Unplanned Solo Departure
If you saw my introductory article for this trip, then you may recall that I closed it with, “Follow along — we might just run into a few unexpected adventures!” It didn’t take long at all for that first “adventure” to happen. We had a veterinary emergency surface the evening before our departure.
My wife took our oldest cat to the vet the following morning, instantly throwing our travel schedule into disarray. I made a quick decision to leave my wife behind for the outbound trip to Oregon as soon as it was clear that the cat needed extended care.
My decision may seem cold and calculated on the surface, but she understood when I said, “This train has to be in Oregon by next week.” We made a plan for her to resolve the vet emergency and then fly to Oregon to meet me as I arrived. Meanwhile, I started my journey without her, but not without encountering yet another setback.
The Weight of the Problem
I sensed a problem with my load the instant I transitioned from my driveway to the street: “Whoa! That feels heavy!” My driveway is inclined, so I cannot weigh the trailer’s tongue until I’m on the level street. I carry an analog scale and measured the tongue weight at 180 lbs or 82 kg. That’s too heavy for a Golf/GTI.
I had to unload the lid/platform, remove it, and then rearrange the cargo along the floor to lighten the tongue weight. It was time consuming and unpleasant due to the heat and humidity. Even worse, I pulled a back muscle when I was unloading the large roller boxes.
I mentioned last time that the boxes would be empty for the outbound trip to Oregon. However, knowing that I’d be bringing the boxes into the hotel room each evening, I opted to pack luggage in one of them in order to save a few trips.
The boxes are not terribly heavy, but their size makes it impossible to lift with proper leg form. I knew that I needed a better way to lift alone if my back was to survive six more days of handling the cargo without assistance.
Day 1’s setbacks delayed my departure to around 1pm, so I only made it 317 miles (510 km) to Beckley, WV. The first day of travel is usually a “training day,” right? 😉 I was at least six hours behind schedule and began to consider ways to close the gap.
Easier Cargo Loading
I continued north toward Michigan on Day 2 and visited a hardware store along the way. I had planned to get some 2x4s that I might use as levers to help me lift the boxes to the trailer’s lid. I walked past a 2-ft tall step ladder on my way to the lumber aisle and had an idea:
The ladder is almost the perfect height to hold the box while I bend my knees beneath it to lift properly. All I needed was to lift one end of the box onto the ladder top and then use its extendable handle to lever the rest of the box on top. Even better, I only needed to lift one box off the ground because I moved them as a stacked pair. The top box was already at a good lifting height — PERFECT!
Day 2 took me to my first new state for both my GTI’s States Traveled map and my wife’s “Been There” mug collection. I dipped into Michigan just far enough to complete both goals. Side note: Starbucks has changed the collector’s series from “Been There” to “Discovery.” The mugs look about the same, so no complaints here!
Chicagoland and Wet Roads
Looking ahead on the map, I could see that leaving Sturgis, MI right away would result in me needing to spend the night somewhere in the Chicago metro area. Not only did I not want to do that with my load, I also preferred to pass through Chicago in the early hours of a Sunday morning instead of a Saturday evening! I opted to stay overnight in Sturgis after a shorter 440-mile (708 km) leg, allowing me to hit the road toward Chicago early Sunday morning (Day 3). Chicago’s traffic was heavy, even for a Sunday. I suspect it was worse Saturday evening.
It was raining, sometimes heavily, which added to the challenge. I pressed through the rain and was impressed by the Michelin CrossClimate2’s performance on wet roads. I was also “impressed” by the stiff tolls along I-90 in Indiana and Illinois. The total was $105.64 at the time of this writing. It’s ironic that my combination vehicle weighs less than an F-150 crew cabin but gets charged at a commercial rate due to the “baby trailer.”
I stopped in Brookings, SD after driving 761 miles (1221 km) through Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. I chose an aggressive driving day so that I could get back on schedule and collected three Starbucks mugs that day. I was good and tired when I stopped that evening!
Speed Limits and Aerodynamics
Day 4 brought the first state along my route to introduce an 80-mph speed limit. I didn’t drive 80 mph because that’s the documented speed limit for both my trailer’s tires and the rooftop cargo box. I’m sure there’s a safety margin that would allow me to exceed those limits, but there was an even better reason: EFFICIENCY.
Wind drag increases exponentially with speed. My trailer and rooftop loads were beginning to behave like parachutes! I suspect fuel savings is a contributor to why most over-the-road trucks drive slower than 80 mph, too. I cruised at 75 mph — just fast enough to get around the trucks, but slow enough that other traffic still passed me.
The 80-mph speed limits were a constant along my route though SD, ND, and MT. I collected Discovery mugs from each of those states! I extended my driving day to get ahead of schedule and stopped for the night in Glendive, MT after 570 miles (917 km).
If I can keep this pace, I might just reach Medford, Oregon in time to pick up my wife at the airport directly — saving us a rental car fee while still snagging Discovery mugs in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Follow along for the next update to see if the plan holds!
Packing Mugs and Miles!
Scott
