Four Wheel Camper - A Review

[kcowyo]

Again, thanks for for your interesting thread!

Thank you! And good call on the furnace, it will serve you well up there in the hills. Assuming you're taking delivery from Mike in High Point, you should expect a great buying experience from a real knowledgeable guy. Someday I hope to return home to the Old North State, to take our FWC out on the OBX and up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Someday...


*******************

So what have we been up to lately? Watching the summer zoom by too quickly unfortunately... But we managed to sneak in a few outings here & there. We unfortunately canceled our September trip to the PNW, due to some family, who were a focal point of our trip, deciding to move from OR to Las Vegas in August. So we'll reschedule our PNW trip for a later time with a different itinerary...

Instead we spent our summer exploring Wyoming with family & friends, dog-sitting Spirit for a few weeks, running the famous Rubicon Trail with the Toyota Landcruiser Association and visiting Yellowstone National Park whenever time permitted...


It can snow in Yellowstone at any time -

But the sun shines bright in California...

And the scenery is always top-notch...

But the water was deep, deep...

And the rocks were HUGE and everywhere...

But at the end of the week, it was all worth it -

Just in time for fireworks in July, Linda & Pepper came through on their big summer adventure...

So we went up in the hills to an old gold mining town...

And we watched an old-time baseball game...

Then we set up camp and lit a campfire...

And we enjoyed a big Wyoming sunset...

But with miles & months to go, Linda & Pepper continued on their big adventure down the road -

Then one day, Ara & Spirit showed up at the house...

But Ara had to leave to go to Germany for a few weeks...

So Spirit hung out with us for awhile. We went for walks...

And we took some naps...

But before long, Ara came back and they were reunited & back in the saddle, heading for the horizon -

More visitors showed up in the backyard at the end of the summer, reminding us that Fall is coming soon...

So we took the hint and headed up to Cody, Wyoming...

And then we took a drive through Sunlight Basin...

Up to Yellowstone National Park, where we fed the bears a tourist or two...

And we drove over the incredible and scenic Beartooth Pass -

To picture perfect Rock Creek Valley, just over the Montana border, where the Aspens were turning gold...

Before heading home, a Bald Eagle watched over us, the ultimate symbol & reminder of the freedom we have and so gratefully enjoy...

And that's how we spent our summer vacation -

**Next stop - Valley of Fire, Las Vegas, Death Valley and perhaps Arizona, among the saguaros for a little soiree under the stars. Stay tuned-
.

 

[greg mgm]

Beautiful Pics and excellent story!
Thanks for sharing. :victory:

 

[Overland Hadley]

To picture perfect Rock Creek Valley, just over the Montana border, where the Aspens were turning gold...

[/COLOR]

Did you drive the FS road up Rock Creek Valley?

It is a beautiful valley with lots of nice places to camp.

 

[Marc1]

Yah baby

KC ...

As always your cinematic eye captures the essence of this beautifull country of ours like few others. Looks like U guys had a great summer and covered some neat areas. Unfortunately my summer travels were limited since I sold my ATC in June, but that is soon to change as my new project is nearing completion.

All the best to u and yours

marc

 

[Deltarat]

Wow

Wow KC,

Beautiful pictures and great narrative.
Thanks for sharing with us..

Bob

 

[articulate]

Love it! Summer reflections; there's a reason why we all had to do this when we went back to school in fall. There's even more reason do it now that we're aging adults.

This was the cherry on top:

Before heading home, a Bald Eagle watched over us, the ultimate symbol & reminder of the freedom we have and so gratefully enjoy...

 

[FourByLand]

Great recap!

Glad it was a good summer. Looking forward to you guys possibly making your way down here.

 

[kcowyo]

Summer was good, but Fall has been even better... Two local trips this month have been highlights of our year so far. The first trip was to the scenic & remote Green River Lake, tucked up high in the Wind River Mountains of NW Wyoming.

Several things made this one special, but the biggest factor and most memorable was finding an old high school friend from NC, who I hadn't seen in 20+ years, sitting on the little beach of the lake, playing with his dogs. He was visiting friends in nearby Jackson, and decided to come out here for a night of solitude & camping. To say we were both shocked to see each other would be an extreme understatement... It was an amazing evening, renewing a friendship and catching up over dinner, a campfire and an impressive sunset that lit up the range above us.

We ran out of firewood before we ran out of things to talk about. In the morning we shared another meal and sat on the lake, throwing sticks in the water for his dogs to retrieve until our arms and the dogs were all exhausted.

We exchanged contact info and promised to stay in touch. I'll have no problem keeping the promise I made on that lake. It was unfortunate that we had to leave so soon, but we both had prior plans that we had to keep. So we packed up and said farewell to the lake. Perhaps we will come back here to meet up and do it again next year.

With that special trip and memory savored, we chose to visit another lake in the area this past weekend. Boysen Reservoir sits at the base of the Owl Creek Mountains and the Copper Mountians. We come here often, taking the kids on picnics to our "secret beach", and just to enjoy the views and the water. As long as the wind isn't howling (a rarity...) it's always a good time. For some reason though, we never camp here... Maybe it's the general windy nature of the area, maybe it's because it's fairly close to home or maybe because I can't take the 'boat-envy' I get whenever we come here and see the fisherman and water-skiers playing on the lake. This time we chose to stay for the night. And what a night it was...


Guaranteed to see some cowboys, real working cowboys, nearby -

Miles of shoreline to explore, just watch out for the soft stuff close to the waters edge -

When you find a spot you like, stop -

Take a walk down the beach -

Get a fire going and enjoy the view -

Pop the top and make yourself at home -

Maybe the moon will pop up too -

Speaking of 'popping', she found Jiffy-Pop at the store. Buy some & bring it with you. Makes a great late night treat -

The 6am call of nature never fails... As long as you're going outside, take your camera with you. No telling what you might see -

When your hands go numb from the cold, go make coffee and come back outside later. There is always more to see -

And when you've had all you can stand, and your eyes & mind can't absorb anymore, go home. At least that's what we did last weekend. Then we immediately began planning our next trip... Kudos to Fall, kudos to wonderful Wyoming, and kudos to our little Four Wheel Camper.

:campfire:
.

 

[Moody]

Excellent, as per usual...

 

[jim65wagon]

Summer did indeed zoom by all to quickly, doesn't it always? You captured some amazing images on your last couple of rides! Here I sit, fall coming on strong, the rack and water tank off the truck, no time off work, and all I can think about is how much I'd like to take another trip, somewhere, anywhere....maybe even Wyoming! Darn you KC! You and you're wonderful pictures! Aaagh! I need a vacation.....

 

[The Swiss]

:campfire:
.

This thread is therapeutic ... and probably the best advertising for our hobby and fourwheel camper. :bowdown:

 

[Surfy]

Wow, kcowyo - what for a thread :Wow1:

I think about a longtime travel, maybe one time arround the world.

I have done some offroad-trips in Laos and Thailand, and know - thats the way i want to travel.

The only question was, if i find a Setup, who allows living and offroading - and with this thread i now know - what should work.

Bevore i had a long wishlist for Addons - but - i need a bigtruck to realize.. Now i think, your Setup should fit perfect for me.

Thirst i thought, that i want to start inside the us, and to ask you for someone, who could build my truck. But then i see, that i doent could buy an Diesel-Pickup (Hilux, Ranger) inside the US. Too its not so easy as a Tourist, to get a Worldwide Insuranceprotection.

My last camping is long long time ago, and i am happy for each one, who could help my with his experience.

What you think about travelling arround the world, which a setup like you have?

Surfy

 

[goranvolvo]

How cold can get in the pop up camper can it be used in the winter?

 

[DesertBoater]

So I'm interested in potentially acquiring an Eagle for my 05 Tacoma. My biggest concern however is that I often end up carrying kayaks (whitewater or sea) on my roof, and am wondering about lifting/lowering the top with 3 boats up there? It would probably end up being somewhere around 150 lbs of boats on top. Does anyone have any experience with roof loads with a FWC?

Cheers,
West

 

[LuckyDan]

So I'm interested in potentially acquiring an Eagle for my 05 Tacoma. My biggest concern however is that I often end up carrying kayaks (whitewater or sea) on my roof, and am wondering about lifting/lowering the top with 3 boats up there? It would probably end up being somewhere around 150 lbs of boats on top. Does anyone have any experience with roof loads with a FWC?

Cheers,
West

With a proper roof rack, people haul kayaks, canoes, surf boards, spare tires and such all the time though size wise three boats may be at the limit. Some people also comment of hassle trying to raise the roof with a load on it. If you're unfamiliar, the FWC lifting system is fully manual, meaning you more or less push in/up the front and rear lifting panels as opposed to a crank system or the hydraulic system Alaskan uses.

I wouldn't let that be a deal killer though. If you tend to show up, off load then camp then no problem. In addition FWC sells, or people retro fit lift assist systems. This link will give you an idea:

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/2974/

Hope this helps...