Get your tickets to THE BIG THING 2026!
Can't someone fabricate a swing out spare tire holder, maybe with a custom rear bumper? Something that wouldn't interfere with towing the jeep. Finally back from a month in Texas and getting caught up.Several months ago I made the decision to go with a new 2021 Ford F550 gasoline engine 4 x 4 crew cab with lots of planned aftermarket upgrades & I definitely wanted to keep my Northern Lite truck camper to mount on that truck......so I gave the Ford dealer in Bozeman, Montana a call and started the process of yet another "build".....
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Now it turned out that Ford had already quit taking contracts on 2021 models yet this salesman in Bozeman, Montana was still pushing me to put down a deposit. Fortunately I connected with Daniel Little at DBL Design somewhere down south in Texas. Now this guy is first rate.....he responds to all calls and emails in a timely fashion and he knows his stuff really well.....when I apologize for taking up too much of his time.....he replies "it's my job, don't worry".....
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Daniel connected me with a Ford truck salesman (Dan Munro @ Grand Prairie Ford) down there in Texas and this guy has 35 years experience selling trucks.....I was impressed.....and as a side note he loves Golden Retrievers.....
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So now the plan was to order a 2022 Ford F550 in Texas, and in 3 or 4 months when the truck arrives, then have it delivered to DBL Design for suspension upgrades, Fox shocks & upgraded coil springs, heavy duty bumper with 16,500 pound winch, fender flares and 41" wheels / tires, and some other stuff.....
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Unfortunately we've run into a huge problem and that huge problem is finding an appropriate location to install a full size spare. We've gone round and round for the past 2 weeks.....I've come up with 4 options.....none are really viable. Ford will begin accepting contracts on 2022 models on March 18th.....not sure that I can move forward with such a huge question unanswered.....a full size spare is, of course, mandatory.....
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Love that songPNWY.....thanks.....unfortunately I had a mix up with the pharmacist (long story) and she canceled my second dose appointment. There's always a battle to be fought.....
tgil.....lots of unsettled weather these past few weeks have made for some beautiful skies.....thanks.....
Riversdad.....it's been a difficult 2 months for sure watching the behavior of the vast majority of the people that come here. Here I speak fact.....first hand observations. The biggest offender here is the fisherman.....as a whole, they seem to have no real respect for the environment. Second to them are the people that come here and stay in their cars, tents, and overlanding vehicles. They have no toilet facilities and under the secrecy of the dark skies (and sometimes even in broad daylight) they lay their human waste and toilet paper damn near anywhere and everywhere.....it's difficult to see.....
ITTOG.....Lake Mead is massive and Government Camp / Point is just a tiny portion of what there is to see. I would recommend a visit to Lake Mead.....just avoid this place (although the coyotes here are amazing !). I've stayed here for way too long and it's had an effect on me.....but it has served a purpose.....and here is why I stayed:
1.) Unlimited free camping.
2.) Free dump & free water 10 minutes away.
3.) Henderson, Nevada is a 15 minute drive away and all the conveniences of a big city are there (groceries, fuel, propane, $2 hot showers, etc.).
4.) The dogs loved swimming at the lake.
5.) Walking on fairly flat hard surfaced gravel roads to assist in healing the pulled groin muscle.
6.) Getting Trapper spayed.
7.) Getting my Covid-19 vaccines.
8.) Getting my truck tags delivered (that took 3 months due to Covid-19 !).
9.) Amazing Verizon service here.
10.) I got lazy.
Sunday evening I decided to return to the lake still undecided if I would stay the night or just grab my things and hit the road. The decision was easy as I arrived at my campsite that evening and less than 100 feet away was a construction generator attached to an old RV.....that sound enough to drive me to instant insanity.....
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I yelled to the owner of that generator "hey.....you can have my campsite if you'd like. I'm moving on". As I pulled out, he was preparing to move in.....I left him firewood and we wished each other well.....
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I had hooked up the Jeep, got my water & tools and was ready to move on down the road.....it'd been 2 months.....full of good and bad days. Before leaving I looked at my campsite and recalled the mess that was here when I had initially arrived.....eight firepits now gone.....trash removed.....the entire area restored and covered with maybe thousands of stones that I thrown into that previously disturbed area.....
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Plants had begun to rise up from the land which was once filled with tire tracks, glass, metal, and what not.....
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I had restored such a small area here on the western shores of Lake Mead. Sadly thousands of people will come here in the coming days and the vast majority of them will continue to abuse these lands.....I wonder if these new plants have a chance.....
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While I was away the United States Park Service had come in and graded new ditches & built berms along that nearly 2.5 mile asphalt access road where I had spent 4 days picking up trash.....
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My guess is that this is an annual event.....soon enough the ATV's will breach the berms & ditches.....they will be followed by the four wheel drive vehicles.....and eventually new roads will have been built across those very ditches & berms.....and then the RV's will come too and illegal campsites will be rebuilt.....
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On our last walk at the lake a coyote spied us from a ridgeline above.....
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March is the month when the coyotes give birth to their new litters.....
"A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven".....
Pete Seeker
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I had a smile also. Thought back to the last rodeos?How long has it been since you strolled through a town? Seems like forever! The mention of the rodeo put a smile on my face, as I remember your previous posts about them.
Maybe you could've asked one of those cowboys or cowgirls if they thought that heel-o-matic could help with that pulled muscle? ?













































