Mr. and Mrs. Pants' New England Adventure Summer 2024

[Hppants]

Jasen is spot on correct. GM says that if there are no diagnostic codes, then the problem is considered within the realm of "normal operation". I think that is bush - if this vibration is coming from cylinder deactivation, there's definitely something wrong. But I dont' have the time now to play around with this. I got a work around that will hopefully get me home safe. I drove it another 10 miles yesterday in L7 - nothing. When I get home, I'll take this up with my local dealer that I definitely trust, and if in fact the problem is "diagnosed", then I'll start a good will claim with GM. I also want to talk with my local dealer and see if that bypass dongle does anything for my warranty and just general thoughts about it.

As for fuel mileage, I don't think this is gonna be much of an issue OTW up here, in Tow/Haul mode, towing at 63-ish mph (I do NOT tow trailers fast - ESPECIALLY trailers with one axle), I'm pretty sure that I was running in 7th gear anyway. The shift points for the transmission are raised substantially for Tow/haul mode. Now - cylinder deactivation fuel savings? I don't know - guess we will see. I averaged about 17 mpg OTW up here.

Now they are calling for a 40% chance of SNOW on Wednesday. I'm absolutely not prepared and not skilled to deal with that.

It's time to get out of here.

[bungie4]

Snow this time of year generally doesn't stay on the ground more than a few hours because the ground temperature is above freezing. Snow usually doesn't stay around will into November/December.

You're retired, just wait it out.

[Hppants]

I'm quite sure the ground temp is such that it won't stick, but just the same, I'm a fish out of water. I don't want to chance it. Our arrangements for coming home are such that we need to be on our way.

It's time.

[N4HHE]

As for fuel mileage, I don't think this is gonna be much of an issue OTW up here, in Tow/Haul mode, towing at 63-ish mph (I do NOT tow trailers fast - ESPECIALLY trailers with one axle), I'm pretty sure that I was running in 7th gear anyway. The shift points for the transmission are raised substantially for Tow/haul mode. Now - cylinder deactivation fuel savings? I don't know - guess we will see. I averaged about 17 mpg OTW up here.

Took a couple years on my 2018 F-150 to learn how to display the current gear. Is related to manually locking out the upper gears. But once I figured out how to enable to display I leave it on for amusement. Spend a lot of time in 8th and 9th gear on my 10 speed. Not even towing.

Couple years ago hauled a load 500 miles down I-65 mostly 60 MPH for an upright freezer. Locking out 10th, even 9th, didn't seem to make much difference on the MPG fool meter. Just helped keep it from hunting gears as much.

[raYzerman]

For a light trailer, I never use tow/haul mode... better fuel mileage if I don't.

[gixxerjasen]

For a light trailer, I never use tow/haul mode... better fuel mileage if I don't.

My Expedition is too smart. Soon as I hook up the light connector it's all "I see you've hooked up a trailer, switching to tow mode. Tell me about the trailer you are pulling, do you want to add it to the inventory? I'm turning off all the smart stuff like blind spot detection, have a nice day!"

I'm like "Screw you, you stupid smart truck, it's a freaking hitch hauler with lights on it, leave my stuff alone!"

[Hppants]

October 10, 2024

Despite the shit show associated with my pickup truck, I'm determined to enjoy some time with my son.

We kicked off his visit with a crawfish boil.



And washed it down with a 2nd beer.



October 11, 2024

Sunny skies today, so we will hit the trails. My son loves to hike - it's his favorite thing to do in the Mountains. I have a few hikes I've done here that I think he would enjoy. So after breakfast, we get going. Today, we will do the Welsh Dickey Loop.



This 6 mile loop trail offers spectacular views.





We get to the granite cap and right on cue, the incline gets a bit steep!



Meeko loves to show off in front of Paw Paw.





This trail is always crowded, but there's plenty of room for everyone.





Meeko loves his daddy!



The fall color today is wonderful.



Joe borrowed Tammy's backpack.







Joe was playing around with this selfie, and I was a bit concerned about Meeko wandering off in the WRONG direction (down).









Nice day for a sun bath!





We get back to the trail head with some daylight left, so i drove a short distance to the Cascades Path. The water is nice today.



I froze some of the gumbo I made a couple of weeks ago as a special request for Joe. He ate a guart of it! Quite impressive.

Stay thirsty, my friends.....

[Hppants]

October 11, 2024

After 10 miles and 3,000 feet of climb yesterday, that prescription anti-inflamatory dose chased down with 2 Double IPAs was quite welcome. I'm not too sore this morning, and it' a good thing - Joe and Meeko are ready to go!



Today, we walked the Jennings/Noon loop. Once again, this trail summits two mountain peaks and the views from up top are really good.



From Jennings peak, we can see Mt. Washington. Earlier in the week, they had their first big snow and it's still covered. Joe has this great talent of being able to get the I-phone camera to focus behind the binoculars.



Another gorgeous day, but it's windy. At times, those gusts are cutting through my outer layer.



Standing up here, Joe opined that it looks like an impressionist painting. I can see that.



Thank heavens he looks like his mom....





We walked over to Noon peak and enjoy some equally stunning views. Then we strolled down the mountain. Meeko liked walking over the carpet of dried leaves. He'd get excited and run a bit up the trail, hit the brakes and skid in the leaves, and then run back, spinning his legs out over the leaves. It was funning watching him enjoy his day.



I cooked shrimp tacos for us and after another 7 miles and 2,200 feet of climb today, I wasn't feeling like much. Mom and Joe walked to town to enjoy the Columbus Day fireworks show. Meeko and I chilled out and watched the ball game.



Stay thirsty, my friends....

[Hppants]

October 13, 2024

The anti-inflamatory pill didn't work as good last night as the night before. My legs are stiff this morning. One of the most pronounced humbling a 59 year old man can get is right when he thinks he's in good shape. He's been walking and climbing and bicycling and pumping weight all summer. And then his 29 year old son shows up and says "let's go for a walk, Dad". Humbling to say the least.

Never the less, there is no time to waste. Rain is forecast for later in the day. I woke up early and after stretching, get busy with some packing. Yesterday after the hike, I loaded the motorcycles and the bicycles in the trailer. This morning, I loaded the kayaks on top of the truck rack and started packing our kitchen supplies and other things we won't need. That activity actually loosened up my hips and legs and by the time Meeko and Joe started stirring, I was ready to go.

Today is an easy walk (3 miles, only about 1,000 feet of climb). Today, I'll take us to the East Pond.



We leave the truck at about 1,500 feet of elevation, about 1,000 less than our past 2 days. Because of this, you can see that the trees here are a little before peak.





It's like walking through a golden tunnel.



The sun occassionally peeks through the clouds and when that happens, we are treated to quite a show.



We get to the pond, find a nice place to sit down, and just enjoy the peace. This is the clearest water I've seen in New Hampshire. Earlier this summer, I came here and swam in the pond. Not today - it's way too cold for that.



I sat there silently and watched my son in complete and total awe.

At 29 years old, my world traveler son has been to 28 countries. A worldly man sees the world, and he certainly has done that. His worldliness is most certainly not limited to discussions of travel plans. Joe knows people. He understands diversity in a way I fear I'll never know. When we talk about some mundane subject, it is not uncommon for him to offer "yeah - in Nepal, they don't do it that way, but ironically Greek people don't either." Now - it just so happens that he actually said that on the trail yesterday. The significance of that comment is certainly not limited to the fact that Pants is ignorant to it's irony (what does Greece have to do with Nepal?). My ignorance stands on its own lack of merit. Joe offers this comment very matter-of-factly, but not in a bragadocious way. Rather, he just offers his opinion based on the fact that he's actually "been there, done that". He's seen the human condition all over the world. He understands innately our differences and our similarities. In his very short life, he's used those experiences to develop his own ways, manners, and habits.

I can only sit in awe. To be clear, I'm privledged that my kid will share his limited time with me, no matter who he is. But this kid is awesome.

The clouds are getting thicker, and I know from experience that the weather forecast should only be used as a guide. We better start heading down.



On the way down, Meeko found this area to be particularly fun. On this stretch, there weren't many rocks or roots on the trail and Meeko started playing his "back and forth" game, skidding in the leaves. We just stood there and gave him his time.



Soon we were off again, but now, Meeko has a little more giddy up in his hitch "Come on Paw Paw!"



We get back to the ABB about 3:00 and it's just starting to sprinkle. I finished packing up our waterproof boxes and used Joe's help to load them into the back of my truck. We should have an easy day of packing inside tomorrow. It's supposed to rain all day - I'm glad that I took care of the outside stuff ahead of time.

Frozen "gourmet" pizzas for dinner. Mom and Joe binge watched some thriller TV series. I put the ball game on my laptop and Meeko and I just semi-napped. Finally about 9 pm, I gave it up and went to bed.

Tomorrow I bring Joe and Meeko to the bus station and then Tammy and I will finalize our packing.

Stay thirsty, my friends....

[fontanaman]

I suggest the the Forum host two calendars this year. The traditional calendar and Hppants calendar of New England.

My suggestion is a testament to the excellence of Mr. and Mrs. Pants' New England Adventure Summer 2024.

This post isn't a ride report it is life is good and I am thankful. And I am thankful it is here on the forum for all to enjoy.

Thank you Joey.

[Hppants]

October 14, 2024

We are 95% packed. The trailer is hitched and all that is left is our small bag that we will live out of on the way home. That's a good lesson we've learned over our summer adventures. Consolidate everything for the road trip into one bag. This way I don't have to rebuild the truck every morning.

In the interest of useless information, let me offer a summary of the numbers. One of the things I did this summer is keep a set of notes with a running talley of my activities. Seems a bit Anal Retentive I admit, but I have the friggin data, so let me go ahead and share.

Truck: By the time we get home, it will be about 8,900 miles for the duration. About 4,000 of that was getting here and getting home. At times, we drove a good bit to take day trips to see sights. But many times, we were content just to stay in our valley. This is our first summer with only one (4-wheeled) vehicle. It worked out perfectly. In a "pinch", I had the motorcycles to accomodate me.

FJR: 3,018 miles. I rode virtuatlly every State and County highway in the White Mountain and Lakes Regions of New Hampshire. I also rode a good bit of the rest of the State, along with a significant part of Vermont, and a little bit of Maine. My first experiment with Dunlop RS4s was a resounding success. They are a very good tire, and I will try them again. I covered this ground over 13 seperate rides (about once per week) for an average ride length of 232 miles per day, which was just about right for me.

DR650: 868 miles. I rode virtually every non paved road in the White Mountains region, but didn't venture out farther than that. I didn't need to - the gravel and dirt here is wonderful. Overall, I saw more Dual Sport riders on the gravel here than any other general area of the country that I've ridden the Bush Pig in. I covered this ground over 9 seperate rides, for an average of about 96 miles per ride. This is a bit more than my usual preference, but the gravel here is fast.

Mountain Bicycle: 312 miles. I didn't keep stats very closely on this. My bicycle app has that, but I don't feel like analyzing it. Suffice it to say I rode the MTB about twice a week while we were here. An average ride was about 12-ish miles, and an average climb was about 1200 feet, give or take. The difference in my fitness for this over the 3 month stay is noticable. I really enjoyed the MTB riding here, but I'm ready to go back to my road bike at home.

Hiking: 142 miles. This one surprised me. I didn't think that I'd walk this much, but it was so much fun, I couldn't get enough of it. I also think that the availability of good hiking right out of my front door made it an easy choice on days where I only had a few hours. My total climb over all of the hiking was 42,335 feet. I completely wore out one pair of shoes. The hiking here is awesome and quite challenging. As you climb the mountains, it gets much steeper at the top. The rocks here are huge and negociating them on the trail is also a challenge.

Covered Bridges: Over the 3 month stay, I saw 34 covered bridges, mostly in New Hampshire and Vermont. Every one of them is in excellent condition and is still in service of some sort. I found 3 seperate designs for these bridges and really enjoyed looking out for them, and surprising myself when they "appeared".

Kayaking: Tammy and I paddled on 12 seperate occassions, about once per week. We tried 4 different lakes, and 3 different ponds. By far, Perch Pond, located only 15 minutes from our ABB, was our favorite. The lakes were a disappointment for 2 reasons. They are LARGE and are loaded with power boats. But moreover, the lakes here are not suitable for the public. All of the shoreland is bought up by rich people and they are making a concerted effort to keep others out, and do a pretty good job at it.

Lobsters: I boiled a grand total of 18 lobsters on this trip. I learned a little bit about it - and with the right cajun seasoning, they are quite tasty. I like the claw meat better than the tail. In addition to our boilings, Tammy had so many Lobster rolls (hot and cold), she couldn't even begin to count. Honestly for me, Lobster is good, but it's not worth the money, even locally. Tammy would defininitely beg to differ.

Tammy's List: You may recall that when we got here, Tammy presented me with a 30-ish item list of things she wanted to do in New England this summer. I did my very best to accomodate and help her achieve this goal. We did fall a little short, not:

- seeing a Moose
- eating at one more food truck (list item said 5 food trucks, we did 4)
- riding a ski lift. This one has no excuse. There's a lift in our town that runs every weekend. It just didn't work out.
- attending one more "local festival" (list said 5, we did 4)
- Chocolate mouse from Walpole, NH. Here's a secret - Tammy doesn't know it, but we are going right through Walpole tomorrow OTW home. I'll surprise her, hopefully.

Tammy doesn't view this as a failure. She just believes that she is leaving something to look foward to on our next trip through here. Fine attitude, if I don't say.

So I guess that's a wrap for Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. We shove off tomorrow at dark thirty.

Stay thirsty, my friends....

[Full House]

Travel safely. You go to great effort to bring us along, very enjoyable. Thank you.

[Hppants]

To put a bow on this one, we arrived safely at home about 6 pm CDT yesterday after 4 days and almost 2,000 miles on the road. For the 3 nights in transit, we stayed at family and friends' homes, and it was very nice to be accomodated on our journey. On night one, we got to spend time with my cousin's 2 small children (ages 8 and 2). They warmed up to us instantly and for a split second, Tammy and I acted like grandparents. So cool. For the most part otherwise, those 4 days were the "suck part" of the trip. At least on the way up, we were tickled by our excitement of what lied ahead. After it's done, like every other vacation, you just want to get home. But home we are, and now we will take our time putting everything in its place, taking extra care to store it and make it ready for whatever next year brings. And the years after that, hopefully many.

We've had a few days to reminise about the adventure. We re-told stories and laughed from our bellies. Already, we miss our mountain valley. This is going to read impossible to understand, but Pants is honestly at a lost for words here to describe it. I could offer "Amazing" or "Wonderful", or even "Spectacular", but I fear those words now are too overused. People especially our children's age are always saying "it was amazing". It's almost like they think everything is amazing. Maybe it is for them, but if that is the case, then to me it's not "amazing" - it's "normal". And perhaps you should set your bar a bit higher.

When I was working and trying to set the world ablaze, like all of us, at times, I'd get overwelmed. And like all of us, when that happened, I'd often day dream about better times ahead. Although I couldn't possibly dream vividly enough to imagine the specifics of last summer, in true "dreamwork" fashion, I'd think about it in a general sense. I'd think about playing every day with my favorite toys in a natural environment. Enjoying sunshine over comfortable temperatures and breathing mountain air. Spending quality time with my wife doing things that make her happy. Learning everything I could about a new place, and discovering it raw and with no pre-expectations. Yeah - I'd dream about this often.

So, instead of failing miserably at finding one perfect word to describe my 2024 Summer Adventure, I'll just offer this:

It was truly a dream come true.

Stay thirsty, my friends....

[FJRoss]

I had a look at the forecast for the next week in Louisiana. Hot, sunny and humid (by New England standards). Will be a change from the brisk fall weather of the mountains of New Hampshire!

Glad you made it home without major incident (I read about your trailer issue in the other thread). At least the truck made it through OK!