I-80 drive

wy-tex

Veteran member
May 2, 2016
1,064
347
SE Wyoming
Had to go over the hill for some shopping this morning and it obvious the archery hunters are on their way. I-80 is a windy sometimes rough highway, this is what I saw today:

water jugs in the median, cooler lids in the median, flappy tarps galore, over heating vehicles pulling big campers.

Pack carefully and drive safe. Beware of animals crossing the interstate, many elk and deer are hit between Laramie and Cheyenne every year, I saw about 4 fresh road kill sites.
 

Ikeepitcold

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 22, 2011
10,031
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Reno Nv
I saw lots of Hunter headed east out of Reno the last two days too.

Be safe and good luck to everyone
 

go_deep

Veteran member
Nov 30, 2014
2,650
1,984
Wyoming
I find lots of cheap coolers on I-80 and hwy 85. Just once I'd like someone to lose a Yeti for me to find. Strap it down or it'll end up in Kansas.
 

BuzzH

Very Active Member
Apr 15, 2015
909
952
I find lots of cheap coolers on I-80 and hwy 85. Just once I'd like someone to lose a Yeti for me to find. Strap it down or it'll end up in Kansas.
Team Yeti...you might fit in at a certain elk camp I've heard rumors about.
 

mcseal2

Veteran member
Mar 1, 2011
1,171
195
midwest
Good points. I have been prepping the F350 for our scouting trip the last couple days. Checked all the fluids and tires. Only so much stuff you can fix yourself on these new trucks but I have extra fluids and a spare belt, couple spares for the truck and trailer, tools, 12V air compressor, the basics.

I have a Yeti 65 and even empty it's darn near to heavy to blow off the truck. They weigh up even before filling them. I always tie it on though, it's to expensive to replace. I have a bunch of 32oz gatorade jugs of water in the deep freeze to make a little block ice to throw in the 65. Plan is to take them out of the hard side Yeti and throw them in the soft sided one 2 at a time to keep our water and sandwiches cool while scouting at least until we walk in from the UTV. It's the first try on that, I'll see how it works. The soft Yeti is as good as a cheap hard side cooler but not super impressive. Hopefully the 65 will keep them froze a while, it's got ice in it now I'll dump the water off in the morning to get the cooler cold. The Yetis hold heat as well as they do cold and cooling them down the night before a trip really helps hold ice.
 

brianboh

Active Member
Jun 4, 2015
396
1
Powell, Wyoming
um a yeti will fly out. we had one in back of truck and the latches were not buckled down hit a bump lid opened and tat sun of a gun flew out truck running 80 down I 20 in GA. few scratches but still works like a charm
 

JimP

Administrator
Mar 28, 2016
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Gypsum, Co
Sounds a lot like what I-70 through Colorado is going to look like in a few weeks.

But here in Colorado we have all kinds of broke down trucks and trailers that have not been used in the last year. Blown bearings on the trailers with one or two people sitting by it with the truck gone looking for parts and overheated motor homes or trucks pulling more weight than they should over the passes. Not to mention the coolers and water jugs along the side of the freeway.
 

mcseal2

Veteran member
Mar 1, 2011
1,171
195
midwest
um a yeti will fly out. we had one in back of truck and the latches were not buckled down hit a bump lid opened and tat sun of a gun flew out truck running 80 down I 20 in GA. few scratches but still works like a charm
I can believe it especially if the lid came open and caught wind. I have a flatbed on my truck so I always tie mine on, but I didn't know if it would catch enough wind to come out of a regular bed.
 

brianboh

Active Member
Jun 4, 2015
396
1
Powell, Wyoming
I can believe it especially if the lid came open and caught wind. I have a flatbed on my truck so I always tie mine on, but I didn't know if it would catch enough wind to come out of a regular bed.
I wouldn't have believed if I didn't see it. It amazed me that it is still functional.
 

SunnyInCO

Member
Oct 20, 2015
101
2
Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Flying coolers, tarps and other items are also very dangerous to other drivers and passengers. I've been in Colorado about 12 years now and amazing how much crap is on the shoulders of the highways. We have a big problem here with the flying rocks and gravel from all the construction that is happening. One of the local news stations did a report on I-70 and within minutes a windshield was cracked from the gravel trucks not lowering their screens.
 

shootbrownelk

Veteran member
Apr 11, 2011
1,535
196
Wyoming
I can believe it especially if the lid came open and caught wind. I have a flatbed on my truck so I always tie mine on, but I didn't know if it would catch enough wind to come out of a regular bed.
Our wind out here on I-80 blows semis over on a regular basis. A cooler is no match...tie everything down is good advice.
 

mcseal2

Veteran member
Mar 1, 2011
1,171
195
midwest
I have paracord, trotline cord, baling wire, and ratchet straps in the toolbox plus a big stretch net I throw over everything on the flatbed. We usually wrap a tarp around all our gear like a big burrito, set gear on it wrap it over, tuck in the other side and ends. Then we throw straps and the net over it. I have a 40 gallon auxiliary diesel tank on the flatbed and when I hit a big temp swing it sometimes builds pressure and seeps a little around the cap. The tarp keeps us from getting diesel on any of our gear plus keeps it dry. The straps and net keep it tight and contained.

The trip I'm leaving on this afternoon I'm taking our Polaris Ranger in our 14ft half top stock trailer so I have lots of room. I have the Ranger strapped down so it can't move inside the trailer and the cooler and gas cans lashed to it. Greased the wheel bearings and tightened the axle nuts up a little the other day on the trailer, just had the truck and Ranger gone over to make sure they are good to go. We will stop a couple hours down the road and make sure the hubs on the trailer aren't hot, hit them with the grease gun again if needed. Hopefully it all holds up and is fine. The trailer is an 08 model so it isn't ancient. Checked tire pressure in everything this morning too.

I live near I-70 in KS, I see all the stuff along the roads too and all the hunting rigs driving or fueling up with hunters headed to CO. On my way back from Wyoming a few years back I ended up playing good Samaritan twice. A young ranch hand in Sheridan had locked his keys in his Dodge that was sitting at the diesel pump. I had enough tools we got the wing window on the extended cab open and he got his door unlocked that way. Truck was running, he hadn't even shut it off. Then in Lyman I towed a F250 6.0L Diesel full of Pennsylvania hunters from the fuel pumps where their truck quit to the shop they had lined up to work on it the next day, then gave them a lift to their hotel. I figure I will be the one needing help someday and I have been before so I always help if I can. Do unto others as you would have them do to you.
 
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hunt1up

New Member
Aug 23, 2011
45
0
That is a sketchy stretch of road at times. We about got killed when driving out for our 2014 elk hunt in the Snowies. We were near Laramie and a storm was approaching from the West. One of those storms that looks like a white wall. We drive into it and it is POURING and dumping loads of ice. It looked like there was an inch of water and ice on the road in a matter of minutes. I was in the right lane and slowed to probably 20-30mph. Some a-hole in a midsized car with Colorado plates came fly past at full speed. My dad was riding shotgun and I said "that guy is going to crash" and not 2 seconds later he starts sliding sideways. I instantly pulled to the side of the road to avoid him. I was barely out of my lane when a semi blew by about 6" from my door. He had to swerve into the right lane to avoid the guy that had lost control. That semi just about took us out! The a-hole that crashed end up sitting in the left ditch, facing traffic with this stupid look on his face. He was basically straight across from me. Clearly him and his wife weren't hurt so I flipped him off and yelled some choice words. It was quite the experience!

I hope that doesn't happen again in 2 weeks.
 

JimP

Administrator
Mar 28, 2016
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Gypsum, Co
Might be time for a little (free) shopping spree.
In 30 years of comutting along I-70 for 60 miles a day I have only came up with 2 things worth keeping. One was a Gott water cooler and the other was a 5 gallon can full of diesel. Other than that everything is usually so broken up that it isn't worth stopping for.
 

wy-tex

Veteran member
May 2, 2016
1,064
347
SE Wyoming
In September we can usually count on some roadkill onions to pick up. We find them by the bag bounced off of the 18 wheelers hauling them through the state. Those Washington onions are great.
 

mcseal2

Veteran member
Mar 1, 2011
1,171
195
midwest
We survived our trip with no casualties gear or otherwise. Should have had the rifle along one morning scouting, a couple coyotes would have been casualties. We saw a few random items and busted coolers though on the highway.