I grew up playing in barns and fields on a small farm in a small town. When I wasn't outside I was reading. My favorite stories were true stories of exploration and adventure. Columbus, Lewis and Clark, Scott, Hillary. I waited for National Geographic to bring me tales of adventure each month as explorers sought out the last uncharted corners of the globe in jungles and oceans and mountains. With bicycles, motorcycles, and finally cars I emulated them as well as I could as I pushed to the edges of the farm, the town, and far enough away that I found adventure of my own.
It wasn't quite like the books I had read. No matter where I went, there was a map. Someone had always been there before me. There were no blank areas of the world by the time I was old enough to explore on my own, and the older I grew the smaller the world became. All that was left were the stories I found everywhere. As I explored I realized I wasn't finding places, I was finding people, with rich lives and great stories of their own exploration. I wasn't at all unique, everyone explored the world in their own way, and everyone had a story. It took me way longer than it should have to consider that maybe all we get out of life, if we're lucky, is a series of stories worth telling.
That's what I'm going to try and do here, tell a story. I've packed up all four kids and the dog and we're headed north, the map says 1245 miles until we get to a field where a 1967 International CO1600 is parked.
I don't know exactly what I'm going to do with the truck, I'm going to wander around with it and see where I end up. It turns out there isn't a map for poorly thought out automotive projects. Small adventure, but adventure worth having.
What a great place to start. Have fun on the adventure.
In reply to bastomatic:
We will. As I said in the thread where this whole thing started, I have very minimal experience with medium duty trucks. I drove one a half dozen times in highschool and......that's it. In theory it should just be a very very big body on frame truck, but there are lots of pieces I can't lift, fasteners that are beyond the range of my tools, and regulations on registration and insurance that I have to navigate. Every time I start to think I know what life is all about I flip over another rock and find something new.
Fantastic! I think those Internationals are cool beyond explanation, and I'm delighted to get to follow along!
Every time I see a vehicle from the late 60s, I remind myself that people landed on the moon with that same era of technology. This truck really drives the point home, at least for me- just remember, we do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard 
NOHOME
PowerDork
6/8/17 9:20 a.m.
You packed up four kids and a dog and are driving what? A heavy recovery vehicle or the Porsche?
Is there intention of this COE traveling with you to either Michigan for the summer or back to FL before the summer vacation?
I dont see a second driver, so I am guessing that driving the COE home is out of the question? Or are you going to shanghai the current owner into this voyage of discovery.
I'm driving the truck, but will be recovering an old Airstream instead of the COE. The current owner has a connection with Houston and will be bringing the truck down in a little bit which is part of makes this whole thing possible. The plan is to stop by, take a bunch of pictures, and figure out what else I want him to throw on the trailer. In a bizarre case of "small world" the Airstream is less than a half hour away.
Between this and the airstram, this fall in going to be awsome.
And in all your free time, look around at the colleges and universities in the area. School i went to had a class series on studies in American folklore. Essentially telling and listening to stories.
I love the stories and history of this country. So many worth hearing and remembering that peiple take for granted. But then theres guys like us, who live for the story.
RossD
UltimaDork
6/8/17 10:16 a.m.
All types of fun to be had!
NOHOME
PowerDork
6/8/17 10:55 a.m.
Dusterbd13 wrote:
Between this and the airstram, this fall in going to be awsome.
And in all your free time, look around at the colleges and universities in the area. School i went to had a class series on studies in American folklore. Essentially telling and listening to stories.
I love the stories and history of this country. So many worth hearing and remembering that peiple take for granted. But then theres guys like us, who live for the story.
I did my engineering studies in Brookings SD, just down the road from where the Deuces are headed. Learned to really like the Dakotas during that time.
MazD, where do y'all make a hard right in SD on your way to the UP? Are there a lot of those kitschy places along the way for those endearing family portraits....Paul Bunyan and Babe?
I think it needs to go up!
Ask Stacey David where to start!
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mazdeuce wrote:
I'm driving the truck, but will be recovering an old Airstream instead of the COE. The current owner has a connection with Houston and will be bringing the truck down in a little bit which is part of makes this whole thing possible. The plan is to stop by, take a bunch of pictures, and figure out what else I want him to throw on the trailer. In a bizarre case of "small world" the Airstream is less than a half hour away.
Airstream + COE. BUILD THIS! But, you know, better.
That's not too far from me and would be tempting if I had the space, time, or spare $$ right now. Having a baby and trying to buy a house ruins all my fun 
In reply to coexist:
It's times like this I wish we were up for living just outside PDX, for the parking I'd gain...
What would you NOT do with a '60s medium duty truck with red gumball on top?
Drive kids to school, park uncomfortably close to diesel douche transporters at Home Despot (or anywhere), carry all the mulch or firewood for the year in one trip, load up 32 screaming kids for parades or trick-or-treat, etc, etc...
