A Chicken Run to Minnesota and (hopefully) Cooler Weather…
2018-7-9, Monday, Home to Winnemucca, NV via CA99, I-80: 348 miles
As I wrote in the epilogue of my last post, I had an itch to scratch. Only a long, long trip would do it. So I loaded up the coach and headed for Dilworth, Minnesota as a round-about way of getting to Bozeman, MT and the famous Roost chicken restaurant there. I anxiously counted down the days – too many of which were spent waiting on the repair that would fix once and for all Big Blue’s overheating problem.
I picked her up from the shop just three days prior to this trip, and I was anxious to climb the Sierras into Nevada on a hot, July day and find that she would stay cool. I wasn’t convinced ’til I climbed to 2000 feet en route to Donner Summit at over 7000 feet.
Loading the coach for at least two weeks on the road – and finally starting to scratch my itch!
I began loading a bit after 0700 and thoroughly enjoyed the process of finally getting on the road. At 0915 I pulled out of our little retirement community’s gate and headed north on CA99. I actually hooted and hollered as I joined the northbound traffic – I was finally back on the road and – hopefully – for days!
My main concern was that the big Cat engine cooling issue was, indeed, fixed! The shop had removed and cleaned the radiator, including rodding it out, and also cleaned the big radiator-like air cooler that cools air going into the engine from the turbo. Both were plugged with grease on the outer fins. The shop also replaced many of the hoses – and for over $2700 she had better run cool!
Click to enlarge and read:
The Good News:
Note the temperature gauge (lower right) staying normal during the long, hot climb! The ScanGauge (lower left) shows the water temperature at 193° – just five degrees over normal as Big Blue worked her way up the Sierras. Big Blue stayed cool and I was relieved! The ScanGauge also shows my average and instant MPG and that we were, at that moment, generating 226 HP as she powered up the hill. At the same time she was generating over 800 Ft. Lbs. of torque – that’s the pulling power! (Click to enlarge, click again for huge photo.)
Parked at the Donner Summit Rest Area at over 7200 feet for lunch. I was very, very pleased with Big Blue’s performance during the climb. I would soon be east of Reno and Fernley, NV – and on the relatively lonely I-80 with a fraction of the traffic we must deal with in Kalifornistan.
Streaking nonstop through Reno with my wallet unscathed!
The drive through Reno included the usual heavy traffic, but before long I was beyond the traffic and enjoying the wide open spaces of the Nevada desert. It was nearly 100° as I continued east, but the dash air kept me comfy. I enjoyed a tail wind much of the afternoon as I drove toward Winnemucca and the benefits of such a wind improved the mileage and the ride was quieter. It was a wonderful afternoon of scratching my itch to be on the road!
Here’s how I stay cool while driving on the hot summer days with only the dash air conditioner on. I installed that curtain, as I have in all my coaches, to keep the cockpit cool while the rest of the coach is ventilated with only the Fantastic Fan on the roof. For our stops and overnights, we have the house air conditioning to keep us comfy.
As the afternoon wore on, I got a bit sleepy, and the remedy for me while on the road is usually a Mickey D’s snack size McFlurry and a large coffee chaser. I pulled into McDonald’s in the small town of Lovelock, NV and ordered my remedy. It was delicious and I was wide awake the rest of the drive.
I pulled into the Winnemucca, NV Walmart lot a bit before 1700, and settled in at a remote, very quiet part of the lot. I dropped the jacks, turned on the house air conditioners, and was home for the evening. I ran the air ’til about dark, then opened the windows and enjoyed the tolerably warm evening.
My cozy apartment at the Winnemucca Walmart lot. I was “home” for the night!
After parking for the night, I headed into the store for a few grocery items. The store was the usual huge, clean and well stocked Walmart that I find at nearly every overnight stop. As I hunted and gathered around the store, I overcame the temptation to claim one of their delicious rotisserie chickens. I chose some salad fixins, including lettuce, tomatoes and some low fat dressing. For dinner I had a very small roll, salad and a mandarin orange. Later in the evening I headed back to the store for a pint of non-dairy “ice cream” that claimed to be very low calorie. It was just Ok, and I’d have to resist such temptations the rest of the trip.
I whiled away the evening editing photos and writing this blog. The local ‘net connection through the “hot spot” on my phone was awfully slow, but I managed to get some photos posted. I dug out the movie Oh, Brother, Where art Thou? and watched it for about an hour or so as I enjoyed my evening cool ones. I called it a day around 2300 and headed to bed. It had been a grand day back on the road…
Day 2, Tuesday, Winnemucca, NV to Park City, UT via I-80: 375 miles
I was up sometime after 0500 and began another day on the road! After morning chores I wrote more of this blog, but couldn’t post photos on the lousy cell service. But I sure did look forward to another day on the road!
I took my morning walk around 0715 when it was cool enough to walk around outdoors, and also a lap inside the store. After visiting with a very friendly RV neighbor for awhile, I converted my lovely home into a highway cruiser and continued my drive east.
What a great way to start the day – nuthin’ but elbow room and no traffic!
I discovered that the phone cell service deteriorated as I drove, to the point I couldn’t even make a call to AT&T to complain. I restarted the phone about three times, then after the third try, I was back on the AT&T network and all was well. Go figure! My son, Dean, who sells test software to the cell phone industry, tells me no mobile phone company is perfect, but to just pick one of the big ones to hate, and stick with them. I guess they all have their issues, and I must say that overall I have been mostly satisfied with AT&T for several years now.
Just after getting the phone service back, I pulled into the Valmy Rest Area, above, with the big boys. I was able to post photos and continue this blog. I also zapped an egg and chicken sausage sandwich and peeled a mandarin orange for breakfast.
Dropping into Utah and the great salt flats. It is a 100 mile drive across the flats with nuthin’ to break the monotony.
I stopped at the Bonneville Rest Area overlooking the flats for lunch. It was there I discovered the generator wouldn’t start! I also found the fridge had turned off. And the house batteries were discharged badly! What the…?! Ok… I tried the generator and it wouldn’t start because they use the house batteries. hmmmm. So I hit the momentary switch that joins the house batteries and the chassis batteries. Still nothing. Next I started the big diesel and as it idled I tried again. That was enough jump to start the generator. After driving all day and having discharged batteries – four six volts that create 12 volts – it had to mean one of the batteries was dead. I bought all four in January and they were all still under warranty. A visit to an Interstate battery dealer was in my immediate future. As I’ve often said, with a RV, it’s always something!
In the meantime, after lunch I continued on to Park City, figuring that I could get through the evening by running the generator. I doubted that there was enough voltage in the batteries to even run the house lights. The generator did the job just fine.
Climbing up the long pull to Parsley Summit and Park City at 7000 feet. The coach didn’t overheat in spite of the 90°+ heat.
Once I got up the long pull to Park City, I fired up the generator and ran it ’til bedtime – it was so hot I had to run it ’til after sundown anyway to run the air conditioners. I hoped the weak batteries would at least run my sound machine overnight. I faced this exact same issue with Cecil the Diesel a couple years ago, and it worked then.
Parked for the night at Park City, Utah’s Walmart lot. It was much warmer than I expected up there at 7000 feet, and the generator ran the entire evening.

A view from Park City’s Walmart of the nearby ski jump that was built for the 2002 Olympics. It was quite a sight!
The evening passed as usual – I edited photos, blogged, had a frozen Chinese bowl from Walmart, and watched more of the movie Oh, Brother Where Art Thou? while enjoying a couple cool ones. Or so. I woke up with the movie still playing on my laptop, my chin on my chest, and finally headed to bed. I turned off everything but the fridge and my sound machine and hoped for the best.
Day 3, Wednesday, Park City UT to Cheyenne, WY via I-80: 420 miles
I woke up about 0500 to the sounds of a jack hammer and a gas powered saw somewhere nearby. The Walmart lot was being repaired and/or replaced not far from where I parked. It was 0600 their time, and apparently the construction workers wanted to start early. So… I had to start early, too!
I tumbled out of bed, pleased to hear my sound machine still running. So was the fridge! The batteries got me through the night, and when I arrived in Cheyenne that afternoon, I planned to get them checked out.
It was 0500 home time, 0600 in Park City, when I pulled out of the Walmart lot and continued east on I-80. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning to be driving and in spite of the rude start to my day, I was one happy camper to be driving across Wyoming on a perfect day.
The following two photos are of the beautiful Coalville area just beyond Park City on I-80. It is one of the loveliest areas of the entire I-80:

Welcome to Wyoming!
The handsome traveler deals severely with the growing bug collection during a stop at a rest area for breakfast. Those huge, panoramic windshields offer a great view of America as I travel – but the bugs must be dealt with regularly.
As perfect as the day was, I fought sleepiness often due to the morning’s early wake up call. I brewed two large travel mugs of coffee – the real stuff, not my usual decaf – and that helped. Added to that was the large Mickey D’s coffee I ordered along with a McFlurry during the afternoon which makes for a great caffeine and sugar jolt.
Click any of these views of the day’s drive for larger photos and captions – then scroll down a bit and click on “full size”, then click again for a huge view.
I stopped for breakfast and lunch aboard the coach and both were more like snacks, and not full meals. By the time I reached the Interstate battery store in Cheyenne at 1700, I was ready for a big meal.
The very modern Interstate Battery store in Cheyenne. Big Blue is in the background about to get four new batteries. Again. That wrapped car is a very cool advertisement for the company – it looks as though it’s ready for a NASCAR race.
At the battery store, I was treated wonderfully by the manager, Lane, who got right after my battery problem. His diagnosis was a surprise – he replaced all four six volt batteries! He was sure one battery was faulty, and three others were questionable. He would like to have taken all four for a day or two to test them properly, but I couldn’t wait that long.
He dived into the job of replacing them, and that was a big job – one that took him well over an hour – and that included help from his wife, also employed there, who jumped right into the dirty job with him. I told them both that the owner was mighty blessed to have such dedicated workers. I know from my own days as an employer that dedication is something one cannot buy with wages; either an employee has it or he hasn’t. This young, newlywed couple were both dedicated to doing the job right.
The store manager, Lane, hard at work installing those four new batteries. I was very pleased with their warranty service. Again.
As they labored on the battery switch, I headed next door to a Mongolian barbecue. I haven’t visited such a place in a very long time, and they had to show me the ropes. I loaded up a large bowl with vegetables, noodles, chicken and two or three seasonings. At the big metal table the cooks swirled my choices ’round and ’round the grill ’til they were cooked. And it was a very good dinner – my craving for a big meal was well satisfied.
I headed back to the battery shop after dinner, and after waiting another half hour or so, the job was finally done – about 40 minutes after their closing time at 1800. The hard working couple wrote up my order, and the job totaled $00. I was pleasantly surprised, and told them that I wanted to at least buy them dinner, and laid two $20 bills on the counter. They were pleased. I was pleased. I was full of Mongolian barbecue and they soon would be! And once again I was rewarded for being an Interstate battery customer.
Finally settled in at one of Cheyenne’s two big Walmart stores. It had been a big day, and a productive one, and it was good to be “home” for the night!
I headed directly to the Livingstone Avenue Walmart in Cheyenne, the second of two stores and near I-80. I pulled in at 1920, and settled in for the night. It was another very warm July evening. I ran the air conditioners for probably a couple hours during the evening to stay comfy.
My evening was as most evenings on the road; I edited photos, I blogged, I worked through the evening chores and, eventually, I fell asleep watching the movie, Oh Brother… I woke up and finally headed to bed about 2330. It had been a long but very good and productive day.
Thursday, Day 4, Cheyenne, WY to Chadron, NE via I-80, WY71, US26, US385: 208 miles
I rolled out of bed around 0600, and was not awakened by the noise of a nearby jack hammer. That was a good start to my day! I had quite a bit of blogging to catch up on, and after morning chores I got right after it.
I also took a walk, then shopped, then tinkered around the coach ’til it was too late to head any farther than Chadron, Nebraska, a town miles out on the prairie and only a couple hundred miles away. Besides, I was pretty worn from the big Day 3. I also was reminded during my walk there in Cheyenne at 6100′ that I needed to take it easy at those higher elevations. This old heart patient’s memory needs prompting and I sure got my prompt when I tired so easily by walking just 20 minutes.
It was 1230 when I finally pulled out of the Cheyenne Walmart and continued east on I-80. I discovered that they had replaced I-80 for me, and I drove for several miles on asphalt so new it didn’t yet have the lines painted. I felt very special. Note to Kalifornistan: There is a technology available beyond your endless patch, patch, patch! It’s a matter of replacing the old, worn highway with new highway – a technology that’s seemingly unheard of in Kalifornistan!
A brand new I-80 just for me!
Strange strips of farmland in eastern Wyoming that I couldn’t figure out.
More of beautiful Wyoming.
Click and enlarge the following photos of beautiful Nebraska:
I crossed the state line into Nebraska after driving maybe 50 miles along I-80. I took Nebraska’s NE71 north from I-80 and was finally off the interstates and back on more remote highways. The drive through Nebraska farmland was almost breathtaking – I know I was meant to be a farmer!
On the drive north I simply skirted the city of Scottsbluff then continued east to US385 which took me through miles and miles of lovely prairie. It rained a bit during the drive, and I was hoping for a good storm during the night.
I arrived at the Walmart in Chadron a few minutes after 1700. It was a rather quiet Walmart, a bit smaller than most, but well stocked. I shopped for a few minutes upon arrival, then settled in for the night aboard the coach.
The drive along US385 was rainy at times and I loved it!
Somehow, this Nebraska hay field seemed to me to be one of the best photos of the day. I don’t know why; it must be due to my missed calling to be a farmer!
Big Blue II at rest at Chadron, Nebraska. It was a lovely, cool and breezy evening there on the prairie, and I loved it!
Once settled in for the night after chores and a bit of shopping, I began the photo editing, then the blogging. It seems my nights never changed, and why should they?! I was having a wonderful time out on the highways and byways and was very thankful that I could do what I love! After watching part of the movie Along Came Polly, I fell asleep, naturally, and headed to bed at 2330 and slept well.
Friday, July 13, 2018, Day 5, Chadron, NE to Mitchell, SD via US20, NE61, SD73, US18, I-90: 331 miles
My Friday the 13th began with a cool overcast in Chadron, NE – a very refreshing change in July and certainly not bad luck! The morning temperature was in the mid 60s and very comfortable.
Day 5 dawned overcast and cool and was a wonderfully refreshing start to my Friday the 13th.
My day began about 0630 with the usual chores and morning routine when on the road to nowhere in particular. I took time to update this blog a bit, took my walk in the store, and planned the day’s route to Mitchell, SD. The route would be about half beautiful and remote back roads and half interstate.
The ol’ trucker records the particulars of the day’s drive at the start – and again at the end of the day. This record keeping no doubt is a habit formed way back in the 70s when I drove big rigs and had to fill out log books, etc. While I can account for every mile and every gallon of fuel, etc. over the fifteen years or so of RVing, I have rarely had to look back on my record keeping.
What a wonderful drive through miles and miles of beautiful and nearly empty roads and a cool, cloudy morning. Add to that the fact that no one was expecting anything of me for two weeks – or longer if I so chose. Life is good!
I began the drive on US20 from Chadron and it was a wonderful drive – the sort of drive I dream about at home when I’m due for another travelin’ adventure. And for good measure, the morning was overcast and cool, and in some places almost foggy. For the middle of July that was a real treat!
I followed the various US Highways and state roads generally north and east toward I-90 which would take me to Mitchell, SD. Of the back roads which I usually enjoy greatly, that miserable US18 in SD was one wretched chunk of highway – much of it was old concrete with those gosh-awful joints that continually jolt the vehicle. Although it was a gorgeous drive, I hated that highway!
There it was! Out on Nebraska farmland on the side of the road – another Dale’s Diner. I had breakfast there and it wasn’t bad – and I reckon that’s about all I can say about the place.
I found a Dale’s Diner out in the middle of nowhere for breakfast. There it was on the side of the road with no traffic and only one customer – I don’t know how they can have so little business and yet have so many locations!
Here’s an insider’s look at the Dale’s Diner business model – there is no reason why there are so many successful locations…
The insider’s story:
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This is the only regular customer of the Dale’s Diner model. It is widely known that this fella is very easy to please because he’s used to mediocre cooking. Yet he stays plump and pretty happy. It’s all very strange.
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Yet another of the many Dale’s Diners pictured above. This diner was spotted at a rest area on I-90 in South Dakota and it was doing almost no business. This business model seems to be sustainable, but there is no good reason why.
Here’s the usual cook at Dale’s Diner; he’s not highly regarded for his cooking, nor is he paid a living wage for his labor. It has been said he just doesn’t care!
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Really do enjoy your travels. You are definitely living the dream, mine anyway.
Hi Susan –
I’m glad you enjoy the travelogue. It truly is a blessing to be able to travel around as I do. I am grateful that I can do what I enjoy. It sure is nice to receive a comment these days. Thanks for the visit and the kind comment.
Enjoyed your trip from the comfort of my living room. We have taken a couple of trips west but by auto. Haven’t got the nerve to try a coach. You have stirred an itch for another trip though.
Hi Mel – I’m glad to hear from you and that you enjoyed my travelogue. You might consider a motorhome if it sounds interesting to you. It sure is cheaper than car travel as you never have to pay for a motel room or a meal if you so choose – and they’re both just so expensive nowadays. But then again, going by car means you avoid the cost of a RV. I sure do like having my bedroom, my bed, my bathroom, my kitchen, etc. along with me and not wondering just how clean a motel room really is or isn’t. Oh – and there’s no tipping required in the coach! Thanks for the visit and the comment. – Dale