On my Arizona trip we first drove West via i-90, leaving mass March 21st. We saw some downright chilly weather along the way. Low's in the single digits at night.
back in December 2022, I'd gotten these 12volt Facon pipe elbow heating pads and with some foamboard/reflectic, they worked great for keeping my water jugs from freezing, and keeping my batteries happy.
I remember we drove to Albany when there was a cold snap. When I started the drive the batteries were only like 5F, and the heat pads got them up to 30F in no time so they could start charging, like maybe 1 hour. Very happy with that.
One of the reasons I bought the Ford Ranger was for its adaptive cruise. I really like it, it makes highway driving much more pleasant. The new winch bumper meant I had to relocate the adaptive cruise sensor from the bottom center of the OEM bumper to the upper corner of the radiator. I bought the addictive designs adaptive cruise relocation bracket, and BuiltEast installed it when they did the bumper installs. There are plenty of Ford's using this relocation bracket, so it's not dangerous to block 1 corner of the radiator I guess.
Since the relocation, it's "mostly" worked. The problem is half of the time I get an error message saying that the sensor is blocked, and then I can only use normal cruise (waaah!!! I know I'm being a big baby). The sensor is also part of the pre-collision assist system though, so it's better to make sure it works IMHO. Touch wood, since moving it 1.25" lower, per this slideshow, I'm not getting blocked sensor errors anymore. I think the problem was a screw in the FORD grille I bought. slideshow click here
Today I took advantage of the nice weather and swapped out the GFC's default southco c2 locks. 2 things I hated about the standard locks is that open button was also the lock core. So when you push your key in, half of the time, the button would be pressed enough to open the mechanism and the lever would get in the way of turning the key, so you'd have to close the lever again. I just learned to use both hands, one for the key, one to keep the lever down. still very annoying
the other issue is that the lock/key core is very succeptible to gunking up with dust or icing up in the winter. I'd already damaged the slot cover on one of the C2's on the tailgate, so I know it was doomed to jamming/icing up more than the other locks. Not being able to lock/open my tailgate is not something I wanted to deal with. The c5 locks have a weather cover that fixes the problem.
It cost me about $400 for the new locks, but the C5's are so nice it's worth it, the open button is separate from the key too, but it just works so much better. The locks don't feel "cheap" like the c2 locks did
Also, I've read on the GFC forum that the cheaper Southco C2 locks have broken for some people, so the $400 is insurance against a ruined trip. I open all 3 panels all the time. Both sides and the tailgate.
Speaking of the forum, others figured out what parts I needed to order and the measurements for widening the holes. I just used that information. I did add my photos though, to better show the process. My way of giving back to the forum and improving the information there.
Spent a couple days at my folks before going camping with my friend Jeff in the ADKs.
Thursday was low key, drove from Belleville, via Lowville, thru Old Forge to Inlet NY and Limekiln campground. From there I entered the Moose River Plains after airing down my tires from 30psi to 20. The roads are in good shape, but there are protruding rocks, so airing down makes the ride more comfy.
Took about an hour to get to Wakely Dam from Limekiln, and Jeff had already found a primo site by the time I got there. We didn't move around, just stayed at that site over the weekend. On the drive in, I saw quite a few of the heavy duty hunter lodge kind of tents. The ones that almost look like buildings and have mini wood stoves in them. We heard the occasional gun shots around dawn and dusk from the hunters. Guessing it was muzzle load season for deer hunting. Usually just 1 shot at a time.
Thursday was cold, so we didn't hang outside that evening and I just turned in early after chit chatting in Jeff's van. Friday, Jeff and I went off to gather firewood from deadfall along Cedar road. Found some good hardwood branches and a long pine/spruce tree that I was able to haul out. My electric corded chainsaw cut it up and only took 4 amps hours off of Jeff's 12volt battery bank (half what it would take to boil 1 liter of water). So much more efficient than cutting by hand. Hauled it back to the site and split it up that afternoon.
Saturday morning, we hiked up Cellar Pond trail. Easy climb, and suprisingly warm when the Sun was on us. Jeff got some good drone footage up by the pond. That afternoon, I did the following short loop with my fat bike. The blue sections i was super slow. trying to navigate a very overgrown jeep trail. Oh and I forgot to turn my watch on when I first biked down to the NPT turnoff. I didn't get on the NPT trail part marked (No Motorized Vehicles). I know bikes aren't allowed there. I should have taken a photo of my legs after I finished. they got quite scratched up. I won't be biking that loop again, but I got a little lost last time, so I did it to redeem myself. Yay me? again you should see how scratched up my legs are. Sacrifice to the blood gods for my "victory" I suppose.
After I got back I setup the shower tent and tried Jeff's suggestion of heating the tent with the Planar Heater. That trick made for a very comfortable shower. It was at least mid 80's in the shower if not in the 90's (30C?) . More photos in the slideshow link above. It's definitely glamping. A comfortable shower when it's 50F/10C outside is voodoo type stuff to me, and I only used 3 liters of water. I did remember to flush the Geyser with some antifreeze before putting it away, seeing how it was dropping below freezing each night. The Geyser shower thing does have a pump to push the water through the sponge.
Sunday, Jeff wanted to go exploring by vehicle, but I wanted to do more biking/hiking, so he drove off to explore dirt roads north of Old Forge, and I stayed at camp and just did a down and back on my fat bike. Only 3.5 miles down and then back up. My drop post on my fat bike wasn't staying up. A mix of it being old and me still being too fat. Working on it. holding steady lately at 280, but I want to get down to 220 eventually. I hope to lose 20-30lbs before Spring hits. hard to do during Winter, but I'll try.
After the bike ride Sunday afternoon, I just enjoyed some reading and cuddled up to the Solo Stove, after I did another Geyser sponge shower. I did harvest a bucket of cold water from Cedar Lake for the shower on Sunday. Should have done that the day before too. I have a collapsible bucket and it was easy to do.
Monday we packed up in some cold drizzle and drove home through some heavy rain. In Warrensburgh NY, we stopped at Oscar's Smokehouse and got some high end bacon. I've not confirmed that myself yet, but I trust Jeff's opinion.
Btw the truck's adaptive cruise was glitchy this trip. Both going to my parents and on the way home, but I think i fixed it today. More on that later. But having no cruise at all about half the time was annoying, but not the end of the world either.
This was a really good camping trip. Happy to have gone.
I may have also now completed the last updates to the GFC camper (until I redo stuff) . Added a little frame that should keep the duffel bags and tote bags from falling into the driver side of the truck when overlanding.
Used a truck tailgate net, and a couple more of the 12volt led lights. Also cleanedup some of the previous wiring near the driver side taillight, so the water wouldn't get to it.
updated the strap that I use to gently lower/raise the tailgate when I enter/leave the tent via the truck bed (usually do that when the weather is bad). and I added a few more bolts with 8mm roller skate bearings to help support the 2nd upper drawer when it's fully extended.
Spent the week with Jeff. It was nice to have a Midland 400watt GMRS radio this time. Gave extra range so the few times we got separated driving, we could still talk. Many times we were in parts of Vermont with no cell coverage, even on the good roads.
Didn't do any hiking, biking, or kayaking. This was just a driving trip mostly.
We drove up separate to Somerset airfield on Monday. I was updating the truck right up to the last minute Sunday. So Monday morning I still needed to pack. So I left around 11 and Jeff left a couple hours earlier. We got some rain Monday afternoon, and the drive on rt 9 to the road leading into Somerset had a ton of delays with lanes blocked off for repaving. It's a main route to Stratton I think (big skiing area).
Anyway, I still didn't have the heater I ordered 2 weeks earlier, but got by ok. It's getting cold at night now, but that's Fall camping. Toughen up buttercup, lol. I do have a Thermorest mondo king mattress. First time I used it. 4" thick with a r rating of 6.7 which is great for winter sleeping, very warm. It's nice and wide too. I got the xxl 30"x80" one. I had a sleeping bag rated to 20degrees, so it's actually comfortable to 30F, 20F would be survivable but unpleasant I think.. I was also wearing layers, hat and gloves while sleeping. Other than breathing dry, cold air, it was comfortable sleeping in the cold in the GFC roof top tent. Call me a weirdo, but I like it.
Oh, before I forget, I should mention Monday night, Jeff and I got to see a Starlink train about 1 hour after sunset. So our sky was darker than this video, but it was the same sort of thing, click here
The satellites space out in a few weeks and move into a high orbit where they're no longer visible. You only see this 1-2 weeks after launch and only right around sunset/sunrise if you're at the right latitude. It was amazing to see it in person. Jeff's driven down to Florida and Texas to see SpaceX and NASA launches, so he was super happy. He wasn't expecting it and only had his cellphone on him to try and get a photo. Not sure he got one.
Tuesday, we drove up to a pond near Somerset, and I got a lot of photos on a detour to Manchester Center, so I could get more Coleman fuel for my stoves. Got a nice burger while we were in town before proceeding to a favorite camp spot on Forest Road 10. Normally we cut through back roads by the Stratton ski resort and go by Londonderry. Tuesday was uneventful otherwise. Although I should mention I brought my corded electric chainsaw and a thick 25' power cord I have. Using the 120v ac outlet I have off the Victron inverter, I used the chainsaw to get some wood from a tree that had already been cut down by someone else. I did notice that I couldn't run the chainsaw hard nonstop when it was bogging down. The inverter would stop with an overload warning. It's a 2000 watt inverter, but not non-stop. The saw would max at 1600 watts, so I just learned to do shorter 10-20 second bursts and to wait 5-10 seconds before cutting again. No biggee. Normally I won't be cutting 8" thick hardwood.
Wednesday, we headed up past Killington to PIttsfield Vt, and found a camp spot on Upper Michigan road. Found a nice site. Along the way, we saw that some douche left a pop up coleman trailer camper at one of the sites, the rangers will have to haul it out. They had put the red sticker warning on the door Sept 12th saying it would be removed after Sept 22nd, so I'm guessing it'll get hauled out soon. The rude campers also trashed that site with other junk too. Jerks. The site we were at was mostly ok.
At our campsite on Upper Michigan road, I found some deadfall nearby that someone else had piled up, and after maybe 15 minutes of cutting with the corded chainsaw again, I had harvested all I needed for a campfire. I didn't have to pause the saw at all this time because the limbs were much easier to cut up, maybe 3-4" thick at most. What really suprised me is that all that cutting I did only used 8 amp hours out of the 200 in my battery bank. power well spent vs what it would take to do manually with a bow saw, which would probably be more dangerous too.
Speaking of.power consumption...I did get to use the Geyser sponge shower for the first time while camping too (I'd tested at home a couple times already). Our site had some afternoon sun, so it was about 60F, which felt warm for this time of year. I set up my single Joolca shower tent. The Geyser sponge shower lasted a long time with the pump set to just trickle the 95F water through the sponge. Lasted about 5-7 minutes. The shower tent blocked the cool wind. I also brought my bluetooth speaker, so I used the cellphone to play some Fleetwood Mac while showering. I find it amusing to have creature comforts like this in the middle of nowhere. Anyway, once I felt properly soaped and scrubbed, I opened it up so the water flowed fast through the sponge to rinse off. It worked great. One thing I'll note, when shampooing your hair, it's very VERY important to bend at the waist almost a full 90, so the shampoo won't get in your eyes. The shower only uses 3 liters of water, so that's not a lot of water to clear out your eyes if you get soap in them. Speaking from experience on that one sadly. Or you could tilt your head back when shampooing, but that's an odd habit for me being tall. Too much like doing the Limbo for me in most showers, so I prefer the football huddle stance instead.
Logistically before the shower, I warmed the water it needed with my truck's victron inverter. I ran a normal, cheap electric kettle to boil water, which runs on 120v. It's a power pig though. takes 10 amp hours just to boil 1 liter of water. Makes sense according to what I remember from my Physics classes, but just seems weird. Did some googling too. it takes 0.091 kila Watt hours to boil 1 liter of water. So....amps * volts = watts. 0.091 = 91 watt hours
91 watt hours / 12 volts = 7.5 amp hours. Best case. so 8-10amp hours is to be expected.
Using 10amps to cut up firewood saved me so much effort I didn't bat an eye. But 10 amp hours for boiling 1 liter of water in 3-4 minutes seemed like a lot more battery usage to me. The white gas fuel I save using the electric kettle doesn't seem as beneficial, but it kind of is. I go through much less fuel now boiling water for tea or dirty dishes. Anyway, the Geyser shower unit sort of looks like a giant thermos. You pour in about 1 liter of room temp water, pour in 1 liter boiling water, and top it off with room temp water, screw the lid on tight. Plug in the power cord for it's pump, and it's shower time.
I also have one of those lithium battery power jump starters and it has a cigarette lighter port, so I used it to power the sponge shower's pump. I was able to have the shower off in the woods far away from the truck. In warm weather I may just go commando and not bother with the shower tent, but in colder air, the tent keeps some of the heat in. Jeff suggested I use my portable air heater to warm the tent as it gets colder this Fall, which is a cool idea I hadn't though of. The Geyser shower comes with a 20ft cord for the water pump, but I didn't want the shower water runoff that close to the truck, but I might do it that way next time as temps continue to drop, so I can use the Planar diesel air heater while I shower too. The heater is made to be out in the rain, so it's safe enough.
Now for the gross part. I was very, very lucky where I set up my shower tent. I didn't realize until later that night, I was only 3-4 ft from a barely covered, gargantuan pile of human doo-doo. I saw the redneck toilet nearby, about 20ft away. A blue barrel with the bottom cut out and a toilet seat on the top, just set on the ground, which I thought was gross and didn't use. What I didn't know is that it had been moved recently, and that the original spot was very close to where I set up my shower tent. In retrospect, I should have realized that there may be hidden caca in the area. During my shower, I thankfully didn't step in anything nasty; however I discovered the mess just before going to bed that night when I stepped in the mound of sh!t that was only covered with 1" of dirt. Luckily just my left shoe's forefoot and just the bottom part. Could've been worse. Anyway, whoever left it like that are just Aholes!
I was able to use my water sprayer to get the poo off my shoe, but I obviously left those shoes out that night far from the truck to air out. Thank goodness I had my hiking boots and flip flops as backup options. Anyway, I went to bed annoyed. In the morning, I did the proper thing. Cut a manhole size hole through the top layer of roots (about 4-6 inches thick). I flipped it back, dug down another foot, tossing the rocks further out into the woods to make room for the huge pile of human caca. I then shoveled the festering turds into the hole I made. I shoveled some dirt on top of the poo, and then flipped the manhole of tree roots over it. The manhole was a nice 4-6" layer of soil held together by a thick layer of thin roots. I used some of the leftover dirt to cover where the poo used to be too. So, hopefully that fixes it for whoever camps there next. It's not that frikkin hard. People are just gross, stupid and lazy. Bring a frikkin shovel people!
Anyway. the shower was awesome! lol
Thursday, we drove North towards Lake Willoughby Vermont. We did do an offroad route that was a bit sketch for my truck's current clearance. I had a few minor hits, but checked underneath and nothing was damaged/leaking. I upgraded the rear diff cover to cast iron. Well I didn't, the Built East shop did that for me, but glad they did. The truck is slightly lower than stock right now with the added weight of the bumpers, skid plates, and camper in the back. I haven't upgrade the suspension yet. Will do that after I finish my camper build and we can measure the weight on each tire.
Anyway, Jeff and I had waited until later in the week to drive up to Lake Willoughby, the main goal of the trip, because the weather had been bad up there. They had lots of rain Mon-Wed. On the way up Thursday, we also stopped at some roadside waterfalls on rt 100. Had lunch in the parking lot at Warren Falls. Love having the fridge and drawers to make a quick lunch and have a cold soda. Sat in the back of Jeff's van where he has a table and two mini couches on each side. Plenty of room for 4 adults.
After that, we continued the drive and I finally got come cell signal and my phone lit up with messages and emails that my portable heater for the truck had arrived at the MainlineOverland store in New Hampshire. It was only 1:00p.m. so I checked google maps, and it would only take 2 hours 20 min to go to their store to get it and then 2 more hours to meet with Jeff up at Lake Willoughby. So that's what I did. The drive over to NH via Warren Vt and Roxbury Moutain Overlook road was SPECTACULAR!!! what a view at the top into NH. Should have stopped for photos, but I was on a mission.
Finished a a cheesy sci-fi audiobook and started a new one on the drive, but glad I did the extra driving to get the heater. It got down to 35F that night, so I was really glad I had it. I didn't run it all night because the campground was tiny and I worried the heater noise would annoy everyone; although it was better white noise than the loud Quebec campers playing Yahtzee nearby. Who knew dice in a cup was that annoying? The heater isn't that loud really. quieter than a vacuum, but it's not a natural sound. I did run it a bit that night to break it in and test the setup.
I got the 10 foot hose option, so with the heater on the ground it still reaches up to the GFC tent doors. I used a short strap to secure it to a strut on the rear GFC window panel. So after shutting it off before going to bed, I actually shoved the hose out of the tent door to cut down on the drafts. I may try to cut a piece of foam to block off the air gap it creates. Heat-wise, the hose is comfortable to hold at the end, so it won't melt the tent material. It's just 90-100F hot air coming out at the end. It doesn't get that hot. I left it running when I went into Jeff's van to chat before turning in. When I crawled up into the tent, it was a Sauna up there. Probably just 80 something, but it was low 40's outside, so I was wearing a few layers. I turned off the heater, but it was so nice to crawl into a warm bed. even if it was a bit toasty at first.
It got a bit chilly overnight, but I dress for it and I have the gear I need to sleep warm without the heater. I plan on always doing that. Heaters can fail, you can run out of battery power/fuel too. But having the heater was great for drying things out quick. The bottom of my sweatpants had gotten wet from walking in tall grass, and i was able to dry them quick using the heater hose. The heater also makes getting out of bed on a cold morning easier too. I turned it on again around 6:30a.m. Maybe a little bit retaliatory for the loud tent campers behind me and the Yahtzee Quebec'ers that stayed up late, but there was occasional loud road noise at that point, so if you weren't wearing ear plugs you probably weren't sleeping at that point anyway.
Friday we drove home, but did it via Rt 5,10, 12 and stopped in Keene NH for a lunch/dinner on the way home. Jeff loves this place called Fritz's. They're known for their fries I guess. The slideshow Photos show how stunning Lake Willoughby is. Not a lot of camping nearby, but worth seeing. Rt 5 and 10 followed the Connecticut River border between Vermont and New Hampshire. Very scenic, but I'll admit I get kind of overwhelmed after awhile. If I were on my own, I'd have probably mixed in some highway driving to zone out for a bit too. Maybe after going through St Johnsbury, which had some beautiful mansions in the center of town. Jacqui would like one, looked like a super nice Addams Family house.
In summary, it was all in all a great week!
For the truck I still need to upgrade the GFC locks before Winter really hits, and organize the passenger side above the drawers. Going to make some some duffel bags and a wood rack to keep them in place and organized. Love having all this time for fun projects.
Before I get into all the details. I consider the trip a success. It went from 75 degree days with low's of 60's at night to a high of 55 and 30's at night. And I was comfortable even though there was about 48 hours worth of rain over the week.
The truck carried everything I wanted, but it felt unorganized and cluttered at times. I need to work on that still. The electric system is a game changer. But overall I'm happy with the concept, it just needs more refinement before I do a month long, cross country trip in it.
Anyway, here goes.
Oh, and the bluetooth keyboard I brought along for my phone became unusable because the space bar wouldn't work, so I had to go old school. I think handwriting my notes for this blog was useful. Slowed my mind down. Technology detox is good from time to time.
Friday Sept 9th
I drove to Belleville to see my folks. My Dad was very keen on seeing the Truck updates in person. He seemed impressed. The more I tried to explain all the electrical stuff, I think the more confusing I made things. I'll work on that.
Saturday my Dad, Grissinger (my Dad's friend) and I went for a paddle on a creek/river that flowed into Lake Ontario. It was a good day. We had lunch afterwards at a local golf course. It was fun to people watch. The nice thing is that NY has these aluminum platform kayak launchers to help get in/out of the water. Cheaper than a boat ramp, more eco friendly, and helps older paddlers like my Dad and Grissinger get in/out of the water on their own.
I took screenshots of the Garmin Connect app on my phone which shows how far we went and a map of the trip. Photos are here, click here.
Sunday Sept 11,
After getting some cookies from my parent's Church (they had a social after their service), I headed off to Cranberry Lake for 3 nights. And I should say I got to enjoy my Mom's cooking over the weekend, good to see the family.
Anyway, From my notes of the trip....
Cranberry lake, site 9
arrived~3p.m. Drizzle and overcast, temps ~65-70F
site was by the main Water holding tank, making a very quiet neighbor, but not scenic. Only 1 other camper in the "upper loop" sites right near the check-in booth.
I picked this site, so I could carry my surfski down to the beach and not have to move my truck. Cranberry is weird in that most of the camp sites are so far away from the beach. Too far to walk even with a kayak cart.
My mind wouldn't settle when I first arrived. Like a mini anxiety attack almost. I think it was really hard to shift gears after being so busy working on the truck build the last few weeks. Lots of worries about how I'd keep myself busy all week. But I felt much better after biking the campground and all its loops. For dinner, I made ramen w bbq rib meat stripped off the bone, diced peppers and onions. Not brothy, I just drained off the water and sprinkled on some of the spice mix with a little toasted sesame oil.
Then I started a fire using the Ranger Solo Stove. It makes much less smoke than the campground fireplaces, and much easier to get the fire going. The holes in the stove just help the fire breathe while the sides protect it from the wind. Ideally I should cuts the logs in half lengthwise so they're not sticking out of the top like that, but you get the idea.
The upper tent lights stopped working, but it was just a loose fuse, easy fix.
Discovered the Geyser sponger shower gadget I have had stopped working at my parents, when I went to demo it to them (just a kitchen sink demo, you pervs! lol) , I think it's the short power cord's fuse (at home after trip, confirmed it was the cord)
On the drive to Cranberry I had the Victron app open and the dc/dc charge controller had the battleborn batteries fully charged back up in about 20 minutes, about the time I got to Watertown Center. LOVE IT. I only had to replace what the fridge had drawn down since Friday night. Adding 30 amps/hour to the 200amp battery bank while driving is huge. When I get the high output alternator, i think I'll add a second charge controller, so I can add 60amps/hour. If that works, it means on trips where I'm moving every day or two, i can just cook with any normal electric kitchen gadget that I have room for, even a small toaster oven if I wanted.
The Camper is working well, but I need to spend time on organizing things when I get back home.
Monday, Sept 12
morning....slept well last night, but woke at 5a.m. peed and then fell back asleep until 7:30. (side note, I use a urinal jug when camping... takes a little practice to use while laying on your side, but it's so much better than having to go out in the cold and dark in the middle of the night. GET ONE guys!)
It did rain a bit overnight, but I slept solid throughout. Camper was dry other than humidity and moisture from my breathing all night. I like that the roof panel is insulated plastic, If you put your feet against it while sleeping, they don't get wet/cold. Also easy to wipe off the condensation with a micro fiber towel in the morning.
After getting out of the tent, I used the electric hot water kettle for the first time while camping. It's power hungry for sure. 8-10amp hours to boil 1 liter of hot water. I have <=200 amp hours in my batteries. Worth it on cold mornings though. I set it up before walking off to the bathroom and came back to hot water for tea
Breakfast,
2 strips of bacon cooked until crispy and I then used some of the fat to grease the Camp Chef cook top for 2 Kodiak pancakes.
Not sure I need the big Camp Chef grill for this. It's overkill and I'm annoyed I burned the bacon slightly...maybe I'm just mad at it because of that.
Made a small fire in the Solo Stove just to burn up the paper towels soaked in bacon grease.
I discovered a chipmunk stayed overnight in the truck cab and made a little bed for himself with a toilet paper roll I had in there. He got some of the Church cookies too. Little jerk. I not 100% sure, but he made have hitched a ride to 8th lake, but he eventually left.
After the Solo stove cooled off, I packed it up and then went for a paddle.
~10:45a.m. From site 9, I carried the kayak down to the beach on my head. I used a towel for a cushion. Comfortable once I got the balance right.
Paddled quite a bit, 9+ miles!, but not down to Janack's landing. That would have been closer to 15 miles round trip. Compared to my first paddle July 4th week, I felt stronger for sure. Doing 9+ miles would have hurt just a couple months ago. Today I felt strong. 9 miles in 2.5 hours is pretty good I think.
While paddling, I ate lunch by an island NYS campsite, just sitting sideways in the surfski with my feet in the water and just touching bottom to keep myself in place. It's very comfortable sitting like that. Lunch was just a peanut butter sandwich and some peanut butter fudge, but with the hunger from paddling and the scenery, it tasted better than any fine dining I've had IMHO. I think that's part of what gets people addicted to endurance type exercise. Food tastes amazing. You feel it in your bones as you eat.
Dinner I made jasmine rice, and seared a chicken breast in a non-stick pan using some roasted peanut oil. Always smells like a Five Guys joint to me. I also sauteed some diced onion, peppers and garlic, adding the diced garlic at the last minute so it wouldn't burn. Then I mixed in a couple spoons of asian peanut sauce I made at home. Btw, I LOVE the Keith Ti6300 titanium multifuctional cooker I have for making the rice, amazon sells them, click here. Works sort of like a double boiler, but it has tiny vent holes in the top. You get it to boil then reduce your stove to simmer. Rice is ready in about 20-30 minutes depending on the variety and how much you're cooking. Works on small backpacking type stoves best. Makes it nearly impossible to burn your rice and it's only the size of a large beer mug.
Had another campfire from about 5-8 p.m. but I let it go out and cool down, so I could pack up the SoloStove before the rain hits tomorrow. Walked down to the beach and tried to get a sunset photo while the stove was cooling off, but I missed it. I figured I didn't have to worry about the SoloStove getting stolen when it's too hot to touch. Almost funny to think I was so anxious the day before. Time is flying by.
As I climbed into the tent and settled in, I got an overwhelming sense of life is good. Felt very happy. Read on my Kindle until I drifted off to sleep
Tuesday Sept 13th
Rain, Rain and more Rain
The GFC camper kept me dry though. I think part of why I was feeling euphoric the night before is that my vision of the truck camper was paying off. I've been worried there'd be hidden catches that would make me regret my decisions, but it's been great. It's a bit of a swiss army knife. It does everything, but that also means it doesn't do anything perfectly, but I'm ok with the compromises. I freely concede that it does require some fitness and flexibility to get in and out. Mandatory Yoga I guess.
Anyway I made eggs for breakfast. The Thule awning on the back of the camper kept me mostly dry while cooking in the rain. It's 4.5' wide by 6' long the rain did reach my legs a little when the wind kicked up and drove the rain sideways under the awning. Heavy rain during the morning, so I crawled back into the camper and watched Amazon's Rings of Power (LOTR series) episode 3 on my smartphone (downloaded it while I was at my folks).. Visually quite stunning, even on my smartphone screen. I worry it's too boring for most people though, but I hope it gets renewed. I have the feeling, the only person that matters when that decision is made is Bezos. We're ruled by the whims of Kings and Queens of a different type now, but I digress.
Forecast said rain would reduce to just showers/drizzle from 12-3p.m. so that's when I hiked up Bear Mt at Cranberry. On the wet stones it took about 3 hours to do 4.5 miles round trip with 1,000ft elevation gain. I use hiking poles, which helps a lot with stability in slippery conditions. I did get a fair bit of rain when I reached the peak. Luckily the cheap Frogg Toggs 3xl rain jacket I have is big enough to wear over the backpack I had on. It was always a bit big, but dropping 30lbs has made it even roomier (ideally 60lbs more to go). A good hike though, walked from site 9 which added about a half mile each way. The foggy photo is from the overlook on Bear Mt, and the leanto is on the way up. I felt no soreness during or after the hike. I might try full cushion socks though. My boots are comfy but you do feel the rocks a bit through them. My 280lb current weight doesn't help (dropping 60 will get me to 220, a wt I can live comfortably with I think).
After getting back from the hike, I rode my bike to the showers with my rain jacket on. When I got back, my only neighbor in the upper loop sites said he was giving up and going home. He only had a ground tent, and the 24hours+ of rain was too much for him. He'd just saw the forecast had changed and there'd be more rain tomorrow too. He said I could have the firewood he had left, which was nice of him.
Cooking Dinner tonight I realized i need to get all my cooking stuff in the GFC cooking drawer I made. On this trip, I'd brought the wood bin I'd made to store cooking stuff for the mini camper, but it wastes a lot of space. Will work on that when I get home. Also, I'm definitely going to try leaving the big Camp Chef grill at home. Using my Coleman 442 backpacking stove and the primus omni stove is plenty for the meals I make most of the time. The coleman single burner, dual fuel stoves are amazing IMHO, amazon sells a newer version, click here. runs better than the primus omni, but the primus is half the weight, so I'd take it backpacking for sure.
Anyway, because of the heavy rain, I got into bed via the truck bed. Getting in via the ladder on the side would've have brought in too much water from the rain. So happy I wrapped the bottom layer of plywood in the truck bed with grey coin flooring laminate. I epoxied all the edges of the plywood before laminating too, so hopefully it won't rot. It did awesome with the wet and muck I brought in when crawling into the tent via the truck bed. Was easy to wipe out the next day. Anyway, that night I just read some and fell asleep around 9pm
Wednesday Sept 14th
Slept fine. stayed dry. Exited via the truck bed too.
Fire! Oops! well charred wood finish really. Should sand right off. The CampChef stove with the flat cooking top definitely is a no go. I hadn't realized I pushed it too close to the back of the drawer, so even on super low (I cook bacon on low heat), it blackened the drawer a little. Back middle behind the flat top. So that's it. It's gonna go bye bye. Most of the week I was setting my backpacking stoves on the flat steel top and using it as a countertop, so I don't really need the camp chef stove. If I do bring it, I'm leaving the flat top at home. it forces the heat to the edges of the flat top, which I think is too dangerous even if I added an asbestos liner or steel wall air gap.
I packed up with the tent and things were a bit damp. Nothing was soaked, so it wouldn't be cold or uncomfortable to sleep in, things just weren't dry. But it was time to drive to Eighth Lake campground. I drove via Tupper Lake and Blue Mt Lake, instead of back tracking and getting there via Old Forge.
In Tupper Lake, I stopped at Aubuchon hardware and picked up a bright orange knit winter cap, some neon green/black gloves, a lighter and some clothespins. I hate black hats/gloves. I can never find them. Anyway. A nice store, they had a good selection of stuff you'd need for camping if you forgot something. I seriously considered getting the large jug of Coleman white gas. Probably should have in retrospect.
South of Tupper I stopped at a scenic look out/rest stop that was protected from the wind (didn't want my stuff to go flying), but it had good sun, so I hung out for about 30 minutes to dry things out. Looked like a yard sale, lol. But glad I stopped, nearly all the state campground sites are shaded in the Adirondacks, which is great for staying cool on hot Summer days, but not good for drying out after heavy rain
After packing up, I had lunch at Stewart's Shop in Long Lake. Good Cell reception driving down 28N, but it dies right after Racquette Lake, just before you get to Eighth Lake Campground. So I'll digital detox for a couple days. Also, I think it's why you can find campsites at 8th Lake most of the time.
After arriving, the Ranger's office wouldn't be open for check in until 4-5p.m., so I just went to my site and hung up wet hiking and kayaking clothes and left my bike chained to the picnic table to make sure people knew it was reserved. Then I drove over near the 8th lake side and had a quick paddle while I waited to check in. Just did the perimeter as you can see. Felt good though. tried to go hard. Having lost 30lbs since May, the kayak isn't as deep in the water and that definitely helps with speed. A few campers asked about the surfski when I got back, but when I explained it was tippy, they lost interest. They did admire the carbon fiber/kevlar weave and self-draining venturi drain. Got some questions about the truck, but I found the easiest way to shut down those conversations is to go full nerd mode and start talking electronics stuff and amps * volts = watts. Makes people run away, lol.
it rained again Wednesday night. So I did the trick of entering the upper tent via the truck bed again. Ate dinner in my chair under the awning to stay out of the rain before that.
Being stuck inside again made me realize that Dad was right about the lights. Earlier on I found it funny that he seemed to like them the most, but I have to admit they definitely help lift your mood when the weather is not so great and you're stuck inside. For cooking I need another light on the GFC tailgate panel, and maybe one more in the center of the truck bed. What I have now weren't quite bright enough.
While stuck inside due to the rain, I rearranged the cushions in the tent floor so the 2 smaller ones are now on the driver side, and the bigger long one on the passenger side. that made it easier to get in and out. I just step on the fridge to get up/down. I was also able to set things up inside so i was sitting inside with my legs dangling down into the truck bed area while facing the rear wall of the tent. I folded my air mattress to make a nice seat back. I was able to use the clips GFC provides to hang my tablet up and I watched a movie. It was kind of nice. And I remember how Jacqui made fun of the holder I got for the tablet. it has a hand strap on the back, but she thought it looked like something a parent would add to their kid's tablet to protect it. It's a baby blue case after all, so she's probably right about that, but it's very functional and the hand strap on the back enabled me to hang it on the tent wall for more comfortable viewing
Thursday Sept 15th
Rain ended during the night, but then the temps dropped to low 40's during the night. I probably should have gotten up and fished the hat and gloves out of the truck cab, as well as an extra flannel. I woke up cold a few times until I snuggled back into the sleeping bag.
First thing I did after getting out of the camper in the morning (after putting on the hat, gloves, and flannel) was to start a fire to dry out the Solo Stove, and to have a warm place while I ate breakfast. The wood I got from the Pizza and Clam shack at Racquette Lake was really good hardwood, glad I put it in a large trash bag before the rain came.
It started warming up around 9a.m., so after the stove cooled off I decided to go for a long hike up to Black Bear Mt, not to be confused with Bear Mt at Cranberry.
It was over 4 miles each way, but it was mostly on a snowmobile trail that was nice to walk on. Like a soft running track. At times, I trudged. I listened to Moby Dick. I tried to calm and slow my mind. I took things slow. It was a good hike, but I was definitely tired. Makes me wonder if I could actually backpack 10miles a day right now. I'm not so sure.
At the very end of the hike, I even saw a Marten near the swamp that's close to the campground. A Marten is basically a large weasel that climbs trees really well. Never seen anything like that in the wild before. They're small cat size, and they're fast.
Black Bear mt is an easy hike btw. with a good view on top. I'd recommend it to people that want to try a mt hike, but aren't so sure they can do it. There's a much shorter approach off 28N too.
Showered when I got back and then cooked spaghetti for dinner Turned in early, because it had been a long day and I was physically tired for sure. I remember struggling to stay awake at 8p.m.
Friday Sept 16th
colder than last night but this time i wore my hat, gloves, and extra flannel while I slept. The weird thing was I woke up frequently during the night to pee. Pretty much filled the whole jug, sorry about the TMI, but normally it's a quarter full at most by morning. I wonder if it was the LMNT electrolytes I added to my water when hiking up Black Bear. But I woke up the next morning, and I wasn't sore, so relatively happy about that.
The electric kettle was awesome this morning. So cold that I didn't want to wait to get a backpacker stove going. Warm liquid on a cold morning makes it much easier to get moving. Coffee, tea whatever.
Today I did the easy paddle up to the waterfalls at Racquette. Required packing up the truck to go. The lack of organization makes it more of a PITA than it should be. But somehow, I got to the river, and then beat all the other paddlers going up there, so I had a quiet lunch at the falls, and saw a couple different Herons on the way up. On the way back I passed about 10 paddlers coming up. It was a bit windy Friday, so I think everyone else had the same idea to do an easy paddle in protected waters.
I goofed off the rest of the day at camp and just relaxed. Packed up what I could (like my bike), so it'd be easier to head out Sat for my wife's cousin's wedding in Schenectady. The age gap really makes Jacqui more of an Aunt I think, but maybe that's just me.
Saturday, Sept 17th
I did shower Sat morning after making the omelette below and packing up, and then I was off to the Wedding. It was a good trip, even with the weather extremes. Btw i used some of the 6 year old Cheddar from Sharpe's on this bad boy. It was tasty. I do NOT suffer when camping, lol. With all the exercise, I still weighed in 3 pounds lighter when I got home
Final Thoughts on the truck's electronic Victron stuff.
because the camp sites are so well shaded, my 100 watt solar panel only added 5-10 amp hours per day, but I'm getting great highway mileage. 18-20 mpg's. So it helps as a wind fairing big time too. The dc/dc charge controller adds 30amps @12volts per hour. Every little bit helps though, and my fridge would work a lot harder if I was parked in the Sun, so the solar really helps in certain situations.
Love having the electric system though. I don't have to worry at all about keeping the fridge running now, and I can manage the draw down from the electric kettle if I plan for it. If the high output alternator works out. I can add another dc/dc charge controller which would give me 60amps/hour with minimal changes to my setup. Fingers crossed the high output alternator works out. Stay tuned!
