Three Week, 5200 Mile Trip Done (update w/Fuel Mileage)
I DW, the dog and I just finished a 5,200 mile three week trip to the Rushmore area, Yellowstone, Mt. Hood area and the Oregon coast at Cape Blanco. We had an amazing time and my wife likened the trip to a second honeymoon. I planned the entire trip including all activities and campgrounds. She said I “wowed” her. Not bad that after 33 years of marriage and 40 years of being together I can still Wow her.
So a few observations about the trip:
1) TPMS systems are those don’t leave home without them item. I’ve had mine since 2012 and love the peace of mind they provide in knowing tire pressures and temperatures at all times. I don’t have metal valve stems because I can’t find one that fits my wheels. However, I do have high pressure valve stems which have metal in them and are stronger. They have worked for 10,000 miles plus. Maybe I’ve just been lucky, not sure.
2) Wind DOES have an impact on tire temperatures. On one stretch of I80 we were driving east with a 20 mph wind out of the south most of the day. The left side tires were in the shade but were 12-14 degrees hotter than the right side tires that were in the direct sunlight. As soon as I turned south the temperatures all changed. We had the same issue driving east on I70 the next day. The extra side load on the rig caused the left side tires to run hotter in these two situations.
3) Tire blow outs are a scary thing, even when they don’t happen to you. We were cruising in the right lane at 65 mph going east on I80 in southern Wyoming. An F250 pulling a newer Raptor 5ver passed me on the left. At about 50 yards in front of my truck, as would be normal, he pulled over in front of me. Just as he pulled over into my lane the right rear tire on the Raptor blew with the loudest bang I have ever heard while driving. Frankly it scared the bejesus out of me and my wife. He immediately shut it down and pulled onto the shoulder.
4) Many, many people towing cargo trailers, pop-ups, travel trailers and 5vers are towing way over the speed limits of their tires. While I obviously can’t vouch for the speed ratings of the tires on those rigs I can tell you that in 5,200 miles I had dozens and dozens of rigs pass me at 70, 75 and maybe faster. I find it hard to believe that those rigs ALL have tires rated for 70 & 75 mph.
5) Rushmore was a bit of a letdown, Crazy Horse, even though not close to being finished, is much more impressive. The Candlelight Tour of Wind Cave is highly recommended. We stayed at The Roost Resort in Custer and loved the place immensely. They have one pull through site that I wondered if I was going to be able to get into but we managed ok.
6) Yellowstone was amazing and a ton of driving but we knew that going in. I highly recommend an early start to beat the crowds. We woke up at 4:00 am, entered the park by 5:00 am and concluded ours day’s events by 2:00 pm. This made for much more enjoyable experience because we avoided the crowds this way. We stayed in West Yellowstone at the Buffalo Crossing RV Park which is right at the west entrance to the park. Everything you need is within walking distance of the RV Park.
7) Mt. Hood is an excellent stop with 100’s of possible hikes on the mountain. We went on two hikes and saw some pretty cool waterfalls. Umbrella falls was the coolest of all. In total we hiked 9.5 miles in two days on the mountain. Tollbridge County Park south of Hood River is a nice quite park for a night camp to access all areas of the Hood Mountain area. I recommend site #16 if you like privacy.
8) Cape Blanco State Park is to die for. This park is as far west as you can possibly go in the continental U.S. We spent most of 2 days just hanging out on the beach. A third day cruising around Port Orford looking at a number of things you might see in a sea port. We had lunch at a small restaurant on the dock that had very good fish and chips.
9) Google maps GPS function is really bad sometimes. Twice on the way home it directed me down dirt roads. Once it directed us down a dirt road for about 15 miles at 20 mph and I had to flag down to young boys and ask for the quickest way to a paved highway. The second time was only about three miles.
10) The trip home was four days of driving and included overnight stops at the following:
a. Crystal Crane Hot Springs in Burns, OR. A nice place for an overnight. Only 30 amps available. We had an excellent soak in the hot spring pond.
b. Castle Rocks State Park at Almo, ID. A little off the beaten path but worth the side trip to get to it. Nice mostly flat blacktop RV sites with 50 amp service.
c. St. Vrain State Park at Longmont, CO. A nice park right off of I25 at Longmont with 50 amp service. My only issue is that there’s very few mature trees so it’s kind of out in the open. The park is neat, clean, with level concrete pads and very easy to get to off of the interstate.
So a few observations about the trip:
1) TPMS systems are those don’t leave home without them item. I’ve had mine since 2012 and love the peace of mind they provide in knowing tire pressures and temperatures at all times. I don’t have metal valve stems because I can’t find one that fits my wheels. However, I do have high pressure valve stems which have metal in them and are stronger. They have worked for 10,000 miles plus. Maybe I’ve just been lucky, not sure.
2) Wind DOES have an impact on tire temperatures. On one stretch of I80 we were driving east with a 20 mph wind out of the south most of the day. The left side tires were in the shade but were 12-14 degrees hotter than the right side tires that were in the direct sunlight. As soon as I turned south the temperatures all changed. We had the same issue driving east on I70 the next day. The extra side load on the rig caused the left side tires to run hotter in these two situations.
3) Tire blow outs are a scary thing, even when they don’t happen to you. We were cruising in the right lane at 65 mph going east on I80 in southern Wyoming. An F250 pulling a newer Raptor 5ver passed me on the left. At about 50 yards in front of my truck, as would be normal, he pulled over in front of me. Just as he pulled over into my lane the right rear tire on the Raptor blew with the loudest bang I have ever heard while driving. Frankly it scared the bejesus out of me and my wife. He immediately shut it down and pulled onto the shoulder.
4) Many, many people towing cargo trailers, pop-ups, travel trailers and 5vers are towing way over the speed limits of their tires. While I obviously can’t vouch for the speed ratings of the tires on those rigs I can tell you that in 5,200 miles I had dozens and dozens of rigs pass me at 70, 75 and maybe faster. I find it hard to believe that those rigs ALL have tires rated for 70 & 75 mph.
5) Rushmore was a bit of a letdown, Crazy Horse, even though not close to being finished, is much more impressive. The Candlelight Tour of Wind Cave is highly recommended. We stayed at The Roost Resort in Custer and loved the place immensely. They have one pull through site that I wondered if I was going to be able to get into but we managed ok.
6) Yellowstone was amazing and a ton of driving but we knew that going in. I highly recommend an early start to beat the crowds. We woke up at 4:00 am, entered the park by 5:00 am and concluded ours day’s events by 2:00 pm. This made for much more enjoyable experience because we avoided the crowds this way. We stayed in West Yellowstone at the Buffalo Crossing RV Park which is right at the west entrance to the park. Everything you need is within walking distance of the RV Park.
7) Mt. Hood is an excellent stop with 100’s of possible hikes on the mountain. We went on two hikes and saw some pretty cool waterfalls. Umbrella falls was the coolest of all. In total we hiked 9.5 miles in two days on the mountain. Tollbridge County Park south of Hood River is a nice quite park for a night camp to access all areas of the Hood Mountain area. I recommend site #16 if you like privacy.
8) Cape Blanco State Park is to die for. This park is as far west as you can possibly go in the continental U.S. We spent most of 2 days just hanging out on the beach. A third day cruising around Port Orford looking at a number of things you might see in a sea port. We had lunch at a small restaurant on the dock that had very good fish and chips.
9) Google maps GPS function is really bad sometimes. Twice on the way home it directed me down dirt roads. Once it directed us down a dirt road for about 15 miles at 20 mph and I had to flag down to young boys and ask for the quickest way to a paved highway. The second time was only about three miles.
10) The trip home was four days of driving and included overnight stops at the following:
a. Crystal Crane Hot Springs in Burns, OR. A nice place for an overnight. Only 30 amps available. We had an excellent soak in the hot spring pond.
b. Castle Rocks State Park at Almo, ID. A little off the beaten path but worth the side trip to get to it. Nice mostly flat blacktop RV sites with 50 amp service.
c. St. Vrain State Park at Longmont, CO. A nice park right off of I25 at Longmont with 50 amp service. My only issue is that there’s very few mature trees so it’s kind of out in the open. The park is neat, clean, with level concrete pads and very easy to get to off of the interstate.
