The Long Trip Home, AZ to WA

[aleigh]

Well, my time here in Arizona is drawing to a close and it's time to start thinking about heading home in early April. I bought the LMTV down here in Phoenix, so this will be my first long-distance (>500 mile) trip with it. The truck is solid though so I feel pretty confident about it all.

I haven't figured out how to juggle all my rolling stock. I've got a Jeep JK and a M101A1 to get home. I am thinking about having the M101 craned or tilt-bedded into the back of the LMTV and just towing the JK with my medium tow bar, but for the price of renting a crane twice, I have been kicking around the idea of just paying more to ship the Jeep home to avoid the hassle of having to tow it. Sadly I don't know of a dock I could use at either end to load it on and off to save the crane costs. Communities need public docks! I need to buy a yard ramp or something for the shop. Forklift. Anyways.

The longest day is actually the first; 416 miles.

Day 1 – PHX – Aguirre Spring Camp
Day 2 – Aguirre Spring Camp – White Sands Ntnl’ Mon.
Day 2 – White Sands Ntnl’ Mon. – Los Alamos
Day 3 – Los Alamos – Bradbury Science Museum
Day 3 – Bradbury Science Museum – Monument Valley
Day 4 – Monument Valley – Grand Canyon Ntnl’ Park
Day 5 – Grand Canyon Ntnl’ Park – Zion Ntnl’ Mon.
Day 6 – Zion Ntnl’ Mon. – ET Hwy (Rachel NV)
Day 7 – ET Hwy – Red Rock Camp (near Reno)
Day 8 – Red Rock Camp – Lava Beds Camp
Day 9 – Lava Beds Camp – Lava Beds Ntnl’ Mon.
Day 9 – Lava Beds Ntnl’ Mon. – ??? (near Stabler, WA)
Day 10 – ??? camp – Seattle, WA


~2800 miles (not counting trips through the parks).

 

[NDT]

Wow, nice itinerary, need a co-driver? To get the 101 into the bed, find a tree (I know, Arizona) or an overhead structure and come-along it up in there. Or find a dune or embankment to back up against. Maybe a railyard will have a ramp.

 

[aleigh]

That's a thought. And for that matter I have a 12k winch on the jeep and a pulley. I wonder how you explain that, when the officer comes by and sees a guy winching a trailer onto a MV under a bridge.

 

[fsearls92]

The only location you left out is Bryce national park.

 

[aleigh]

Did Bryce a few years on a big roadtrip. Trying to hit places I haven't been. Good thought though. Someone else said I should hit up Antelope Slot Canyon but it looks like a permit deal.

 

[fsearls92]

Also, if you haven't gone go to lake Powell.

 

[aleigh]

Yep... lake powell is pretty cool. I've camped out on the north side of the lake, at hole-in-the-rock. Tried to get down to coyote gulch but got the route wrong... saw the arches though.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/adventioneering/9130704701/in/album-72157634316915664/

 

[fsearls92]

Those are some great pictures. I have never had the opportunity to go to hole in a rock by way of land, only by boat. We usually take our houseboat up that way and camp in the vicinity every summer.

 

[VPed]

x2 on the nice itinerary.

Have the Jeep winch itself into a tree and drive the truck under it, tow the trailer.

Make some ramps so the Jeep drives itself on to the truck. Take the ramps with you so you can use the Jeep along the way as needed. Threads on ramps exist.

Check with SSers close to you that have a wrecker or access to a ramp/dock to load trailer. Make friends with Seattle SSers that have wreckers or loading docks, when you get there.

Around here, arroyos with recent runoff usually have great vertical sides that I have used to load stuff on to trucks.

Good luck on your trip

 

[MtnSnow]

That many miles I would load the trailer into the back (use your AAA membership!) and tow the jeep. That way if you do have problems with the MV you can drive the jeep to get parts or food if broke down in the middle of no-where (minimal traffic that could give a lift to you)

 

[aleigh]

That's a smart thought about having the jeep to fetch parts, but, I've already got another jeep following me (other driver).

 

[m109a2]

I went to a furniture store used their dock and drove my car into the truck cost me 20 bucks.Al.

 

[quarkz]

Check at the train yards.
Most have public docks to load trains for the ag folks. That was what I was going to use for my pickup when I picked up my 5Ton. But long bed extended cab equals rear wheels on the tailgate.

 

[rosco]

I've used the local lumber yard. They will often have a dock. But they always have fork lifts! Just go out back and ask for the "yard Boss". If you have it rigged nice. They might just do it. Take pictures of what you need, to show them 1st. They will probably have a time that is best to come by.

 

[Storm 51]

I know a place in Woodinville with a dock and fork lift.

If that would help, PM me and I'll try to set it up.

 

[wsucougarx]

Looking forward to your trip write up!

 

[Bucho]

Ritchie Brothers Auction locations will load and unload anything for free. The one here in Phx are good friends and they have the equipment to pick up anything. If you need a hand let me know. You just have to sign in and they will help out. If there is one within a close distance of you end point they can do the same there. They also have a load ramp.

 

[bikeman]

To find a loading dock, I started looking around on Google maps and cold calling. Got a manager that got a kick out of the fact I was loading mil-surp and said I could do it for free as long as he could watch!

Good luck on the trip, glad you have a chase driver.

Any chance, since you just have a M101, that you could place it AND the jeep in the bed? Block and brace it onto it's side or something? or are they too big for that?

 

[mutt_kahuna]

Hey...Im apx 60 miles east of Reno...(Fallon,home of Top gun) if you need road assistance...pm me for #

 

[aleigh]

Well, the time is almost here, should head out mid next week. Loaded a few of the heavier equipment racks into the trailer prior to having it rigged into the back of the LMTV (to save the trouble of hand loading them to that deck height). The M101A1 sure looks small behind it. The lunette is flipped explaining part of the tilt but I think it'd tilt either way.