I have a suitcase of GrainBelt beer, a bunch of Slim Jims and a Mat Kearney CD all primed up. I hope it will be enough. In a few weeks I will embark on a trip along Interstate 80/84/Highway 20 from Iowa to Oregon. Around 30 hours, I plan to take three days (maybe a day or two longer depending how many interesting people I meet on the trip) I did this drive with no problem a couple of years ago, but all of us are older now -- my Prius has about 80K. I will pop open the hood, change the oil, check all fluids, make sure I have tire chains. But, other than that, I guess the GrainBelt, Slim Jims and the CDs should be enough, unless any of you have any thoughts.... I will miss Iowa in a way. People extremely friendly and when they found out I was from Oregon it would often turn into an extended Q&A session. My dad told me that "back in his day," they used to measure distance during road trips by cans of beer out the window....of course no one would do that these days -- the cans are worth $ And when he was growing up in rural Nevada it was legal to drink and drive (being drunk was another tale...).
Check the tire pressure in your spare and make sure all changing tools are on board--much less likely to get a flat that way. Make sure the engine coolant is up to the filler cap. I had to look up Mat Kearney. Good travels!
Check fluid levels, tire pressure, lv battery health... That's about all I ever do. I never change anything out before a road trip. Just check it. On the off chance that something isn't done right, you could just end up giving yourself unnecessary road woes by fixing something that isn't broken.
As usual you have all been extremely helpful, I appreciate it! Hate removing the plastic cover to get to the radiator cap. Always afraid I will break one of those stupid pins and have to pay $10 for a new one.... I think Kearney gets overlooked because he's been tagged a "Christian artist." I don't have anything against that, but I have to admit, last time I was in a church was for a friend's wedding a couple of years ago, so I am not a "Christian music" fan, but I find a great deal of depth to his lyrics -- even if he is an Oregon Duck fan (GO OSU BEAVERS). I actually first became aware of him when I was sent a link to his YouTube video Coming Home to Oregon a bit ago. I forget where you are in Colorado -- for some reason, I think I remember seeing you mention Vail? I will probably spend a day or three in Fort Collins on my trip. I attended Colorado State for a time and I am set to run the Horsetooth Half-Marathon again this year. Last time I ran it a couple of years ago, it was a snowy, freezing mess -- and it was fantastic (especially the after-party at the New Belgium Brewery). My only issue is that Fort Collins has changed for the worse -- crowds, traffic, yuck....
On the radiator level check, I just leave the few pins on the passenger side out. Then it's not too tough to just reach under, pull up the cover a little and remove the cap. I admit I've broken a few of those snaps but I haven't replaced them. Mat Kearney has an interesting sound--pretty unique. His use of flash-mob-type dancers is interesting. I'm on the plains, near Fort Lupton (where the historic trading fort is now in a highway median). Fort Collins seems like an interesting town (okay, city). I haven't spent much time there but it has a nice feel. I went to school in Boulder and I once heard someone say that Boulder was laid out by miners and Fort Collins, by farmers. Miners are only in it for the short term, so narrow streets and condensed city planning. Farmers plan for the future, so Fort Collins has the wider streets and more spaced layout. Kind'a makes sense.
