A New Baby!

[chnlisle]

Mountain dude, I'm headed for the Yucatan on Tuesday. Kansas it aint.

 

[mtn-high]

Very nice, chnlisle! Can't wait to see the pics of yer trip.

I'm headin to NM for a few days late this month to enroll my son in college but it looks like we'll be rackin' out in the back of the Tundra on the foam mats and makin' it a quick jaunt as it appears the Hawk won't arrive in time for the trip.

one of these days though...

 

[chnlisle]

I'll have pix but no camper. Its AA on frequent flyer miles and a visit with old friends in Merida.

 

[mtn-high]

Anticipation!!!!!!!

We're setting up here for a Tuesday the 29th delivery! (via a 220 mile cruise up to Rawlins, WY/I-80 to make the snag)

Gotta remove the Snugtop (is for sale) and the bedliner/tailgate and slap in the install kit and we'll be ready to rock...

and because I can't resist...Yes, "The check is in the mail" LOL.

mtn-high

 

[mtn-high]

Our Hawk has arrived!

The wait is over!

Monday I took my SnugTop shell off my Tundra, mounted the eye bolts, and ran the wiring to hook the Hawk's electrical system to the Tundra's electrical system. (Fortunately when I got to WY, I found I had installed it all CORRECTLY..LOL)

We left the house yesterday AM @ 7 to make the 5 or so hour drive North to I-80/Rawlins, WY to meet the FWC truck and snag our Hawk. The weather was clear and cool @ the onset, but a rainstorm the previous night left a mist/fog hanging over the valleys and thickened as we drove north. This pic was just before we entered the soup @ Gore Canyon...the sharp V cut in the rocks in the background of the photo.

 

[mtn-high]

The weather cleared after the Sun burned the fog a bit and we made good time to Rawlins..more like 4 hours than the 5+ that "Mapquest(ion)" stated.
I guess those Mapquest folks stop and pee a lot or don't drive the speed limit, huh? Probably the loonies in the Mercury Villager we tried to get around for about 20 miles...

As scheduled, the FWC truck rolled into the Flying J Truck Plaza just before 1PM. We jockeyed the trucks into position and prepared for the install....and smiles were all around when the realization was made that I'd already ran the wiring (correctly!) and all we had to do was unload it off the FWC trailer and back my truck under it.

 

[mtn-high]

As we were unloading the unit some deranged man came up and started rattling off some mumbo-jumbo about Wander the West forums and acting kinda crazy....

 

[mtn-high]

After a run down and demos of the many features on the Hawk we popped the top down and readied for the drive home.

 

[simimike]

Big congrats on the new camper. Let the mods begin! And yes you will find people wandering the west ranting about their campers. They are mostly harmless thou.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[mtn-high]

We headed south, stopping for gas and checking the turnbuckles, and I was very happy with the performance of the Tundra with the Supersprings. When the camper went on the rear end of the truck only dropped an inch and a half or so...and with the Supersprings and the camper it still sits higher than it did "stock". While driving I could tell it was there but felt no sway/bounce whatsoever..and only on occasion would we hit a section of road that you'd feel a bit more bounce than what I consider a *normal* ride for this truck.

We stopped @ Wolford Reservoir to relieve the dogs and take a short stretch before again heading into Gore Canyon and back towards home. We saw this rock formation and I told the wife about the thread here (and many others) where folks were marveling at ther various rock formations in the West and took a pic just prior to again skirting the side of the canyon wall...

 

[mtn-high]

Heading back up/out of the canyon we stopped for a shot @ the same place we stopped earlier in the AM...sans camper. Yup..those are my Goldens... Kaya and Jamaica...who are both rotten to the core...

Coming over the top and heading down into State Bridge the smoke made some very nice sillhouettes of the valleys/peaks in the area...

 

[mtn-high]

All-in-all, my purchase was a flawless transaction. I want to Thank sean @ GO ANYWHERE in WI for helping me out and seeing to it that I got what I wanted. I plan to mount one of sean's business cards in the window of the unit because we already had some folks takin a good l@@k when we stopped for a burger in Kremmling on the way home! (they were hauling a BIG Lance and my wife was like "why in the **** do they need to take the whole **** house with 'em?" God I love that woman...)

Ditto the Thanks to Stan, whom I called more than once as I started my search and who I emailed for advice/info during the process of making the final decision on buying a new unit. While looking for a used unit ended up being a real pain-in-the-***, buying a new one was a great experience and the wife and I are both very happy with the build quaility and the end product overall.

And Thanks to threads here, we see a few things instantly we will add and a few things we will possibly change down the road. However, for now we are just looking forward to getting out and testing the various features!

see ya on the road!

mtn-high

 

[SunMan]

Congrats mtn,
Nice to see another 1st Gen Tundra DC on the board! Nice inaugural trip report. You live in the perfect place to start enjoying your new "baby".

 

[chnlisle]

Congrats Mountain Man.

 

[DLN]

mtn-high,

Glad to see the new baby on your truck where it belongs, congrats. The last time we saw your camper it was a pile of aluminum on the factory floor. Great write up and pictures of the camper install/trip. Much more interesting than our drive to Woodland and back down I-80. Enjoy.

 

[craig333]

Congrats, yay and woohoo. Don't be in too big a hurry to start modifying it (I can't believe I'd give advice I dont' follow myself). Take a few trips first. Looks good on your truck.

 

[mtn-high]

LOL. We won't tackle any *serious* mods for awhile, craig333. However, I can foresee the wife taking on a few things she instantly saw as lacking in the "finish" dept....and we're already scheming and dreaming of ways to cover up the fake *woodgrain* wherever possible.

In the more near term...and as a NEW owner of an FWC (meaning *first unit I've ever owned*), I remember reading posts within other threads talking about fellow FWC owners creating CHECK LISTS for their departure from camp (possibly also for arrival/set up?) and was wondering if anyone has a list they'd care to toss out there and share with a noob such as myself. It isn't TONS of stuff to remember..but you know how it is as a new owner (paranoid you'll f*** somethin up)...and after reading that Stan and a few other seasoned owners have driven off in a "less-than-road-ready" position... I'd sure appreciate it!

In addition...is there any peice of equipment/addition any of you have come up with that you feel is a necessity to take on the road with yer FWC?

any insight appreciated!

mtn-high

 

[chnlisle]

Tequila and a lounge chair

 

[SunMan]

May main recommendations (not really a checklist) would be that once you lower the top, FINISH the job and clamp it down (all clamps) BEFORE you get side tracked on something else (easier said than done). Also, lower the top and clamp down BEFORE you start to load up, I can't count the times I've loaded up first only to have to climb over all my crap to lower the front, total PITA (also easier said than done, I'm a slow learner sometimes)!

 

[mtn-high]

LOL, chnlisle. I'll add the lounge chair to the list but will have to substitute the 420/medical remedy (legal here in CO) for the tequila as I gave up that liquid habit up about 15 years ago. Ya did hit it right though as double margaritas were my drink of choice back then...followed closely by shots of 100 Proof rumple Minze washed down with imported beers and ultimately...Kahlua in the AM coffee. yikes. What was I thinking?

LOL..I wasn't.

Great idea to not load before dropping the top! If I can just get in that habit all serious screw ups MAY be avoided...

ok..I can dream, can't I?