USA Cross Country Dirt Road Trip "The Road Less Traveled" KosherTroops.com

shimi1st

New member
Hey guy, so I wanted to drive across the USA using unpaved roads, so I did! Here's my story.

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My family started an organization 4 years ago, KosherTroops.com.
The Mission Statement can be found here. We send care packages to the troops.

I had my plans to do a cross country dirt road trip using the TransAmTrail this
summer. So rather than just doing the trip for myself we joined the two together and
created "The Road Less Traveled" campaign.

Set up on their website is a section for the trip dubbed "The Road Less Traveled". Sponsorships are
currently in the works and the planned departure date is July 18th. If there is any interest in tagging
along for a day or even more feel free to contact me.

(Please note: all blue words are clicky links)​


Updated September 24th, 2012

Everything that is posted below can be found on "The Road Less Traveled" KosherTroops website.
Please note: These entries and images are laid out in the forum format as they were presented on "The Road Less Traveled" KosherTroops website blog, which followed the trip.

This trip is one of the greatest trips I have been on and is probably one of the most adventurous trips I will have ever gone on. It brought us to some of the most remote places in the U.S. Which without my Xterra and the help from this great online community to make my Xterra what it is today could not have been made possible. This trip truly opened up to me what life around the U.S. is like... clearly very different from the hustle and bustle rat race of New York. This is a trip I would love to hopefully be able to do again someday and I hope many of you can as well. I hope you enjoy my little story!​


Off to a great start!

“The Road Less Traveled” trip has finally begun. We met with Mrs. Hooper former principal of Whitewell Middle School and creator of the Paper Clips Project.

“The Children's Holocaust Memorial consists of an authentic German transport car (which arrived in Baltimore on September 9, 2001) surrounded by a small garden.The railcar is filled with 11 million paper clips (6 million for murdered Jews and 5 million for Gypsies, Catholics, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other groups). The monument was uncovered on the anniversary of the Kristallnacht, November 9, 2001.[2]

Eighteen butterflies sculptured of twisted copper are embedded in concrete around the railcar. Butterflies came from a poem written by a child who lived in Terezin concentration camp in 1942 (I Never Saw Another Butterfly) and the number 18 in Hebrew symbolizes life (in Gematria, 18 is the numerical value of the word חי, pronounced Chai, meaning life). Inside the railcar, besides the paper clips, there are the Schroeders' book and a suitcase filled with letters of apology to Anne Frank by a class of German schoolchildren.

A sculpture designed by an artist from Ooltewah, Tennessee stands next to the car, memorializing the 1.5 million children murdered by the Nazis, incorporating another 11 million paper clips.”

Photo's from Paper Clips Museum

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After meeting with Mrs. Hooper and visiting the amazing Paper Clips Children's Holocaust Museum we headed off to the dirt roads! Covering about roughly 200~ miles we had some amazing views from mountain tops to valleys, and a lot of corn fields.

Images from July 19th, 2012

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shimi1st

New member
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Graceland & Some Trails!

Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley!

“Graceland is a large white-columned mansion and 13.8-acre (5.6 ha) estate that was home to Elvis Presley in Memphis,Tennessee. It is located at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in the vast Whitehaven community about 9 miles (14.5 km) from Downtown and less than four miles (6 km) north of the Mississippi border. It currently serves as a museum. It was opened to the public on June 7, 1982. The site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 7, 1991 and declared a National Historic Landmark on March 27, 2006. Graceland has become one of the most-visited private homes in America with over 600,000 visitors a year, behind the White House and Biltmore Estate (900,000 visitors per year).

Elvis Presley died at the estate on August 16, 1977. Presley, his parents Gladys and Vernon Presley, and his grandmother, are buried there in what is called the Meditation Garden. A memorial gravestone for Presley’s twin brother, Jesse Garon, is also at the site.”

Graceland Pictures.

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shimi1st

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Back to the trail!

We did about 160 miles on the trail yesterday. Some nice dirt roads through farms, fields, and some forest. The scenery hasn't changed much yet. We're awaiting the beautiful views of Colorado which will take us through valley's, dried up river beds, and mountain tops! woot woot!

Images from July 22nd, 2012

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shimi1st

New member
Ozark National Forest Part #1

Yesterday the TransAm Trail took us through some of the most beautiful forestry the US has to offer. With breathtaking views from mountain tops our pictures simply don't do it justice.

“The Ozark – St. Francis National Forest is a United States National Forest that is located in the state of Arkansas. It is composed of two separate forests, Ozark National Forest and St. Francis National Forest, each with their own biological, topographical, and geological differences. Together, the two forests are home to 23 developed campgrounds, and include nine swimming areas, 395 miles (636 km) of hiking trails, and 370 miles (600 km) of streams for fishing. The majority of the trails in what are now the Ozark National Forest and St. Francis National Forest were constructed under the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps.

The Forest contains 11,000 acres (45 km2) of old-growth forests. The old-growth forests typically occur in the southern portion of the Forest on ridges and steep south-facing slopes and are dominated by Shortleaf Pine and various oaks, including Post Oak, Blackjack Oak, Eastern Black Oak, White Oak, and Northern Red Oak. The Forest is also home to six different endangered species.

Several National Scenic Byways cross the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, including the Scenic 7 Byway which runs to Louisiana, 60 miles (100 km) of which are within the Ozark National Forest. Scenic 7 Byway offers the greatest variety of Ozark topography and scenic vistas. The Ozark Highlands Byway provides access to the Mulberry River, Big Piney Creek, and Buffalo National River for fisherman and canoeists. The Mount Magazine Byway offers scenic overlooks of the Arkansas River Valley, and the Sylamore Scenic Byway offers a scenic drive to the Blanchard Springs Caverns. Forest headquarters are located in Russellville, Arkansas.”

Images from July 23rd, 2012

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shimi1st

New member
Ozark National Forest Part #2, Over White Rock Mountain, Visit to Fort Chaffee, & into Oklahoma.

As we trailed through the second half of the Ozark National Forest we drove up steep grades and dangerous curves to make it to the top of White Rock Mountain. Once over the mountain we headed to Fort Chaffee to meet with the local Chaplain. We informed them about the great work KosherTroops does and has done in the past and what resources we have to offer them.

Images from July 24th, 2012

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shimi1st

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Derecho #2 Forcing us off the trail!

The day started out as a beautiful sunny day but had turned for the worse. What was once gorgeous winding country dirt roads quickly turned into a dangerous supercell thunderstorm. Within a matter of about of about 15 minutes our nice beautiful day had turned dark, wet, and dangerous. As the skies opened and the winds picked up our visibility was minimal, ten feet in front of us was about as far as we could see. It quickly turned dark as night with flashes of lightning lighting our surroundings as bright as day. It was clearly visible the lighting had been touching ground within a mile radius of us, some within a few hundred feet even, and it was time to get somewhere safe. Searching for a main road while winding around the back country of Oklahoma we came across a tree fully engulfed in flames, it clearly had been struck by lighting not to long before we arrived.

Severe Storm News – Link

Planning to be in Denver, Colorado for the upcoming Shabbos we were forced to leave the trail earlier than expected due to the storm. Next week the adventure continues!

Images from July 25th, 2012

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shimi1st

New member
Fort Carson!

We were lucky enough to drive by the Air Force Academy when paratroopers were decending as can be seen in the pictures below.
Once at Fort Carson we were met by Rabbi Vituk, a long time recipient of Kosher Troops care packages. He was more than happy to spend nearly the entire day touring us around the base to meet with several Jewish military members.
Amongst the many military members we met with we had the opportunity to sit down with Sergeant Major Varner. He was very interested in learning more about Kosher Troops and what we do. He was so impressed with the work Kosher Troops is engaged in that he presented us with a Military Coin, acknowledging great achievements.

Images from July 30th, 2012

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shimi1st

New member
Up to 12,640 FT Elevation & Through The Rockies!

We have gone through the Rocky Mountains, into deep deep valleys and eye popping high mountains. We took Cinnamon Pass up to 12,640 feet above sea level. There is really not much I can say about the scenery other than these pictures simply do not do it justice!

Images from July 31st, 2012

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shimi1st

New member
The Grand Canyon, 4 Corners, & Hoover Dam!

After a long trip through the Colorado Rocky Mountains we spent the night in Ouray, Co, a cute little town in a deep valley. We awoke to breath taking views of the Rocky Mountains once again. We then headed out to the Four Corners “the only place in the United States where four states (Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado) come together at one place. Here a person can stand in four states at the same time.”

We then went on to see one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon!

Some facts and figures:

“The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (6,000 feet / 1,800 metres). Nearly two billion years of the Earth’s geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted.“

After the grand canyon it was on to pass over the hoover dam! “Hoover Dam, once known as Boulder Dam, is a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the US states of Arizona and Nevada. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin Roosevelt. Its construction was the result of a massive effort involving thousands of workers, and cost over one hundred lives. The dam was controversially named after President Herbert Hoover.”

Images from August 1st & 2nd, 2012

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shimi1st

New member
Navigating the Nevada desert without power steering.

With an early morning start and plenty of ground to cover we were on our way. The day started out chilly as it does out in the desert and quickly rose to 90+ degrees. The trail was getting rough as the pebbled dirt roads quickly turned into larger rocks and boulders. With the truck giving us no issues or signs of any issues we had not worried about a breakdown thus far. Our luck soon ran out as the steering wheel tightened and turning became a challenge. It was clear that our power steering had let us down. From a quick inspection power steering fluid was clearly visible splattered all over the engine bay. The power steering fluid reservoir had not one ounce of fluid left. The next paved road crossing was about 35~ miles away. We had to fight with the steering wheel to keep on going off the beaten path. As soon as we saw pavement but still no cell service we had to decide wether to go on or not. With sore arms and the day coming to and end we decided to find the closest nissan dealership to have our issues fixed. After following the paved road for some time we soon had service. The closest Nissan repair shop was 160+ miles away. In the meantime we found an auto shop and bought some power steering fluid. Pouring it into the reservoir we just watched it leak out as quickly as we filled it. Rolling into town sometime past 1 am we got a good nights rest and brought it to the dealership in the morning.

To our luck we managed to break a part that no dealership keeps in stock due its tendency to never fail (Our damage was due to aftermarket parts). We we’re going to be there for a few days. With Shabbos only 3 days away that was not an option. As we were walking out the mechanic tells me “there may be one more option, it may work, it may not, but it will only be as good as a band aid”. The idea was to cut out the worn section with the hole and replace it with some high pressure tubing and clamps. The repair would only take about an hour. So we did it!

Images from August 5th & 6th, 2012

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shimi1st

New member
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Tree Hugging in Oregon!

After a quick fix for our power steering we were back on our way. With just 100~ miles left it was the last day to be on the trail! Alas we were almost done… or so we thought. As we headed off into the woods in Oregon the trails started out nicely. Winding through the mountain sides along 70+ foot tall trees we had gone about 10 miles. The trails then started to get thicker and thicker. We were just squeezing through trees and grazing branches. The further we went the worse the trail conditions got. With the sound of a muffled gunshot a branch had found its way through the driver side window. We swiped a branch which tore off our mirror, shattered our window, and damaged the B pillar of the driver door. We kept pushing on determined to make it! With another side swipe from a downed tree we damaged the passenger side fender. From then on there was no where left to go. Driving trails quickly squeezed to mere walking paths, there was no way we we're going to make it any further. We we're forced to turn around and hit the roads!… It was a long journey and we made it 80~ miles to the shore via the trails.

Images from August 8th, 2012

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