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1502 miles

CARNAC

The Envelope Please.
Supporting Vendor
8,281
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Location
Corpus Christi, TX
Let me set the stage. M35A2 with M1061 trailer with a load that would have made the recent load taken to the GA Rally look like childs play.

My watch was packed away. My cell was turned off to conserve battery life. No means of tracking time just the miles by the mile markers. Two weeks of vacation and it was all 18 hour days of hard labor and/or hard driving. I think I'm getting too old for this.

It took me 3 times longer to load than anticipated. I was suppose to have left GA on Monday but wasn't packed until 2200 Tuesday night. Went to bed at 2345 and woke up at 0300. Engine went hot at 0315 (based on the clock in the house).

I took the I-10 route in case I needed help (there are more members that route).

Arrived at the house (vic El Paso, TX) and after the turbo cool down I cut engine and walked inside to find the clock in the kitchen at 0115. Take into account the 2 hour time change from eastern to mountain time and it was precisely 48 hours later---as calculated. Where's the Carnac smilie.

One of the wise men on this site once stated a deuce engine will run all day long if kept between 2000-2300 rpms. That is only 25% correct. It will run all day, all night, then next day and the next night. I drove based on rpm the whole way since my speedometer is out.

I estimate I kept the truck moving for about 38 hours straight and stopping only for fuel, food, a quick nap, and ....if a download was needed.

Weather sucked at the start. I was trying to push south down I85 to hit I10 and stay in front of and to the south of the storm. The storm got me first. It also went further south than the forecast showed and I had rain all the way into LA. The trailer was tarped but only the top level. The bottom level got wet and the tri-walls on the front have started to collapse leading to constant tightening of straps.

I must thank J.T, Clinto and my neighbor (not a member--yet) for their help. It would have been a significantly longer ordeal without their direct support.

Things I would have done different:

-Planned the load weight distro better. I was slightly tail heavy on the trailer.
-l would have taken the I-20 route. The I-10 route was just as hilly but was significantly more congested than I've experienced on I-20. I-20 is also 100 miles (2 hours) shorter.
-Get a set of head phones with a radio or ipod capability
-Pick up a hitchhiker that knows how to drive and hopefully it'll be a 20 year old female that is really hot looking and knows how to drive a deuce.


J.T. said CHoW owes me a massage for all the hard work. Yep, my neck, shoulders, ankles, knees and butt hurt. CHoW says she'll do all but the butt. She says based on activities recounted from the GA Rally, I have to get Gimpy to do that. Uh, no thanks, I'll pass.

I'm off to unload the truck and trailer. Today and tomorrow is an airshow over on Ft Bliss. I'm hoping I can get everyting off the truck in a timely manner. I think I need to buy the next forklift on GL.
 

rosco

Active member
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Location
Delta Junction, Alaska
Great trip! Sometimes the trip takes you. When I used to do the Alcan with a 211, I always had to look back, and see what I would do different, but that is the nature of a good trip! It always amazes me, how many Folks, even here on this sight, pass up great ecuses to use their MV - like risk a hazardous recovery of a 105 with a Toyota, rather then use a Deuce. Consequently, they have little experience with the challenging stuff. And loading a truck proporly, or the best way, is something of an art form. It always takes longer then estimated too.

As for some of the conviencees, I installed a 24v cigrette lighter in the dash. Most cell chargers handle 24V. So does my Garmin, which hangs on the gun rack. I don't have many urban centers, but when I hit one, I hate being lost, when tired.

Again..... Great Trip!
 

Scooteerr

Member
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0
16
Location
Toney, Alabama
Glad to hear from you Carnac, and nice meeting you too...

That sounds like a LONNGGGGGGGG trip.... But it sounds like you made it in one price though. Good Job!!!!!!
 

Recovry4x4

LLM/Member 785
Super Moderator
Steel Soldiers Supporter
34,012
1,808
113
Location
GA Mountains
Glad to hear of a safe arrival CARNAC. Clinto and I both have done a 700 mile in the seat ride before I and I can tell you, it's taxing on the body but long after the backside heals, the memories remain and you look back and say " Yeah, I did that". My best was the 2568 mile round trip to OH and back with the M35A2 piggybacked on my M275A2. Not a trip for the faint at heart but I set my mind to it and have a ton of pics and memories to last a lifetime.

Good work brother!
 

CARNAC

The Envelope Please.
Supporting Vendor
8,281
649
113
Location
Corpus Christi, TX
Lunch time from the unloading process.

I'm feeling the wear and tear.

Scooteerr, you were awesome help at the show. Can't thank you enough...and if you sign up for something below your capabilities in the military, I'm gonna kick yer butt. You're maybe dumb enough to volunteer to help me but you're smart enough to get into a military career field that will earn you BIG $ when you get out.
 

59apache

Chipmaker
1,299
29
48
Location
Bavaria / Germany
nopics

My longest trip was 10 hrs, and thats enough. I've got the idea with the headset, too.

Did you thougt about a motorcycle intercom? theres cool stuff....with the possibilty to connect cell, ipod, cb, even a GPS....

But my first thought was about a better seat:mrgreen:
:beer:
 
Last edited:

Tinwoodsman

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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76
48
Location
Comfort, Texas
Glad you made it safely. I was thinking about you when I was going through Houston on Monday at noon. It was not pretty, especially with a load like that.

:driver:
 

Srjeeper

New member
1,505
40
0
Location
NE, Pa.
Guess this means we won't be seein ya at MTA or Gilbert any more for a while...:cry:

Hopefully you'll end up back this way one of these days..:wink:

Good Luck out there in the Wild West and stay in touch..[thumbzup]

2cents
 

pctrans

Active member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
Bradenton, FL
I keep a radio headphone set (Radio Shack) in the truck with extra batteries. I have also noticed that things seem to swell up in size when trying to pack them. Hence the increase in load time. Glad Murphy left you alone on the trip, and I wish you the best in your new endoeavor.
 

Heavysteven

New member
2,090
10
0
Location
Hickory Flat Ga
Wow I am always amazed how many miles you put on your truck. Hope life brings you back to Georgia in the future.

Your going to miss racing around traffic on 285 to head south.
 

swbradley1

Modertator
Staff member
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Location
Dayton, OH
J.T. said CHoW owes me a massage for all the hard work. Yep, my neck, shoulders, ankles, knees and butt hurt. CHoW says she'll do all but the butt. She says based on activities recounted from the GA Rally, I have to get Gimpy to do that. Uh, no thanks, I'll pass.
Angie's sheep liked Gimpy......
 

mark salanco

New member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
330
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Location
greenville sc
About 2 years ago I took my bobbed M35a2 on a 1,700 mile road trip to upstate NY. About 4 hours into the trip my butt was soo sore, I stopped and put one of those thin roll up camping Mats on the seat. Another 4 hours later there was a pillow on top of the camping mat. 16 hours driving and I was there. My cousin and I put the truck in his shop and put a nice comfy bucket seat in it that came from a Chevy blazer . We also put 1" thick sound deadening foam material in the entire cab. I was cadillacing on the trip back. No sore butt and it was so quiet in the cab I could have listened to a radio if I had one, no ear plugs required now.. It was a fun trip for sure. I might make that trip again this year for Christmas .
 
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