New Raindrop 560 Ultra

[ELCHILEON]

Hey all,

A few lessons learned on our " Road Trip "..

Electric Heater : approx $ 30.00 (Wallymart). It kept us very warm @ a medium setting.


Electric Toaster Oven / Hot Plate: Both kept tripping the fuse on my " Raindrop ", when plugged directly into the trailer.

I had to use a separate three plug unit , which worked out very nicely


I also bought a few large " Tent Stake / Nails / Washers " to secure my " Pop-up Awning " (9x9) from flying away in the wind " like the previous one did "...


However, they don't work well on pavement .. Oh well , good thing it wasn't tooooo windy !
L.M.

[bobhenry]

If I may make a suggestion.....

When the first up shelter is over the galley as it appears in your pics run a ratchet strap under the belly of the trailer and hook it to both sides of the frame of the shelter.

To hold the other side down I generally run one thru the picnic tables if provided or thru the handles of both my coolers and then to each side of the frame.

We have been thru some storms that have destroyed fellow campers pop up and ours weathered it fine.

The will fly fine if untethered but the landing really messes them up.

[ELCHILEON]

Hey bobhenry ,

Thanks for the advise !

I generally carry a bag full of ropes & straps !

HMMMM? I really hadn't thought of tying it down with the " Ice chest ".
I was using them both as seating benches in the photo.

I'll try out both suggestions on the next " Road Trip " !



L.M.

[hiker chick]

Very adventurous!

I gather reservations weren't necessary at these campgrounds?

Would love to see those parks with snow, but teardrop camping in them... I may not be that hardy.

[fpoole]

Very adventurous!

I gather reservations weren't necessary at these campgrounds?

Would love to see those parks with snow, but teardrop camping in them... I may not be that hardy.

We have the same thing up here. NO RSVP at most of the campsites, but the catch is if they are open. Camping in the snow isn't too bad if you're prepared, inside heat (heating pad and heater) and outside, propane fire pit which saves the day. It's actually kinda nice. We ended up having a camp fire in the snow..heheh.. once it got started not bad at all...

Leavenworth, WA = Christmas Tree Lighten festival, clear on Saturday, just started snowing 30 min before they lit the place up.. biggest concern was going home the next day..
But fun. So Hiker.. give it a try, it's clear, quiet and quite pretty... as long as you don't get snowed in that is...
(I can never get that image thing to work, so here's the URL:
http://www.poolesweb.com/gallery/xmasli ... large.html
cheers..
frank

[ELCHILEON]

Hey Hiker chick ,

I spoke with a friend who lives in " Page , Ariz ", who had previously work at a " Visitor Info Center ". He stated that the winter months weren't that difficult to find somewhere to stay.

We did call ahead a few days to get a reservation for our anticipated three day stay @ the " Grand Canyon " , which was almost full when we arrived.
However , many left due to the " really , really cold temperatures ".

We were surprised at bumping into another " Rv Camper " @ Wahweap campground that had also left the " Grand Canyon ".. They stated that their " Motor Home " heater wasn't working , so they also left, due to the extremely cold temps.

It was reportedly a " Record setting " cold night ..

We saw maybe four other " Campers / Rv'ers " @ Wahweap during our three day stay.
I was thrilled with our " Camp Site Location ( A - 7 )" view of the Lake.

Although , I was told it is very busy during the warmer , summer months , which would require a " Reservation ", well in advance !

The place had very clean restrooms , with " Showers & Washers / Dryers " located next to the Campground Store . We did our laundry before leaving.

We decided at the last minute , to spend one night in " Page " (Best Western Hotel, which was half empty) for " New Years Eve "; dinner, along with a few drinks.

I had a good time , but really need to do more than just " Sight See ".. I'm more into " Hiking around / Fishing " type of person.

Unfortunately the " Snow & Wind " made it almost impossible to do.

I fell down twice on the " Mather Point " walkway, which had iced over, right next to the ** low ** knee high guard rail.


I'm holding onto the guard rail , standing on the walkway , on a solid sheet of ice , not snow !!

My girlfriend fell several times at our campsite, while walking to the restroom .. She wasn't a very happy camper, with slipping around in the freezing weather, & having an immediate need to " Tinkle " .. !

I'm not afraid of much, but I couldn't see myself foolishly sliding off & down the Canyon cliffs , into the River below..

Thats not my idea of " Fishing "..

L.M.

[bobhenry]

Very adventurous!

I gather reservations weren't necessary at these campgrounds?

Would love to see those parks with snow, but teardrop camping in them... I may not be that hardy.

Her is a shot or two for ya kid !





As you can see it isn't too crowded at our Shivarees either

[ELCHILEON]

We had one full " night & day " of snow, but it wasn't close to the " Cold Weather " , as at the " Grand Canyon "





L.M.

[hiker chick]

I had to put on down booties to look at these snow pics!

Great shots. The air must have been incredibly fresh.

[ELCHILEON]

Hey all,

I've been looking forward to another " Roadtrip " , in better weather !!


We had just finished packing and heading out on Thursday morning, when it started to rain, as we were leaving.

We pulled into town a bit early & decided to have a beer @ a local " Micro-Brewery ", which I keep passing by.. ?

Unfortunately , they were closed, so we headed back on " Friday " afternoon for lunch.



The food was good, the Beer was very good,& the service was great !!
http://www.firestonewalker.com/index.ph ... restaurant



Here we are arriving @ " Flying Flags RV Park ", on Thursday afternoon.

http://www.flyingflags.com/

The place was " Nice & Clean ".



The place was half empty when we arrived, but by Saturday afternoon, it was full.. !
We had originally decided to spend some time on the beach .. But, we didn't plan ahead , and couldn't locate a place on the beach.

We did most of our own " Cooking " in camp.



I just love " Hot Links ".. !

Here's another place we stopped at to eat breakfast before leaving, on Sunday morning.

Las Tres Rosas Mexican Restaurante
The " Mexican Food " was very good,& it was within walking distance from where we were staying !
Why would anyone eat at " Taco Bell ".... with this place right across the street ?


On the way home " Pacific Coast Highway ".


Here we are driving thru the city of " Santa Barbara ". They were hosting some type of " Arts Festival ",along the beach front / Harbor area.



L.M.

[hiker chick]

Great pics, thanks!

So are you attracting a little attention with your rig?

[fpoole]

Kewl...
Great pics and the campsite... so clean and nice...
I would be afraid of setting up in there..

[ELCHILEON]

Hey thanks guys & gals,

The " RV Park " was very nice !

1. It was centrally located to several different venues / attractions for several days of activities.
a) Solvang
b) Casino ( We dropped by , but not really my interest)
c) Near Lake Cachuma (Fishing), although we didn't drop by .. maybe next trip ?
d) Relatively close to " Santa Barbara/Coastal Beaches " (Fishing).
e) The weather cleared up , cool breeze , but sunny !!

However, the " Campsites " were just toooo close for my taste, in particular, once the place was " FULLL "... !

We had several other campers, with much, much larger rigs, drop by for a brief tour !

L.M.

[hiker chick]

My grandparents had a place at Morro Bay. I spent many long weekends and one summer there there growing up (was born in LA but call Oregon home).

Lots of memories. What a spectacular place to camp. I could spend a year just traveling around the west coast.

[ELCHILEON]

Hey Hikerchick,

" I could spend a year just traveling around the west coast. "

Thats exactly what the girlfriend & I plan to do.. ! We are both looking for a place to retire ( Base Camp ) and travel !!

L.M.