US East Running the Trans America Trail (TAT) from WV to the OR coast

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Triple B

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Thanks. I think she's pretty cute. She puts up with me.

What's the "Colonial Mess" you're talking about?

Pretty much what Mrprez said. Ramsome ware hackers shut all the servers done. "The attackers who hacked into Colonial Pipeline systems chose one of the most important segments of the U.S. energy infrastructure. The 5,500-mile pipeline, the largest in the U.S., carries gasoline and other products to 14 states and Washington, D.C., including nearly half of all fuel consumed on the East Coast. Colonial’s shutdown has caused gasoline shortages in states in the Southeast serviced by the line, highlighting the pipeline’s crucial role in U.S. energy distribution. " It's getting ridiculous out there. First TP hoarding and now the fuel. Not sure if lucky or not but FL gets their fuel barged in via the Gulf from TX. However that has not stopped the hoarding. Peeps are filling up whatever container they can find. This panic is causing stations to run out just like the TP.

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armyRN

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The pipeline in the SE that carries gasoline. It was hacked causing a disruption to the supply and hoarding. I’ve seen pictures of people pumping gas into clear plastic garbage bags and carrying them in the back of their car!
Ok; I knew about that - I didn't know it had a name. Thanks!

Yeah - it seems like events are trying to conspire against us. I guess we'll see what happens.
 

armyRN

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Well, It hurts me greatly to have to type these words, “I have to remove myself from the TAT list”
I wish you all the best on your journey.
I'm sorry to hear you won't be coming.

I think you were one of the first to sign up for the trip. I knew you were excited about the trip, and had put a lot of money and effort getting your rig ready for the TAT.

Thanks for letting us know.
 

Mrprez

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Well, It hurts me greatly to have to type these words, “I have to remove myself from the TAT list”
I wish you all the best on your journey.
Say it ain’t true! All your work building up your truck. Well, hopefully you will be able to go next year.
 

armyRN

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Doing a few final trailer projects:

1. I had a high-lift jack cover made by Step-22 for a few years. I have the jack mounted to the side of my trailer. It keeps the jack workings clean, but the rest of the jack has gotten muddy at times, so you would need to clean the I-beam well if you were to need the jack.

CA pre-run.2 (3).jpg

I liked the cover, but I wished it was longer to cover more of the jack's I-beam. I contacted Step-22 to see if they could make one longer to my specs, and unfortunately they said "No". So I had my local upholstery shop make one for me. I am pleased with how it came out.

Jack cover and fire extinguisher.jpg

2. I also had an extra 5lb Kidde fire extinguisher from a previous little overlanding trip in OR. Seems OR required a large fire extinguisher, shovel, and a few other things when in their national forests. I had it sitting behind the seat in my truck, but thought it might be nice to bring on the TAT trip. So I ordered a Kidde 5lb fire extinguisher mount, and mounted the combo on the back of my trailer in I think the last open spot I had on the trailer's outside. Hopefully we won't need it.

Fire extinguisher.jpg

I didn't put fire extinguisher on the required list, but I'm hoping everyone has some sort of fire extinguisher in their vehicles. I also have a small one mounted beside my Jeep's driver's side seat.
 
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DEADBEEF

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So it feels more real everyday. Made our WV reservations will be in Ripley on June 10 couple days early to get into the swing of things. Also as a native of WV, yup “me” the wife is a Mountaineer from Clarksburg. So I’ll have to track down the “famous” WV pepperoni rolls, hopefully they will have some at WalMart perhaps.

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So it feels more real everyday. Made our WV reservations will be in Ripley on June 10 couple days early to get into the swing of things. Also as a native of WV, yup “me” the wife is a Mountaineer from Clarksburg. So I’ll have to track down the “famous” WV pepperoni rolls, hopefully they will have some at WalMart perhaps.

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Just about every gas station in WV has them. I suggest everybody try at least one. My favorites are the ones with hot pepper cheese.
 
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armyRN

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Just about every gas station in WV has them. I suggest everybody try at least one. My favorites are the ones with hot pepper cheese.
I am so getting some while in WV. Will probably slice some up and put it in my breakfast hash (hash browns, cheddar cheese, and egg all scrambled together).
 
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bcmedicxj

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New BFG KO2's are being installed tomorrow. Still have some loose ends to tie up. June 12th is coming fast!
 
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Aloha_Cruiser

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Team. Sorry this is so last minute. Time has flown by these past couple weeks. I won’t be able to make it on this trip.
I had a family emergency last weekend, and had to take some emergency leave. Everything is good now just helping out before leave this ugly Oregon coastline and I fly back to beautiful NJ (just kidding).
(I’m about 50 miles north of Port Orford).
if you have any questions about this area let me know. My uncle has lived here for about 10 years and my dad 5.
Some very nice ocean front camping and mountains as well. If you can swing a trip to crater lake I suggest that and stay in a nearby campsite. The whole Hwy 101 coastline is breathtaking.
 

armyRN

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Good morning! I head out for WV two weeks from today. I've got reservations at Statts Mills RV park for 10 & 11 June. Looking forward to seeing some of you there before the kick-off on 12 June.

Ok... What to expect on the morning of 12 June:

I will get to Walmart by 0800. Be looking for my Jeep and trailer. I'll be in one of the far corners of the parking lot.

Overland Adventure.1.jpg

We'll start lining up at 0800 (I'll be directing where to park). I'll be assigning convoy position numbers at this time. I'll be giving you a small post-it note with your convoy # on it for you to stick on your dash for the first day till you have it memorized (I know I would forget mine if I didn't have it in front of me).

This is the time to meet-and-greet, start congregating, check out everyone else's rigs and gear, run into Walmart for last minute items, radio check, bathroom run, etc. So get there in plenty of time to meet your new friends and get vehicles positioned.

At exactly 0900, we will have our first "Driver's Meeting" (drivers required to attend, passengers optional but strongly suggested on this first day). I will briefly go over convoy etiquette, convoy radio procedures, we'll answer any questions, and then we'll get into our vehicles. If anyone wants to swap convoy position numbers, now's the time (before we head to our vehicles) if you haven't done so already before 0900.

Once in our vehicles, we will start our convoy radio check (essentially "number one ready to roll... number two ready...etc. all the way to Zombie our tailgater saying "Tailgunner ready to roll"). Then we'll start moving out! And we're not stopping for a while.

So if everyone gets there early, our driver's meeting could be as short as a few minutes, and then we're rolling. I don't plan on dragging out the driver's meeting any longer than necessary. I want to hit the trail!

Any questions?
 
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armyRN

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My rig is ready! AND, my 19 yo son is coming with me!

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I see from your pictures you guys are running the Trasharoo bags on your spare tires. I've got one for my Jeep's spare - I've had it for years. They sure do come in handy!

(not bringing the kayak on this trip - picture is from one of my Canada trips).

arctic prerun.3.jpg

If you're running an externally mounted spare tire and are looking for some extra storage space, I highly recommend them.

link: Trasharoo Direct Webstore (3dcartstores.com)

There are other companies that sell similar products - not saying Trasharoo is the only option out there for a spare tire mounted storage bag. Some of the other options are quite nice but they can start to get pricey. But Trasharoo is the one that started it.
 
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Zombie

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I see from your pictures you guys are running the Trasharoo bags on your spare tires. I've got one for my Jeep's spare - I've had it for years. They sure do come in handy!

(not bringing the kayak on this trip - picture is from one of my Canada trips).

View attachment 199128

If you're running an externally mounted spare tire and are looking for some extra storage space, I highly recommend them.

link: Trasharoo Direct Webstore (3dcartstores.com)

There are other companies that sell similar products - not saying Trasharoo is the only option out there for a spare tire mounted storage bag. Some of the other options are quite nice but they can start to get pricey. But Trasharoo is the one that started it.
Yeah, I have to resist putting too much stuff in it. The old LandCruiser door mounted wheels have a tendency to fall off with too big a tire. My 33s should be fine.
Another brand of spare tire sack that I would consider is the All-top. Trasharoos are really going up in price on Amazon.
AmazonSmile: ALL-TOP Overland Series Spare Tire Trash Bag (Desert Camo) - Tool & Gear Organizer for Outdoor Off-Road Expedition - Fit up to 40'' Tire: Automotive
 
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