The Nomadic Life

[steve garro]

D778022B-6E5A-486F-B7EA-9636939A7938.jpg

We were at Grand Canyon all weekend, supporting some friends hiking rim to rim via the Kaibab and Bright Angel trails. I have been to the South Rim dozens of times but never to the North Rim. We moved a car to the north side and spent some time exploring. Here is what we saw; the North Rim has fewer people, more opportunities for RVs and travel trailers, excellent infrastructure for gravel and mountain biking, and lush pine forests dotted with aspens. The road to the park from Hwy 89A has several RV parks with hookups. Much of the park at the North Rim is above 8,000 feet, so the nights are cool. The park is only fully open from May 15th to October 15th, so reservations inside the park are sometimes tough, but there are opportunities outside the park. Lee's Ferry is about an hour away and has RV spots along the Colorado River and some great hiking. Many of Garro's fishing photos were taken on the river around there.

[Too Tall]

We were at Grand Canyon all weekend, supporting some friends hiking rim to rim via the Kaibab and Bright Angel trails. I have been to the South Rim dozens of times but never to the North Rim. We moved a car to the north side and spent some time exploring. Here is what we saw; the North Rim has fewer people, more opportunities for RVs and travel trailers, excellent infrastructure for gravel and mountain biking, and lush pine forests dotted with aspens. The road to the park from Hwy 89A has several RV parks with hookups. Much of the park at the North Rim is above 8,000 feet, so the nights are cool. The park is only fully open from May 15th to October 15th, so reservations inside the park are sometimes tough, but there are opportunities outside the park. Lee's Ferry is about an hour away and has RV spots along the Colorado River and some great hiking. Many of Garro's fishing photos were taken on the river around there.

Wow. As part of our Honeymoon adventure we ran/hiked down the Bright Angel and up the Kaibab. Total time was 7 hrs. on the nose. We were quite fit from bicycle riding, unfortunately that does not translate to trail running...we could not walk for a few days ;) The rest of the Honeymoon was less adventurous.

Most hilarious were the rangers who stopped us a few times with very concerned looks on their faces.

Babes we were.

[bigbill]

Wow. As part of our Honeymoon adventure we ran/hiked down the Bright Angel and up the Kaibab. Total time was 7 hrs. on the nose. We were quite fit from bicycle riding, unfortunately that does not translate to trail running...we could not walk for a few days ;) The rest of the Honeymoon was less adventurous.

Most hilarious were the rangers who stopped us a few times with very concerned looks on their faces.

Babes we were.

I think our friends finished up in 11 hours. My friend is a below-the-knee amputee that I've shared many adventures with. Her wife and I would sometimes act as safety nets on steeper grades like the scree field we descended at Bowknot Bend on the Green River a few years ago. I dropped her and her wife plus three other friends at the Kaibab trailhead half an hour before dawn. Six of us in my F250, it worked. My wife drove the rental car over, and I followed; just a quick four-hour drive followed by a six-hour drive home.

As a side note, these are the first road trips in my F250 with the high-rise shell. I'm not sure whether it's the shell, the new fuel system, or a combination of the two, but I got 22 mpg for the trip.

[Too Tall]

I think our friends finished up in 11 hours. My friend is a below-the-knee amputee that I've shared many adventures with. Her wife and I would sometimes act as safety nets on steeper grades like the scree field we descended at Bowknot Bend on the Green River a few years ago. I dropped her and her wife plus three other friends at the Kaibab trailhead half an hour before dawn. Six of us in my F250, it worked. My wife drove the rental car over, and I followed; just a quick four-hour drive followed by a six-hour drive home.

As a side note, these are the first road trips in my F250 with the high-rise shell. I'm not sure whether it's the shell, the new fuel system, or a combination of the two, but I got 22 mpg for the trip.

Good on you boy-o. That's nice work. LOL we had NO plan how to get back to the N. Rim and our tent site. Eventually, someone took pity and gave us a ride.

Running down scree fields in the Badlands is a fond memory. Completely out of control but completely in control.

[NorTX-Dave]

Finally.......my wife sold her horses and the last of her tack and trailer. What are the 2 best days in a horse owner's life? The day you buy a horse and the day you SELL a horse.

So now that we aren't tied down by horses anymore, we've been hitting the road in our truck camper. Loving the versatility of having a truck for hauling duty at our rural land in Texas while easily handling the camper load. The truck is a 2021 F250 with the big 7.3 gasser with air bags. The camper is a Cirrus 620. Small but plenty big for my wife and I.

Recently drove from North Texas to Prairie du Chien Wisconsin for a carriage driving horse show on the grounds of Villa Louis. State parks all the way, no crowds and plenty of open camp sites. No bikes on this trip, but lots of hiking and relaxing.20220910_091043 (2)size.jpg20220911_171356 (2) size.jpg

[Too Tall]

Congratulations all around Dave. Can I say from all Nomads, you are doing it right.

*When I was in Jr. H.S. the Budweiser Clydesdales stayed at the stables where we kept our horse. It is utterly shocking how massive they are. Oh my gosh the tack was dream-worthy.

[bigbill]

Finally.......my wife sold her horses and the last of her tack and trailer. What are the 2 best days in a horse owner's life? The day you buy a horse and the day you SELL a horse.

So now that we aren't tied down by horses anymore, we've been hitting the road in our truck camper. Loving the versatility of having a truck for hauling duty at our rural land in Texas while easily handling the camper load. The truck is a 2021 F250 with the big 7.3 gasser with air bags. The camper is a Cirrus 620. Small but plenty big for my wife and I.

Recently drove from North Texas to Prairie du Chien Wisconsin for a carriage driving horse show on the grounds of Villa Louis. State parks all the way, no crowds and plenty of open camp sites. No bikes on this trip, but lots of hiking and relaxing.20220910_091043 (2)size.jpg20220911_171356 (2) size.jpg

That's a good-looking truck. Before I met my wife, she had an F350 with a truck camper. She still has her horses, and just a few months ago, we bought a bigger trailer. We have some friends in Nevada that have a Ram 3500 dually with a truck camper that exceeds the truck's capacity if the freshwater is more than half full. My wife has a gooseneck setup, while I have a bumper pull to have a shell for my bikes. I recently bought a bike rack from Garro that slides into the bed of my truck. Everyone needs a fillet brazed 4130 chromoly bike rack.

[SlowPokePete]

Looks like Ford is making some nice improvements to the Super Duty's for 2023.

Good thing I won't be able to afford one next year since I would hate to get the first edition of a model year, but have my fingers crossed that maybe by 2024 maybe I will...

https://www.ford.com

SPP

[NorTX-Dave]

That's a good-looking truck. Before I met my wife, she had an F350 with a truck camper. She still has her horses, and just a few months ago, we bought a bigger trailer. We have some friends in Nevada that have a Ram 3500 dually with a truck camper that exceeds the truck's capacity if the freshwater is more than half full. My wife has a gooseneck setup, while I have a bumper pull to have a shell for my bikes. I recently bought a bike rack from Garro that slides into the bed of my truck. Everyone needs a fillet brazed 4130 chromoly bike rack.

Thanks. On the door frame sticker of the truck it lists the load limit at 3109 lbs. This particular camper is designed for 1/2-ton trucks. It weighs 1491 lbs. dry, with an 18 gal freshwater tank and 12-gal grey, easily within the capabilities of the 250. Cassette toilet negates black water storage. Due to the heavy-duty suspension, the truck actually rides better with the camper loaded....or 6 hay bales! Custom bike rack......hmmmm. Since I can close the tail gate with the camper loaded, I'm on the hunt for a hitch mount rack.

[bigbill]

Thanks. On the door frame sticker of the truck it lists the load limit at 3109 lbs. This particular camper is designed for 1/2-ton trucks. It weighs 1491 lbs. dry, with an 18 gal freshwater tank and 12-gal grey, easily within the capabilities of the 250. Cassette toilet negates black water storage. Due to the heavy-duty suspension, the truck actually rides better with the camper loaded....or 6 hay bales! Custom bike rack......hmmmm. Since I can close the tail gate with the camper loaded, I'm on the hunt for a hitch mount rack.

I've got the same truck with the 6.7 diesel so my load limit is 2488 lbs. I guess the diesel is that much heavier. I'm thinking about putting a 2" receiver on the back of my travel trailer for my Kuat rack so I can have it with us when we travel. Kuats have almost doubled in price since I bought mine in 2019.

[Clyde]

What about a disaster prevention kit Bill, or wait till it's out of warranty? And what model of camper top is that you have? I kinda like, and am considering this for mine. Thanks.

[bigbill]

What about a disaster prevention kit Bill, or wait till it's out of warranty? And what model of camper top is that you have? I kinda like, and am considering this for mine. Thanks.

I will wait until the Ford warranty expires at 100K before I install a kit. Based on more than one recommendation, I'm adding Howe's Diesel Treat to my fuel, an ounce or so a tank. It's supposed to take care of water and add lubrication to the fuel that is missing in our clean US low-sulfur diesel.

Here is my topper. https://atctruckcovers.com/truck-cap...-xd-truck-cap/

[bigbill]

We did a weekend getaway with the travel trailer and the horse trailer. We have 5 acres at the Cottonwood Mountain range. Last weekend I worked on our road to allow me to pull the big travel trailer to our horse pens. It was the first time I pulled the trailer since Ford replaced the fuel system, and there were no issues. I'm still using the stock deep-cycle LA battery. Still, this weekend has me thinking of adding a second battery in parallel or upgrading to lithium iron oxide, which will require a new inverter/charger. My current setup won't reach the required voltage to charge. The only riding I did this weekend was on Syndicate, my wife's eventing horse and current working equitation champion. It was like driving a racecar; I could go straight and turn but come nowhere close to making the most of the ride.

[Too Tall]

Yet another wonderful report big man. Someday I hope to visit.

[bigbill]

I'm looking at upgrading the battery capacity for the trailer. I have a single LA deep cycle that will allow us to run for extended time between running the generator as long as we use lights and the water pump. The furnace is propane and DC-powered, but it sucks down the battery, so I go outside to start the generator to stay above 50%. Doubling the capacity would allow us to run the heater longer without the generator.

The issue is upgrading to new battery technology involves more than batteries because of the higher charging voltages. The cheap route is adding another battery in parallel. The pricey route is LiFeO2 batteries and a new inverter/charger. Do I sink $3-4K in a four-year-old travel trailer? It's not often that we are off-grid, but power seems to be the biggest limitation.

[Too Tall]

I'm looking at upgrading the battery capacity for the trailer. I have a single LA deep cycle that will allow us to run for extended time between running the generator as long as we use lights and the water pump. The furnace is propane and DC-powered, but it sucks down the battery, so I go outside to start the generator to stay above 50%. Doubling the capacity would allow us to run the heater longer without the generator.

The issue is upgrading to new battery technology involves more than batteries because of the higher charging voltages. The cheap route is adding another battery in parallel. The pricey route is LiFeO2 batteries and a new inverter/charger. Do I sink $3-4K in a four-year-old travel trailer? It's not often that we are off-grid, but power seems to be the biggest limitation.

I'm adding one additional glass mat (AGM) battery. I'll run that and watch it. Without alot of hoopla I'm pretty sure that will get us from bedtime to morning without adversely impacting the batteries. We are also fooling around with a heater buddy which is not easy on propane however it will certainly take the chill off and is safe to use indoors.

I'm with you, adding Lithium is a can of worms I'd rather not commit to unless our needs exceed the simple act of one more battery.

FWIIW I use a progressive dynamics converter that has a wired remote which allows me to step up charger to 14.2v when I fire up the itty bitty Honda generator for a top up. This setup works just fine. If batteries are low it takes a few hrs. to top up. I've got 160W of solar on the roof...it's basically a trickle charger eg nothing that amounts to much...but it's a REALLY nice trickle charger? Kidding/Not the solar will run the fridge if you do not run anything else forever as long as you have sunny days. That's alot of "ifs" ;)

*This is a good cat to deal with if you need/want a different converter: https://www.bestconverter.com/

[AngryScientist]

I'm looking at upgrading the battery capacity for the trailer. I have a single LA deep cycle that will allow us to run for extended time between running the generator as long as we use lights and the water pump. The furnace is propane and DC-powered, but it sucks down the battery, so I go outside to start the generator to stay above 50%. Doubling the capacity would allow us to run the heater longer without the generator.

The issue is upgrading to new battery technology involves more than batteries because of the higher charging voltages. The cheap route is adding another battery in parallel. The pricey route is LiFeO2 batteries and a new inverter/charger. Do I sink $3-4K in a four-year-old travel trailer? It's not often that we are off-grid, but power seems to be the biggest limitation.

In your situation, if you are truly rarely off grid, i would go the cheap route with another battery in parallel and just run the generator as needed.

[bigbill]

I'm adding one additional glass mat (AGM) battery. I'll run that and watch it. Without alot of hoopla I'm pretty sure that will get us from bedtime to morning without adversely impacting the batteries. We are also fooling around with a heater buddy which is not easy on propane however it will certainly take the chill off and is safe to use indoors.

I'm with you, adding Lithium is a can of worms I'd rather not commit to unless our needs exceed the simple act of one more battery.

FWIIW I use a progressive dynamics converter that has a wired remote which allows me to step up charger to 14.2v when I fire up the itty bitty Honda generator for a top up. This setup works just fine. If batteries are low it takes a few hrs. to top up. I've got 160W of solar on the roof...it's basically a trickle charger eg nothing that amounts to much...but it's a REALLY nice trickle charger? Kidding/Not the solar will run the fridge if you do not run anything else forever as long as you have sunny days. That's alot of "ifs" ;)

*This is a good cat to deal with if you need/want a different converter: https://www.bestconverter.com/

We have a routine with the generator, we run it in the am for an hour or so to charge up the battery, and again in the late afternoon around dinner time. Over the weekend, we saw upper 30s at night so by morning it was cold in the trailer. The propane furnace heats up quickly, but I have to run the generator. We only ran the heater once in Yellowstone. We had full hookups there so I used the fake fireplace as well.

Our property nearby will eventually get power, but first we'll need a septic. We'll finish up the Wyoming property before we improve the AZ one. We should have our shop, power, and city water by May. We did the septic this past summer.

[AngryScientist]

Been taking advantage of some downtime this week to do some exploring and re-con for future bike riding and camping in the southern part of NJ. I think south NJ is mostly known for the Jersey Shore, which all jokes aside is really home to excellent beaches, but there is a lot to be explored to the west of the coast. Spent a multitude of hours driving offroad over a couple of days. Didnt get into anything too difficult, actually never needed to engage 4WD, but would have for sure if it werent for the rear locker. Sand can be a bitch and getting in a bad way happens pretty fast. Planning on some stealth camping with the micro camper in the early Spring combined with some gravel riding. It's easy to forget there is some great stuff within a couple few hours drive of the city.

P.S. - The FOX shocks i somewhat recently replaced in the rear of my truck have proven transformational on washboard dirt. So much better than stock.

[Too Tall]

Looking forward to more reports Angryman. Pine barrens eh? Looks mighty relaxing.