Boise to Dallas in November

On the 24th of this month I'll be driving from Boise, ID to Dallas, TX in my Grandpas old 1971 F100. I have no doubt in the trucks road-worthiness - I have AAA premier if my lack of doubts proves foolish (200 mile tow). I plan on doing this trip in 2 days (13-14 hour days) but have allowed a third and 4th day if something goes wrong/I decide the days are too long.


Original plan (for no specific reason) was to go Boise-SLC-Albuquerque-Dallas, but I'd like some input from the seasoned roadtrippers on that route and the other options - Google maps gives me:
1. Boise-SLC-Albuquerque-Dallas via I-84/I-15/US-6/I-70/US-191/US-491/US-64/I-25/I-40/US-287/US-380
2. Boise-Cheyenne-Salina-Dallas via I-84/I-80/I-25/I-70/I-135/I-35
3. Boise-Cheyenne-Amarillo-Dallas via I-84/I-80/I-70/US-287/US-380
4. Boise-Cheyenne-Nebraska-Salina-Dallas via I-84/I-80/US-183/KS-9/I-135/I-35

I'd post links to routes but new member message said I can't so I wont bother trying.

Thoughts? Must see sights along the way?

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Let me start by thanking you for actually reading the welcome email about posting links! Actually, we generally do allow links for thinks like googlemaps, its just sites that are for other commercial companies that we generally don't allow (basically to prevent spam on the site).

Nonetheless, I think we can all get the picture of what you are thinking, and we can say pretty definitively that you're trying to do way too much in too little time.

All of your route are 1600-1800 miles, with the shorter options involving significant 2 lane travel. That's simply too far to safely drive in 2 days, and professional drivers drivers would be required by law to take a minimum of 3 full days for this trip. You really need to plan to use 3 full days (still being on the road for 10+ hours a day), and have the 4th available in case you run into winter weather that slows you down - a real possibility anywhere along the route, no matter which route you take.

For scenery, and if the weather cooperates, I do like the option of going through Albuq, but there is no reason to go all the way over to I-25 via US-64. Instead, take US-550 south from Farmington to save quite a few miles. There are several national parks that right along this path that could make for a nice detour, but you'd really need to plan for a 4th day to include any of them in the trip.

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

If you have a well-founded faith in your vehicle that it will make the journey, and a back-up plan should that faith prove misplaced, then it is not foolish to make a 1600+ mile drive in it. What is foolish is to think that you can do this in two days. There simply isn't enough time in two days to cover those miles, and stop for gas, and make rest stops, and eat, and lose time to traffic and construction delays, and (most important) get enough sleep to stay safe. You need to plan on a minimum of three days to make the trip safely and sanely, and you need to plan on a fourth day if you want to spend any meaningful time seeing things along the way.

If you only have four full days for the trip, then I would suggest that you take the following route: I-84 to Salt Lake City and I-15. South of Provo take US-6 over towards Moab and US-191 south. At Monticello use US-491 to Cortez CO and US-160 east across the Rockies to Pagosa Springs. Next take US-84 and US-285 south through Santa Fe to I-40 and Amarillo. Finish up on US-287 to Dallas/Fort Worth. Highlights of that route would include the Great Salt Lake and SC, Arches National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, and Santa Fe.

If you only have three days, then you need to stick to the most efficient route available. That would have you taking I-80 east out of SLC to west of Cheyenne. Use US-287 to cut down to I-25 to Denver and then head out onto the Plains on I-70, switching over to US-287 at Limon. US-287 will then take you all the way into Dallas. While you won't have time for any major stops, you will have time for - and should take - short stops for hikes and fresh air in local parks and small towns along the way.

If you can only spare two days for the trip, fly.

AZBuck

Part of the reason for this trip is to see family for Thanksgiving - the other part is to pick up the old truck - my grandfather purchased it when it was 3 months old with 300 miles - I "claimed" it as mine years ago. Many great memories attached to that truck. At the beginning of this summer he called and says "take-er home at the end of summer" so that's exactly what I'm doing. My job is busiest during spring, summer would be hotter than I'd like to do such a trip in a truck with no AC (one of the first upgrades I'll do) and summer heat can wreak havoc on an old vehicle.

I'll probably leave Boise a bit earlier than originally planned (Saturday late afternoon vs Sun morning) and stop just outside of SLC (~6 hours).
Since it sounds like I might be able to post google links:
OP Route 1: http://goo.gl/maps/e7R2W (I think this is the same as Midwest Michael recommends?)
OP Route 2: http://goo.gl/maps/GCxxY
OP Route 3: http://goo.gl/maps/tyMnW
OP Route 4: http://goo.gl/maps/O5r3K

My understanding of AZ Bucks suggested 4 day route:
AZ Buck 4 day: http://goo.gl/maps/u5ryl
AZ Buck 3 day: http://goo.gl/maps/bLUKc

Given a 1971 truck for long days in a trip - I recommend earplugs. It reduces fatigue somewhat.

You also should consider whether the truck is really ready for such a trip. Belts, hoses, coolant, oil consumption, tires, brakes, battery age, wiper age, washer pump condition -- are all unknown and potentially neglected unless you can be assured otherwise. (If it were me, I'd want details rather than the 'yeah, yeah, it's ok' treatment. Some people's ideas of good-to-go leave too much room for trouble.)

Old isn't automatically bad but it means that maintenance has to have been attended to for it to be a reliable vehicle.

Do a preflight each morning and at each gas stop on the first day. Pull the dipstick to get an early handle on oil consumption. Sure would look silly to wipe the engine out for lack of knowlege of its behavior.

An un-pressured trip like this would be fun. Under time pressure the chances of having a special adventure with a towtruck company and/or hospital along the way increase.

Option 1 is the route I did recommend, but I still think you need to give yourself more time.

You seem to be forgetting that online map time estimates are only accurate if you never stop for fuel, food, or restrooms, never need a break from the road, and never see traffic or construction. They also assume traveling at or above the speed limit, and I assume you'll have to be a little more gentle with the speeds with the old truck, especially considering the terrain. In real world conditions, this trip is going to take several more hours than you are currently planning.

Leaving "late afternoon" on a Saturday means you won't be stopping in SLC until likely after midnight. That doesn't set you up very well for the 2 very hard days you'd need to make it from there to Dallas.

Of course, if this is a thanksgiving trip, you can leave Sunday, take 3 full days, and still get there Wednesday, and not be so exhausted that you can't enjoy Thanksgiving dinner.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by noFanofCB

An un-pressured trip like this would be fun. Under time pressure the chances of having a special adventure with a towtruck company and/or hospital along the way increase.

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I think that is a perfect summary and analysis of this trip!

A point of clarification - I'm flying FROM Dallas TO Boise - I live in Texas, the Truck is in Boise. I'm driving HOME after Thanksgiving.

I forgot Thanksgiving was so early in November this year. In any case, it really doesn't change that 3 full days are still strongly recommended as the bare minimum for this trip. It you want to be back in Texas on Tuesday night, you should still plan on leaving relatively early in the day on Saturday. Remembering of course, that weather could still force you to take even more time.

On the road shortly as we say family goodbyes. I'll take the slc/Albuquerque route- maps show roads being clear.

She has new tires, windshield, plugs, fluids, battery and spare belt/ points/ etc, tools and the all important baling wire and duct tape.

Let's see if I can post an img:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-h...2C576_B18666BD

A nice looking truck !

Have a safe journey and let us know how it all turns out.

Dave.

Somewhere in Utah the main tourist attraction is a railroad spike exhibit. The cooler attraction is the rocket ship display, made even cooler by the farmer herding his cows down the road, the herd gently splitting to either side of the truck, the dogs expertly keeping them moving.

Others were annoyed by this, it was one of the highlights of our trip so far.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-e...520display.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Txcurtis

....made even cooler by the farmer herding his cows down the road, the herd gently splitting to either side of the truck, the dogs expertly keeping them moving.

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I love seeing that too. Nothing compares with the skill of cow dogs working!

Mark

Just in case someone reading this wonders where that "spike" and the rockets were that TXCurtis mentioned above ...

In north central Utah, take Utah-83 northwest out of Brigham City (off I-15). Along that route you will see rockets on the right hand side of the road -- Morton-Thiokoll (sp???). Wonderful display, or at least it was a few years back when we were there! Right near there is the turn-off to Promontory Point, or the Golden Spike monument. It was where the two railroads, one being built heading east and the other being built headed west, had to meet. There's a nice visitor center/museum and a few exhibits outside. If you have the time and the want-to, you can head down these gut-buster roads that take you along some of the old track and see some of the places where the railroad workers had to hang out.


Donna

I guess it's time to post about the road trip and share some pictures with y'all in the 1971 Ford F100 passed down to me by my grandfather who bought it in 1972 with 600 miles on it. Shown below with myself, my grandfather, and my daughter who was an awesome road trip companion:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8481/8...28a36418_z.jpg
Day 1: We traveled from Boise, ID to Salt Lake City, UT. Along the way I saw a sign for the ATK Rocket Display just outside of Brigham City, UT and followed signs for it and a golden railroad spike exhibit which I did not stop at.
On the way to exhibit I saw a bunch of cows in the road - some other drivers were really annoyed but I thought the working dogs and the experience of being surrounded by the herd was awesome:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...6lIhHfia4#t=7s
We stopped and looked at the rockets - amazing how big some of the weaponry and personell carrying rockets are!
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8057/8...4384ccd7_z.jpg
After a good nights sleep in Salt Lake City we were Albuquerque bound.
Along the way we saw a turned over truck.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8070/8...b3c30e6f_z.jpg
And we stopped at Wilson Arch Just south of Moab, UT
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8058/8...67f3797f_z.jpg
And decided to climb it (see the truck down there?)
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8210/8...fb56b61f_z.jpg
We made it to Albuquerque and had a good nights rest - up an attem early the next morning only to see signs for the dinosaur museum in Tucumcari, NM - which happens to be a vibrant route 66 town. Website said they opened at 10, we were set to arrive at 9:30 - well worth the wait... Once we got there we noted that those were SUMMER hours and they didn't open till noon. Almost moved on but I had a heartbroken 8 year old so we explored the town for a while.
We checked out the old tow trucks
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8065/8...aa96c258_z.jpg
We visited the feed store and checked out the old cowboy hat wearing bear
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8197/8...537e9fd8_z.jpg
And we visited a couple junk shops and had a decent lunch at Rockin Y's Roadhouse. The green chili cheeseburger was pretty darn good.
Dinosaur museum was great - kid had a blast
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8205/8...8209b6a009.jpg
Not 30 miles later was a "free car museum" (Russel's Truck Stop in Glen Rio, NM) which I loved seeing - kid's becoming a bit of a car nut herself.
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8062/8...15b25e3a_z.jpg
Onward to Amarillo, TX we went - thoughts of Cadillac Ranch on our mind
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8482/8...a57eba90_z.jpg
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8490/8...3ee573d2_z.jpg
I probably should have stayed in Amarillo or a town a few hours down the road but pushed home - it was near 1 am when I walked in the door. Truck ran well most of the way, started running a bit rough a ways out of town - wouldn't start the next day. Swapping out the condenser and re-setting the points got her running sweet again - electronic ignition is top on the list.

All in all, I'm thrilled that I chose to drive rather than ship the truck and my daughter and I have many great memories we'll cherish forever.

Great report and pictures! Thanks for stopping back to share your experience!

Thanks for sharing the pictures. Memorable trip for you little girl.

Cool that you know about points. That's a vanishing knowlege.

So.... what's the story on the roto-tiller?? ;-)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by noFanofCB

Thanks for sharing the pictures. Memorable trip for you little girl.

Cool that you know about points. That's a vanishing knowlege.

So.... what's the story on the roto-tiller?? ;-)

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The tiller is a 1960something merry tiller that I bought at a garage sale years ago for $10 not running. A bit of tinkering and I had her running on first pull, just had to make sure I started her every couple months.

I moved from Salem, OR to Dallas in search of (and found) better economic climate 2 years ago- there was no room in the over stuffed U-Haul for it so I took it to my parents knowing this roadtrip was upcoming some day. They brought it to boise and in the truck it rode. She's not running, I'll get her running when I have time to mess with her.

I too enjoyed your tale and pictures, a real nice experience to share with your daughter, thanks for sharing.

Loved the story. Was keen to read how and where the old truck went. What a great adventure to share with your daughter. Lucky girl!

Lifey

I thought it fun to read about your daughter's reaction to a dinosaur museum and the car museum, too. Perhaps someday you can take her up to Dinosaur National Monument in NW Colorado!


Donna