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In article ,
says...

On Thu, 27 Dec 2012 12:18:23 -0500, iBoaterer wrote:

In article ,
says...

On 12/27/12 11:01 AM, wrote:
On Thursday, December 27, 2012 10:15:18 AM UTC-4, ESAD wrote:
On 12/27/12 8:59 AM, Eisboch wrote:

"GuzzisRule" wrote in message

...

Here ya go!

http://www.rvwholesalers.com/resourc...aptor_2012.pdf

Everything you want in one place. Keep clicking the down arrow. This is

what's called a 'Toy Hauler'

fifth wheel.

---------------------------------------------------

Looks familiar. We had the 377-SE version. Went "camping" once with it

and had the most miserable week of my life.

My daughter started it all. She and her husband were into camping and

were purchasing a new travel trailer. She convinced Mrs.E and I and my

older son and his wife to get a trailer as well for "family" camping.

I saw it as a good excuse to get a new truck, so I bought the Raptor Toy

Hauler along with a Ford 350 Diesel and had the fifth wheel hitch

installed. I had a Harley at the time and figured the toy hauler would

come in handy. My son bought a slightly smaller fifth wheel and a Ford

250 with the V-10. We all picked up our new RV's the same day at the

dealership.

My daughter made reservations for all of us for a week at a campground

in New Hampshire that they visited often. I forget what the name of it

is. I call it "Marty Moose Land". We all had sites beside each other.

The trip to the campground was uneventful. The Ford pulled the Raptor

with no problem and I thought this was going to be pretty cool.

Well, that particular week in the mountains of New Hampshire was the

hottest, most humid week I've spent anywhere. Big thunderstorms every

afternoon kept us all huddled inside our respective RV's with the AC

units running at full blast. When it stopped raining and we ventured

outside, the mosquitoes were waiting to draw blood.

One humid, sultry afternoon, we were sitting at my son's site trying to

have a beer while swishing away the bugs and mosquitoes. His young

daughter was playing inside his fifth wheel. As we sat talking, I

looked up and saw water seeping out of the storage area door under the

master bedroom of the RV. Got up, opened the door, and gallons of

water started pouring out. His daughter had plugged the vanity sink in

the bedroom and had the faucets turned on full. It had filled the sink

and was overflowing everywhere, soaking the carpets and draining into

the storage area. I took off to find a hardware store to get a wet

vac while the rest started sopping up the water.

Gracefully, the last day of our camping adventure arrived. My son and

his family left, and then us by early afternoon. My daughter and her

husband wanted to stay a little longer, so we said goodbye and hit the

road.

By 8pm, I had just arrived home and backed the fifth-wheel into it's

spot at our house when the phone rang. It was my daughter. They had

just left the campsite, got a mile down the road and their vehicle

snapped a tie rod. They were sitting on the side of a busy road with a

broken SUV, their new, 28' travel trailer and two crying kids.

So, dear old Dad heads back to the New Hampshire mountains in his truck

to rescue them. Finally got back to their house by 2am, towing the

trailer.

Their truck was put on a flatbed and taken to a repair shop.

The next day I listed the Raptor "For Sale" in a couple of the RV

classifieds. Sold it a few weeks later to a buyer in Canada.

BTW, that wasn't our first attempt at trying the camping scene. When I

first retired and we wintered in Florida, we thought it would be fun to

make the trips back and forth in a RV. We tried a 37' Pace Arrow class

A motorhome, a Chinook Glacier and a Dodge Sprinter RV. Of the three,

I liked the Sprinter the most and we owned it the longest, but we

eventually sold the Florida house and rarely used the Sprinter. We

ended up selling it to a guy in Missouri who flew out and drove it

home. He and his wife still send us email pictures of their travels in

it.

Camping is great for some people. It's just not for me. I'd much

rather live on a boat.

We've been to Maine a few times. On one of those trips, we rented an RV

and loaded it onto a ferry to take us to an island campground for a few

days. The RV, the island, and so forth were fine, but the island was

infested with biting bugs. They weren't mosquitoes, they were much

bigger, and it was hot and humid, too. Misery most of the time.

The next time we went to Maine, we stayed he

http://mainestayinn.com/

No annoying insects indoors or outdoors, beautiful rooms, great

breakfasts, and within walking distance of lots of sights and shopping

and the waterfront. My wife was *much* happier! We ate too many meals at

Mabel's Lobster House, purportedly where President and Mrs. George H.W.

Bush had many meals when he was healthier. Lobsters at the dock were

about $2.50 a pound. I braved walking into the water at a local beach

and got in about halfway up to my knees before the cold chased me out. I

love the Maine coastline.

On the way back, we stayed at a B&B in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to see

relatives and old friends. Nice enough place, but no match for the Maine

Stay. No bugs.

That spot looks nice. I've always wanted to get down to the Seashore Trolly Museum in that area. I was serious in the summer of 2011 but after contacting the museum found out that the main attraction for me (Birney Safety Car) was judged too run down to put on display or even to fix up in the immediate future.
The birney car was the only streetcar used in Halifax from about 1921 until 1949..the year I was born.

Kennebunkport can get a little crowded with tourists (like us), but when
we were there, in the height of the tourist season, it wasn't that bad.
There's lots to see in that part of Maine. LL Bean isn't that far away,
and it is worth a day's visit.

Yeah, that's what I want to see and do when I go to explore somewhere,
shop and go to a mall.

If you've not traveled to Maine and seen the sights, you're missing a lot. Kennebunkport is well
worth a stop, with campgrounds right outside of town (and at least one, that we were in, allows
tents!). http://hemlockgrovecampground.com/photo-gallery

If you visit Kennebunkport and you *don't* visit the LLBean store, then you're missing out on a
great treat.

I've been to Maine on two different occasions. I sure as hell didn't
spend my time holed up in a hotel and shopping.

On 12/27/2012 12:55 PM, GuzzisRule wrote:
On Thu, 27 Dec 2012 12:23:41 -0500, JustWait wrote:

On 12/27/2012 12:07 PM, GuzzisRule wrote:
On Thu, 27 Dec 2012 10:00:01 -0500, JustWait wrote:

On 12/27/2012 9:46 AM, Meyer wrote:
On 12/27/2012 8:51 AM, GuzzisRule wrote:
On Thu, 27 Dec 2012 08:37:46 -0500, Meyer wrote:

On 12/27/2012 7:58 AM, JustWait wrote:
On 12/27/2012 7:53 AM, GuzzisRule wrote:
On Wed, 26 Dec 2012 18:14:53 -0500, JustWait
wrote:

On 12/26/2012 5:57 PM, GuzzisRule wrote:
On Wed, 26 Dec 2012 13:22:47 -0500, wrote:

On Wed, 26 Dec 2012 09:05:28 -0500, iBoaterer wrote:

They don't have anything like this is North Carolina

http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/Glacier%20lake.jpg

or this

http://gfretwell.com/ftp/california/...big%20tree.jpg

or this

http://gfretwell.com/ftp/colorado/Ju...kes%20peak.jpg

or this

http://gfretwell.com/ftp/dakota/Devils%20tower.jpg

Duh! So, what's your point? Are you saying that you can't hike and
tent
camp in those areas???

I am saying I was not willing to drive to those places and
trying to
pack your camping supplies on an airplane is not tenable.

At that point you are left with camping where you are willing to
drive.
My neighbor was an RV "camper" . He always had a six figure RV
in his
driveway or in a paid parking lot facility (most of the time).
He always ended up losing about $50,000-100,000 when he traded
them.
They were a maintenance black hole, got about 4-5 MPG on the road
towing another car. The campgrounds were not cheap and he still
had to
buy food in or out.

I can't see the six-figure motorhome. At least I've got something to
drive when the trailer's hooked
up, and I don't have to tow a toad.

We sat down and compared his cost to me and my wife, flying 1st
class,
staying in suites in nice hotels, renting an SUV and cooking in
or eating out.
We came away cheaper and we got a lot more actual vacation out
of our
2 or 3 weeks (unless driving a bus is your idea of fun).

Absolutely, especially if his was a diesel. There is some time lost
driving, but much of this
country is nice to drive through. Kansas does get boring, along with
Nebraska, Oklahome, most of
Texas and South Dakota. But, there are sights to see in every state,
if one will slow down and take
a peek. My neighbor had a software program that calculated costs,
given various assumptions, and
camping often won out.,

Unless you actually go camping 4 or 5 times a year, locally, the
hotel
is always going to be cheaper once you actually add up all of your
expenses..

We've been averaging about twice a month since we got the first
trailer a few years back. One of
the nice things about an RV is that you sleep without other peoples'
bed bugs!

Well, after all this talk I guess we can morph it a bit... our ideal
camper would be a four door pickup truck, with a slide on. For day
races, we could throw the bikes in the back of the truck, for
weekend/roadtrips, we would slide the camper on and tow the bikes
behind
in the trailer, during the week we have a pickup truck for around
town...

What I really need is a commode and a shower, I don't mind cooking
outside. I don't want to sleep with the bikes, that's why I don't
want a
long trailer with two sections, but having a girl racer, I do need
two
separate sleeping areas.

If I could I would have one of those nice ones that squat down for
travel:)

Here ya go!

http://www.rvwholesalers.com/resourc...aptor_2012.pdf

Everything you want in one place. Keep clicking the down arrow. This
is what's called a 'Toy Hauler'
fifth wheel.

Sure, that's what Jessi goes racin' in when we roll out with the team.
That's what we call a "FunMover" and it's the reason I said "I don't
sleep with bikes". I want my bikes in a trailer. Second, I don't know
about you but 1200 dollars gas for one weekend from Worcester Mass to
Unadilla NY and back is not gonna' cut it for me and Jess on off
weekends... Nice, but naaaa, not for a us.

Howjuh come up with $1200

I think he was making the point that he didn't want to come up with
$1200 for gas!

I didn't mean it that way.

Yeah, it was a brain fart. 4 mi to the gallon, about 600 bucks round
trip. Either way back to the pickup truck thing, it's all we need. Like
I said, I am comfortable with a potty, a shower even if it's outside the
rig in an enclosure, a bed, and a safe place for the bikes, ie, in a
trailer. I could spend a lot of time out there like that, even more if I
had a small kitchen in the pop up.

Hey, lots of folks use pickup campers. Then you'd be able to pull the trailer with the bikes. Many
of them come pretty well equipped, and the prices are all over the map. Here's a nice one with a lot
of features.

http://www.campingworld.com/rvsales/...verick/248051/

Bingo, that's the idea. I have my PU truck during the week which is
nice, and throw the bikes in the back for practice. Half of the races
are one day races, within two hours drive and we would go there with the
bikes in the back of the pickup, clean and easy. For weekend or long
over night races and one day trips we would lock down the camper and tow
the bikes in the trailer. Another advantage is having a "street vehicle"
available at the races, trips to town for ice, parts, phone service, or
once unfortunately medical attention, is another plus. Jess and I could
travel and live in something like that for weeks at a time and do just fine.

And no, my current lot won't really accommodate anything like a fifth
wheel or a Funmover. The addition on the driveway side keeps me from
pulling anything short of a small trailer into the back lot. I could
stick the pu camper on the side or back and get away with it, and the
trailer lives in the driveway but it's small (modest, only 8x5 feet:)
and clean so nobody complains. Anyway, yes, the link John posted is
exactly where Jess and I are trying to be.

Of course, the price is $10K, but you could maybe get 15-20% off with a little dickering.
RVTrader.com. ( http://tinyurl.com/brjncx7 )

As you can see, prices all over the map. Hell, I didn't know it was possible to spend so much money
on a pickup camper!

But!!!

Whatever you do, don't order a Predator generator from Harbor Freight!

They're noisy, heavy, consume too much fuel, will get you run out of campsites, don't last more than
a few hours, are ugly, and noisy.

I cancelled my order after getting all the free advice here. I'm going to put the Honda on my list
for next Christmas - being just as 'commercial' as I can be!

Well, I have two generators... neither of which I bring camping. Both
too noisy, one of them even for daytime the other one a Harbor Freight
(actually Lowe's) special... If I had a Honda, or a Yamaha, etc I
would love to have a 2000 even though the 1000 is soooo much quieter.

On 12/27/2012 1:45 PM, JustWait wrote:
On 12/27/2012 12:55 PM, GuzzisRule wrote:
On Thu, 27 Dec 2012 12:23:41 -0500, JustWait
wrote:

On 12/27/2012 12:07 PM, GuzzisRule wrote:
On Thu, 27 Dec 2012 10:00:01 -0500, JustWait
wrote:

On 12/27/2012 9:46 AM, Meyer wrote:
On 12/27/2012 8:51 AM, GuzzisRule wrote:
On Thu, 27 Dec 2012 08:37:46 -0500, Meyer wrote:

On 12/27/2012 7:58 AM, JustWait wrote:
On 12/27/2012 7:53 AM, GuzzisRule wrote:
On Wed, 26 Dec 2012 18:14:53 -0500, JustWait

wrote:

On 12/26/2012 5:57 PM, GuzzisRule wrote:
On Wed, 26 Dec 2012 13:22:47 -0500, wrote:

On Wed, 26 Dec 2012 09:05:28 -0500, iBoaterer
wrote:

They don't have anything like this is North Carolina

http://gfretwell.com/ftp/alaska/Glacier%20lake.jpg

or this

http://gfretwell.com/ftp/california/...big%20tree.jpg

or this

http://gfretwell.com/ftp/colorado/Ju...kes%20peak.jpg

or this

http://gfretwell.com/ftp/dakota/Devils%20tower.jpg

Duh! So, what's your point? Are you saying that you can't
hike and
tent
camp in those areas???

I am saying I was not willing to drive to those places and
trying to
pack your camping supplies on an airplane is not tenable.

At that point you are left with camping where you are
willing to
drive.
My neighbor was an RV "camper" . He always had a six figure RV
in his
driveway or in a paid parking lot facility (most of the time).
He always ended up losing about $50,000-100,000 when he traded
them.
They were a maintenance black hole, got about 4-5 MPG on
the road
towing another car. The campgrounds were not cheap and he
still
had to
buy food in or out.

I can't see the six-figure motorhome. At least I've got
something to
drive when the trailer's hooked
up, and I don't have to tow a toad.

We sat down and compared his cost to me and my wife, flying
1st
class,
staying in suites in nice hotels, renting an SUV and
cooking in
or eating out.
We came away cheaper and we got a lot more actual vacation out
of our
2 or 3 weeks (unless driving a bus is your idea of fun).

Absolutely, especially if his was a diesel. There is some
time lost
driving, but much of this
country is nice to drive through. Kansas does get boring,
along with
Nebraska, Oklahome, most of
Texas and South Dakota. But, there are sights to see in
every state,
if one will slow down and take
a peek. My neighbor had a software program that calculated
costs,
given various assumptions, and
camping often won out.,

Unless you actually go camping 4 or 5 times a year,
locally, the
hotel
is always going to be cheaper once you actually add up all
of your
expenses..

We've been averaging about twice a month since we got the first
trailer a few years back. One of
the nice things about an RV is that you sleep without other
peoples'
bed bugs!

Well, after all this talk I guess we can morph it a bit...
our ideal
camper would be a four door pickup truck, with a slide on.
For day
races, we could throw the bikes in the back of the truck, for
weekend/roadtrips, we would slide the camper on and tow the
bikes
behind
in the trailer, during the week we have a pickup truck for
around
town...

What I really need is a commode and a shower, I don't mind
cooking
outside. I don't want to sleep with the bikes, that's why I
don't
want a
long trailer with two sections, but having a girl racer, I do
need
two
separate sleeping areas.

If I could I would have one of those nice ones that squat
down for
travel:)

Here ya go!

http://www.rvwholesalers.com/resourc...aptor_2012.pdf

Everything you want in one place. Keep clicking the down
arrow. This
is what's called a 'Toy Hauler'
fifth wheel.

Sure, that's what Jessi goes racin' in when we roll out with
the team.
That's what we call a "FunMover" and it's the reason I said "I
don't
sleep with bikes". I want my bikes in a trailer. Second, I
don't know
about you but 1200 dollars gas for one weekend from Worcester
Mass to
Unadilla NY and back is not gonna' cut it for me and Jess on off
weekends... Nice, but naaaa, not for a us.

Howjuh come up with $1200

I think he was making the point that he didn't want to come up with
$1200 for gas!

I didn't mean it that way.

Yeah, it was a brain fart. 4 mi to the gallon, about 600 bucks round
trip. Either way back to the pickup truck thing, it's all we need.
Like
I said, I am comfortable with a potty, a shower even if it's
outside the
rig in an enclosure, a bed, and a safe place for the bikes, ie, in a
trailer. I could spend a lot of time out there like that, even more
if I
had a small kitchen in the pop up.

Hey, lots of folks use pickup campers. Then you'd be able to pull
the trailer with the bikes. Many
of them come pretty well equipped, and the prices are all over the
map. Here's a nice one with a lot
of features.

http://www.campingworld.com/rvsales/...verick/248051/

Bingo, that's the idea. I have my PU truck during the week which is
nice, and throw the bikes in the back for practice. Half of the races
are one day races, within two hours drive and we would go there with the
bikes in the back of the pickup, clean and easy. For weekend or long
over night races and one day trips we would lock down the camper and tow
the bikes in the trailer. Another advantage is having a "street vehicle"
available at the races, trips to town for ice, parts, phone service, or
once unfortunately medical attention, is another plus. Jess and I could
travel and live in something like that for weeks at a time and do
just fine.

And no, my current lot won't really accommodate anything like a fifth
wheel or a Funmover. The addition on the driveway side keeps me from
pulling anything short of a small trailer into the back lot. I could
stick the pu camper on the side or back and get away with it, and the
trailer lives in the driveway but it's small (modest, only 8x5 feet:)
and clean so nobody complains. Anyway, yes, the link John posted is
exactly where Jess and I are trying to be.

Of course, the price is $10K, but you could maybe get 15-20% off
with a little dickering.
RVTrader.com. ( http://tinyurl.com/brjncx7 )

As you can see, prices all over the map. Hell, I didn't know it was
possible to spend so much money
on a pickup camper!

But!!!

Whatever you do, don't order a Predator generator from Harbor Freight!

They're noisy, heavy, consume too much fuel, will get you run out of
campsites, don't last more than
a few hours, are ugly, and noisy.

I cancelled my order after getting all the free advice here. I'm going
to put the Honda on my list
for next Christmas - being just as 'commercial' as I can be!

Well, I have two generators... neither of which I bring camping. Both
too noisy, one of them even for daytime the other one a Harbor Freight
(actually Lowe's) special... If I had a Honda, or a Yamaha, etc I
would love to have a 2000 even though the 1000 is soooo much quieter.

NOTE: I have used several of the Hondas at the track and they use one
for the Finish line display at a series I do the finish line for so I
tend it all day.

I did have one problem the last time but it was wild windy. For some
reason, twice during the day the Honda 1000 just shut off, no sputter,
no other signs, just shut off. Crazy cause both times they were racing
the the inflatable arch over the finish line started coming down.
Fortunately, as soon as I saw the thing coming down I spun and threw my
flag to another guy to take my spot and dove for the generator which
started one pull. About a half hour later it happened again, again no
warning but ran flawless the rest of the day. Like I said though, I
really think it had something to do with the wind or some other outside
influence as other than that the things never seem to skip a beat.

On the other hand, I know Yamaha and a couple others make competing
models, I would trust a Yamaha brand if the price was better and the DB
rating was the same or close... Just sayin'.

Just for the record, the big generator we have is this one:
http://www.sears.com/briggs-stratton-storm-responder-5500-watt-generator-non-ca/p-07133139000P
I don't see any place listed for the db, but it's not as loud as my 2500
watt, contractor:)

On 12/27/2012 5:59 AM, Eisboch wrote:

Camping is great for some people. It's just not for me. I'd much
rather live on a boat.

Maybe I'll get to try that someday...

Does anyone remember the live-aboard simulation that was posted here
years ago?

On 12/27/12 2:57 PM, thumper wrote:
On 12/27/2012 5:59 AM, Eisboch wrote:

Camping is great for some people. It's just not for me. I'd much
rather live on a boat.

Maybe I'll get to try that someday...

Does anyone remember the live-aboard simulation that was posted here
years ago?

Unless it is a really, really large "boat" and you have a crew, living
on a boat is a *lot* more work with a lot less comfort than living in a
house on the hard.

On 12/27/12 3:14 PM, iBoaterer wrote:
In article ,
says...

On Thu, 27 Dec 2012 12:51:11 -0500, GuzzisRule
wrote:

My first real job was with the US Coast and Geodetic Survey, working the Minuteman sites in Sidney,
NE and Minot, ND. Neither place was very exciting.

I rode through the Badlands with some Guzzi friends from Holland. Very beautiful country. But, I
wouldn't want to live there. I kept imagining a couple thousand Indians coming down and attacking
our little motorcycle train.

I agree the Dakotas are mostly a lot of nothing but we had a good time
at the Minot state fair. We rented a boat in Beulah at the dam, toured
the synfuel plant and took the Air Force tour in Minot.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/dakota/Silo%20hatch.jpg
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/dakota/minute%20man.jpg
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/dakota/B52.jpg

We also checked out Wall Drug and went to the rodeo
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/dakota/Wall%20rodeo.jpg

My favorite area is the Black Hills and on out through Wyoming. There
are hundreds of miles of logging roads you can drive with nice hikes
along the way.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/dakota/sylvan%20lake.jpg
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/dakota/Danc...h%20wolves.jpg

They have real convenience stores in Sturgis
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/dakota/convenience%20store.jpg

Of course they have this
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/dakota/Rushmore%20profile.jpg

Damned right, Wall Drugs is the home of the famous Jackalope!
Needles Highway is a pretty cool drive. I camped outside of Deadwood,
it's a really neat town. Then of course, there is Mt. Rushmore, and the
Corn Palace made me hungry!!

We get good and hungry, lock up the tent, and then walk over to this place:

http://rhinocafe.com/

The grilled salmon is terrific, but so are the daily chef's specials.
Good prices, too, and fabulous service. We've been going there for about
10 years, and there's hardly ever any changeover in the staff.

Across the street:

http://www.brigantine.com/miguels_co...-coronado.html

Absolutely the best pitcher of margaritas ever.

Food is very good, too.