My Journey

[unkamonkey]

A guy I worked for had a 34' pusher and it died in WY. A week later his brother drove me up there so I could drive it home from the shop. I was under it later and found a nice greasy rag on the exhaust manifold. I do remember driving it to Denver for recall work several times. In comparison my MF has been flawless. (Alright, other than that cracked exhaust manifold).
Good luck with yours.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

It really is a complex machine and for a guy like me, I just don't need so many of the options that are available on it. What attracted me to Renegade was the quality of the build. Hopefully things will work themselves out eventually.....

After my last post on Sunday, I decided it was time to head for the hills so we loaded up and drove east to Lake Mead, I'd say maybe not more than about 30 miles. I tried to find a secluded spot I used last year but took a wrong turn and ended up backing the rig up for 0.4 miles.....not a big deal and a lot better than having gone forward and calling a tow truck. A park ranger suggested I camp at Government Point and that's where we've been since Sunday afternoon.....



It's not a bad place to chill for a week give or take. It seems like lots of people are living here full time. We pretty much stay to ourselves. Every evening around 4:00 p.m. we've started a fire and hung out in the newly acquired Cabela's lawn chairs (so nice to have that extra storage space).....



We had an amazing sunset the first night.....





There seems to be quite a few coyotes around Government Point. I can't help but wonder if people are feeding them. They bark and howl all night.....and I like that quite a bit.....



Every day we head down to the lake to swim a little and wash off the dust. You can't believe how dusty it is here. Tanner loves it and walks around with a cloud of dust rolling off his back.....



And of course we're out paddling in the kayaks.....



It's pretty darn chill here in the desert.....

 

[longhorn1]

Looking good Jerry. Happy Holidays and wishes for super 2018. jd

 

[chet6.7]

A drone could be handy to check out the road ahead.

 

[GregSplett]

I am sitting here huddled around a wood stove reading about dusty dogs afternoon swims.Priceless.Thank you!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Thanks JD.....same to you.....

Chet.....drone is a no for me.....being a bit more careful is a yes.....

Greg.....sure thing.....

So a week in the desert turned out to be plenty for us. The layers of dust just became unbearable as I swear I've never camped anywhere like it. Additionally I was a bit concerned with the dogs and Valley Fever. Both of the neighbor's dogs caught it and were extremely ill while we were camped there. Hoping we have no issues as it can take a few weeks to surface.....

Part of each day was spent in the kayaks exploring the shoreline.....







One cove was filled with so many varieties of birds. I think I mostly got pictures of the seagulls (it seems), but believe me there were lots of varieties of birds out there.....





Something that I just don't understand and that really bothered me about this place was the amount of trash that's strewn everywhere.....and especially what was along the shoreline. Last year I picked up a ton of trash while camped nearby, but not this year. Government Point is just covered in trash. People drive up to the shoreline in their trucks, spend the day fishing, and then discard all their trash right there. Several nights I used a bedroom dresser that was demolished for firewood. I seriously wish the federal government would shut down access to this place.....



One night we got up at 1:30 a.m. to catch the meteor showers over the desert.....pretty nice stuff there. We did some four wheeling in the Jeep and quite a bit of hiking as well. On the way out we stopped at the outflow of Lake Las Vegas and did a short hike down to the river.....





Then it was back to North Las Vegas for groceries and a good clean of the inside of the rig.....that'll take forever I think.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We spent our first night back in town at a Lowe's parking lot. I'd decided to build myself a fancy little box in the back of the Jeep. For years I'd kept a 19.5” spare tire for the truck in the back, but now I have some extra space back there. It worked out perfectly so now the dogs can rest and ride on top while I store groceries or gear underneath. Lowe's was great custom cutting all my wood for me and allowing us to overnight in their lot.....

I had another issue with the cab so we headed over to Freightliner hoping they might squeeze me in Monday morning. Freightliner said they'd get us in late Monday afternoon but they needed the rig in their lot first thing. I decided to pass.....it's just too big a chore with the dogs in the Jeep for the entire day.....

From there we drove south to Henderson, Nevada which ain't much of a drive (maybe 8 miles).
I had shopping to do there so we over nighted in a casino parking lot. Casinos usually have amazing buffets (which I typically stay clear of) but I caved and had myself three hot dinners (I'm no cook so it's a great change).....





And the following morning we were back on the road headed for Kingman, Arizona.....



We made a pass into Kingman, then backtracked to Coyote Pass, which is located just a few miles outside of Kingman.....



It's BLM land and there's some real nice trails into the mountains. Love it here but cooler temps are pushing us south.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The winds picked up significantly with the rising sun, combined with the cooler temperatures, we were anxious to get back on the road, to continue south. I had planned to spend a few days in Lake Havasu, Arizona.....I'm not certain why. Just north of town we found a BLM campground (actually just a massive gravel lot bulldozed into the mountains) so we decided to overnight here.....



RV's are parked everywhere.....generators are humming and the wind was howling. We hiked into the canyon looking for relief from the winds and it worked for the most part. I couldn't help but rate the gravel road as we walked and my thoughts are always the same now.....”the truck camper could have made this route.....we could be camped in solitude had I not.....”.....







We came across this water catchment facility, something I've never seen in all my days of hiking.....



The winds howled all night, drowning out the sound of the generators. The following morning they had only increased so once again we pushed south. We made a few stops in Lake Havasu for groceries and propane. And then it was back on the highway chasing the sun and heat. South of Lake Havasu we saw a sign advertising $10 full hook ups.....I couldn't resist the deal. They say if it's too good to be true, then it probably isn't. We stayed for 3 hours and got a full refund. We pulled onto the dark highway and looked for a spot to overnight. Finally north of Parker, Arizona we found a casino lot to stay in. It's located on the Colorado River and it's perfect for a night or two.....

 

[shellbackcva59]

" I couldn’t help but rate the gravel road as we walked and my thoughts are always the same now.....”the truck camper could have made this route.....we could be camped in solitude had I not.....”.....
There's always the what if's. Pretty tough to find a rig that's comfortable to use as your home, but can still get into the back country. I'm sure you will adapt. I envy your ability to travel at will!

 

[chet6.7]

The one right vehicle is hard to find,if it exists. My previous truck was a gas long bed ext cab,5spd manual,the current truck is a diesel crew cab short bed,6 spd auto.
I need both versions at one time or another!

 

[longhorn1]

I'm toying with the idea of putting my Four Wheel Camper, 2014 Grandby up for sale and purchasing a Taxa Cricket Trex, pull behind. Lots playing on my mind as the camper and truck are fully paid for. Like the idea of having a base camp this set and allowing us to take the truck to explore and not have to pack-up and lowering the roof and then setting up again upon our return to the campsite. Obviously small scale decisions compared to the Freightliner. Jd

 

[Daydreamer1969]

We justed sold our Sportsmobile and purchased a off road teardrop and couldn't be happier. Quick setup and off you go.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

shellbackcva59.....I hope you're right and that I do adapt. I'm sure as hell trying.....

Chet.....maybe I should be towing a truck camper. Hey.....you had mentioned the turning radius on this rig early on. Well I made a U turn in Vegas and it was just shy of using 6 lanes so I'm estimating 65' to 70' turning radius.....

JD.....good luck with that decision. I'd love to offer an opinion but obviously I'm not the guy for that.....

Daydreamer1969.....I'm curious what you're using to pull the trailer ? It seems like the tear drop trailers are really popular now. I've always wondered how they would be in extended periods of foul weather.....

The casino parking lot turned out just fine for a few days. The access to the Colorado River was perfect for the dogs and the place was super clean and quiet. So we stayed 2 nights.....







Lots of RV guys hanging out at this place. The one that stuck out the most was the guy from Canada with a 45' motor home towing a custom 25' Renegade trailer. His trailer had 2 floors.....on the top level he carried his hot rod, and on the bottom level he carried an ATV, a small car, and a Harley Davidson motorcycle. It was unreal.....





And I met another Canadian that's interested in buying my Renegade. Hmmmmm.....

Anyhow, I was up early this morning and ready to get back on the road. I pulled the curtains that block the windshield back, and this is what I saw.....



I was totally boxed in. I was going nowhere. Threw on the hiking boots and headed out on a very long walk with the dogs. No deadlines here.....



Later in the day we drove south and found us a spot on some BLM land just north of Quartzsite, Arizona (check out Tanner sitting next to the bumper.....he's turning out to be a great friend)......

 

[chet6.7]

"Chet.....maybe I should be towing a truck camper. Hey.....you had mentioned the turning radius on this rig early on. Well I made a U turn in Vegas and it was just shy of using 6 lanes so I'm estimating 65' to 70' turning radius....."

That is not all that bad,isn't a large PU 35'?
You have a lot of creature comforts in that rig,you would have been warm and dry on the OR coast.
You mentioned having to deal with the dogs for the day to get the rig sorted out,a towed vehicle that you and the dogs could get away from the crowd for a day sounds like a way to get some of the back road camping you used to do.
I suspect it will take several months to find your big rig legs.
I wish I had it as a mobile home base.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Chet....I'm not sure about turning radius on pickups but certainly much less than this.....

I've been trying to update this thread every 3 or 4 days.....beyond that it seems that I begin to forget where we were and what we did.....it all becomes a blur.....

That being said I wondered how I would / could post for this year's holiday season, as I'd decided to check out an RV park.....I wanted to watch some football and soak in a hot tub. And that's what we did as we drove the few miles into Quartzsite, Arizona and booked a spot in one of the many (and I mean MANY) RV parks. For $29 per night we had everything that we wished for.....



I've pretty much made it a point not to do anything like this, but honestly, it's been great. I booked 2 nights, but I'll probably stay a third, it's that good. Now I'd say my best decision was to go to the park's Xmas dinner. What a blast ! Of course we didn't know a soul but as soon as I walked in the door, this great grandma said “hey you sit with me. I love men”. Her and her husband were fantastic, as was everybody that we met.....





We got invitations to go desert golfing and also to go to the model airplane flying park to fly remote control planes (apparently these are huge past times in Quartzsite). Who knows.....maybe we will try it. Maybe this is our journey ? I've learned a lesson, well maybe it's just a reminder.....but don't judge, cause who knows really.....



And check out this 45' Renegade I saw in town. Another real beast.....



By the way, we finally found those warm temperatures.....highs in the 70's.....