Posts Tagged ‘Road Trip’
Essentials for Life on the Road: Rubber Floor Mats & Hard Truck Bed Covers
Mike Rosania asked:
My fascination with traveling all began two years ago. I was at a Barnes and Noble and came across Kerouac’s legendary novel, “On the Road.” I figured enough people have recommended it; I might as well see what all the hype is about. Sure enough, they were right—the book is awesome! The plot is based on Kerouac’s pickup-and-go attitude and everything he encounters while exploring all that America has to offer. I was fascinated and I wanted more. Next, I got my hands on a copy of “The Electric Cool-Aid Acid Test,” which is of the same flavor. These stories fascinate me, so I did what every other recent college grad does—traveled. While most people want to backpack through Europe, bouncing between hostels and drinking absinthe, I instead decided to take a deeper look at America the beautiful.
Hitch hiking is something of the past. With all the crazies and nut jobs out there today, you would have to be out of your mind to catch a ride with a complete stranger. Plus, I just got a new truck. And what better way to break in my new ride than by taking a nice long road trip. I didn’t want to plan my trip too much. You need to leave room for adventure and spontaneity.
I was starting in Northern Maine and all I knew was that I wanted to taste the salty water of the Pacific Ocean. So I packed some clothes, blankets and food into my Toyota Tacoma and hit the road. It was summer, so rather than staying in a hotel, I laid down a blanket in my truck’s bed to rest my bones at night.
I saw a lot of new things and really got to experience Middle America, because there is a lot of it. I would drive for days and the landscape always remained the same. I was starting to wonder if I would ever escape the flat, cornfield-lined highways; until I hit Colorado. I basked in nature’s beauty as my truck climbed through the Rockies. That John Denver knew what he was talking about. The mountains were gorgeous. I continued on to hit Utah, which has the bluest skies I have ever seen. From there I was on to Northern California.
After a few days of tasting my fair share of wines and relaxing in the vineyards of Sonoma, I continued on down to San Diego. Overall, I had a great trip. I met a lot of characters, heard a lot of accents, and ate a lot of different foods. And I encourage you to get to know your own country because each city has something to offer. I also recommend two products to anyone considering embarking on a journey of this magnitude.
First, for those who have trucks, a hard truck bed cover is really helpful. It covered all my gear so I didn’t have to worry about it falling out along the way or being left out in the rain. Personally, I recommend Undercover tonneau covers because they have hinges that allow you to prop up the back, turning your truck bed into a nice shaded hang out. Secondly, for those of you who don’t have trucks, I recommend a set of rubber floor mats. I was always getting out of the car and exploring—walking through fields, trails, dirt paths—and tracked a lot of mud and funk into my truck. My mats stopped the gunk from my shoes from staining my carpet. And I hosed them off easily when they got dirty.
My fascination with traveling all began two years ago. I was at a Barnes and Noble and came across Kerouac’s legendary novel, “On the Road.” I figured enough people have recommended it; I might as well see what all the hype is about. Sure enough, they were right—the book is awesome! The plot is based on Kerouac’s pickup-and-go attitude and everything he encounters while exploring all that America has to offer. I was fascinated and I wanted more. Next, I got my hands on a copy of “The Electric Cool-Aid Acid Test,” which is of the same flavor. These stories fascinate me, so I did what every other recent college grad does—traveled. While most people want to backpack through Europe, bouncing between hostels and drinking absinthe, I instead decided to take a deeper look at America the beautiful.
Hitch hiking is something of the past. With all the crazies and nut jobs out there today, you would have to be out of your mind to catch a ride with a complete stranger. Plus, I just got a new truck. And what better way to break in my new ride than by taking a nice long road trip. I didn’t want to plan my trip too much. You need to leave room for adventure and spontaneity.
I was starting in Northern Maine and all I knew was that I wanted to taste the salty water of the Pacific Ocean. So I packed some clothes, blankets and food into my Toyota Tacoma and hit the road. It was summer, so rather than staying in a hotel, I laid down a blanket in my truck’s bed to rest my bones at night.
I saw a lot of new things and really got to experience Middle America, because there is a lot of it. I would drive for days and the landscape always remained the same. I was starting to wonder if I would ever escape the flat, cornfield-lined highways; until I hit Colorado. I basked in nature’s beauty as my truck climbed through the Rockies. That John Denver knew what he was talking about. The mountains were gorgeous. I continued on to hit Utah, which has the bluest skies I have ever seen. From there I was on to Northern California.
After a few days of tasting my fair share of wines and relaxing in the vineyards of Sonoma, I continued on down to San Diego. Overall, I had a great trip. I met a lot of characters, heard a lot of accents, and ate a lot of different foods. And I encourage you to get to know your own country because each city has something to offer. I also recommend two products to anyone considering embarking on a journey of this magnitude.
First, for those who have trucks, a hard truck bed cover is really helpful. It covered all my gear so I didn’t have to worry about it falling out along the way or being left out in the rain. Personally, I recommend Undercover tonneau covers because they have hinges that allow you to prop up the back, turning your truck bed into a nice shaded hang out. Secondly, for those of you who don’t have trucks, I recommend a set of rubber floor mats. I was always getting out of the car and exploring—walking through fields, trails, dirt paths—and tracked a lot of mud and funk into my truck. My mats stopped the gunk from my shoes from staining my carpet. And I hosed them off easily when they got dirty.
Review on Rubber Floor Mats After our Spring Break Vacation
Andrew Bernhardt asked:
So to help paint a realistic picture here, I first need to describe the absolute reckless and careless nature of my brother’s children. He’s a great parent, but perhaps a bit mellow on the discipline end of things. One example that first pops in my mind is of a road trip to Palm Springs that we made in my Chevy Camaro last spring break.
We were all very excited because this is a yearly trip that we have been making since being children, but when I pulled up at my brother’s house, out came the destructive rats from their house and in they came through the passenger window. That’s right, they had jumped through the passenger window just like they saw the actors do on Dukes of Hazzard. Their muddy feet went all over my Sheepskin seat covers! I couldn’t believe it.
So the first attempt that I made to clean up any further messes was to make sure they stayed buckled up. This was important for their safety as well as for the preservation of my sweet Camaro. Needless to say, the seat belts kept them buckled up but their arms and feet were still flying all over the place while I was driving. I’ve never seen a brother and sister fight and play as much as these two do. One second they **** each other, and the next second they are best friends.
Luck would have it….I remembered that I received a great gift from my father for Christmas. He sent me some car mats for the trip because we had several outdoor activities planned including hiking, swimming, etc., and the mats were still in my trunk.. So I promptly pulled over at the next exit which happened to be in the lovely town of Fontana. What a place! I’ll write more about the Stangs and Chevelles that I saw out there during our brief stay. They also have a great race track there.
The mats were a total success. They were rubber mats and covered the entire flooring of my Camaro! So all I had to do was take the suckers out and hose them down to get all of the mud that the kids tracked in. Simply put, I recommend rubber mats to anyone that has passangers that are anything like my niece and nephew
Many of these mats are custom-fit for your ride. This was a major plus because some of the mud stains could have ruined my interior, but the mats held on to the mud like David Tyree did for the Giants in the Super Bowl.
So to help paint a realistic picture here, I first need to describe the absolute reckless and careless nature of my brother’s children. He’s a great parent, but perhaps a bit mellow on the discipline end of things. One example that first pops in my mind is of a road trip to Palm Springs that we made in my Chevy Camaro last spring break.
We were all very excited because this is a yearly trip that we have been making since being children, but when I pulled up at my brother’s house, out came the destructive rats from their house and in they came through the passenger window. That’s right, they had jumped through the passenger window just like they saw the actors do on Dukes of Hazzard. Their muddy feet went all over my Sheepskin seat covers! I couldn’t believe it.
So the first attempt that I made to clean up any further messes was to make sure they stayed buckled up. This was important for their safety as well as for the preservation of my sweet Camaro. Needless to say, the seat belts kept them buckled up but their arms and feet were still flying all over the place while I was driving. I’ve never seen a brother and sister fight and play as much as these two do. One second they **** each other, and the next second they are best friends.
Luck would have it….I remembered that I received a great gift from my father for Christmas. He sent me some car mats for the trip because we had several outdoor activities planned including hiking, swimming, etc., and the mats were still in my trunk.. So I promptly pulled over at the next exit which happened to be in the lovely town of Fontana. What a place! I’ll write more about the Stangs and Chevelles that I saw out there during our brief stay. They also have a great race track there.
The mats were a total success. They were rubber mats and covered the entire flooring of my Camaro! So all I had to do was take the suckers out and hose them down to get all of the mud that the kids tracked in. Simply put, I recommend rubber mats to anyone that has passangers that are anything like my niece and nephew
Many of these mats are custom-fit for your ride. This was a major plus because some of the mud stains could have ruined my interior, but the mats held on to the mud like David Tyree did for the Giants in the Super Bowl.