Moving Advice Needed - U-haul trailer or moving company?

I have instructions that take me right up to your front door. Don't need Stu to lead me there, and really don't want him lifting my heavy boxes and furniture with his not quite healed knee and poor lung capacity. He can help with the dolly part of it the next day. I have the truck and dolly rented for 6 days and it will only take 3 days at most to get there so there is no rush to get it done.

Also have no idea exactly what day I will arrive until I get an idea of how slowly I need to drive while towing the dolly. Yes, I will make an attempt to call you every day. No guarantees as to what time that will be since I don't know when I'll reach various places. I marked some cities on the map that is posted on my blog. Those are the stopping points I am aiming for.

Exactly what I'm planning to do. Thanks for the support.

If I can make it that far the first day, I'm planning on staying overnight in Blythe. It depends on how much last minute stuff I need to do here and how early a start I get on the 28th. I haven't looked at the map close enough yet to determine where the next overnight will be or if I can make it to ABQ from Blythe. My guess is that I'll probably make another overnight stop at the border between AZ and NM and then head into ABQ from there.

I figured out the logistics for getting rid of my furniture and extra stuff. Going to load my stuff onto the truck first and then load the stuff I'm donating onto the truck last and drive it to the Thrift Store that I checked with today and they'll unload the stuff there and then I'll drive on over to Uhaul and have my car loaded onto the dolly and hitched to the truck. Depending on how late in the day it is, I may need to drive to Uhaul the next day to get my car loaded and then take off from there.

It will take the hired help longer than I'd planned to load both my stuff and the stuff being donated onto the truck. So I'll probably go to Uhaul the next day to get the tow dolly and car loaded. That way I don't need to worry about it here in the parking lot of my apartment building and can hit the road from the Uhaul place which is near the freeway on ramp.

Butrfly, I'm not sure that one I mentioned in Blythe way back in the thread is the place you would want in Blythe re the drive through - probably not. Presume you are checking with MM, but mentioning it to be sure.

Almost all budget motels off the interstate offer pull through truck parking. I can only recall two places in the years we toured where I had to find someplace off grounds to park the rig.

(please check your e-mail, bfn)

Its about 515 miles from Sacramento to Blythe, so if you get an early start you should have no problem, provided you get thru the LA area with no problems.

Its then about 470 miles from Blythe to Las Cruces, NM.
While both of those are an easy days drive, if you arent used to driving it might be a problem.
If you can make it from Blythe to NM, you might want to consider stopping in Lordsburg.
Its an old railroad town, with some good hotels and some great restaraunts.
And then from Las Cruces to Albq is an easy drive, but it will be uphill for a good part of the drive.

Also, once you get past Tucson, you will start seeing places along the interstate.
They are named "Bowlins". They are tourist traps, but they all sell gas and they all have a Dairy Queen or another type of fast food joint.
They also sell trinkets and ather crap to tourists.

I see you don't do the Hatch cut, MM. Makes sense with big rigs. I wouldn't do it at night if I were butrfly, but was swell in daytime, I liked it, was a good, even great help for me. There's another triangular cut closer to las cruces, any view on that?

I never took the Hatch cut, simply because I was driving a truck.
So I dont know anything about it.

The triangle cut in Las Cruces wont really help to much, because it is the main drag thru town.
Its a good road, but if someone isnt used to traffic while driving a truck it can be a problem.
I dont remember the exit number for that cutoff, but its the same exit that the "TA Truckstop" is on in Las Cruces.

The Hatch cut off had not so many cars when I took it, say 2 pm (that's a guess). But some cars, I'd say a few - I wasn't alone though it was peaceful.

I've no clue which is best for bfn.

Butryfly net is a practiced driver, but this is a new circumstance.

On the other hand, butrflynet and I are used to dealing with Los Angeles, she with bigger vehicles - how horrible can Las Cruces be?

I can't imagine any NM native not taking the Hatch cutoff nor can I see any reason for driving the extra miles thru Las Cruces.

I'm planning on following the instructions I got from the AAA Tripkit planner exactly to the T, no changes and no detours unless a road is closed. The route includes that Hatch shortcut. If the truck breaks down or I miss a check in by six hours, that will be the route for search crews to use in their track back.

I'm going to get a late start on Satuarday the 28th. I decided to not push it and try to get everything done on Friday. Am going to have the truck packed with my stuff in the front portion of the truck and the goods I'm taking to the thrift store loaded in the back portion of the truck. Will then drive it to the store and unload the goods while the cleaning service I hired is cleaning my apartment. Will then spend the night on the floor in my apartment and take the truck back to uhaul in the morning to have the car loaded onto the tow dolly and then drive across the street to Midas to have the drive shaft removed. When that's all done, I'll take a few practice drives around the city and then take off. If everything goes smoothly, I should be on the road no later than 11 am on Saturday, hopefully earlier.

I'm not going to put pressure on myself to arrive at certain destinations by a certain time. I'll get there when I get there.

I'll check in when I find a motel for the first night's stay. Don't know where that will be at this time. I'm aiming for Blythe, but may not make it that far. Depends on how well these new glasses improve my night vision for driving.


I bought a cheap cell phone today. As soon as it is charged and I've activated it and gotten a number assigned to it, I'll email the phone number to some people. I also have a couple rolls of quarters for pay phones if I need them.

I'm confident I can do this, am just a bit out of practice. It's been 25 years since I drove anything larger than a passenger jitney. Besides, our ancestors did this in covered wagons without cell phones or cb radios. This will be a piece of cake.

Okay, rest break is over. Gotta get back to packing.

Btw, thanks Rockhead.

OK, you're gold.

Also, why push it - given circumstances. You'll work with the situation. You'll be in sync once you get on the road.

Because I'm me (and so on), I tried to time to avoid landing in thickets - which I figure you are doing too. Another day is not the end of the world.
We want you streaming well. Don't get all futzed up about time, you have time.

plug is leaving jerky flyover states on the way to Cali as I type.



travel safe,

and check your e-mail for track #...

Rockhead, thanks for your support of Butrflynet's adventure.

BBB

Got it, thanks RH.


Anyone know if U-haul trucks are still exempted from having to stop at weigh stations or did that change after 9/11?

They are exempt, they do not have to stop at scales unless ordered to.

Good question; good answer. I was wondering, too.

Rockhead,

Package received. Thanks a bunch!



Will be shutting down the computer around 8 pm tomorrow (Thursday) evening to pack it up for the truck the next day. Will be available via my home phone or cell phone numbers.

Still have about two day's worth of sorting and packing to do in the next 24 hours with most of it going to either the dumpster or charity. Finally have all the stuff I'll be taking packed and ready to go.


Will call BBB on Saturday to let her know when I am enroute to NM.