Completed retirement cross country trip!

[greatheron]

Well, we completed our retirement cross country trip!
Stats:
2017 Big Country 3965
2012 Ford F-350 King Ranch Long bed diesel
138 days
12,553 miles (9,280 miles actual towing)
1,130 gals. of diesel
20 states
17 National Parks (NP)
2 oil changes/tire rotations
41 actual hauling days (longest - 335 mi., shortest - 87 mi.)
39 different campgrounds

Started with the MD Rally, Woodbine, MD 5/29/19
Goshen, IN for the N.A. Heartland Rally
Baraboo/Wisconsin Dells, WI
St. Cloud, MN (relatives)
Ellendale, ND (relatives)
Medora, ND for Roosevelt NP
Hermosa, SD for the Black Hills (Custer SP, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Keystone, SD, Hill City, SD and Custer, SD) and Wind Cave and Badlands NP's
Buffalo, WY (side trip to the Battle of Little Big Horn)
Cody, WY
Mack's Inn, ID for Yellowstone NP
Wolf Creek, MT
Coram, MT (Kalispell, MT and Whitefish, MT) for Glacier NP
Coer d'Alene, ID
Plymouth, WA
Madras, OR
Coos Bay, OR
Eureka, CA for the Redwoods NP
Diamond Lake, OR for Crater Lake NP
Princeton, OR
Garden City (Boise), ID
Pocatello, ID
Victor, ID for Grand Teton NP
Kaysvile, UT
Moab, UT for Arches and Canyonlands NP's
Escalante, UT for Capitol Reef and Bryce Canyon NP's
Glendale, UT for Zion NP
Cameron, AZ
Wiiliams, AZ for Grand Canyon NP
Bluff, UT
Cortez, CO for Mesa Verde, NP
Gunnison, CO for Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP
Boulder, CO for Rocky Mountain NP
Ogallala, NE
Waco, NE
Winterset, IA
Genesseo, IL
Elkhart, IN for service work at Heartland Service Center
Tiffin River, OH
Donegal, PA
Home - Cordova, MD 10/12/19

Succesful trip with no major mishaps (just two windshield chips which were immediately repaired and a screw in a truck tire) which is always welcome, and a relief! Recommend such a trip to everyone!

 

[david-steph2018]

Congrats on a great trip. I hope we have an equally successful journey.

 

[jleavitt11]

Looks like it was a fun trip. You got to see some beautiful country.

 

[sengli]

Congrats, sounds like fun. Its on my bucket list to something like this soon as I retire.

 

[gschaaf]

Great trip Craig glad you and Connie had a great time. When you heading out again!!! See ya down the road!!

 

[NYSUPstater]

AWESOME!!!!!! Like others, we'd like to do the same type trip in a few years too.

 

[greatheron]

Great trip Craig glad you and Connie had a great time. When you heading out again!!! See ya down the road!!

Glenn, it's up in the air right now if we will be taking a cruise in the spring or another "breaking in spring" southern trip. Definitely heading north to Nova Scotia during the summer starting with MD Rally, PA Rally, ON Rally and MA Rally. Should also make the NE Rally and your NJ Rally, so should run in to each other sometime! Safe travels!

 

[Alan_B]

...Definitely heading north to Nova Scotia during the summer...

If you are going to Nova Scotia you may also want to consider Newfoundland. It is a really beautiful place, especially Gros Morne NP. And the people there are super friendly. Plus the ferry trip is a real adventure itself.

 

[greatheron]

Believe it or not a camping friend from Bermuda said we should go to Newfoundland on the ferry too. The ferry though was like $600!!!??? Sorry, not this retiree. Maybe just take the truck for a day trip.


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[JWalker]

179 months until retirement. And that’s the type of trip I want to do. Glad you and Connie had a great time. Enjoyed all the pics and updates.

Hope to see ya in the spring!!

 

[NYSUPstater]

179 months until retirement. And that’s the type of trip I want to do. Glad you and Connie had a great time. Enjoyed all the pics and updates.

Hope to see ya in the spring!!

Make it about 100 months and we can travel together. Think you and Cris are on same timeframe.

 

[Mrsfish]

Make it about 100 months and we can travel together. Think you and Cris are on same timeframe.

5 for me!! I can hardly wait!!

 

[travelin2]

And it shouldn’t be your last! We’ve been across country numerous times! In fact just returned from a 6600 mile car trip to my sisters in Vegas and son in Montana. Take different routes and encounter new sights every time. We live in a huge beautiful scenic country!!!
We visited/re-visited 5 National parks, a National monument and a presidential library/museum. A second or third visit always brings new adventures


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[JWalker]

Make it about 100 months and we can travel together. Think you and Cris are on same timeframe.

sounds like a plan. I’m just not crossing any more borders with you. LOL

 

[MRisner]

That is awesome, especially that you had no major problems!

 

[greatheron]

And it shouldn’t be your last! We’ve been across country numerous times! In fact just returned from a 6600 mile car trip to my sisters in Vegas and son in Montana. Take different routes and encounter new sights every time. We live in a huge beautiful scenic country!!!
We visited/re-visited 5 National parks, a National monument and a presidential library/museum. A second or third visit always brings new adventures


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Can't agree more! We live in a very scenic and varied country with new stories around every turn! Suggest everyone get out there and experience it!


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[Jim Posz]

Congrats - sounds like you're living the dream. Now that you have crossed the lower 48, you may be ready to take the drive to Alaska. We have done it twice, and it's awesome. We have been to Newfoundland and would recommend that as well - just realize that it's big and takes at least two weeks to do it justice imho. Jim

 

[greatheron]

Congrats - sounds like you're living the dream. Now that you have crossed the lower 48, you may be ready to take the drive to Alaska. We have done it twice, and it's awesome. We have been to Newfoundland and would recommend that as well - just realize that it's big and takes at least two weeks to do it justice imho. Jim

Thanks for the input!


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[Alan_B]

...We have been to Newfoundland and would recommend that as well - just realize that it's big and takes at least two weeks to do it justice imho. Jim

Yes, a big island indeed. We were there for two weeks and only covered the western half.

 

[loving]

I love this sort of trips. cant wait to start a long one