Just have fun.

 

I'll share something here:

I have a few rigs in the driveway, but there is only one worthy of the open road - "Stinky", the wonder truck. He's had a wiring harness pop loose from the transmission, injectors try to crawl out of the VCs, a chip fail, strange noises, strange smells, and I've blown cups on a couple of trips. All of these things happened on trips between 400 and 700 miles from home. My truck is cursed to be sure, but I keep getting in it, we keep enjoying the ride of that spacious cab with a panoramic view of the countryside, and that silly ol' truck keeps getting us home. My last big run was 700 miles from home with 305K miles on the odo... and I'm here to tell the tale.

There is no such thing as an absolute guarantee things won't get weird on a trip - no matter what form of transportation. Do what you enjoy, be prepared as best you can, and look at hiccups as the highlight that you share at the neighborhood BBQ.

 

Rich, nothing beats being familiar with one's truck or any vehicle for that matter. The more I think about it the more I'm inclined to take it. The trip two years ago was a little over 4300 miles with not even a hiccup, and it's so convenient carrying our little home with us..

 

My wife has a Tahoe, nice cushy, foofoo. But when we road trip we hook our 38' 11,000lb mobile condo behind my 233k mile Superduty and roll. I'm in central NC but wouldn't be afraid to take my truck anywhere. That's not to say it won't break down, but I'll take the chance. She's not the prettiest girl at the prom but....

 

Since you're coming out this way... any plans on seeing Lake Chelan, Lake Roosevelt, Steamboat Rock, Dry Falls, or Leavenworth? If you're in the area, I can set you up with some very fresh cherries (hours off the tree).

 

We haven't sat down and discussed much yet but she did mention Olympia National Park was one place. Hey, thanks for the offer !

 

Olympic National Park - nice choice. Temperate rain forests are extremely rare in the world, and it's a sight to behold - albeit depressing weather is the norm.




If you go to the North end of the park, might I suggest you take a ferry. If you arrive in Seattle via I90, the Seattle to Bremerton run is by far the most scenic - particularly if "the mountain is out".



And if I90 is the route, have the camera ready on Snoqualmie pass (variable speed zone) - there are weeping walls and waterfalls along the interstate until you reach the permanent 70 MPH speed zone. Big construction is going on up there, so you may be delayed for blasting. I've learned that factoring that in has me prepared with some binoculars in the cab to pass some time. Here's what they are doing with the road construction:

 

Looks awesome!, Thanks for sharing, I'll show this to the wife this evening.