welder27

We're moving as we speak. Traveled from Anchorage, AK to Spokane, WA in 4 days @ around 14 hrs/day @ roughly 60 mph. The Highway through the Yukon isn't as bad as people make it out to be...although there are some places you have to watch yourself or you'll miss a hairpin turn and end up off the road. There was diesel available at least every 300 miles, and sometimes more often than that. The prices of diesel are more expensive in the north and get cheaper as you move south. The highest I paid converted to around $2.30/gal, and the cheapest was about 200 miles north of the US/Canada border @ around $2.05/gal.

Beautiful country too! CTD's are definitely the dominant trucks in Canada...about 95% of the light diesel trucks I saw were CTD's.

I'll be in Spokane till Monday and then it's off to Las Vegas. I think I'll be in the Florida area by next weekend...just in time for the statewide clean-up effort! If anybody needs any help w/ anything just let me know...I've got some carpenter skills too...will work for food and shelter!

trailblazenyj

wave when you go by

bigfoot

If you’re not in a hurry. Take CA 44 out of Redding CA into Susanville then take US 395 into Reno NV then take US 95 to Las Vegas NV. Nice drive and very different country than you are used to. Well US 95 is a little boring after the first two hundred miles. Good luck on the move.

firestorm

What part of Florida are you moving to, and when? E-mail or PM me if I can be of assistance.


If you are sure you want to do this, than there are a few 'unwritten' rule you need to know.

General:
1: Words like Y'all, ain't, fixento, and wutchadoin, are perfectly acceptable words. Sentences like "Jeetyet" "nadjew" "junt to." are also acceptable, but should not be attempted untill you have been here for at least 40 years.*

When driving;
1: The signs that are mistaken for 'speed limit' signs are a big typo. They were meant to say 'suggested speed, highly over'.
2: The number on those same signs, is also the distance you have (measured in feet, not miles) to bury your speedometer, when turning from one road to another and when leaving a stoplight/stop sign.
3: Pick up trucks, especially Dodge CTD's, have the right of way at all times.
4: Rain is nothing more than 'pre' or thawed snow. It is not a reason to look for any money that might be lying on the side of the road, nor is it a 'good time ' for a bar-b-que under a bridge overpass.
5: All of this can be summed up with the phrase “Drive it like you stole it".

When eating out:
1: we don't have soda, pop, cola, or pepsi for that matter. To avoid the 'where are you from' you simply order a coke. Then, and only then, can you specify the flavor. i.e.: "I'll have a coke please, Pepsi flavored."
2: Grits are for eating, and must be eaten, not for patching hole in the walls.
3: Eggs, sausage, bacon, grits, pancakes, are not limited to the first meal of the day; they are just as good as steak and chicken for supper.
4: Slapping the good looking waitress on the bottom, is in addition to tipping, and is reserved for Floridians**.
At work:
1: When it is break time, or lunch time, it must be taken for the length of time given. Floridians** break and lunch times are at will for indefinite lengths of time.
In parking lots:
1: Parking spaces are on a first sight, first serve. Floridians** with pick up trucks, get preferred parking as per rule #3 under the 'when driving' rules above.
2: If a Floridian** wants to park in a spot that is occupied by a non-Floridian, he may have the vehicle towed at the non-Floridians* expense. He also has the option of pushing it out of the way, even if the transmission is in 'Park' and the doors are locked.

* A person(s) living in the state of Florida for any length of time, is not a Floridian unless both criteria below are met.
** A 'Floridian' is defined as follows: A person who was born in a Florida hospital, and raised within the boundaries of the state of Florida his/her entire life. A person not meeting BOTH criteria is not a Floridian under state law.

welder27

We want to live near the Tampa Bay area, but for now we're open to wherever. I don't care where I live as long as I can have a nice welding job w/ lots of overtime. I've found a few mechanical contractors who are hiring welders and I'll be checking them out when I get in their areas.

Hurricanes are ok w/ me...it's a tragic and scary thing to go through, but it's the thing that creates work and keeps an economy booming. Think about it...the states that have a thriving economy are those that have high populations, tourism, manufacturing, farming, and natural disasters. California, a place I know I don't want to live, has enough money flowing through it to become its own nation! Almost the same is true for Florida. If they had their own means of matching the federal aid money they could stand for themselves.

Anyway...I'll be happy to get to somewhere where I don't have to worry about where my next paycheck will be coming from!

welder27

We're in Vegas now. Quite the big city here! Crazy roads and streets all over the place.


There are lots of people on this forum and along the road who ask me if I really want to move to Florida. I've come to this conclusion...are you pro-military or not? Anybody who has seen the front lines of combat know that they'd much rather face a hurricane than experience be shot at. My gut feeling is telling me there are thousands of people who are suffering nature's wrath and need people to help them out. Save the whales, save the Ethiopians, save the trees...whatever happened to saving ourselves? There's nothing selfish in helping a fellow American is there? Thousands of people are suffering and it's gonna take thousands more people to get them back on their feet. I will not back down in the face of tragedy...I'm going where I'm needed.

firestorm

Calm down Welder, As a native Floridian I had to razz you. I am a firefighter in my home town, so I understand what you are saying with "I will not back down in the face of tragedy...I'm going where I'm needed." Next time some one asks if/why you are moving to Florida, tell them you are not moving. Tell them either, you are going on an extended vacation, or you are taking early retirement. See ya when you get here, have a safe trip.

welder27

No, it's not you...the stuff you wrote was funny!

chipset

I did the same move, in 95. But, I went a little different route.

I drove from Anchorage to SLC (3 1/2 days). Then from SLC to NYC for 2 months before moving to Tampa, FL. That took 20 hours. Been there, done that. In fact, I am driving from SLC to Biloxi, MS in December and back in January.

Just pay lots of attention.

welder27

We're in New Port Richey now! Lookin for a job and then a place to live. Quite the place you guys have down here!

Oh, and the old 7.3 PSD performed flawlessly! In fact, I think I burned out a ton of carbon on all those mountain passes...especially the one where I was racing a guy up a 7% grade @ 90 mph! Yesterday I blew out a plume of black smoke when I had to make a quick lane change. It's definitely a different engine now!

murray

Welder,

I'm in New Port Richey. You should be able to find lots of work in your profession in the area. Good Luck!

welder27

Got a job already! I start on Monday. Workin for a shop in Clearwater welding structural steel on buildings. From all the construction I've seen going on I don't think I'll ever have an unemployment problem...AGAIN!

Murray...we'll have to meet up sometime in the next few months after we get settled in a bit.

Thanks everybody for their thoughts and opinions!

firestorm

Well give me a call too, I'll PM you with my #. Glad you made it safely and found a job already. [quiet thought] (Great, just what we need, another transplant .) See ya

murray

Welder,

Way to go! I new it wouldn't take you long in this area. Construction and business is booming!

By any chance, did you stay at an Econo Lodge?

eswartz

Congrats Welder

I don't wish the unemployment thing on anyone.

Best of Luck to You & Yours