Hello,
I meant to start this thread a while back, but life has been turbulent. I live in SE Virginia. My brother (central Texas) and I recently visited my mother in central California for what we were certain would be our last chance to see her alive. Sure enough, she died two days after we left CA. She was 72 and had suffered from a rare neurological disorder for about seven years. We quickly made a plan to return for her memorial service. He and his wife would fly from Texas, but I made a plan to drive so that I could retrieve her cremains and some personal effects. My wife would join me.
I prepped the car by changing the oil and filters and then having the intake cleaned of carbon deposits. The intake cleaning was a bit premature, but it was good insurance that I would not have to deal with potential intake issues while 3000 miles from home. Here's a look at the intake with 106,000 miles of gunk:
They didn't look bad at all! I also had the mechanic inspect key areas that might present a problem on the long road trip. My tires are relatively new... no worries there. My daughter planned to join us from her USMC air station in NC, flying to Fresno. So, I loaded the rooftop cargo box to free-up some room inside the car for her.
My wife has dietary restrictions. Plus, a lot of areas are still locked-down with dining rooms being closed. Therefore, I invested in a 12V refrigerator/freezer that would enable us to travel with our own food and shop in grocery stores instead of restaurants.
Recalling some areas in New England with no 4G/LTE coverage, and knowing we'd see plenty of dead-zones out west, I opted to add a WeBoost cellular signal booster to the car.
I'll report more on that later. I said this is a "coast-to-coast" trip. We don't live on the coast; and neither did my mother. So, about a week before the main trip began, my daughter and I took a side trip to Chincoteague, VA to take a few photos at the Atlantic Ocean.
Look closely and you'll see a porpoise jumping in the background...
We got stuck while attempting to back into this area for a quick photo. A quick, gentle push was all it took to be free...
There! East Coast: CHECK! ;-)
My mother had three cats. They were with a good caretaker. However, that caretaker was having second thoughts about keeping them. Seeing my mother (and good friend) wither away without getting to enjoy retirement had her thinking that she and her husband might like to travel while they still could (he's 80). I don't blame them. Seeing my mother fall ill just as she was leaving the workforce has me wondering if now's the time to enjoy some domestic travel. My wife and I are "cat people." So, we made a new plan that involved bringing them home. That will kill our travel plans for a while, but Mom would be pleased to know that her babies are getting to stay together.
Our plan to pack the cats in three kennels for travel inside the car meant that there was no room for the refrigerator and Mom's personal effects. What to do? That's right: BABY TRAILER! I wired a 12V extension from the trunk to the trailer box and placed the fridge in the front section of the trailer for a smooth ride. We carried our luggage in the trailer, too, opting to put more weight on the separate axle than on the car.
With the trailer along for the ride, I opted to carry full-size spare tires for the trailer and the car. Sure, the donuts are still under the trailer and under the electronics panel, but having full-size spares added a layer of security. I carried the tires and some tools/fluids in the cargo box. My rooftop load, including the rack and box, was right at VW's specified 165 lbs (75 kg).
We quickly ran out of room in the trailer and opted to use the upper cargo deck. That meant using the cargo bag that I had reviewed last year:
Looks like this bag will be put to the test now.
I'll share more later.
Take Care,
Scott
