$800 car road trip?!??

[Mak10]

I’m thinking about going on an adventure. It’s cold here, can’t ride the bike. I have a 22 year old daughter that is home from school with not much to do.

We have a 96 Toyota Tercel, and she wants to go on a road trip. We are thinking of setting out for Big Bend park. Minimalist style. Tent, bike camping kit, great bonding time before she gets busy with life.

Car gets 40 mpg. If it breaks down, will probably scrap it and fly home.

What do you think?

 

[HeliMark]

Any father-daughter (or son) time is worth it. My 27 year old daughter visited back in September for a week. The only thing better would have been if my other daughter could have come.

 

[twodogs]

Enjoy ..... Hope we see some photos..... This is the only adventures I get, enjoying others.

 

[Nikolajsen]

If time, work and money allow.
It is a "no brainer", just go
Åh, and yes, pictures is always nice.

 

[Johnwesley]

I would say sounds like fun and in the car you get more time to talk life. I think it would be a blast plus a time for you and her both to hold onto as life moves on. I wish you well and like other want pics of the trip. Great idea!

 

[RCinNC]

I think something like that will be a memory your daughter will look back on with warmth for the rest of her life. Even if the car drops dead during the trip, that will only enhance the memories you guys will both reflect on as you get older. Do it....life's too fleeting not to.

 

[ballisticexchris]

I think it is not very smart right now. Why would you want to put your daughters and others lives at grave risk? We are at critical levels of COVID infection.

Hospitals are reaching a point of triage treatment. In case you don't know, that means an older person who contacts the disease by no fault of their own from a healthier one that spreads it (possibly you and/or your daughter) will be allowed to die while the healthier and younger person gets treated.

You have a stay at home order in the state of Idaho for anyone at increased risk. The violation of your stay safe order constitutes an imminent threat to public health. Travel is not recommended for anyone right now.

Your state has over 1,100 cases of COVID confirmed in 24 hours, 1,400+ deaths and you are going to a state that has over 1.8 million cases confirmed and over 28,000 deaths.

How about you stay home and exercise instead? Walk around early in the morning or late at night. Play board games. Wear a mask and stay away from people. Lower the risk.

Typical of you asking on a motorcycle forum I will be odd man out. I have found out the stark reality of the motorcycle community is most riders come short in the brain department.

Why anyone with a sound mind would put everything at risk by traveling is beyond my comprehension. Scrap it and fly home? Are you joking? Fly on an airline? What are you thinking? Might just as well get a revolver with a single bullet and play Russian Roulette.

 

[ballisticexchris]

You can have just as much adventure as needed with your daughter. Go in the back yard or garage of your home and do exercise drills. Squats, lunges burpees, box jumps, etc. First you then your daughter. Exercise until you are ready to drop. After that relax with a board game. Much safer.

 

[Sierra1]

I'm all for the bonding time. 'Cuz, doing the trip in the manner you describe, sounds great, and the risk of corona is minimal. Masks, and hand sanitizer whenever you stop for food & gas. And, with a car, you could do the whole trip with food that you get before you leave. Theoretically, you could do the entire trip without contacting another human. UNLESS. . . . the '96 Tercel poops the bed. My concern would be the car. "I" would be concerned with snow, and breaking down in the middle of west Texas. 'Cuz, then your virus risk goes thru the roof. But, I'm assuming that you trust the car, or you would just take a different car.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Deleted a couple of posts for shooting at other forum members. Don't do it.

As for the trip, I'm absolutely in the do anything you can with the kids camp and especially so if they are at that point where jobs and life will soon tie them up so they won't be able to again. I did a month with my son and a couple weeks with the daughter and we still talk about those trips and how the trips brought us closer.

As for 'Rona, you got this far so seem to know how to isolate and use a mask.

 

[Mak10]

Let’s please not turn this into a corona virus thread. If you want to discuss corona take it to that thread.

Pictures will follow.

 

[ballisticexchris]

My concern would be the car.

And let's not forget Texas is not a good place to break down. I'm all about minimizing the risk. I don't like the situation we are in but traveling right now is out of the question unless necessary. Let's face it, while some of us would be smart and minimize contact, most are not. It's unfortunate for sure.

I recommend finding a safer way to bond with your daughter. Travel is not a necessity right now. Of course I realize this is going to fall on deaf ears and the general motoring public are going to do as they wish.

If you do go bring your own non perishable food/water. Enough to last the whole trip. Find gas stations early in the morning and late at night with less people. Also bring extra fuel to minimize fuel stops. If you run out of food use your phone app to order food and use curbside pickup at stores. Keep a safe gap on the highway, roll up widows at stops, and use recirculating fan. And avoid other human contact at all costs.

Other than that do as Robert suggested and wear a mask, sanitize, and wash hands whenever possible.

This is what you want to avoid:



Enjoy your trip.

 

[Johnwesley]

The big bend area is great this time of the year and the people in the area are open and friendly to travelers. if you make it down that way make sure and do marfa lights. With your daughter that will be fun, bring some snacks and drinks while you sit under the night sky and look for moving lights of different colors. Look it up. Fort Davis is also a cool place to visit in the area with lots of history and very hospitable people. The observatory is cool if it’s open and the old soda bar is a neat stop for food and a milkshake. We do a rally there each year. The mountain loop that goes around to the west side is great scenery of the mountains I would advise heading south out of fort Davis and then do the loop back to the north. Thats my favorite direction. Doing the River road is a must as you get to ride along the México boarder and the sights are worthy of photos. There is a rest are there that are made like teepees for a good stop for snacks and get out of the sun. If you want any pointers just let me know. Looking forward to the pics.

 

[Don T]

If you and your daughter want to go and have the opportunity, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't go ASAP.

Have fun.

 

[Johnwesley]

I did an article for that area last year, this isn’t the final edit but maybe helpful a link to the map is at the end


River Road calling.

What makes a ride worth doing? Answering this question is the beginning of a great ride and where I will start. An interesting ride has many aspects to it that makes it desirable. A good story line helps, historical events are interesting such as Tombstone or Gettysburg, old folk lore helps as well such as the famed devils highway 666. These stories bring in the tourist and allow the mind to connect with the past, real or assumed. Then the scenery is a welcomed gift to a nice ride from coast lines to mountain roads they all offer something pleasing for the eyes. Last but not least are the curves and elevation changes of the road. People will travel great distance to ride the dragon of North Carolina just for curves even rallies have been built around the those roads.

This ride is going to include all of the above and will give you time to plan it and still get to it in time for blue bonnets, remember that scenery part. Let’s start in West Texas home of Ranchers and oil wells, Fort Davis to be exact. First time I was on this road was in 2008, and I have ridden it several times since. Fort Davis is full of history and old western town charm. It is stuck in a time when cowboys roamed the area. You can still get a custom made cowboy hat right on main street, or if you want to step into the modern era you can look at the stars in the Observatory. One of the best times to ride this route is April 30- May 3, so you can make it a RFS ride and meet the ministry partners who gather here to pray over the RFS, an amazing time all by itself. There are several places to stay and I prefer to just base out of Fort Davis. Davis mountain State park has motel rooms and plenty of camping available, and there are several small motels in town. You better make reservations if coming during the Davis Mountain Rally. First ride is just a small loop that can be part of the main ride or just as a short 75mile 2hr drive. The Davis Mountain Loop has tight curves and plenty of elevation changes with scenery you would not believe is in west Texas, plan extra time if you like taking pictures. My preferred direction of travel is to go south out of Fort Davis to Texas 166, head west until you come to the intersection of 118 and keep right. 118 will join 17; keep right toward Fort Davis.

For the main ride you will cover 250 miles with roads varying from straight and flat to curvy and steep. From Fort Davis head south on TX17 for 23 miles and you will arrive at Marfa. At the intersection of TX17 and US90 continue south onto US67 for 57 miles to Presidio, Tx a border town where you can cross into Mexico. Just 36 miles south of Marfa is Shafter, it’s a Ghost town where the film “The Andromeda Strain” was filmed in 1971. If you’ve watched the film then the church will be just as you remembered it. From US67 head east onto TX170, This is a good time to stop at El Patio for a bite to eat, that’s the Chairman of board’s favorite place. They have a Mexican buffet at times, if you visit when they do not offer the buffet Sr’s favorite plate is the Chile Rellenos. From here you will travel 67miles on TX170. This road starts out tame and turns into a roller coaster ride as you follow the Rio Grande River which is the Mexican border. It’s best to take it easy though this section especially if you haven’t done this ride before. It just takes a second of looking at the scenery and the road will have changed direction on you. This is also where you should make sure you have plenty of water with you. You will travel by ghost towns and be taken back to a simpler time. My first trip on this road it took me double the time to transvers it, I was stopping every few miles to take pictures. Two stops worth mentioning, Dom Rock and the rest area that has teepees for shade. At the intersection of TX170 and TX118 there is a gas station if you need fuel. Turn north toward alpine for a quarter mile and you will find a favorite little stop for bikers called Chili Pepper Cafe. If you missed Sr’s stop then you are surely ready for a snack now. 78 miles north will find you at the town of Alpine with plenty of gas stations and small shops to look around in. If you think this ride is done after Alpine then I have good news for you, there is one more section of mountains to go through as you head north on TX118 into Fort Davis. I’m sure you’re ready to stop for a bit and get a drink, the Fort Davis drug store is just the place to do that with the old time soda fountain and Ice-cream will be icing on the cake. One point of note, the drug store is closed on Saturday. If you want some night life I suggest you head down to Marfa and check out the Marfa lights, it’s a good place to kill time and see the stars just make sure its pitch black and a clear night to have the best chance of seeing the lights. The history of Marfa lights is interesting if you want to look it up. There is no explanation for the lights and your mind will play tricks on you as search for what they are. I had convinced myself that it was cars coming down a mountain way off in the distance. The next day I went back to verify my belief and there is not a hill or road in sight. Before you leave fort Davis in the morning head over to Lupita’s place and have some breakfast. I eat there every time I come through.



Map of the Davis loop https://fortdavis.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/scenic-loop-map.pdf

Google maps https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_DQSUiunpxYHLu7nklLqAHxb3IyPA8On&usp=sharing

 

[Dr Ratbagg]

Let’s please not turn this into a corona virus thread. If you want to discuss corona take it to that thread.

Pictures will follow.

Anyone traveling for leisure within the next few months will be putting themselves and everyone around them in danger. I don’t believe for a second that most people don’t actually know how this virus is transmitted, how masks reduce the danger, or how damaging the pandemic is for our citizens, our hospitals, our economy, etc. What I do believe is that a lot of Americans just don’t give a shit - they think rights and freedom come with no personal responsibilities and literally mean the right to kill other people simply because they don’t want to be inconvenienced. I always thought that deep down, Americans were better than this.

 

[Mak10]

The car: 1996 Toyota Tercel. 142,900 miles.
Good tires, brakes, heater, A/C. No known problems. Gets between 37.5 to 42 mpg.

Part of the adventure is doing this in a inexpensive car.

 

[EricV]

I see too many people going to large gatherings and not using basic precautions. I sometimes bite my tongue(fingers), and move along, other times I'm more vocal about that being a Bad Idea©.

Mak10's trip is NOT this. You can safely isolate, distance and use some basic precautions when you can't distance. Holy cow, some of you need to go to West Texas to understand it's not that hard to stay away from people in Big Bend NP. Or along the way. A little common sense goes a long way. Don't sit at a restaurant with a fan blowing across other tables at you. Wear masks if you go shopping, etc. Know that CV-19 is out there, you can't tell where/who and be smart. That doesn't mean hiding under a rock.

In terms of the Tercel, it's a Toyota. If it's basically sound, just go. Maybe check up on your towing policy(ies), or spring for a year of AAA for one of you, (maybe a nice present for the daughter?). Even AAAPlusRV for moto coverage isn't really that expensive in the grand scheme of things. And check out Allstate Motor Club as an alternative. Better in some ways, about the same cost. We have both. 142k? It's barely broken in!

Take some basic tools with you. I've swapped a thermostat in the auto parts parking lot more than once. Beats driving with the windows down and heater blasting. You likely have a mini compressor and tubeless flat repair kit on the bike. Works great on car tires too. A little prep, maybe an hour of preventative maintenance, pack the car and go. You don't get opportunities like this so often with adult kids.

Go. Have a great time.

And @ballisticexchris - You shared your opinion, now move along. Repeated posting of the same basic opinion won't change anything.

Edit - Check the weather forecast! It's 18F in Big Bend today. We have a friend that lives there. They had to close the park for a bit due to the snow. First time in years it's snowed like that. Should be melting off and likely be fine by the time you get there, but do you're own research on NOAA and other sites.

 

[Highwayman]

Absolutely do it!

 

[Johnwesley]

The car: 1996 Toyota Tercel. 142,900 miles.
Good tires, brakes, heater, A/C. No known problems. Gets between 37.5 to 42 mpg.

Part of the adventure is doing this in a inexpensive car. View attachment 75485

buddy has one like that we call shotgun, cause it looks like it was shot by one. It has over 250,000 miles on it and has just started giving him some tranny problems. I’m sure your good with such a low mileage one.