DianaT
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Rocket Run to Denver and Back With Fuzzy Phone Pictures
To pick up a small new pop top camper for our new truck, we made a quick run to Denver. One day we drove 600 miles which we do NOT do anymore! Due
to other obligations, it had to be a rocket run so now real pictures were taken --- just some quick snaps when I was not driving using my phone
through the windshield. Just some observations and fuzzy pictures through a dirty windshield :-)
Highway 80 in Wyoming --- long stretches of wide open spaces. We saw a few semi trucks in the ditch which was probably due to falling asleep. In
the old days when John took a hiatus from his real life, he drove a semi cross country for 3 years. He said that during the winter when there were
storms, ice and wind, he often saw MANY trucks in the ditch. Today, when the weather is bad, they close the highway. There are several places where
there are gates ready to come down with signs to return to the last town. Not much snow for this time of year.
The famous Eisenhower Tunnel on Highway 70 built in the 1970s and named after a President who believed in building infrastructure. I am always glad
to get to the other end of a tunnel.
So good to see snow in the Rockies as we have so little of it here in California, but glad we beat the coming storm.
We love highway 50 and think that highway 6 is really the loneliest highway. :-)
Not so long ago we would have loved seeing these prices, but this was the most we paid anywhere on the trip --- Austin, Nevada in the middle of
nowhere so no choice.
Then came the worst part of the trip --- TERRIBLE wind storm in the Sierra Nevada ---- gusts up to 73 mph! After we traveled this way, they closed
part of 395 to ALL traffic. If we had a full brain between us and time, we would have stayed in Carson City for a couple of nights rather than just
make a quick out of the way Costco run
Topaz Lake looked like an ocean and our new windshield now has many sparkling little rock chips and the truck a scrape from a flying branch. We
really disliked driving by the Cottonwood trees!
This 5th wheel trailer must have gotten through before they stopped all campers, RVS and big trucks. They allowed our pop up camper to go through.
And here, the driver was okay, but I am sure he is sorry he got through.
And then coming down the Sherwin Grade we suddenly smelled smoke. And yes a wildfire had started in that terrible wind! It was spreading fast and
two communities north of Bishop ended up evacuated. While it did burn about 20 structures, the weather decided to save the day. It started to rain
in the middle of the night!
The wind calmed down closer to our home and we noticed these clouds out in front of us. To us, they looked rather angry and yet they had a fake look
to them. We thought they looked like a painting where the painter just didn't quite capture the reality.
It was such a quick trip that I never took out the camera! And when Tommy gets really tired of riding in the truck or car, he now grabs my phone and
takes a selfie. 
We will cover all this ground again --- slower, and with a camera. And the next time there is a high wind alert in the Sierras, we will go NO
FURTHER.
It is time to do some real travel --- and no more rocket runs!
[Edited on 2-8-2015 by DianaT]
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tripledigitken
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Diane,
Now you can't tease us about getting a new truck and not post a picture of it. Camper too!
Toyota or ???????
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elgatoloco
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I was in Colorado calling on customers this week. Tuesday it was 65 degrees in Denver. Wednesday morning I woke up to 3-4 inches of fresh snow in
Greeley. Snow stopped around lunchtime and it was cold overnight. Flew out of DIA Thursday afternoon it was 62 degrees. Crazy. 
MAGA
Making Attorneys Get Attorneys
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DianaT
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Quote: Originally posted by elgatoloco  | | I was in Colorado calling on customers this week. Tuesday it was 65 degrees in Denver. Wednesday morning I woke up to 3-4 inches of fresh snow in
Greeley. Snow stopped around lunchtime and it was cold overnight. Flew out of DIA Thursday afternoon it was 62 degrees. Crazy. |
We were there on Tuesday, picked up the camper, and headed over the mountains before that snow arrived. The weather for this time of year was rather
crazy everywhere and still is.
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DianaT
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Here it is at the camper factory.
This will be for special trips and for off road locations due to the terrible gas mileage. But it will be fun.
We still have our Subaru as we won't part with it and will still use it for other trips. And we can't find a reason to part with our 2001 Echo, so we
are now a two person family with three vehicles. On second thought, my Montana son is here right now and with his Monster rebuilt 1984 Land Cruiser
and his Dogde 12 value truck, we are a family of three with 5 vehicles. 
And anyone who wants to see what this camper is like in Baja, check this out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQJ_TnshIjY&feature=yout...
We opted for some different options --- Each camper is made to order and they only sell factory direct. And because we now own one, it is obviously
the best camper anywhere. :-)
And I promise, there will not ever be 5000 pictures of the Tundra --- maybe a few of the inside of the camper for anyone interested in this type of
camper.
[Edited on 2-8-2015 by DianaT]
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rts551
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where are the pictures of the tire tracks? no selfies other than Tommy? come on ... details about the best truck in the world. After all you are
a NOMAD.
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DianaT
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| Quote: Originally posted by rts551 | | where are the pictures of the tire tracks? no selfies other than Tommy? come on ... details about the best truck in the world. After all you are
a NOMAD. |
Hey, no tire tracks yet because it still has the crappy tires from the factory! And no selfies as we are far too haggard after this trip.
Now I could tell you all the reasons this is NOT the best truck in the world, but I won't. It is just the one we settled on --- damn, trucks are
expensive! 
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Mexitron
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We must have been driving parallel to each other--I drove straight from Borrego Springs to Fort Worth on Tuesday...2am to 11pm, 19 hrs though my drive
was much more pleasant on I-8, I-10, and I-20...didn't know I could still pull off a long haul like that. Topaz lake looks angry, wow, what a storm
to drive into!
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DaliDali
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Any particular reason you can share why you selected this Outfitter camper over a 4 Wheel camper model that has the factory near Sacramento?
Reason I ask is because I just bought a new 4 Wheel Hawk model for a 6.5 bed Ford F150 4x4
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DianaT
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Mexitron, It was a VERY nasty wind storm that started in Reno and didn't end until Bishop area. The fire in the Round Valley is still only 65%
contained after the rain, but thank goodness for the rain.
| Quote: Originally posted by DaliDali | Any particular reason you can share why you selected this Outfitter camper over a 4 Wheel camper model that has the factory near Sacramento?
Reason I ask is because I just bought a new 4 Wheel Hawk model for a 6.5 bed Ford F150 4x4 |
Yes. We owned an Outfitter before; a different model and really liked everything about it. It is a quality product. And they are great to work with
as they will customize anything they can. Every camper is built individually for the client. Small factory and good people. They only sell by
word of mouth and factory direct.
We were going to buy a 4 Wheel Hawk, but looked at the Outfitter website and saw that they were now making a similar product. We were really excited
to call Bob and Brian. They have only been making the Caribou Lite for a few years and it is now their best seller. Their customers pushed them in
this direction as an alternative to the 4 Wheel Camper. Besides their willingness to customize, you get more for your money.
Here is a side by side comparison of what you get with a Caribou Lite and with a 4 Wheel Camper. It is a bit dated as the base prices have increased.
When we there, there was another couple from California who live near the 4 Wheel Camper factory and for what they wanted, the Caribou Lite saved
them several thousand dollars.
http://www.outfittermfg.com/campers/new-campers/competitive-comparisons/41-outfitter-vs-fourwheel
Now this is certainly not to say anything negative about the 4 Wheel Campers as they are a very good product and if the Caribou Lite did not exist, we
would now own a Hawk.
And Outfitter does not say anything negative about the 4 Wheel Campers or their company. But on the internet, you will find one company that will run
down the Outfitters because Bob was one of the original owners of the other company and after he sold out, his ex partner has done everything to hurt
his business.
We only opted for a few changes as we wanted to keep it really simple. Brian threw in a 100 watt solar panel and we went for the larger 2 way Tundra
refrigerator instead of the stardard 3 way. We also added a side awning and the scissor steps for our old Tommy dog.
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elgatoloco
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Nice camper! Note to self: don't let wife see that video. 
MAGA
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churro
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Nice report Diana! And even nicer rig! Love it!
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Barry A.
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Diane----------
Congrats on the new truck and camper-unit.
Out of curiosity, did you take a look and compare the NORTHSTAR campers like Nomad Neal Johns has recommended and has?
Barry
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DianaT
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| Quote: Originally posted by Barry A. | Diane----------
Congrats on the new truck and camper-unit.
Out of curiosity, did you take a look and compare the NORTHSTAR campers like Nomad Neal Johns has recommended and has?
elgatoloco --- Danny seems to also be in love with his truck! I love his enthusiasm.
Churro --- we can't wait to actually use it and not just punish it by driving it through a major wind storm!
Barry |
The Northstars are nice, but a lot heavier. They also have prettier interiors. I believe they are a good product. But we really wanted simple and
lightweight and this one has a dry weight of 850 lbs. Remember, Tundras are not exactly known for their payload specs.
We looked at all the pop-ups before and settled on the Outfitter Caribou which we really liked --- but this time around, our wants were different ---
simple, simple, very low profile and lightweight. If it would not have been this Caribou lite, it would have been the 4Wheel Hawk.
They all have their pluses and their loyal following.
[Edited on 2-8-2015 by DianaT]
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durrelllrobert
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Young and foolish
While working on the Titan missile sites east of Denver in 1960 I made 4 r/t Guided Missile runs to San Diego. 1100 + miles each way in an average of
22 hours non-stop before there were any Interstates.
Bob Durrell
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Barry A.
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The fire north of Bishop that Diane mentioned in her first post within this thread has spread:
40 homes have now been destroyed-----fire 65% contained. There are some absolutely beautiful homes in the subject area.
http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?...
Barry
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DianaT
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| Quote: Originally posted by durrelllrobert | While working on the Titan missile sites east of Denver in 1960 I made 4 r/t Guided Missile runs to San Diego. 1100 + miles each way in an average of
22 hours non-stop before there were any Interstates.
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Ah, it was so much easier when we were young!
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rts551
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Maybe you can have the first Nomad approved outfitter.
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DianaT
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This morning the report is that it is now 85% contained --- burned about 7000 acres, and as you said took about 40 homes. Also, there were 4
firefighters injured, but I don't think seriously; I sure hope not.
Evidently, or as we were told by a local sheriff, the fire was started by an electrical transformer that blew down. I am not sure, but I think it was
an Edison transformer and not a LADWP transformer. Of course, when it fell in the high winds and landed in the dry brush, that fire spread QUICKLY.
If the rain had not come in the middle of the night two nights ago, it would have been even a bigger disaster. Very dry brush, strong winds, and
higher than normal temperatures, as you know, are fire's best friend. And they could not call in the bombers because of the wind.
We were told that at first the fire was headed toward Paradise and then changed direction and headed toward Swall Meadows which is where I think most
of the structures were lost. We are still waiting for more information. Both communities are under mandatory evacuations, but they may allow some
back into Paradise this afternoon.
Not to diminish in any way the wonderful jobs done by the paid Forest Service people, the BLM employeees, CHP, Sheriffs, etc, we are so thankful for
all the volunteer fire departments around here and the volunteers who fight these fires. Even the inmate fire crews are made up of volunteers, and
volunteers are just special in my mind. Our safety is dependent upon these volunteers. Kudos to all of them!
Even with the rain, we are still very dry around here and fire is always a concern.
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wessongroup
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Thanks for the "ride" ... 
We used do make "runs" too ...
WOOF !! ... important consideration when traveling IMHO
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