My Journey

[shellbackcva59]

Glad you are enjoying yourself! I know many of us turn our nose up at fancy campgrounds and fancy rigs, but there is that spirit of adventure in many of the folks you meet. I have many fond memories of people I have met at campgrounds. I'm sort of an old grump, so I do avoid campgrounds during the summer months, and much prefer boondocking then.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

shellbackcva59.....thanks and I agree completely. Some of these old folks have had amazing lives and they’re great people to spend time with and I really do enjoy them. I’m definitely one of those people that said not interested but as I allow myself to open up, well.....like I said, they’re great.....

So not long after my last post my phone rang and it was Carol (the great grandma that loves men). She said Anchor (her husband) would swing by and take us out to the model airplane flying park. Why not.....and we were off to fly planes.....







This is Anchor.....I swear I don’t think I’ve yet to see Anchor without a smile.....seriously.....



Well, flying model airplanes isn’t really my thing.....just a bit too mellow for me.....maybe down the road.....who knows. And three nights in an RV Park turned out to be my limit, so we took our last soak in the hot tub and drove back into the wilder areas of the BLM desert.....



Letting the dogs run loose and spending the evening around a campfire are a nice substitute for television and a hot tub.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

We spent the next 4 nights hanging out in the desert again. It’s such a nice contrast from the small city of Quartzsite and the crowded RV Park. The largest RV show in the world will begin here on January 20th and many of the vendors are coming to town, therefore it seems as though the people are overflowing into the BLM land as well. I’ve read that between 750,000 to 1,000,000 people will come to town for the 8 day show (and they say that most come in RV’s). We’ve spent our days walking in the desert, playing with the dogs, reading books, and enjoying the laid back lifestyle.....

A great book if you’re looking.....



Rock art and a solid fire ring to past the time.....



And every night a roaring fire.....



I decided I was up for more football and more hot tub time (it was January 31st), so after 4 nights we drove back into town and hooked up again at the same RV Park.....



Lots of vendors in town so we spent time checking stuff out.....





The weather continues to be magnificent.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

And finally it was time to leave the great “dust bowl” (Quartzsite) and continue to push south. I don't recall ever posting about dust, so I'm not sure if it's the new rig, or if it's aging me, but the dust was unreal. Everything was covered in it.....Tanner was a constant cloud of dust whenever he moved. It got old.....



Our next stop was Yuma, Arizona.....now we're almost on the Mexican border. Having been here last year, I headed over to the canal for a long walk and a well needed swim for the dogs.....





We've spent 4 nights here so far staying in various lots around town. Yesterday we decided to take a drive to Los Algodones, Mexico (also known as Molar City). If you've never heard of the place, you should Google it. I've never seen a town like this one.....





We parked on the U.S. side of the border and walked across since (at this point in our travels) it would only be a day trip. As soon as you cross the border, along with hundreds of elderly people, you're approached by people selling dental or optical services. There's plenty of Mexican souvenirs to be had here, but Americans and Canadians come here for cheap medical care. I was quoted prices such as $50 for a filing and $150 for a porcelain crown.....incredibly cheap. I'd guess that 75% of the businesses located along the border are dentists.....truly hard to envision.....





It felt good to revisit Mexico and I felt an unusual excitement at the thought of visiting once again (I'm one of those people that just loves the place). Then there's the reality of life as I was checking into auto insurance for my planned winter in Mexico. I was quoted just shy of $3,000 for 6 months (ouch that's just too much dinero for me !). That being said, I've not been overly pleased with my new rig.....amazing on the one hand, yet on the other, just way too big for me. I've been talking to dealers quite a bit lately and am considering going back to a truck camper. I guess we shall see where that goes.....

 

[Littlehouse]

I hope all is well with you and the pups Jerry. Ever think about splitting the difference on that huge coach and your truck camper? I wonder what an F550 based turtle would cost, or you could make something like this guy... https://www.truckcampermagazine.com/off-road/extreme-rigs/carl-isner-an-ultimate-alaskan-camper-rig/

 

[chet6.7]

I think a 550 based vehicle would be a good sized do many things rig.
I like the higher cab of the GM product for a vehicle in this size range.I saw a flatbed,front winch bumper rig with big tires in a logging yard as I drove by on the freeway.This platform has potential for a long term freeway,backroad,camping rig.

http://www.dieseltechmag.com/Images/1008/Kodiak-workhorse.jpeg_600.jpg

 

[shellbackcva59]

Jerry, Sucks you had such bad luck with the truck camper. The RV industry in the US needs a wake up call like our auto manufacturers experienced when the Japanese imports stated hitting our shores. They needed to compete with the Japanese cars, or get left behind. The construction and quality of the American RV industry leaves a lot to be desired. I had a 2013 Travel Lite truck camper, and it was a disaster! I made up my mind to more or less buy a complete basket case a rebuild it from the ground up. I started with a 1979 FWC Grandby and stripped it to the aluminum frame. All I kept of the original camper was the aluminum frame, roof and windows. It was quite a project for me, but when I was done, I knew it wouldn't leak and it was built to suit my needs. I wish I could recommend a quality RV for you, but from my experience a quality RV is an oxymoron. Airstream still makes a nice product, but I don't think you are looking for a trailer.

 

[Littlehouse]

Jerry, Sucks you had such bad luck with the truck camper. The RV industry in the US needs a wake up call like our auto manufacturers experienced when the Japanese imports stated hitting our shores. They needed to compete with the Japanese cars, or get left behind. The construction and quality of the American RV industry leaves a lot to be desired. I had a 2013 Travel Lite truck camper, and it was a disaster! I made up my mind to more or less buy a complete basket case a rebuild it from the ground up. I started with a 1979 FWC Grandby and stripped it to the aluminum frame. All I kept of the original camper was the aluminum frame, roof and windows. It was quite a project for me, but when I was done, I knew it wouldn't leak and it was built to suit my needs. I wish I could recommend a quality RV for you, but from my experience a quality RV is an oxymoron. Airstream still makes a nice product, but I don't think you are looking for a trailer.

Those Airstream vans are nice, but spendy for what you get

 

[Grenadiers]

We're in Loreto now at an RV park for access to town. Heading back to the beach soon, spent enough money here!


There's a nice late model F450 crew cab with your previous camper on top; can't think of the name at the moment. Custom flat bed

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Hey guys.....thanks for posting up and throwing out some different ideas. I've really got myself into a bit of a jam at the moment. I was so happy in my old Bigfoot and I just can't seem to get back on my feet again. I hate sounding like a whiner all the time.....no doubt plenty of people would trade their problems for mine.....I'm sure I'll work through this eventually.....

Grenadiers.....it was either a Bigfoot or an Arctic Fox that you're referring to. And I remember Loreto well from last winter's trip. Of course I'm wishing I was on the way there. Safe travels.....

So not much going on with the travels these days. I spent the past 5 days overnighting in the “bullpen” which is what the Yuma RV dealer calls his fenced in lot where he allows people to hang out. It's worked out quite well actually and it's given me some time to work on what's next.....





I've got a few offers from dealers that are interested in consigning the truck and that's more than likely what I'll do. I'll be meeting with a third dealer in a few weeks and getting more warranty work done as well, so Mexico is on the back burner for now. I've been considering a one ton truck and a Lance 1172 truck camper as the next rig.....





Leaving Yuma today and driving south to another border town.....

 

[Grenadiers]

Yup, Bigfoot it was. Good luck in your quest as well! Loreto is fantastic, and the Swiss visitors have come out of the woodwork about our Saurer, need to print out a flier explaining the build!

 

[calicamper]

Jerry you know as well as anyone the RV world banks on people going through multiple RV versions before finding the right fit.

My dad has a few full time friends and we have a couple family members onmmy moms side who are full timers. They all have run the full gamut Airstreams - big 5th wheels, truck campers, big busses etc. All of them today intestingly are in wide body van type rigs 24-26ft max. They all toad some kind of 4x4 / awd type rig and have fixed up lockable gear storage in the toad. All of them have told my dad to only look in the 24-26ft range.

I was reading that 24-26 ft size in recent years has become every popular and a big down sizing choice for lots of RV types.

 

[shellbackcva59]

I had a 24 foot Born Free motorhome for about 18 months, and found it to be just about a perfect size. Unfortunately it didn't work out for me as I camp to fish, and always tow a boat. That meant each day I had to take to boat to a launch with the motorhome. Got to be too much trouble putting everything away before traveling morning and night. I went back to a truck camper. With the truck camper, I offload it from the truck at my site, to free the truck for launching. If I wanted to live out of a truck camper today, I'd definitely look for a flatbed model.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Grenadiers.....I love your rig and I sure wish you posted on “In Progress”.....I would certainly be reading it.....

Calicampers.....I'm beginning to now realize how lucky I was to have loved the first RV I purchased (except for a travel trailer that I pulled to Alaska in the early 70's). I sure hope the next one is the right one as you can damn near go broke doing this.....

Shellbackcva59.....I've always liked the Born Free models.....not sure why but they do appear to be well made.....

As I said in my last post, we headed south to another border town for a couple of days. I'd been here last year and San Luis (on the U.S. side) was a small town that I had really enjoyed visiting. Opposite San Luis, on the Mexican side, is San Luis Rio Colorado. Both towns are small and both are predominantly Mexican (seeing non Mexicans in San Luis is rare).....and I like that. We made a few trips over the border to walk the streets, eat local food and visit some of the local shops. Very little in the way of touristy stuff here.....the weather was fantastic.....

I took a few pictures as we walked the streets.....







These are actually a few of the houses close to the business district.....



This morning I had to return to Yuma to get some service work done on the Jeep. Often when traveling it's hard to know who to go for vehicle maintenance but last week I met a guy here that's a mechanic on one of the Baja racing teams. He actually has the identical Jeep as mine so I hired him. I wish he was beefing it up with off road stuff, but it's all service that I've neglected for quite sometime now. It seems as though that Jeep will run no matter how much you abuse it.....

And I'm still out searching for a new home. I came across a pretty cool unit..... BahnCamperWorks.com. They have a camper for sale for $125,000 and a new Dodge 4500 diesel with a 12' flatbed for $90,000. I kind of like it.....

 

[calicamper]

Fun adventures Jerry! That Bahn rig is impressive and a nice size.