad Grants Pass, OR, to the list. Their attitude was just about the same. A car rental outfit worked us over, and I watched them do it to others.

So, we go elsewhere.

Tom Caffrey

[bobofthenorth]

I hope this doesn't hijack the thread but its really amusing to me how many communities just don't get it.  Take my own hometown for instance.  Agriculture and tourism are the only two industries in town.  We are on the trans Canada snowmobile route and we have several fish derbies in the summer.  20 years ago my partner was in charge of one of the larger derbies.  He couldn't get the gas stations and restaurants to open before 8:00 AM for 3 days during the derby to serve the fishermen.  We're talking about 160 teams competing for well over $100,000 in prizes and the local merchants couldn't see that it was in their own self interest to make it work.  That has changed but it took a long time and a lot of work. 

[gus]

Dallas,

That is good info on Columbus and Grey Cliff. I used to land at the small Columbus airport in my small plane, very friendly place. I had no other problems in MT other than Missoula and Billings and I am still composing by email to those ill-advised city fathers.

Good to know about Grants Pass also, we went right through there but didn't stop.

More Trip Report;

                                                        Miscellaneous
For 'touristy" stuff the Redwoods in CA on US101 and the Smith River along US199 in CA/OR, the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in MT and The Badlands National Park on I90 in SD were definitely the highlights of the trip.

RV park info;


               Good RV Parks

San Diego, CA -  Santa Fe RV Park. Very friendly, nice park. Right off I5 close to everything except a restaurant. Tight quarters but lots of nice trees. Good Sam. We used it mostly because it was near a friend we were visiting. Good Sam.

Cresent City, CA - Hiouchi RV Resort. This is anything but a resort! Fair condition but not really appealing. No hot water and showers didn't work, low water pressure. Won't go there again.

Albany, OR - Blue Ox RV Park. Beautiful, very friendly folks, just off I5. Short       distance to "Lum Yuen's" excellent Chinese Restaurant. Still our number one RV park. I just hope they don't decide to become a "Resort"! Good Sam.

Clinton, MT - Ekstrom's Stage Station. Very isolated and quiet, right on a nice river. Medium quality grass parking spots. Excellent on-site restaurant. Very very friendly and laid back.  Most expensive of the trip, $30. I was obvious later that I could have gotten this priced reduced when I called if I had tried.

Hardin, MT - Grandview Camp & RV Park. Never did find the grand view but good access and very friendly owners; near the Interstate, restaurants and fuel. Small town near the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. Good Sam

Cedar Pass Campground , SD - This nice campground is inside the Badlands National Park on the east end not too far off I90. No hookups but a fantastic view and a nearby restaurant.

Last part of Report tomorrow;

[Dallas]

Dallas,

That is good info on Columbus and Grey Cliff. I used to land at the small Columbus airport in my small plane, very friendly place. I had no other problems in MT other than Missoula and Billings and I am still composing by email to those ill-advised city fathers.


Last part of Report tomorrow;

If you landed at Columbus, then you probably ate lunch at the end of the runway at the local bowling alley.
I lived half way down the runway across the street from the airplane hangers.

Another good stopping place is Reeds Point, MT. Not much there, but it's quiet and you can get a good nights sleep without anyone bothering you. Except maybe a curious coyote or jack rabbit.

Then, if your anywhere West of Missoula headed eastbound, there is an exit at MM72 that takes you to a glorius place to park right on the Clark Fork River. It's about 10 miles east of the state rest areas and looks like a little wide spot on the side of the freeway. Once you pull off there, it will open up and you'll see a road that goes down to the riverside. Cat and I use to stop there on our way back from Seattle just to sleep for the night, or to dig the fishing poles out of the truck and feed the fish. The state cop stops in about once per shift, but he won't bother you. He's just making sure there are no ne'er do wells lurking about. Sometimes he gets his pole out too.

There are lots of places to stop and enjoy the scenery in Montana, and the farther away you are from the tourist areas, the more you'll see.

Dallas

[gus]

Dallas,

Thanks, that MM72 spot sounds great.

Once, about ten years ago, when I landed at Columbus for fuel the place was deserted. I was about ready to go to another airport when another small plane landed. The pilot showed me how to turn on the fuel pump and I left a note with my address. I got a bill and sent a check, pretty common for really small airports around the country. I later on got another plane with a much longer range and never did stop there again but I missed it.