Haha, you are literally too literal some times.
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Adventures with Big Blue
- Thread starter campfire
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Is it possible to be figuratively too literal?
Seriously, get something on the books now. You won't accidentally wind up 800 miles North, it will take some planning to make it happen.
Here the story's gonna get kinda boring. At the wedding, we met up with my brother, who had a nicer camera than mine. I ended up using the nice camera to document this leg of the trip, and I never got a copy of the pictures. 
But after the wedding we headed North for a tour of the Keweenaw. Drove up to Copper Harbor for the night.
@76zimmer, this is one of the things that we missed seeing due to our awesome back-country route through the region. If we had stayed on highway 41 we would have driven right past it. I didn't realize it at the time, but it's probably within sight of the cliff (It's just South of Phoenix).
We took US-41 up to Copper Harbor and camped for the night at Fanny Hooe.
It rained. A lot. A whole lot. We got up the next morning and loaded up our soggy (leaking!) tent and showed my family members around Manganese Falls. Really neat creek cutting through a path in the rocks. We climbed down into the gorge and then hiked upstream to where the water falls. Really neat place when the water's flowing. Much of the year it is dry. It falls in several stages, from the top of this picture to the bottom.
Lower view of the lower end.
And then we drove out to the end of the highway. This time we decided to continue onto the logging path and head out to the point. The road was really soggy and flooding. We made it most of the way out there and then turned around when we reached a spot that was completely washed out and then turned into a wet rock climb. It's amazing, 3 years later we took the same truck on the same route following @Blue85 and @76zimmer, also on a soggy day, and had no problems whatsoever. It's amazing how much confidence can be gained by traveling with a friendly tow strap.
Anyway, here's what the turn-around looks like when you get to the end of the highway.
We went up the Brockway to see what we could see. Dave, this is what it looks like in heavy fog. Normally this is a really good view of Lake Superior.
Eagle Harbor was a similar disappointment, we couldn't even get a good view of the lighthouse from the lighthouse parking lot. Same for the Copper Harbor lighthouse.
After that we toured Quincy Mine.
And then we headed back to Wisconsin. Passed another milestone on the way.
Passed by Paul Bunyon's in Minocqua. I've been here twice, but have yet to catch them when they're actually open.
But after the wedding we headed North for a tour of the Keweenaw. Drove up to Copper Harbor for the night.
@76zimmer, this is one of the things that we missed seeing due to our awesome back-country route through the region. If we had stayed on highway 41 we would have driven right past it. I didn't realize it at the time, but it's probably within sight of the cliff (It's just South of Phoenix).
We took US-41 up to Copper Harbor and camped for the night at Fanny Hooe.
It rained. A lot. A whole lot. We got up the next morning and loaded up our soggy (leaking!) tent and showed my family members around Manganese Falls. Really neat creek cutting through a path in the rocks. We climbed down into the gorge and then hiked upstream to where the water falls. Really neat place when the water's flowing. Much of the year it is dry. It falls in several stages, from the top of this picture to the bottom.
Lower view of the lower end.
And then we drove out to the end of the highway. This time we decided to continue onto the logging path and head out to the point. The road was really soggy and flooding. We made it most of the way out there and then turned around when we reached a spot that was completely washed out and then turned into a wet rock climb. It's amazing, 3 years later we took the same truck on the same route following @Blue85 and @76zimmer, also on a soggy day, and had no problems whatsoever. It's amazing how much confidence can be gained by traveling with a friendly tow strap.
Anyway, here's what the turn-around looks like when you get to the end of the highway.
We went up the Brockway to see what we could see. Dave, this is what it looks like in heavy fog. Normally this is a really good view of Lake Superior.
Eagle Harbor was a similar disappointment, we couldn't even get a good view of the lighthouse from the lighthouse parking lot. Same for the Copper Harbor lighthouse.
After that we toured Quincy Mine.
And then we headed back to Wisconsin. Passed another milestone on the way.
Passed by Paul Bunyon's in Minocqua. I've been here twice, but have yet to catch them when they're actually open.
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Sorry I don't have the rest of the pictures, I'll update the thread if they ever materialize. But that's the end of this trip report. And for once I'm actually running out of trips to report. Guess I'll hafta get out and find some new adventures. 
This is what the Brockway is supposed to look like.
(borrowed from the 2012 trip at the beginning of this thread.)
(borrowed from the 2012 trip at the beginning of this thread.)
Wow, that is a phenomenal view!
Yeah, it definitely is. Here's what it looked like for the CK5 trip a few weeks ago. Not as good as the first time nor as soupy as the second. You can make out the water, but it's not dazzlingly blue, either. Looks like the white posts have faded a bunch, too.
The fog covers the camera lens (and glasses lenses!) and makes the view all fuzzy. Here is Dave trying to jump off the edge, and it looks like he's inside the cloud. I guess he is, in a sense.
What kind of fuel economy are you getting on your trips?
Depends on the trip. I've recorded fillups for a little over 20,000 miles now, and I expect 23-24MPG @ 55MPH, 22MPG @ 65MPH, 21MPG @ 70MPH, and 19 or 20 around town. Towing my small trailer (truck bed), with truck & trailer both loaded to the gills, I got 16MPG. These trips are all below 2000' elevation, I'm guessing it would be worse in Colorado.
This is a 6.2/700R4/208 drive train in a K10 with 3.08 gears and 29" tires. Bone stock aside from swapping out the intake manifold for a 6.5 intake (slightly less restrictive). I am missing my secondary intake filter & piping, so I'm missing out on the pressurized supply of cool air at the front of the truck. Would probably help a little bit to hook that back up someday. New injectors would also be a good idea.
Here is my fuel consumption report from the overlanding trip:
Fuel consumption report. Because I like tracking stuff like that.
I drove 1001 miles and used 51.5 gallons. An average of 19.4 MPG. I'll break that down by fillup:
I started the trip full and ran mostly road miles until I ran out in the Porkies (filled up in Ontonagon). This was 436 miles and 20.0 gallons. 21.8MPG. This is a little low for this truck on a road trip, but it wasn't only highway miles.
The second tank was the real overlanding stuff, from the Porkies through the Keweenaw. I ran out in Houghton and filled up in Baraga (because why not?). 276 miles and 18.0 gallons (it sputtered on the big hill in Houghton). 15.3 MPG.
The third tank was the trip from Houghton to home. The only overlanding here was going up to the gorge. 289 miles and 13.6 gallons. 21.3MPG. Still slightly low, but there's not much I can do about it.
Looking through my route and comparing it to Dave's, I think I drove 430 extra miles (since I didn't trailer), so I'm estimating that he drove 570 miles. He estimates that he burned through 105 gallons, so I figure his average mileage as 5.4MPG
Luke says:
My informal observation is that Luke and I would run out of fuel at similar times, but he carried 32 gallons while I carried 20 (in one tank). Looking at the math, this is really close to what I would expect from our respective mileage numbers.
So...folks interested in joining us, here are 3 real-world fuel consumption data points for you to plan your fueling capacity accordingly (and budget, too). This stuff doesn't hog fuel like serious rock crawling or sand dunes, but you will be visiting the pump periodically!
Thanks,I have often thought about finding a 2wd 6.2 to to use as a daily driver,still thinking about should I find the right pickup
Should be able to beat my numbers with a 2WD 1/2-ton and fresh injectors. As is, my rig isn't fast. But it always gets me to my destination and is cheaper on the fuel budget than owning a typical gasser.
Pay attention to the gearing & cruising RPM range. There are 6.2 trucks that pull <12MPG given enough offroading mods. Starting with a 4.56-geared M1008 and no O/D is not a recipe for a low-cost DD. Even the 3.08-geared M1009 pulls 20MPG instead of 25 (no O/D).
great pics again Ethan...this one in particular blows my mind....we get an average of 75-80inches in my county, and had a 20 yr record in 2013-14 of 115 inches. Not sure what the all time record is.
You don't hear about the snowfall in the Keweenaw because the population is low and I guess they just don't make a big deal about it. If you watch the radar, you see the wind comes across Lake Superior and as it rises over the peninsula, the snow falls out. For reference, Soo is considered quite snowy and averages 108" (more snow than Buffalo, NY), which in a few cases Houghton has received in a month. I was there for a 328" winter and remember snow banks in May. There are cases of 12"/hour and over 3' in a night, but the key to the high snowfall is that it just keeps snowing all the time. The key to survival is that everyone is ready for it and the road commission has all the big tools. But in remote areas you really have to plan ahead. Also, MTU rarely has snow days - it's all about the staff being able to make it in and they are expected to. Students are just expected to find a way in.
And of course for those not accustomed to the snow belt, snowfall is measured like rain - the amount that falls in a short period is continually added up for the total. 350" does not mean that level ground was covered 30' deep in snow. Snow settles, packs down under its own weight and also sees some evaporation. If you get a mid-season thaw, you lose more and it packs down all the tighter. The earliest snow of the season usually melts. So it's hard to know exactly how deep the snow is by snowfall alone, but it is a fairly good indicator of how much work there was that winter.
And of course for those not accustomed to the snow belt, snowfall is measured like rain - the amount that falls in a short period is continually added up for the total. 350" does not mean that level ground was covered 30' deep in snow. Snow settles, packs down under its own weight and also sees some evaporation. If you get a mid-season thaw, you lose more and it packs down all the tighter. The earliest snow of the season usually melts. So it's hard to know exactly how deep the snow is by snowfall alone, but it is a fairly good indicator of how much work there was that winter.
great pics again Ethan...this one in particular blows my mind....we get an average of 75-80inches in my county, and had a 20 yr record in 2013-14 of 115 inches. Not sure what the all time record is.
Yeah, we don't get the big snow down where I live (I've seen number ranging from 50" to 100", not sure who to believe
). But a short drive North brings me to where the drifts are taller than the houses. I used to live 20 miles further North, and even that short distance brought heavier snowfall than we now get along the coast.
It may not be 30' deep, but I still got a little bit of culture shock when I drove along the streets and found the snow along the roads piled up as high as the rooflines.
Sometimes extending onto the roofs.My initial question was "where does that much snow GO?," but then I noticed trucks loading up the snow and hauling it out of town. The amount of work that goes into clearing the winter snow is just amazing. I grew up in an area averaging 35" of snowfall. A 2" storm would cripple the town for a few hours, and a 6" storm was just the worst thing in the world. I grew up about 5 miles outside a city, less than a mile from a commuter road, and I spent my 17th birthday snowed in for 5 days because the plows just didn't come.
Living up here, I now laugh at getting 4" overnight. Nobody will be late for work, it's just a dusting. My Saturn will handle it fine.
How perspectives change.
I've never heard that expression, but we do tend to just drive through whatever comes our way. The biggest thing here is that drivers don't freak out. I remember living in areas where drivers would panic and start driving stupidly whenever ice/snow was on the ground. Sliding through intersections, driving too fast, spinning out, etc. I don't miss those drivers one bit. Slow and STEADY wins the race when you're dealing with ice.
Nothing new to report, aside from finally hitting my 20k milestone on the Yooper trip (no, I haven't burned through even one tank since then). So I changed transmission fluid. I hate that job, I made way more mess than was warranted and also managed to lose multiple pan bolts in my leaf-covered driveway. 
The Keweenaw mud is still on the underside, though the rain has cleaned the top side. Trips to town are short, so the miles don't accumulate very quickly.
The Keweenaw mud is still on the underside, though the rain has cleaned the top side. Trips to town are short, so the miles don't accumulate very quickly.
But I thought you might appreciate a few pictures I found from 2010, when I first got the truck. I didn't bother with many pictures, and even these pictures were lost for a while. But here's what I have.
The truck was a rust bucket, but it wound up in my hands with a failed 4th gear clutch and a failing 3rd gear clutch. The brand new tires on it were swapped to another truck and I was left with worthless tires on ugly, rusty wagon wheels. A very crummy rattle-can primer job was sprayed over the rust, but I had known the truck for several years and knew the purple primer was polishing a rust bucket. Several bed cross members had rusted into nothing, in addition to the standard holes in fenders, wheel wells, rockers, cab corners, and doors. Typical rustbelt issues, but the several missing cross members seemed like they'd be unfun to try to replace. But scanning through the local junkyard, I found this school district service truck, a 1982 C20 with a rusted-out cab but pretty clean sheet metal in the rear. I looked at the clean underside and decided swapping the beds would be way more fun than trying to fab up supports for metal that was gone on a bedside that had rusted through anyways. So I brought it home on a Friday night:
Long-bed step-side, complete with a Tommygate.
The truck wasn't running, so it was towed home with the 2WD Red Ranger. Once it got into the soggy farm pasture it didn't have the traction, so Big Blue was summoned to pull it back to the barnyard with its 2.5-speed 700R4.
Ah, those wonderful wagon wheels. I'm still trying to get rid of those, 6.5 years later...
And the quirky Spitfire in the background. I would miss that thing too...if it had ever run correctly.
So this is the part that I wanted. Aside from the filler door area, the sheet metal was almost perfectly unrusty. It may have been bent and scratched, but I can still see the galvanization! Not sure why the bed was in decent shape, the cab was rusting through in multiple places.
The truck was a rust bucket, but it wound up in my hands with a failed 4th gear clutch and a failing 3rd gear clutch. The brand new tires on it were swapped to another truck and I was left with worthless tires on ugly, rusty wagon wheels. A very crummy rattle-can primer job was sprayed over the rust, but I had known the truck for several years and knew the purple primer was polishing a rust bucket. Several bed cross members had rusted into nothing, in addition to the standard holes in fenders, wheel wells, rockers, cab corners, and doors. Typical rustbelt issues, but the several missing cross members seemed like they'd be unfun to try to replace. But scanning through the local junkyard, I found this school district service truck, a 1982 C20 with a rusted-out cab but pretty clean sheet metal in the rear. I looked at the clean underside and decided swapping the beds would be way more fun than trying to fab up supports for metal that was gone on a bedside that had rusted through anyways. So I brought it home on a Friday night:
Long-bed step-side, complete with a Tommygate.
The truck wasn't running, so it was towed home with the 2WD Red Ranger. Once it got into the soggy farm pasture it didn't have the traction, so Big Blue was summoned to pull it back to the barnyard with its 2.5-speed 700R4.
Ah, those wonderful wagon wheels. I'm still trying to get rid of those, 6.5 years later...
And the quirky Spitfire in the background. I would miss that thing too...if it had ever run correctly.
So this is the part that I wanted. Aside from the filler door area, the sheet metal was almost perfectly unrusty. It may have been bent and scratched, but I can still see the galvanization! Not sure why the bed was in decent shape, the cab was rusting through in multiple places.
At the end of Friday night I had removed the Tommygate and cut off the carriage bolts that held the bed to the frame. I don't think I got the bed off.
But Saturday morning I got up with a vision and a plan. I was going to chop this truck in half. I pulled off the bed, exhaust, fuel tank, and driveshaft.
Hmm...one thing I had forgotten-the center 2 crossmembers, where the frame humps over the axle, were missing, and solid chunks of barstock were welded to the frame, flush with the top of the frame rail (instead of being on top of it like they should have been). This caused the boards to bend down in the center. I have no idea what the purpose was, but I had to cut the two bars out to get the bed off in one piece.
I have no idea why, but this truck was evidently named Jenny.
I drove the truck up onto the car hauler and positioned the intended cut point near the back of the trailer. I'm pretty sure that I used Big Blue to hold the hitch end steady, but the Ranger was the designated tow rig for hauling the front end off to the scrap yard.
Pieces of truck strewn about. Feel like home.
I supported each side of the frame on each side of the cut, and then cut the bottom flange and almost all of the web. I didn't want to mess with the transmission, so I cut the frame right behind the trans. crossmember.
Then I cut out a piece of the floor board, and cut the top flange and the last 3/4" of web from the top. So I didn't hafta be underneath the truck when it shifted/fell.
Finished cut.
Same thing, other side. The hole was larger here.
One truck, two frames.
Here the pictures get all washed out, not sure why. When the cutting was done there was a small amount of slag holding it, so I gave it a gentle Ranger tug. And this is what happened.
I pulled the cab forward with a come-along, strapped it down, and pulled off anything of value (including wheels). I almost pulled off the 1982 bumper so I could integrate the bumper lights into Big Blue, but I had no place to store it, and I wasn't completely sure that it was compatible with my brush bar, so it went to scrap. I hitched the trailer back to the Ranger and had the whole job wrapped up before sunset. Monday morning it was gone, the whole process took one work day's worth of time.
This, plus the step-side bed, was all that was left of "the red truck."
But Saturday morning I got up with a vision and a plan. I was going to chop this truck in half. I pulled off the bed, exhaust, fuel tank, and driveshaft.
Hmm...one thing I had forgotten-the center 2 crossmembers, where the frame humps over the axle, were missing, and solid chunks of barstock were welded to the frame, flush with the top of the frame rail (instead of being on top of it like they should have been). This caused the boards to bend down in the center. I have no idea what the purpose was, but I had to cut the two bars out to get the bed off in one piece.
I have no idea why, but this truck was evidently named Jenny.
I drove the truck up onto the car hauler and positioned the intended cut point near the back of the trailer. I'm pretty sure that I used Big Blue to hold the hitch end steady, but the Ranger was the designated tow rig for hauling the front end off to the scrap yard.
Pieces of truck strewn about. Feel like home.
I supported each side of the frame on each side of the cut, and then cut the bottom flange and almost all of the web. I didn't want to mess with the transmission, so I cut the frame right behind the trans. crossmember.
Then I cut out a piece of the floor board, and cut the top flange and the last 3/4" of web from the top. So I didn't hafta be underneath the truck when it shifted/fell.
Finished cut.
Same thing, other side. The hole was larger here.
One truck, two frames.
Here the pictures get all washed out, not sure why. When the cutting was done there was a small amount of slag holding it, so I gave it a gentle Ranger tug. And this is what happened.
I pulled the cab forward with a come-along, strapped it down, and pulled off anything of value (including wheels). I almost pulled off the 1982 bumper so I could integrate the bumper lights into Big Blue, but I had no place to store it, and I wasn't completely sure that it was compatible with my brush bar, so it went to scrap. I hitched the trailer back to the Ranger and had the whole job wrapped up before sunset. Monday morning it was gone, the whole process took one work day's worth of time.
This, plus the step-side bed, was all that was left of "the red truck."
