The Big Tow From NC to Portland OR

Tom you get in to Utah and need anything give me a call.
PM me and I will send you our phone #.
I am on the west end of I70 about 150 miles south of Salt lake city in a little town of Elsinore,Utah.
 
Just let me know.
 
Tom-- I've been off the board for a week, and just saw you stayed in Shelbyville. Sorry we missed you, as we're not too far from there. My folks had a 300DB when I was a kid--lots of good memories on that boat.
 
Kameroo said:
Tom-- I've been off the board for a week, and just saw you stayed in Shelbyville. Sorry we missed you, as we're not too far from there. My folks had a 300DB when I was a kid--lots of good memories on that boat.
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On Man.......

Shelbyville is dry too. You could have shown us some good honky-tonks........
 
I am in Vancouver WA this week looking for a place to live. OK you NWPac guys in the Portland area, can you give me a few recommendations to some boat yards/marinias that are DYI friendly. I would like to just store the tub in the yard and be able to work on it.

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
Update!

Left Portland Friday and started to the Midwest. I am sure glad diesel prices are falling a little. I am looking at all the big mountains I will have to pull on the way back, like deadman’s pass in Oregon, 3-sisters in Wyoming. Rained most of the way.

Hit Nebraska and the temps went from 60 to 93! A/C came one real quick.

I was ready to leave today, but there is this silly rule in Missouri you can't haul on a Sunday or holiday! This sucks! So I sit here on the farm waiting to go. It is also amazing how dirty the tub got by sitting on the farm!! I have a lot of work to do when I get her home.

So here I sit!!!!!
 
Some pics
 

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Tom, we just came out phoenix on Friday to Lake Powell. Just your normal trip with a over heated tranny, 40-60 mph cross wind that blew the bow 2-3 inches of the winch, all in all its done and ready for another season. Have a safe trip and e-mail me if you want to stop in Denver or need help.
 
Don Sr said:
Tom, we just came out phoenix on Friday to Lake Powell. Just your normal trip with a over heated tranny, 40-60 mph cross wind that blew the bow 2-3 inches of the winch, all in all its done and ready for another season. Have a safe trip and e-mail me if you want to stop in Denver or need help.
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Thanks Don. decided to go through Nebraska instead. Thinking that was a mistake. See below.
 
Update:

Yesterday we left the Missouri farm at sun up. Nice clear sunny day and it was smooth sailing. We have no permits for the trip and I place "not for hire on the rear side windows. Made it through Missouri without a problem, even all the weigh stations were closed.

We headed north on I-26 to Iowa, then across highway 2 to Nebraska. While in Iowa I had a sheriff follow me the entire 15 miles! Pucker factor was getting high, but he pulled off as we crossed the big muddy and into the Corn Husker state.

Once we got up on I-80 it was flat going. It got hot and had to turn the A/C on which I hated too, because It reduced my mpg down from 7mpg to 6.7mpg!

Locked in the cruise control at 64 mph and we were sailing west. Target was the Lincoln rest stop on the other side of Cheyenne WY.

Well do you ever get the feeling things are going too smoothly? We watched as this storm for about 60 miles. When we got to North Platte I told the admiral we would hit some rain which was good as it would wash all the bugs off the truck and boat. It wasn't rain. It was 60 mph straight wind! I thought the old SR would become the first to become part of the SR Air Force! We made it through but was a little shaken.

As we got back into sunshine I started to notice that there was oil on the bow of the tub. I stopped at the next rest stop and looked all over and could find anything. All the hoses were good. Then I noticed some drips coming from the bed of the truck. I had a jug of fuel additive that had come open and spilled all over the bed of my truck. dang this is going to take time to clean up.

We trucked on then as we got into the pan handle of Nebraska, the clouds turned dark again and we had golf ball size hail slamming the truck and tub! I dashed under an overpass, but had to make a choice. Protect my new truck or the tub? Choose the truck as I knew (hoping) the SR was better built. Not a scratch.

We were on the road again, and every place we stopped we were also buying powerball tickets. We approached Sidney Nebraska and i looked at my fuel. It said I had 60 miles to empty and Pines Bluff WY was only 49 miles! Piece of cake.

You guessed it, I ran out of fuel 2 1/2 miles from Pines Bluff! This is starting to suck! I forgot when these fords go into re-gen mode, it uses raw fuel to heat up the exhaust for the damn emissions! I walked into town and got some fuel and walked back. i could only get a 2 1/2 gal can. Not enough, you need at least 5 gallons to re-prime the engine! I walked back into town and bought a 5 gal can from a lady at the gas station because the store was all out. That can cost me $10.

It was getting dark and I was worried as I was an OW load on the road after dark with no permits! Plus the Admiral was not very happy with me. A nice railroad worker felt sorry for me and gave me a ride back. Poured all the fuel in and after following the instructions for re-start nothing! It was real dark now. We got on the phone to Ford and was arranging to get towed in when I hit the key one more time and bam she fired over! A few more times and she started and off we were to fill up and find our place at the rest stop to spent our first night in the SR....on the trailer. Was there some guy who tried to take his ship across the country in the 1800???

Lesson learned I can apply to boating? Don't trust the computer to tell you how much gas you have trust the good old fuel gage!
 

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It may take you 2 weeks to clean all the experience off the truck and tub:) I sure appreciate your thread, it helps me rethink some thoughts in the past... buy one in Florida and tow it home. Glad i bought 200 miles from home not 2000 miles. Keep safe and tow slow.
 
Love the walmart truck shot. It sure does show just how long you are.
 
Today's update:

Made it through Wyoming and over the Rockies. The truck performed great! I only dropped to 6.6mpg over the mountains. The high desert is all green and flowers are showing. I believe there are more prong horn antelope than there are people.

All the weigh stations were closed until we got to Utah. We ran the station and no one came after us! We have had several highway patrol cars passed us on the way and in Ogden, we actually had a patrolman give us the thumbs up as he passed us. here is the funny thing, we are making good time and tonight we are at a rest stop-weigh station in Idaho, which is OPEN. No one has bothered us yet. It looks like this trip will end sometime Friday. Here are a few pics along the way.
 

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