Thanks all!
I wished I had a winch, but unfortunately nobody had a winch bumper available for the 2019 Ford Ranger. There were points where I had to turn around due to snow, but all of these areas had good size trees that I could have winched off of. Since the snow only seemed to be in sections, I may have tried to wheel through some of them, and winch myself out if I had a chance.
I didn't need the extra 5-gallons of gas, but I'm glad I had it with me.
Adding a shovel in the bed was a last minute detail, and I used it once to get myself unstuck from some snow.
Today I will be posting video from Craters of The Moon in Idaho. It was dry with some occasional mud holes, but if you watch the video, you'll realize how difficult this section could be if it rains. I was fortunate to get Cooper to give me a set of
Cooper STT PRO mud terrains. I feel they definitely helped me get through a section of snow that I was in. I would have been stuck there for a while with the factory all-terrains.
I wouldn't have been stuck at all if the front axle had a limited slip or locker. I was going up a hill where there were trees and a drop off along the left edge. The trail as covered with thick heavy wet snow. Without the right front getting any power sent to it so it could dig, the snow acted like a wall, and the Ranger started to slide sideways (left) to spin around this point of resistance. I had to stop because the left rear corner of the truck was sliding towards the trees. I grabbed my shovel, and dug some of the snow out from in front of the right front tire to get rid of that resistance, and was then able to power though it.
When I planned for the trip, I planned for worse case scenario. I knew the tires would help me deal with mud or snow. I had a hi-lift jack, jack mate, straps, and shackles, so I could have freed the truck from about anything with a little time and patience. I had the X-Bull tracks as well in case I got stuck. I added LED lights, that helped out a lot that you'll see in a later post. And of course a 5-gallon water can, cooler, and plenty of food and beverages.
I'm also really grateful that I used the Gaia GPS app on my tablet for navigation.
As far as camping, I'm still not that comfortable with just pulling off the side of the trail, and setting up camp with a tent. When I did camp, it was in a dedicated campground. There were a few nights that I slept in either a Loves Travel Stop, or a Walmart parking lot because there weren't any campgrounds around, and I was wishing I had a longer bed with a camper shell to sleep under, or an SUV such as my Ford Expedition where I could have just stretched out in the back with a sleeping bag.
Disclaimer: The Ranger belongs to Ford. I'm celebrating 20-years as a Ford Ranger website owner, and Ford gave me a Ranger for 6-months to pretty much do whatever I want to with. I'm not here to promote that. Just to share my adventures with my fellow adventurers. I've driven out to Overland Expo, done the Trans America Trail from Oklahoma to the west coast, and will be doing the section from Oklahoma to Tennessee here soon. I want to get in as much adventure with the truck as I can before I give it back to them at the end of September. I'm not allowed to drill any holes or permanently mount anything to it, so mounting / securing things to the truck took a little creativity. Everything added to the truck is mine, except for the tent.
My Videos:
I've been putting together videos for each day of the trip using footage I shot from inside of the cab. If you really want an idea of what the Trans America Trail looks like from behind the windshield, check them out. I've never put videos together before this spring, so these aren't going to be fancy productions, but they'll give you an honest look at the trail.
Thanks again. It's nice to share your photos and story with people that can appreciate them, and understands our desire to travel the way we do.
Great pics and narration by the way!
www.shrockworks.com
www.shrockworks.com
