Insayn's 2013 road trip prep.

NRALIFR wrote:
Funny, I was just wondering where you've been just a few days ago.

When will this trip be? Hot and humid, that narrows it down to about April through September. :W


How long will you have? You've got a couple of kids, right? I see in your last post you'll be towing a "Yak-a-Haulit" and started to give you a WTH??? on that, but Googled it and and found your pics. :B You probably ought to check out floating the Buffalo River here in Arkansas.

Mid June through July, maybe into August. I have 11 weeks to work with, but don't plan to use all of it up on this trip alone.

Interested in history? Cowboy history, American Indian history, oil-boom history. There are many interesting, historical places in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas. My wife and I love driving around this part of the country, visiting little museums, old west towns, off the beaten path stuff.

There's a battlefield site in western OK that's associated with Gen. Custer. Ft Smith National Historic Site in Arkansas, The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, the Will Rogers Museum and the J M Davis Gun Museum in Claremore, OK. The Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, OK (world's largest, most comprehensive collection of art and artifacts of the American West), Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, AR (home of WalMart), Poverty Point in Louisiana (one of the oldest and largest prehistoric Native American culture sites known in North America) are all worthy destinations.

Museums are cool, and we'll certainly look into some of them. I'm not really a history buff, but do get caught up in it in some ways when researching places to metal detect.

And, there are Civil War sites in this part of the country that just shouldn't be missed, like the Shilo and Corinth Battlefields, Pea Ridge, Wilsons Creek, Vicksburg (the remains of the ironclad USS Cairo is there. It's so cool!). Speaking of riverboats, if you can make it up to Kansas City, MO you have to see the Steamboat Arabia Museum (sank in 1856 on the "Big Muddy" Missouri River with a full cargo hold, located and dug up from a cornfield in 1988 by private individuals and the entire salvaged cargo is on display in the museum). There's a lot to see, for sure.

I hope to find some areas legal to swing my MD's, as I do plan to bring the along.

Regarding your proposed truck upgrades, I've done a lot of the same things to my '95 F350. Most of the big stuff is on my profile page. Since you tow a trailer, have you thought of adding an exhaust brake? If your going to replace the exhaust, that's a good time to do it. It's probably my most appreciated add-on. Wasn't cheap, but in hindsight well worth it.

Don't really feel I need an exhaust brake, as my trailer doesn't weigh much. The heaviest I've ever had it was a tad over 1800lbs loaded with 40 gallons of water, food, tools, spares, and toys for a two+ week trip through southeastern Oregon with my son last summer. Pulled behind my Tacoma. And the other reason is that I live in the valley between the NW Coast Range and the Cascades. No matter where I go, it's up hill and down hill. The truck seems to have about the right amount of wind drag and rolling resistance that it never gets away from me. I am considering adding trailer brakes to the trailer more for the Tacoma, but non the less added stopping power that the Ford can be happy with.

How's the truck's cooling system? About a year ago I replaced the water pump, t-stat, upper and lower hoses, etc. etc. I used the water pump from the later model 7.3's (probably like the one on your engine), and while putting the big hoses back on, one of the squeeze-type hose clamps got away from me and poked a hole in the radiator. I wasn't planning on replacing that, but was very glad I did afterward. It lowered my average "cruising" temp by about 20 degrees, even with the toolbox I carry on the front hitch receiver.

Plenty of time to make plans. I live in Little Rock if you end up stopping in the area.

:):)

I have a brand new water pump, hoses, T-stat, and such in a box that I will take with me. My truck only has 108K on it, and doesn't leak a drop of any fluids. I'll have the tools and gear with me, and plenty of time to work on it if we happen to have a failing water pump. Truck runs dang cool even towing the heavy cargo trailer.