Questions on train forums I wouldn't think of asking.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

I am a bit dubious about getting too near large cities along the way, considering how so many (?) of them have become hellholes of crime and violence.

I would imagine you're more likely to be carjacked, driving a new Benz. I'd go in a functional, reliable older car that nobody wants, and looks like shit. Also, don't dress expensively, or wear jewelry.

I have a 2018 M.Benz GLE350, and that is the only vehicle I would be making such a trip in, though I fully realize it wound make me a target with some of the vermin ever-lurking in many cities. In fact, I was advised not to even consider visiting my father's grave in a small Pittsburgh-area town due to the cemetery having a history of older folks getting robbed there. The former classmates warning vehemently of this, a couple years ago, when I was headed homeward for our 50th Class Reunion, asserted I'd be mugged and carjacked right at the exit gate, as I stopped for the stop-sign and oncoming traffic. The car would definitely add to my being a target. Thus, I do not expect to be visiting there in future.

The non-jewelry idea is a good one - one that had not occurred to me, even though I am not a fan of wearing much jewelry myself. Yet, I do continue to wear my wedding band and a good-sized gold crucifix-ring that my wife had made for me, and am loathe to not wear them. However, your warning makes very good sense. Maybe I could simply wear them at various times or simply leave them at home.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Having both lived in urban areas (born and raised in Paterson) and worked and recreated in areas closer to wilderness, I can say that it's a toss up as to which is safer. There have been abductions, carjacking, murders, etc, in parks and similarly remote areas. And big cities have areas to avoid, but the parts visitors are drawn to tend to be safer. I tend to think you are safer in a crowd in a city than you are by yourself in the wild. My experience in both leads me to agree with Roy as far as just not doing foolish things to make yourself a target. I spent a summer during school working in Central Park in NYC, including the sketchier parts in the northern part of the park. I was still living in Paterson at the time, and while some of my fellow forestry major coworkers who hailed from more "redneck" areas were quite nervous, I was much less so, yet kept aware of my surroundings and of suspicious characters and just used good common sense. Your number is up when it's up, but there's no reason to dare the odds.

You certainly have given me a lot of solid, practical advice to think about here. Thank you very much.
Concerning being "aware of my surroundings" and "using common sense," I have long used, particularly on a trip I made to Kansas for a client (my first time, ever, farther west than Dayton, Ohio,) a personal-conclusion rule that once I have observed large graffiti appearing along the barriers, overpasses, and walls along Interstates, particularly as I approached exit ramps, that gangs were "marking their territory," thusly, so exiting there would be really asking for trouble. Thus, if I see such markings, I keep going and do not exit there nor even near there. Would you agree with that predisposition?

[MurphOnMillerAve]

I would do Jeans and Sneakers; no dress pants or shoes. Carry your wallet, (and your phone), in a front pants pocket; harder to have it picked. Leave at least 1 good active credit card hidden somewhere in the car for an emergency, and place a spare vehicle key in one of those magnetic boxes and stick it up under the car where purpose is a little more important than availability. Should anything happen, (barring physical injury), you'll have the means to get home.

All interesting advice. Thank you, Mitch. Let me address your points individually:
1. I am basically a jeans-n-sneakers guy, especially for such a sojourn.
2. When on excursions, even into Manhattan, I have often carried my wallet tucked into one of my socks. I keep a fake one in my pocket.
3. When my cars had keys, I used to duct-tape the door key behind my rear license plate, and kept a quarter in my pocket to be able to unscrew one of the nuts that fastened a corner of the license plate, to get at the key. I then kept the ignition key taped inside a rear-seat armrest.

This current vehicle uses a fob, and one that if kept anywhere near, in, or on the car, would give perps immediate entry into the car and instant ignition, by their simply grabbing onto the door handle, and once inside, simply pushing the button that has replaced the place keys, or even the older fobs, used to get inserted for ignition.

There are perps that patrol motel parking lots looking for high-end cars that they know would be new enough to have the newer fobs. If the car appears to not be parked too far from room windows, a fob sitting in one of those rooms can be accessed by the perp by simply approaching the vehicle and grabbing onto the "locked" door handle for entry and ignition. If the car is close enough to a supposed placement of a fob in a motel room, they can zoom off, and do.

4. I do keep a couple hundred dollar bills and a couple credit cards tucked away in the car, for emergency use, if ever needed.
Thank you, again, Mitch, for the advice, and the friendliness of the fact of it.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

You could start out this spring by doing some less distant places…..

Thank you, John. I am going to do that. First, I may make another trip to Upstate NY for a traditional hike thru the woods up there, along Brake Hill Road, near Homer, NY. Secondly, I have a Class Reunion in the Pittsburgh area I am considering attending. That might be a good test-run, of taking adventures alone.
Murph

[rex desilets]

I would do Jeans and Sneakers; no dress pants or shoes. Carry your wallet, (and your phone), in a front pants pocket; harder to have it picked. Leave at least 1 good active credit card hidden somewhere in the car for an emergency, and place a spare vehicle key in one of those magnetic boxes and stick it up under the car where purpose is a little more important than availability. Should anything happen, (barring physical injury), you'll have the means to get home.

All interesting advice. Thank you, Mitch. Let me address your points individually:
1. I am basically a jeans-n-sneakers guy, especially for such a sojourn.
2. When on excursions, even into Manhattan, I have often carried my wallet tucked into one of my socks. I keep a fake one in my pocket.
3. When my cars had keys, I used to duct-tape the door key behind my rear license plate, and kept a quarter in my pocket to be able to unscrew one of the nuts that fastened a corner of the license plate, to get at the key. I then kept the ignition key taped inside a rear-seat armrest.

This current vehicle uses a fob, and one that if kept anywhere near, in, or on the car, would give perps immediate entry into the car and instant ignition, by their simply grabbing onto the door handle, and once inside, simply pushing the button that has replaced the place keys, or even the older fobs, used to get inserted for ignition.

There are perps that patrol motel parking lots looking for high-end cars that they know would be new enough to have the newer fobs. If the car appears to not be parked too far from room windows, a fob sitting in one of those rooms can be accessed by the perp by simply approaching the vehicle and grabbing onto the "locked" door handle for entry and ignition. If the car is close enough to a supposed placement of a fob in a motel room, they can zoom off, and do.

4. I do keep a couple hundred dollar bills and a couple credit cards tucked away in the car, for emergency use, if ever needed.
Thank you, again, Mitch, for the advice, and the friendliness of the fact of it.

Outstanding advice.
If your journey requires driving through a city, stop outside and check air, water, oil so that you have no need for an emergency stop inside the city.
On the fob thingie..would an RFID-blocking holder for your fob work?

[Roy]

I have a 2018 M.Benz GLE350, and that is the only vehicle I would be making such a trip in, though I fully realize it wound make me a target with some of the vermin ever-lurking in many cities.

I mentioned carjacking, because carjackers use guns, and their victims sometimes are injured or killed. Just because you surrender your car, doesn't mean you won't be shot - possibly fatally. Or worse. Maybe, you'll end up totally paralyed, and/or brain damaged, and/or in chronic pain. Having LoJack won't protect you from that. You need the sense to not be a target in the first place.

[Roy]

...When on excursions, even into Manhattan, I have often carried my wallet tucked into one of my socks. I keep a fake one in my pocket.

If the pickpocket can see a wallet, you're still a target And, you're also risking the wrath of a pissed-off pickpocket who, once he sees what you've done, may come back - possibly with friends - and attack you.

[HONDO74]

Murph
As I recall you worked on a clients layout some place just west of KC Missouri. So you have already driven half way to California and did not have any problems. So you have already driven the hardest part. The rest of the way is a piece of cake.

You won't be making this trip until later this year. Yosemite and the Sierra's will be snow packed until summer. You can get to Yosemite without going through bad areas. No need to go to Los Angeles,

There are a couple of paths to get there. I will start with the I70 path.

I will start pointing out some side trip that I think you would enjoy.
In Kansas.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_D. ... yhood_Home
I have been there and it is very interesting, especially the boyhood home and Museum. Lots of WW2 items to see.

Sternberg Museum of Natural History
https://www.google.com/search?q=sternbe ... irefox-b-1

Fort Hays is in the area.
https://www.google.com/search?client=fi ... 12&bih=606

[MurphOnMillerAve]

I have a 2018 M.Benz GLE350, and that is the only vehicle I would be making such a trip in, though I fully realize it wound make me a target with some of the vermin ever-lurking in many cities.

I mentioned carjacking, because carjackers use guns, and their victims sometimes are injured or killed. Just because you surrender your car, doesn't mean you won't be shot - possibly fatally. Or worse. Maybe, you'll end up totally paralyed, and/or brain damaged, and/or in chronic pain. Having LoJack won't protect you from that. You need the sense to not be a target in the first place.

If I understood him correctly, Wayne has advised that I show them respect and reason with them.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

...On the fob thingie..would an RFID-blocking holder for your fob work?

I don't know that RFID means, but I can tell you that once I heard about the fob vulnerability aspect, I have been wrapping my fob in Reynolds-aluminum-type foil, and at times I put them in a metal eyeglasses case, which has also been effective.
Thank you, again, Rex.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Murph
As I recall you worked on a clients layout some place just west of KC Missouri. So you have already driven half way to California and did not have any problems. So you have already driven the hardest part. The rest of the way is a piece of cake.

You won't be making this trip until later this year. Yosemite and the Sierra's will be snow packed until summer. You can get to Yosemite without going through bad areas. No need to go to Los Angeles,

There are a couple of paths to get there. I will start with the I70 path.

I will start pointing out some side trip that I think you would enjoy.
In Kansas...

Hi HONDO, Your kindness and deliberate practical advice are much appreciated. I am glad to learn from you that the trip I had made to my Kansas City client had me covering the worst of a trip to California. I only suspected such a perspective. It was that trip which has me thinking I might be able to go all the way to California.
It is through the voices on this forum who have decided to help that I am hoping to harvest some good sense and ways to be safe.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

…. You need the sense to not be a target in the first place.

That's what I am aiming for here with this conversation.
Your contribution is valuable, Roy. I appreciate your kindness.
Murph

[MurphOnMillerAve]

I am much enjoying these postings about my idea of a drive westward to visit Yosemite. Your personal experiences and opinions will be a treasure of information upon which to base any decision in this regard. Thanks again to those offering me such solid information.

I am a bit dubious about getting too near large cities along the way, considering how so many (?) of them have become hellholes of crime and violence.

Oh, dubious one, after going down with trees and other shenanigans that could have killed you, you are worried about the bad parts of big towns? I can't believe you, Murph. What happened to your sense of adventure. ....

Sixty years of living and getting further experienced, and, I hope, some maturity are part of what has happened to me.

Also, several stays at hospitals in the last few years have put a new perspective on things, too. And , apparent and a totally new experience for me, the death of my wife has immersed me in a changed outlook, one I am still trying to understand and figure out. I'm still not sure who I am and what is left of me.

Furthermore, a whole bunch of arrangements would have to be made before I could ever think of launching myself out of this house and onto a cross-country trip, so that if calamity were to befall me, folks here would be ready to take care of "my affairs."

So, see? That's what has changed about The Dubious One.

Something broke along the way. Very recently.
Murph

[webenda]

...On the fob thingie..would an RFID-blocking holder for your fob work?

I don't know that RFID means, but I can tell you that once I heard about the fob vulnerability aspect, I have been wrapping my fob in Reynolds-aluminum-type foil, and at times I put them in a metal eyeglasses case, which has also been effective.
Thank you, again, Rex.

RFID stands for “Radio Frequency Identification“.

Your car identifies the key fob through a radio signal.

My truck will not start if the key fob is in a metal can with an overlapping metal lid on. It will start with the fob in the can and the lid off. It will also start with the fob in one of the RFID Blocking billfolds shown in the photo below (the plastic rim on the metal leaks RF.)

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Just yesterday, I experimented with a new one of those wallets by ripping out the accordion interior and placing my fobs inside the closed container, hoping for the best. Nope. Car started right up, even with the latch closed tightly . You are right about them.

Thanks for the education about how the car gets the message from the fobs, sir.

P.S. Bandaids used to come in rectangular lidded tin-can containers. I wish I has one of those still.