New Toy

[Terence McCann]

My wifes 50th b-day is 8-11. As hard as it may seem to believe this is what she wanted - I dig my wife. God willing and the creek don't rise, next year, for our 25th wedding anniversary, we will do a two-three week stint out west starting at Yellowstone.

These pics were taken on Friday at a state campground named Punderson. It was the first outing and a bug shakeout. At the time this picture was taken it was 96 degrees with a dew point around 72 - not a big fan of that weather.

Excuse the quality of the pics as I forgot our Nikon and took these with the Blackberry.

The wife:

Me:

[mgbinspect]

I have a 29 footer. It's a great way to kill a three to four day weekend and enjoy a real sense of "home away from home". I've stocked mine with a miniature printer and scanner to go along with my netbook so taking work with me is easy and requires very little space. You'll find the mobile home and travel trailer community to be refreshingly friendly and helpful. Enjoy!

[Terence McCann]

A 29' - that's a big trailer for sure. My knees are still knocking a bit from taking this one out. Hauling a trailer is an acquired taste I'm finding out. The one in the picture is a 20'. The truck is a Nissan Frontier with a 4.0 V-6. It groans a bit but does OK.

We had a class C Coachman back in 96 but sold it to start the business and move to a condo. The wife and I always went tent camping when we were young but one of the last times I tried to tent camp it took me a week to stand up straight. My body ain't hearin' anything about sleeping on the ground (besides I dig AC).

[Bain]

I have a couple of friends who are profs. at the local U., and they rented one of those babies a few summers ago. They spent six or seven weeks touring out west and had so much fun, they wound up buying an RV of their own.

I've since borrowed it for a couple of long weekends with wacky women, and had a blast. This will sound a little weird, and probably keep Chad awake at night, but there's actually something sexy about RVs. I mean, you're pulling your bedroom behind your truck, so pretty much ANYTHING goes . . .

[mgbinspect]

Yes, I remember my days of avid tent camping - looking at all those travel trailers as I scowled and thought, "That's not camping." I now hang my head in shame - in comfort with "that ain't workin', that's the way you do it.." playing on my stereo, mind you, but... what the heck... we earned it...

[mgbinspect]

I have a couple of friends who are profs. at the local U., and they rented one of those babies a few summers ago. They spent six or seven weeks touring out west and had so much fun, they wound up buying an RV of their own.

I've since borrowed it for a couple of long weekends with wacky women, and had a blast. This will sound a little weird, and probably keep Chad awake at night, but there's actually something sexy about RVs. I mean, you're pulling your bedroom behind your truck, so pretty much ANYTHING goes . . .

Note to self regarding Bain at the campground - if the trailier's a rockin' don't go a knockin' Got it... [:-graduat

[Nolan Kienitz]

Terry,

If y'all are 'starting' at Yellowstone you are darn close to Glacier Park. An absolutely beautiful place.

Also ... James J. Hill's Great Northern Empire Builder routed through East & West Glacier. Amtrak still makes two stops per day.

Glacier National Park

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[Tom Raymond]

Nice rig! I've got a 15' I tow with my Outback, so I know what you mean about groaning a bit. I think the hardest part of towing close to capacity like that is being patient, if your in a rush to get where you're going you get yourself in trouble.

I think I wanna go camping with John.

Tom

[Marc]

Nice rig! I've got a 15' I tow with my Outback, so I know what you mean about groaning a bit. I think the hardest part of towing close to capacity like that is being patient, if your in a rush to get where you're going you get yourself in trouble.

I think I wanna go camping with John.

Tom

Suburu Outback?

Marc

[Tom Raymond]

Yup. The 2.5L 4 cylinder, with a manual tranny.

[gtblum]

Hauling a trailer is an acquired taste I'm finding out.

I agree. That's why I'm leaning toward this self contained unit. (When I save up enough for it.)

It even has it's own deck on the back!

Ain't she a beauty?

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[Bain]

Nice rig! I've got a 15' I tow with my Outback, so I know what you mean about groaning a bit. I think the hardest part of towing close to capacity like that is being patient, if your in a rush to get where you're going you get yourself in trouble.

I think I wanna go camping with John.

Tom

The gals always have friends. As a group, they tend to be needy and jealous, but what are you gonna do?

[Terence McCann]

Hauling a trailer is an acquired taste I'm finding out.

I agree. That's why I'm leaning toward this self contained unit. (When I save up enough for it.)

It even has it's own deck on the back!

Ain't she a beauty?

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That's too funny. The music from Deliverance keeps coming to mind.

Actually, at Punderson this weekend, there were a lot of kids and families. It's nice to see all the families, well, acting as families. It's nice to see folks playing baseball and not watching "reality TV" - [:-yuck].

[Marc]

Yup. The 2.5L 4 cylinder, with a manual tranny.

My wife has one that I picked out in 2000. Forget the engine, pay attention to the engine temperature gauge in hot climates. Coolant system isn't made for such duty. The issue is more the brakes and transmission clutches, regardless of whether it's a manual or auto. Course, those Suburu are surprisingly tough sometimes.

What's behind the ramp door Terry?

Marc

[Terence McCann]

I mean, you're pulling your bedroom behind your truck, so pretty much ANYTHING goes . . .

I can neither confirm nor deny however the accommodations are above expectation. []

The wife and I had a pleasant time and actually took a 4 hour nap. The circle completes itself.

[Terence McCann]

What's behind the ramp door Terry?

Marc

Do you mean the slide out Marc? If that is the case it is the dinette. At the back of the TT is the head, shower and storage. I stand 6'1" and there is plenty of room. Moving forward is the range, fridge, sink and door. In the front is a queen size bed. It's amazing how they fit so much stuff in a little space.

[Terence McCann]

Terry,

If y'all are 'starting' at Yellowstone you are darn close to Glacier Park. An absolutely beautiful place.

Also ... James J. Hill's Great Northern Empire Builder routed through East & West Glacier. Amtrak still makes two stops per day.

Glacier National Park

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Hi Nolan.

I didn't realize Glacier Park is so close to Yellowstone. I'll have to Google Earth it. So much to see and so little time.

I had the Yaesu VX-8R on-board this weekend. It was needed as the WX was so hot, and unpredictable, with t-storms popping up at night. You never know when a Tornado is going to hit in this WX.

[hausdok]

Hi Terry,

That's very nice; bet she's really digging you right now, you lucky dog.

I know what you mean about tent camping. I've gone twice in the last couple of months and have several fused vertebra and a herniated disc that doesn't like me very much and after those trips I was in a lot of pain for days. That's why the wife and I have just about decided to make the leap to a trailer of some sort.

Right now, I'm split between the T@b ultra-light alumafiber trailer and one of the Chalet Fold-Down Campers. I tried to get her interested in one of those pop-up and fold out tent campers because they're lighter and for the most part cheaper but she isn't taking the bait. If she's going to spend that much on it, she wants to have a hard roof over her head and not canvas.

I'm pretty much limited as to what I can pull with my Subaru Baja to an 800 lb maximum vehicle load and a 2000 lb tow capacity.

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Depending on the model I choose, the T@b weighs in at just over 1800 lbs and has either a 110 or 145 lb tongue weight, so that limits how much crap I can haul in the truck and how much in the tailer.

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The Chalet Arrowhead on the other hand has a GTW of 1385lbs and a hitch weight of 154lbs and has less frontal area when I'm towing it so gas mileage will probably be better. It's interior footprint is about the same size as the T@b's but the openness of it makes it feel bigger.

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The only problem is the Korean Konnection - she really likes the T@b a lot more. That might be outweighed by the fact that, though they're comparable in price for the basic models, the T@bs are hard to come by and the Chalets are pretty easy to find.

I'd have a whole lot of better choices out there if she'd just agree to use her X-3 as a tow vehicle, 'cuz it's got a much greater towing capacity, but she won't even hear of having a hitch appended to her Beemer, so it looks like it's the poor little Baja that's going to be doing all of the heavy work.

Once again, congrats. I hope you use the hell out of it and enjoy every second of it.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Nolan Kienitz]

Terry,

If y'all are 'starting' at Yellowstone you are darn close to Glacier Park. An absolutely beautiful place.

Also ... James J. Hill's Great Northern Empire Builder routed through East & West Glacier. Amtrak still makes two stops per day.

Glacier National Park

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Hi Nolan.

I didn't realize Glacier Park is so close to Yellowstone. I'll have to Google Earth it. So much to see and so little time.

I had the Yaesu VX-8R on-board this weekend. It was needed as the WX was so hot, and unpredictable, with t-storms popping up at night. You never know when a Tornado is going to hit in this WX.

Running mobile in Montana if you have a portable HF rig could wear you out as there just are not too many operators in Montana. Folks like the contacts from the less populated states like MT, ND, SD.

I'm thinking about reaching out for the VX-8R as well, but I have an HVAC system to finish paying off by September and the inspection count has been down the past couple of months. Ergo ... ham radio toys will have to wait.

Glacier is an absolutely stunning park. Yellowstone is not anything to sneeze at either.

Whatever the route y'all will have a great time ... absolutely beautiful scenery in Western WY, SW & W MT.

I was born/raised on a farm in NE Montana near the Canadian border and ND so have a fond love for MT. NE Montana does not have the grand majestic beauty of the mountains and forests, but the ever stretching plains are also quite breathtaking.

[Terence McCann]

Hi Mike:

I traded in my Dodge Caravan and bought the Frontier (really nice truck but the gas mileage sucks - 15 or so). It was part of Nancy's plan of upgrading. Perhaps with a little more smoozing the Korean Konnection will give in to komfort - much needed as the body starts to fight back.

After a fall in 1983 I had neck surgery for three ruptured disks and still have one in the lower back that likes to make it presence known upon occasion. No fun.

I don't blame her for the hard roof. Being in a leaky tent in the middle of a monsoon is no fun. When Nancy and I first got married we went to Ohiopyle in PA for Memorial Day (beautiful country). It rained so hard that we both woke up around 3 in the morning with wet knickers. It was also around 45 degrees. We found a restaurant in town and had breakfast and had some welcome hot coffee. Nancy thought it would be best just to drive back to our home but we did go back and pick up our gear. Funny how you remember some things; we camped a lot but it's only times like these that we still laugh about. We've also kept a running, written, log about our misfortunes. It's fun to read them after so much time has past.

FWIW I dig either of the models Mike. I dig retro so I'm on board with the 1st one but I like the "green" of the second one.

That being said life is short and this isn't a dress rehearsal. With either TT you can't go wrong. Perhaps we will meet up as we're heading west and you guys are heading east.

One last thing, Nancy and I made a conscience decision not to travel abroad. There is too much beauty in the USA to be observed and we want to keep our $$$ here.

[hausdok]

One last thing, Nancy and I made a conscience decision not to travel abroad. There is too much beauty in the USA to be observed and we want to keep our $$$ here.

Agree, but you know what? Canada has some mighty nice scenery too and keeping your money there, though not the same, is better than dumping it in Europe, Asia or South America - Not better than Australia though, that's my dream trip.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[Terence McCann]

The owner of the HVAC company I use to work for owns an island, with a cabin on it, in Canada (Musket Island). It sits in the Georgian Bay but more specifically Woods Bay. It was located about 50 KM south of Perry Sound. It is the most magnificent place that the wife and I have been to. 1,000 islands and cottages. The fishing was great - nothing like bringing back a few Bass and doing a quick fish dinner. There was no electricity - when you flipped a light switch a generator started to supply juice. No phones or TV. At night it was so black you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Was a great time to go swimming in the bay. [:-party]

All in all though I'll stay put. Flying in a jet use to be a real experience. When I was a kid my eyes were wide open with awe as I boarded a plane. There was a feeling of a special experience as we lifted off the ground and then attended to by some really good looking flight attendants. Now, sadly, flying is much like boarding a Greyhound bus (actually Greyhound Is a better way to travel).

[mgbinspect]

Australia's on my dream list too. My older brother has lived there now for 37 years. He's become a citizen of Australia. I have seven nieces and nephews there as well. My folks have been and loved it. I just need to carve out a couple weeks plus airfare - an expensive trip including opportunity lost - maybe ten to twelve big ones? Someday...

[AHI in AR]

...There was no electricity - when you flipped a light switch a generator started to supply juice. No phones or TV. At night it was so black you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Was a great time to go swimming in the bay. [:-party]

I agree completely. You sure wouldn't want to be able to SEE whatever piscine horror was about to devour a needed (or at least loved) body part! []

[Bain]

...There was no electricity - when you flipped a light switch a generator started to supply juice. No phones or TV. At night it was so black you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Was a great time to go swimming in the bay. [:-party]

I agree completely. You sure wouldn't want to be able to SEE whatever piscine horror was about to devour a needed (or at least loved) body part! []

A black night . . .

Swimming in the bay . . .

Body parts being devoured . . .

Well, there you go. I'm definitely aroused.