COOPER DISCOVERER Sun, Sand and Surf - 3 Days on Cape Lookout National Seashore

huachuca

Adventurer
Thanks for taking the time to post the pictures and narrative; really enjoyed both. And I think you nailed it with your comment about family memories. Later this summer we'll be making a trip to Portsmouth - the first for our twenty month old granddaughter and last for the best brother in law and camping buddy I could ask for. Mike passed in October of last year but Cindy and I will always remember the time we spent with him there.
 

Go4Lo

Explorer
Thanks for the great write up, I'm hoping to go on the same adventure later this year. What kind of rack are you running for the tent? Looks like TracRac? I've got a set of bed bars mounted for my tent but with the tent being lower makes it more difficult to use the annex and awnings. Fitting in the garage is a concern, do you have height dimensions once loaded?

It's a great place...you won't be disappointed. The rack on my truck is indeed a modified TracRac. It's your basic run of the mill TracRac from Home Depot. I've heavily modified it to fit my application including cutting it down 8" and custom mounting the feet work with a roll up tonneau cover. I have a few close up shots of it in my build thread on here: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/156908-Orange-Crush-My-3rd-Gen-Tacoma-Build/page3

As far as height goes, with the RTT on the truck I can still fit in most parking garages as long as they are over 7ft tall. I have the tent and awnings mounted up just height enough that at 6' tall I can stand under them when working around the truck or using the annex as a changing room. Like you I really wanted a lower profile bed rack but I didn't want to give up the awnings and annex.

Thanks for taking the time to post the pictures and narrative; really enjoyed both. And I think you nailed it with your comment about family memories. Later this summer we'll be making a trip to Portsmouth - the first for our twenty month old granddaughter and last for the best brother in law and camping buddy I could ask for. Mike passed in October of last year but Cindy and I will always remember the time we spent with him there.

Sorry for your loss. Look forward to hearing about your trip to Portsmouth. We are excited to go there next time.
 

Brett_Murphy

New member
I commented in the other thread, too, but reading this one has just added Fort Macon to the list of places we can do on a day trip schedule. Thanks!
 

settinsails

New member
Awesome adventure Lincoln. You need to have your wife print this out and scrapbook it, along with all the past and future trips, so the kids will know how much cooler their parents were than all those other parents at school. Just goes to show folks that you can still be almost totally isolated on the east coast. A tow bill on the island will easily run $750-1000, and depending on where you are on the tide line, too late. You have to have a mechanically sound vehicle, and keep your wits about you on the sand. It is one of the last places you can drive around out there, and go literally miles without seeing another vehicle.

I cant wait to get back to CALO.

Some handy tips for CALO tent tamping. I made stakes out of 12-18 inch pieces of rebar, painted with epoxy paint, and high viz reflective tape. Extra tent poles and guide lines are always handy. we used a piece of indoor outdoor carpet for a welcome mat/shoe free zone, to keep sand in the tent to a minimum. You did the right thing by staying out a ways from the dunes. The greenheads come out in force, and most folks try to retreat to the dune edge for the wind block, and get eaten alive.
 

smlobx

Wanderer
Great report!
We've been going to the obx for over 30 years but have yet to make it down that far south. Now with the acquisition of our Hallmark camper I think we have the right kit (for us) to do the trip.
Keep up the reports and taking pictures of the kids. They'll be grown up before you know it!
 

zonedriven

New member
Quick question. We are heading out next weekend and I wondered if you ever thought you would need the max trax or if it was just a good insurance policy and is there any cell service?
 

jim65wagon

TundraBird1
I can't believe you paid that much money for a truck and took it out on the beach! The sand and salt will ruin your brand new truck!

That's what I was told Several years ago concerning our Tundra. Just thought I'd pass that along. Lol

Looks like an awesome time. Cape Lookout is and always will be one of my favorite vacation spots. Your family looks happy to be there and that truck looks great on the beach.
 

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