"Eberle-Hills-Cop" (Eberle-Hills-Cop)
06/15/2016 at 15:42 • Filed to: None
2
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"Eberle-Hills-Cop" (Eberle-Hills-Cop)
06/15/2016 at 15:42 • Filed to: None | 2
| 18 |
In a few weeks I’ll be attending the New England Forest Rally (as I do every year) but this year I’m celebrating my new job by taking the entire week off to swing up through north Maine to explore prior to making my way down to the rally area.
Looking for some tips from all you more experienced overland campers. Things I may not have thought of to bring with us, general preparation, etc. We’ve got a mostly nailed down travel route, but if anyone has suggestions of areas in Maine to check out, good roads, interesting scenic things, let me know!
Surprisingly the majority of the roads are marked on google which is nice, but we’ll be using the Delorme gazetteer to get down to the nitty gritty if some roads turn out to be impassible & we have to detour. Definitely planning on checking out the b-52 bomber crash site on Elephant Mountain, and the Golden Road up to the Canadian border.
The route:
And for the car related content, the rigs that will be making the trip. Something new,
Something old,
Oh and i guess something else old too.
HammerheadFistpunch
> Eberle-Hills-Cop
06/15/2016 at 15:53 |
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I got nothing in terms of route, but if you have questions about rig prep, sleeping or other stuff I would be happy to help in anyway I can. Sharing to O&E is thats cool.
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Eberle-Hills-Cop
> HammerheadFistpunch
06/15/2016 at 16:00 |
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Yeah definitely. I will probably be in a hammock as far as sleeping, but maybe inside the truck depending on weather. (would rather not as it’s a tight squeeze with two huskies in there)
Kind of worried about potentially having some water crosses as the alternator on Xterra’s is pretty low. Is spraying it down with silicone lube before crossing a good idea/bad idea?
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HammerheadFistpunch
> Eberle-Hills-Cop
06/15/2016 at 16:06 |
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Don’t spray, just coat the connectors with a little dielectric grease to keep the water out. I lost the rubber booties for my starter leads and thats what I do. If you are planning to get more than hub deep though you will need to look at how your axles breath and you may need to fabricate some breather extension lines. Not to familiar with the Xterra but I am sure there are a lot of posts on the forums about it.
TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
> Eberle-Hills-Cop
06/15/2016 at 16:13 |
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On water crossings, always assume the body of water is as deep as it is wide until proven otherwise. Get yourself a set of waders so you’re not getting wet when scouting water crossings.
I normally use about one tube of dielectric grease on all the points of my engine, I’ve even put a dab in each of the spark plug wires. Deepest I’ve been with my Land Rover is about 4ft (I do have a snorkel though)and no issues to speak of. You will need to change your diff fluid after the trip though if you do get the wheels under water, it’s just a good habit to have as sometimes water does get into the diffs.
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Eberle-Hills-Cop
> HammerheadFistpunch
06/15/2016 at 16:21 |
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I’ve actually already tackled the diff breather situation in preparation/general paranoia! I’ll pick up some grease beforehand and take care of the connections.
Dusty Ventures
> Eberle-Hills-Cop
06/15/2016 at 19:51 |
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See you up there! My current plan is to spend the week in these two cars (one you know and one you don’t):
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Eberle-Hills-Cop
> Dusty Ventures
06/15/2016 at 20:12 |
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I’ll hoot and holler extra loud when you come by. Good luck!
Rufant
> Eberle-Hills-Cop
06/16/2016 at 05:41 |
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Look like a fun trip. I have even less to offer in terms of route than the others. Just with the water crossings, I’ve found how you go about them is important. My first even crossing was nearly bonnet deep (I had an experienced guy guiding me), but a constant steady pace saw the water didn’t even get over the chassis rails, as it flow around the truck.
Not too fast, not too slow, I always use low range, so if you hit an obstacle you stand more chance of driving over it/keeps the revs up less chance of stalling.
Also if you’ve been running fast/differentials are hot. Pull over and have a break before plunging them into the drink.
Plus what the other guys have said :)
Also:
http://www.thenissanpath.com/viewtopic.php?…
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Eberle-Hills-Cop
> Rufant
06/16/2016 at 09:53 |
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Didn’t consider the diff temps, good point! Thanks!
CalzoneGolem
> Eberle-Hills-Cop
06/16/2016 at 11:24 |
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Taking 95 to 295 then back to 95 has better scenery then sticking to 95 the whole way.
Personally I’d want as little 95 as possible.
You should plan on hitting Big G’s deli in Winslow. Best sammiches ever. They’re on huge homemade bread and have funny names.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Big…
I live within 20 minutes of the Augusta 95 exit.
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Eberle-Hills-Cop
> CalzoneGolem
06/16/2016 at 11:48 |
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Marking that deli for lunch! That whole beginning section on the interstate is really just to clear miles before getting to the actual meat of the trip up north. We’ve all been up and down the coast multiple times so we’re not too concerned with checking stuff out along that portion.
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CalzoneGolem
> Eberle-Hills-Cop
06/16/2016 at 12:13 |
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I figured you just wanted to blast up 95 as far as you could. North of Augusta gets kinda monotonous, but you’ll have Big G’s to break it up.
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Eberle-Hills-Cop
> CalzoneGolem
06/16/2016 at 12:50 |
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Basically. The good stuff starts just before getting to elephant mountain.
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Eberle-Hills-Cop
> HammerheadFistpunch
06/16/2016 at 14:23 |
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Just got around to looking for a spare fuel can, and I’m running into lots of mixed reviews for types of cans etc. Any good reviews of one brand over another? Steel vs plastic?
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HammerheadFistpunch
> Eberle-Hills-Cop
06/16/2016 at 15:10 |
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I bought rotopax, no regrets. They seal tight enough to use internally, they seem pretty tough and their customer service rocks. Mine has a defect and they didn’t even ask for a receipt they just asked for pictures of me drilling holes in it and they speed out a new one on their dime 2 day. Very impressed. They don’t fit in Jerry can accessories but they are surprisingly versatile for mounting even with just ratchet straps.
TylerLinner
> Eberle-Hills-Cop
06/20/2016 at 12:16 |
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Yesterday I returned home from working start control at Magnum Opus Rally in northern Michigan, and if Maine is similar I recommend head nets for all participants, as well as some sort of long sleeve shirt to keep the bugs at bay. We had mosquitos and biting flies like I haven’t seen in years, and the locals claimed it wasn’t even that bad.
I would love to see the NEFR, but would have to rent a car and bring a buddy to get there in any reasonable amount of time. Stay safe, have fun and keep the shiny side up!
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Eberle-Hills-Cop
> TylerLinner
06/20/2016 at 13:44 |
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Oh yeah, we’re WELL versed in the apocalyptic black fly situation in Maine. Stinky fly dope (not a 90's joke) usually works well enough that nets aren’t needed, but the sleepy time hammock I use DEFINITELY has a bug net.
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TylerLinner
> Eberle-Hills-Cop
06/20/2016 at 13:50 |
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Nice. I ended up not using DEET the entire weekend- some “lemon eucalyptus” spray from REI kept the flies away at perhaps hour intervals, and seems to have made a small difference with skeeters. Good luck!