Dory transits cross country

[joeblack5]

Should have started this thread earlier because some posts are under Dory's build.

To keep it all organized I will redo the first couple of posts. Essentially the idea of this trip started with a need to get a deadline to get on the road. So our goal to reach skoolie palooza 2019.

Later j

 

[joeblack5]

a little redo in an attempt to make it coherent. We left State College 04 Jan. We had to install some equipment in Piedmont , SC. .
On the road we visited natural bridge in west Virginia.

 

[joeblack5]

Spend the night at wally. Arrived Sunday eve in Piedmont and took a hotel with indoor swimming pool for the kids.
Monday morning we unloaded the equipment with my friend who flew in from California. We borrowed a forklift and Wednesday noon we were done . At the Georgia border we were out classed by a pro rig. We left pretty quick after they started there generator.
At the next stop the crew claimed fake cold to get me to turn the heat on. That I did.

 

[cadillackid]

ha!! keeop the heat nice n warm, thats what its there fore.. no reason to "rough it and shiver" thats why you built that fantastic travelling rig , to stay nice N comfy..



looks like a great trip in the making!
-Christopher

 

[joeblack5]

We spend two days installing and left Wednesday noon. Made it to the other side of Atlanta. Another Walmart in Villa Rica. Next day we drove thru Alabama and stopped at the bass pro for a shooting game. Made it that night to meridian ...again at wally. Next day Friday we went to the steam plant museum. Worthwhile if you like antique machinery. The rest of the day we pushed to get as close to the rain storm as possible. That turned out to be Ruston Louisiana.

 

[cadillackid]

where is the steam plant museum? I love old machinery!! do they have any of it operating during your tours?
-Christopher

 

[joeblack5]

It is in Meridian. Will try to upload some more photos later. Here is another one of the equipment we carried in Dory with us to South Carolina.

Today we made it thru Texas and are now in new mexico at a rest area on the continental divide. 62 miles to the Arizona border and then another 400 or so to quarzsite.

Later j

 

[cadillackid]

ha!! that looks like my bus when i carry full phone systems and network racks to jobsites! thats the beauty of a bus you can carry equipment and people with you!. you guys are making great time.. and dory seems like its running great for you!
that rocks!
-Christopher

 

[joeblack5]

While we were driving in Texas we stopped at the wasp museum. Women air force service pilots. In sweetwater. Amazing what these women had to endure to be accepted and recognized. Talking about male chauvinism.
Then we drove on to Midland, tx.. Slept that night at a wally again. We wanted to see the petroleum museum.
The weather was cold and a part of the museum is outside. Hope I do not offend anyone but we were not impressed with the museum.
Later. J

 

[joeblack5]

After we left Midland. Tx we slowly got into the scenery we longed for.

We kind of zipped thru new mexico 16 jan and played around in bowie az a little. Neat almost ghost town.

 

[joeblack5]

Did not like big city traffic around phoenix so we took i8 and then az85 to end up on the west side of town. Overnighted at the intersection of I8 and az 85 at the gas station that was loaded with metal arts weldments and pottery. Free water and dump. They had a certified scale and in the morning my curiosity took over.... 7500 lbs front...15200 lbs drive and 4000lbs jeep. That was loaded with 100 gallon fuel and 40 gallon water.

 

[Ronnie-SKO]

The name on the steam engine in photo is "Soule" They are built in Louisiana and there is a museum there in the old factory so guessing that is where you were?

Me and my father have been collecting and restoring steam engines for many years, and my wife has become part of that too. One of the ones in his collection is a "Soule" speed twin like the one in the photo.

 

[joeblack5]

Hi Ronnie. Yes a steam and stirling fan myself.
Industrial heritage museum.. Meridian Mississippi. George Soule , seems he was a man of many talents.
It is amazing how many things there are to see on the road if you are not in a hurry. Would like to see the stuff what keeps you busy when I am in your area. It is hard to keep the larger steam boilers certified. So I am more in the small stuff. Here in quartz site there was a cute model rider stirling for Sale. About 7" flywheel .. $ 1200. Nice but good enough we have no space to carry a toy like that. + it looks like I need to spend some money on new batteries.

 

[cadillackid]

getting a bus can Teach you how to road trip all over again.. I know it has for me..



I got caight up in the drive 80 and run 18 hours to go across large spances of the country.. for years.. in which ZI missed all things along the way...



driving a bus, in which for one I need to stop more often for leg stretches and I run 60-65 vs 80. all the sudden makes it seem like the hurry is gone.. no longer do I worry about making 800 miles or more in a day...



stopping for things ive looked up on the internet, sometimes as simple as a diner my home roomate saw on Food network and texted me about,knowing I was in a certain area of the country, or a sign i see that looks interesting along the highway so I take the exit...



i sure miss the steam shows.. we used to have lots of them up here in ohio.. but so many are gone.. as the oroginal founders unfortunately pass away or no longer can organize the events.. neing in Ohio where lots of industry was prevalent for many years made for a lot of really neat antique engines or guys that would build their own miniatures in their garage..

-Christopher

 

[Ronnie-SKO]

Stop by when you can, sounds like we would have a lot to talk about.
Here is my business Rappahannock Boat Works

and my hobby Walkersville Southern Railroad

 

[joeblack5]

Yes Chris , right you are, feel pretty blessed right now. We are ripping thru the days. Already 12 days here in quartzite. The first couple of days was skoolie palooza. In the mean time we found some left over wood and aluminum. We made a linear parbolic sun concentrator. You can see it left in the first picture. It makes two cups of boiling water in 30 minutes. Suddenly out of now where came this antique driving thru the desert. When skoolie palooza came to an end we hung another day or so and met the Arizona ham radio group who had set up in close to the same blm land. My wife confided that she always wanted to be a radio amateur..
to be honest a little surprise to me. Long story short. We studied thru the night and we both passed our technician radio amateur exam the next day. Then we started to do some of the unfinished projects in Dory.... Hook up the pump for running water.. Hook up the range fans for the smoke hood. Installed the little pony diesel so that some space in the jeep is freed up. Now thinking about how to get it hooked up to the Ac compressor and generator...Found a Schrader valve for compressed air in the front and rear of Dory. Replaced the front one with a valve and air nipple. So now we have air for tires and so on.
Today we experimented with the recirculating shower. Pretty happy with it. The electric heated shower head keeps the water nice and hot. Covered the shower in 9 mil plastic that I got at Herbs hardware store.

Ronnie sure will do. That would be great fun.

Later. J

 

[ermracing]

Congrats on the ham radio licenses! I passed my Tech test in early December. Nice shot of the Model A too.

 

[PNW_Steve]

Congratulations on your Tech license!


Any plans for upgrading to General and getting active on HF?


I wonder how many hams we have in the skoolie community? Maybe we should start an HF net?

 

[vintageracer]

Great "Trip Report"!

Wish "Mo Folks" would take the time to share their Skoolie travel experiences with us.

Sharing your "Trip Report" is a hallmark of the Overlanding crowd of which I participate.

 

[2po2watch]

What engine are you using for your “pony” and how is it hooked up to your a/c and genny?