2.2's Road Trip '09 US & Canada

[2.2 Straight six]

So i'm planning to do a very long road trip in June '09 with a friend. i was hoping you guys could help with tips/advice on the subject. the reason it's going to be in '09 is because i need 2 years of living on the cheap and working a lot to make the money to fund the trip.

I'm planning to get an late '03 F-250 SuperCrew SuperDuty PowerStroke, diesel for fuel economy, big F-250 because it's roomy, and on a long trip i want lots of room.

The route as planned is below:

Florida - Miami – DeLand – Orlando St. Augustine - Tallahassee
Georgia - Atlanta
Alabama – Talladega - Birmingham
Mississippi - Driving Through
Arkansas – Little Rock
Missouri – Kansas City
Oklahoma - Tulsa - Locust Grove – Oklahoma City
Texas - Dallas - Houston - Richland Hills – Dallas
Oklahoma – Driving Through
Colorado – Denver - Vail
Arizona - Phoenix
Nevada - Las Vegas
California -Los Angeles - San Francisco
Oregon - Florence
Washington - Seattle
(into Canada)
Vancouver – Calgary – Edmonton – Saskatoon - Winnipeg
Ottawa – Toronto – Ottawa – Montreal
Québec - Repentigny
(into the US)
Maine – Driving Through
Massachusetts – Boston
New Hampshire – Driving Through
Connecticut - Hartford
New York - New York City
Pennsylvania - Philadelphia
West Virginia – Driving Through
Virginia – Driving Through
North Carolina – Raleigh - Charlotte
South Carolina – Driving Through
Georgia - Atlanta
Alabama - Montgomery
Mississippi – Driving Through
Louisiana - New Orleans
Texas - Houston

I used Google Earth to get a rough estimate of the driving distance, without accounting getting lost and driving around places i'm visiting it's about 14,000 miles. i'm giving a 3,000 miles buffer for getting lost, driving around the cities i'm visiting etc..

The longest single leg without a major stop is Winnipeg to Toronto, at about 1,400 miles.

All the buffers i've set on the budget and distance are quite big, i'd rather expect to need a certain amount and use less, than assume i'll need a smaller amount and run out of money or something during the trip.

Stuff to go into/onto the truck:

Satellite Navigation
GPS
CB Radio
Radar detector (grille-mounted)
Satellite Radio (?)
Power Inverter
Dash-mount phone holder
Cool box (food & drinks)
mini portable gas cooker (like a camping cooker)
Jerry Cans for diesel (x6)
Steel Front bumper With bull bars
Spot/Fog/Driving lights (4 on the front, 4 on the roof)
Spare wheels (x2)
Jack (high-lift ratchet type)
Tools (general tools, sockets/wrenches/etc)
Oil (it's a diesel..)
Tow Straps
Winch in front bumper (?)
Locking hard tonneau cover

things with (?) after them mean i'm still deciding whether or not to get them. if you're wondering why i want a steel front bumper with bull bars, it's because i don't want to hit something and ruin my trip. if i'm going to hot something i want it to take the force of the hit, not my truck.

Fuel budget is going to be $6,000-$6,500 for the trip (may change with possible increase in fuel prices) budget for the truck is $25,000 and it may be sold at the end to reclaim some money. i haven't worked out the budget for accomodation yet. but i'm expecting it to be a lot. (we'll be sleeping in the truck a lot.)

prior to setting off i'll give the truck a good once-over and possibly and engine tear down and rebuild. don't want any engine trouble on the trip. no performance mods, don't want to hurt the fuel economy. maybe an exhaust brake though.

Anything i've missed, or anything tips/advice?

Thanks Guys.

[Damien]

Um yeah, don't forget to tell me when you get herethis time. I'm with ya on the Fla journey and we'll see from there.

[VR43000GT]

I see you won't be making it through Nebraska. Not a whole lot to see here (especially in western NE) but it is about the easiest driving you can do, interstate and completely flat.

[eversio11]

I don't really see the point of driving through the South. All they have is a BMW factory and fried snickers.

[mike@af]

Originally Posted by eversio11

I don't really see the point of driving through the South. All they have is a BMW factory and fried snickers.

The south rocks, and BMW rocks.

['97ventureowner]

How about a camcorder to record parts of the trip? Hell, you could even post video on the web with a blog or something similar. Or... you could "sell" the idea to a tv network to do a new reality show,(like there isn't enough of these already polluting the airwaves,) based on your trip and the experiences you encounter. They may pay enough to fund the trip with everything you want and then some. HMMM. I can see it now,"Road Trip '09- 2.2's Big Adventure"...coming to your tv screen June 2009!

[2.2 Straight six]

Originally Posted by '97ventureowner

How about a camcorder to record parts of the trip? Hell, you could even post video on the web with a blog or something similar. Or... you could "sell" the idea to a tv network to do a new reality show,(like there isn't enough of these already polluting the airwaves,) based on your trip and the experiences you encounter. They may pay enough to fund the trip with everything you want and then some. HMMM. I can see it now,"Road Trip '09- 2.2's Big Adventure"...coming to your tv screen June 2009!

my friend and i are thinking of filming and documenting the whole thing. we're hoping to have 3 cameras, one pointing out the windscreen, one pointing at the driver or both of us and one we'd move around, then doing a "fast-forward" movie and a cut-up documentary-type thing. we'd record the break downs and stuff. and well have my camera too.

i want to do a written/video blog of it. i don't really want to sell it and have it aired. i don't want any fame or anything. so i'd rather keep to to friends/family/AF.

[ThatRoundHeadedKid]

Might I suggest a GM truck instead? Get a Suburban or a Silverado Diesel...they'll last you longer than a Ford and is more durable IMHO.

Also, I'd recommend getting a gun license and then buying a gun as some sort of protection. You're going to need it. There are a lot of strange and creepy things/people in this country.

Sounds like a kick ass trip. If I had my way, I'd take an 04 Range Rover though. But I know you'd be having trouble affording that one lol.

[2.2 Straight six]

i was thinking about a 2002 Silverado 2500HD diesel. but i'm more of a Ford fan and i don't like the Silverado's steering wheel. i know it's nothing major, but if i'm spending 3 months in front of it, i want a nice wheel.

not a fan of rangeys, and i need a truck with a seperate cab/bed because i'm taking jerry cans of fuel with me.

i don't know if i could get a gun licence, not being a US resident or citizen, and not having a registered address in the US.

[ThatRoundHeadedKid]

Originally Posted by 2.2 Straight six

i was thinking about a 2002 Silverado 2500HD diesel. but i'm more of a Ford fan and i don't like the Silverado's steering wheel. i know it's nothing major, but if i'm spending 3 months in front of it, i want a nice wheel.

not a fan of rangeys, and i need a truck with a seperate cab/bed because i'm taking jerry cans of fuel with me.

i don't know if i could get a gun licence, not being a US resident or citizen, and not having a registered address in the US.

Lol Chris....you're not going to get the better truck because of a steering wheel...

Just buy a knew one. I just haven't heard any decent things about Ford trucks and each owner's history that I do hear about, the pattern of problems in which each owner has individually is more common than it is with a GM truck. i.e. my friend's company had a Ford F350 for grunt work and at around 39k miles it started falling apart.

About the gun thing though, try and find out what your options are. You're going to feel a lot safer with one when you drive around in this country. If not, just go to Harlem and pick one up off the black market.

[2.2 Straight six]

there are too many little things about the silverado that i don't like. the wheel, the centre-dash controls etc..

and like i said, more of a Ford fan. (that said, if i genuinely thought the Chevy was better, i'd get it instead.) and all manufacturers have trucks that go wrong. it's jsut that you only hear about the ones with problems. because if there's nothing wrong with it, you don't tend to talk about it so much.

can't buy a new one, i'm going to be working for 2 years to pay for this trip. i can't pay over $25,000 for the truck or i won't have the money for the rest of it.

i don't know about the gun. if i can do it legally, i might. but i really don't want to do anything illegal. i can't take that risk for various reasons. if i can get a licence and carry a handgun in the truck legally, i will. but if i can't do it legally, then i won't.

[Cl0ak]

Thats a reallllly long and expensive road trip but sounds like it'll be a ton of fun. When you pass through Hartford pack some heat!

[2.2 Straight six]

umm..

that's worrying. don't really want to have a gun on me. will have to look into this though.

[L-Spec]

If you visit Regina inbetween Saskatoon and Winnipeg, I'll show you guys around. I'll even escort you guys to Winnipeg.. I have some "unfinished business" there to take care of anyway

[00accord44]

Should you pass through these states for any reason be careful

Kentucky - they love to hide in the trees on the highway
New Jersey - NJ Highway Patrol runs the state, seriously
Ohio - been pressing new stricter hwy patrol enforcement for the past few months
Slow down in general in northern states since your pickup truck will be one of the few on the roads and you'll stick out in traffic
Florida - crazy negro on the loose in Tallahassee