VX KAT's "See America & the Great Plains" adventure

[handeeman]

Whate a great trip!! and what a beautiful country!!!

You mean it doesn't look like that just outside the London city limits. Whate's up with that ?
Plus can you imagine the directions they give out that way..."We'll ma'am, just keep straight for 165 miles then turn left at 'the' tree."
Kat, those are some fantastic shots and the VX just tops them all.
So glad ya made it safe and sound, makes me want to take a road trip all the way around the country and visit all my VX kin.

[VX KAT]

Plus can you imagine the directions they give out that way..."We'll ma'am, just keep straight for 165 miles then turn left at 'the' tree."

Handee yer right! That's exactly why I took that pic of the tree...it WAS THE ONLY tree for a zillion miles! Amazing! I never once got bored with the scenery, absolutely recommend it to all! So getz yer VX off da rack and get goin' Handee!

[Ldub]

So glad ya made it safe and sound, makes me want to take a road trip all the way around the country and visit all my VX kin.

I been thinking that same thought for a while now.

If I'm ever fortunate enough to be able to afford being retired, I would like to bum around the country, going from one VX meet to the next...

[vt_maverick]

Great photos Sue, I used to be really into photography (still am actually but don't have the time for it anymore) and I LOVED taking pictures out west. Somehow the sky seems so much larger than on the East Coast, probably due to the lack of trees. But scenery is only half the equation, composition is critical to great photos, and clearly you have that skill down. It's been killing me not to see these photos until now, been on the road and in meetings/training for the last 48 hours continuous, so I've only been able to use my BlackBerry to read the site. Unfortunately it can't download the 50MB (or whatever this page "weighs") of pics, so I've only been able to read the text.

You've really got me thinking about HIDs, LED fogs, and cutting down the bump stops. The latter two are cheap/free and it seems to be a BIG gain. HIDs may wait awhile, but I have a feeling if I get the fog LEDs I won't be able to stop.

Thanks for sharing Sue!

[VX KAT]

Great photos Sue, I used to be really into photography (still am actually but don't have the time for it anymore) and I LOVED taking pictures out west. Somehow the sky seems so much larger than on the East Coast, probably due to the lack of trees. But scenery is only half the equation, composition is critical to great photos, and clearly you have that skill down. It's been killing me not to see these photos until now, been on the road and in meetings/training for the last 48 hours continuous, so I've only been able to use my BlackBerry to read the site. Unfortunately it can't download the 50MB (or whatever this page "weighs") of pics, HEY, I REMEMBERED TO HIT RETURN BETWEEN EACH ONE AT LEAST....so I've only been able to read the text.

You've really got me thinking about HIDs, LED fogs, and cutting down the bump stops. The latter two are cheap/free and it seems to be a BIG gain. HIDs may wait awhile, but I have a feeling if I get the fog LEDs I won't be able to stop.

Thanks for sharing Sue!

Glad you enjoy 'em. I too love photography...and also love the West as a subject, especially with a circular polarizer for those uber blue skies!!! Check out my new avatar, that's my fav pic of the whole trip!
I've long called it my 3 Cs...I love Cars, Cameras and Cats.

One hobby I love is photographing old abandoned cars along highways and byways, as well as old OLD barns. I came across many of both on this trip thru the Heartland, it was fantastic.

As I was driving & evaluating the bump stops, kept thinking...need to mention or describe that to Mav, especially as I became more and more sure of my decision. I'll ship you my spare pair so you can cut 'em down and try it. I can't see me ever going back.

GET THE BI-XENON NOW! Best upgrade you can make for safety AND they look soooo cool! I recall Moncha telling me this and now that I've used them, I totally understand! Driving thru a ton of rain, and then even some fog at night on Friday's marathon drive home, they were invaluable.
Mine were $190 delivered from xenonrider.com, but Jack told me last week he got his from another seller for less AND they had a lifetime warranty, but can't recall the vendor. Jack..HELP! Jack also said the HID cheapies on ebay etc are lower powered (I think that's what he said) and not worthwhile.

[vt_maverick]

As I was driving & evaluating the bump stops, kept thinking...need to mention or describe that to Mav, especially as I became more and more sure of my decision. I'll ship you my spare pair so you can cut 'em down and try it. I can't see me ever going back.

GET THE BI-XENON NOW! Best upgrade you can make for safety AND they look soooo cool! I recall Moncha telling me this and now that I've used them, I totally understand! Driving thru a ton of rain, and then even some fog at night on Friday's marathon drive home, they were invaluable.
Mine were $190 delivered from xenonrider.com, but Jack told me last week he got his from another seller for less AND they had a lifetime warranty, but can't recall the vendor. Jack..HELP! Jack also said the HID cheapies on ebay etc are lower powered (I think that's what he said) and not worthwhile.

Sounds great Sue, I've been looking around for used OEM bump stops without much luck, so that would be awesome! Shoot me a PM with the shipping cost (I should at least PayPal you that I think) and I'll send you my address. I have a feeling Sonya would be much more inclined to ride in the VX if it had a softer ride, not to mention Mahalia wouldn't need to look like a bobble-head doll in the back.

Maybe I'll do the HID/LED thing for Christmas, hopefully Jack will weigh in so I can go ahead and bookmark the websites for both.

[Mile High VX]

Nice post Sue...and looks like a great time was at hand.

I'll catch you next time through.

[pbkid]

http://www.ddmtuning.com/Product-Cat...hting/HID-Kits

that site above has full kits ^^^^^^

thats who i use for all of my vehicles...they are very reasonably priced and have GREAT warranty and customer service!!!

i purchase the lifetime warranty versions every time... definately work the extra $30 or whatever...i had one of my ballasts go out one time, called em... they sent me a whole new kit (2 ballasts and bulbs)...with no questions asked.
also- they do packages if you purchase like 3 or more kits at a time. so talk to each other and order em together.

differences-
35w ballast- most basic charging system, works fine but your lights wont be as bright (maybe a 20% improvement in light)
55w ballast- $10 more, and worth it in my opinion (this is the main difference between a good set and a crappy set) (maybe a 50% improvement)
H4 bulb- standard VX bulb
9003-VX sized bulb without the hi/lo abilities (cost is much less)
- and after many HID conversions on various vehicles, i refuse to order the H4's, i prefer to save the ($20-30) and buy some aftermarket driving lights... for some reason the high beams on the HID conversions just arent enough.. but a cheap set of Hella's ($60 at walmart) and they will definately light up the night when needed.
bulb color-
3000k- yellow
4500-10,000k - tints of blue and white (4500 being most blue and 10,000 is white)
12,000k - purple that you often see on acura's and older lexus'

this is all info that i've accumulated over the years and from personal experience.
the kits off this site are right around $100 for all the bells and whistles, and can get as low as $50 for a complete kit.

[vt_maverick]

Thanks Jack!

[VX KAT]

Thanks Jack!

FYI...I got the 6000k HIDs, it's really white...For some reason my human eye can NOT perceive the blue as it appears in these pics...don't know why, but when in person, there's not a hint of blue.
Plus it matches the 25 LED round marker lights I got very well.

[RallyDude]

I was glad to be part of your trip and it was good to meet you. The photo I like best is where Ldub is grinding your bumper, and the next photo, it's Mt. Rushmore! Nice work with that grinder!

[RallyDude]

I'm always shocked when a VX owner doesn't know about this site. I guess I research the crap out of any vehicle I am going to buy, but it seems like anyone would at least google the VX sooner or later.

[PHO2GR4]

Dee Boot. In jail. Clara lived a few miles outside of Ogallala, near Platte, right?

[Triathlete]

Ldub is grinding your bumper

[VX KAT]

Dee Boot. In jail. Clara lived a few miles outside of Ogallala, near Platte, right?

TRIVIA QUESTION:
Ding ding ding! Yup, that's correct!
Glad somebody else loved Lonesome Dove as much as me.