Quiet Back Roads and a Truck Camper

[covered_wagon]

Have anyone else also discovered the very pleasant experience of traveling the quiet back roads of America? I found some I can go for hours at 45 and 50. It so cool..... almost no one else on the road and no rat race interstate. It's wonderful fun time to me.

Just wondering if anyone else takes that extra time tossing the clock and calender, or am I the only one?

[Eric_Lisa]

noteven wrote:
MT200 country is terrible. All those hills and mountains and elk and cows. Stay away! :B

My impression of the roads in Montana is they are very accurately signed and marked. MT200 is marked as 70mph. I wouldn't want to go 80mph on it. Any turns or twists that have a marked yellow speed sign, that is what they mean. In other states a 45mph corner means you can probably safely navigate it at 55mph (or faster if your vehicle is performance configured and you know the road). In Montana, I quickly noticed that a 45mph yellow speed sign really means 'slow the heck down' as the corner is not safe at any speeds higher than posted.

And for the OP's comment about 45-50mph in the back roads.... That is about right for hauling a truck camper, especially if it is full size on a SRW truck. Maybe just a touch slow, but I wouldn't wind it up to the full speed limit on those roads.

Reflecting back to 20 years ago when Montana had "Reasonable and Prudent" as the Interstate day time speed limit, this all makes sense and I get it. Montana is telling drivers the limits that are safe to drive. They are not telling drivers what some bureaucrat thinks should be the proper speed for people to drive. In my opinion, a different and refreshing way of thinking.

-Eric

[Geewizard]

ppine wrote:

mkirsch wrote:
Unless you can convince the company to give me 4 more weeks of vacation every year, I need to get where I'm gettin' as quick as I can. Don't have time to lollygag, so it's Interstates for me.

I used to work hard as an environmental consultant. Sometimes I would just need a break. LWOP Leave without pay worked for me.

LWOP worked for me too. I'd rather eat rice and fish heads than have a hurry-up vacation. I understand that some people can't do that.

[ppine]

mkirsch wrote:
Unless you can convince the company to give me 4 more weeks of vacation every year, I need to get where I'm gettin' as quick as I can. Don't have time to lollygag, so it's Interstates for me.

I used to work hard as an environmental consultant. Sometimes I would just need a break. LWOP Leave without pay worked for me.

[mkirsch]

Unless you can convince the company to give me 4 more weeks of vacation every year, I need to get where I'm gettin' as quick as I can. Don't have time to lollygag, so it's Interstates for me.

[covered_wagon]

TxGearhead wrote:

covered wagon wrote:

CSG wrote:
While I don't currently own a TC, my first real RV was a Lance Squire 4000 and we traveled thousands of miles in the American and Canadian west in that thing. Most of the time was secondary roads but sometimes you gotta take the freeway to get to someplace else. I've had a little van camper for about 11 years now and I love it for its small size, good MPG, and ease of use but I sure miss standing headroom and a proper bath and shower, especially with each passing year. For me, the journey is the thing and taking the interesting roads is the goal of an interesting journey.

What is amazing is how most folks go for the big attractions, often crowding together in highly advertised places when just a couple hours down a seemingly forgotten bi way a surprise gift of natural beauty and silence awaits to bless the days excursion.

Well, it's different strokes for different folks. I'm not gonna look down my nose at someone that wants to go to Disneyworld instead of Glacier NP.
Some of y'all are getting a bit of attitude about this backroads and boondocking. If someone wants to go to an amusement park and park in a FHU park, good for them. Whatever pulls your trigger.

No attitude, we just have a lot of beautiful mtns and forest lands.

[hornet28]

noteven wrote:

Ramblin' Ralph wrote:

Eric&Lisa wrote:
Ha! Nailed it! Yup, Montana 200.

MT200 country is terrible. All those hills and mountains and elk and cows. Stay away! :B

I'm pretty sure the picture was eastern MT 200 and that is wide open country there. take U.S. 87 out of Great Falls and head east just north of Grass Range 87 turns south but continuing east is MT 200 I take it to Circle then hit MT 200 S to Glendive and I-94.
MT 83 down through the Swan is one you need to be careful on especially at night

[TxGearhead]

covered wagon wrote:

CSG wrote:
While I don't currently own a TC, my first real RV was a Lance Squire 4000 and we traveled thousands of miles in the American and Canadian west in that thing. Most of the time was secondary roads but sometimes you gotta take the freeway to get to someplace else. I've had a little van camper for about 11 years now and I love it for its small size, good MPG, and ease of use but I sure miss standing headroom and a proper bath and shower, especially with each passing year. For me, the journey is the thing and taking the interesting roads is the goal of an interesting journey.

What is amazing is how most folks go for the big attractions, often crowding together in highly advertised places when just a couple hours down a seemingly forgotten bi way a surprise gift of natural beauty and silence awaits to bless the days excursion.

Well, it's different strokes for different folks. I'm not gonna look down my nose at someone that wants to go to Disneyworld instead of Glacier NP.
Some of y'all are getting a bit of attitude about this backroads and boondocking. If someone wants to go to an amusement park and park in a FHU park, good for them. Whatever pulls your trigger.

[Geewizard]

I'd stay completely away from any Montana or Idaho back roads!

[noteven]

Ramblin' Ralph wrote:

Eric&Lisa wrote:
Ha! Nailed it! Yup, Montana 200.

Traveled MT200 last summer from MT83 intersection E to MT434 to I15. Had a great boondocking spot E of Lincoln. Love them backroads! I do 9K to 10K miles a year all over the West and try to stay off Interstates if I can.

MT200 country is terrible. All those hills and mountains and elk and cows. Stay away! :B

[Ramblin__Ralph]

Eric&Lisa wrote:
Ha! Nailed it! Yup, Montana 200.

Traveled MT200 last summer from MT83 intersection E to MT434 to I15. Had a great boondocking spot E of Lincoln. Love them backroads! I do 9K to 10K miles a year all over the West and try to stay off Interstates if I can.

[covered_wagon]

CSG wrote:
While I don't currently own a TC, my first real RV was a Lance Squire 4000 and we traveled thousands of miles in the American and Canadian west in that thing. Most of the time was secondary roads but sometimes you gotta take the freeway to get to someplace else. I've had a little van camper for about 11 years now and I love it for its small size, good MPG, and ease of use but I sure miss standing headroom and a proper bath and shower, especially with each passing year. For me, the journey is the thing and taking the interesting roads is the goal of an interesting journey.

What is amazing is how most folks go for the big attractions, often crowding together in highly advertised places when just a couple hours down a seemingly forgotten bi way a surprise gift of natural beauty and silence awaits to bless the days excursion.

[CSG]

While I don't currently own a TC, my first real RV was a Lance Squire 4000 and we traveled thousands of miles in the American and Canadian west in that thing. Most of the time was secondary roads but sometimes you gotta take the freeway to get to someplace else. I've had a little van camper for about 11 years now and I love it for its small size, good MPG, and ease of use but I sure miss standing headroom and a proper bath and shower, especially with each passing year. For me, the journey is the thing and taking the interesting roads is the goal of an interesting journey.

[hornet28]

Eric&Lisa wrote:

hornet28 wrote:
Look as though that could be Mt 200?

Ha! Nailed it! Yup, Montana 200. Desolate and beautiful. Just the open road, occasional traffic, windows down, and a small-block singing at around 2800RPM.

I've only run Mt 200 with the truck and 34' car trailer. I think that'll change this coming June when the wife and I tour the PNW.
Sounds as though you need a 700-R4 if you do a lot of road tripping with it. I run a 454/700R combo in my 41 Ford cpe with just over 98K on it and 2100 at 70 is nice for the long hauls. Awhile back I did 8K in 4 weeks. Mi to Sacramento then Tampa before heading home, It's nice with the price of gas to be in the 17-19 mpg range

[RobertRyan]

arkie guide wrote:
I sure would like to travel & camp - outback Australia. I have been to Australia and enjoyed it very much.But did not get outta the cities.

Very different country outside the Cities, you get tropical, Mediterranean, near Artic , European and Desert climates

[Eric_Lisa]

hornet28 wrote:
Look as though that could be Mt 200?

Ha! Nailed it! Yup, Montana 200. Desolate and beautiful. Just the open road, occasional traffic, windows down, and a small-block singing at around 2800RPM.