First Trip/Maiden Voyage - Where was it?

[ski3pin]

Spring 2011.

Very nice, Alley-Kat!

 

[Bad Habit]

First camper night, La Plata Canyon outside of Durango, CO.

We had just picked the camper up from Hallmark in Ft. Lupton then spent the night at a friends in Colorado Springs. Got into Durango late that afternoon and being late January, forest service roads and campgrounds were shut down. Figured we could find something up La Plata and were right. Got a bit of the stink eye from X-country folks for putting tire tracks on the road, oh well. Think it got to about 15 that night.

Traveled over to Valley of the Gods for a few nights, just about the only ones there. A few day trippers and a road crew. Then up to Natural Bridge Nat. M, again, had the whole place to ourselves. Then Arches, asked them if they could clear out the park for us, but no go. Got to listen to a generator for awhile before lights out, still a great place.

 

[Basin Deranged]

Here:

Surrounded by this:

We owned a VW Vanagon Syncro (the 4wd version of the VW van) for 14 years. For the past several years I have been the head cook and one of the organizers of an annual event at the Hollister Hills State Recreational Vehicle Area. The event draws over 200 vans and over 300 people each year.

We sold the Syncro a couple years ago but I have so many friends among the Syncro crowd that I've stayed on as an organizer and cook.

They give me an afwul lot of good-natured ribbing about my new vehicle, but I'm the only one who is allowed to park a non-Syncro in the main camping area! This last spring my ATC camper shell was brand new to me: The week after picking it up I screwed the fridge to the floor of the camper and headed out to Syncro Fest.

 

[ski3pin]

Pretty cool Basin! Sounds like a great group of friends.

 

[busboy66]

This is a cool thread.

Our first trip with our FWC Eagle (now sold, mulling over a FWC Fleet order) was epic. We had 5 weeks to Wander, and we most definitely Wandered. August 27 through October 4, 2010. It was a great introduction to the camper we purchased in July.
The sights were incredible. It truly was an awesome voyage. If I remember correctly it was about 9,000 miles round trip.

We hauled ass from Victoria, BC to Moab UT in a few days, then took our time and did and extended Grand Circle.

Arches NP - Campground full, camped at Goose Island BLM
Canyonlands NP - Found a great campsite at Willow Flats
Mexican Hat
Valley of the Gods - So awesome, will return
Grand Staircase Escalante
Monument Valley
Gooseneck State Park
Sand Island BLM - Killer mosquitos
Natural Bridges
Glen Canyon
Capitol Reef - Fruita Campground
Bryce Canyon - Rain, lots of it, so we bugged out of there
Las Vegas - Stayed at Mandalay Bay and dried out waiting for weather to pass
Lake Mead National Recreation Area - camped
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area - Wanted to camp there but closed
Hoover Dam!
Valley of Fire State Park - camped
Quail Creek State Park - Hurricane UT - Camped
Pipe Spring National Monument UT
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park - Camped
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Kanab UT - Take the free tour!
Grand Canyon - North Rim
Red Canyon National Forest Service Campsite - Panguich UT - Camped
Bryce Canyon - no rain this time
Joshua Tree National Park - -stayed at various campsites in the park
Vegas again - to meet friends
Four Wheel Camper - Factory tour! Thanks Terry

Hauled ass again home - Sacramento to Seattle in one shot, then home the next day.

Canyonlands - White Rim at sunrise

Valley of the Gods

Joshua Tree

 

[CraggyMan]

After years of perusing Craigslist and checking out MBC's acquisitions, I finally made the move on a CL gem in the fall of 2010. A couple of miserable winter trips over the past few years had made this seem like the appropriate move. First trip coincided with my annual New Years pilgrimage to the east side of Steens Mtn/Alvord Desert and I was hooked. Even though the 85 Palomino is a bit rough/short on amenities compared to the latest/greatest rigs, I still find it quite the comfy nest. Over the past few years I have dragged it over some of the Oregon desert's worst roads which of course always lead to the best places.
Firing that furnace up on the first night under the stars while photo-ing the eastern escarpment of the Steens illuminated by moonlight was quite memorable.

 

[ski3pin]

<snip>
Firing that furnace up on the first night under the stars while photo-ing the eastern escarpment of the Steens illuminated by moonlight was quite memorable.

 

[Cooter]

We had our Hawk installed at the factory in Woodland last June. Then we hit the following before going home. It took a month.
Yosemite
Pacific Coast highway
Crater Lake
Macgruder road on ID/MT border
followed Nez Perce battles trail
Yellowstone (been here several times before just spent a night in West Yellowstone and drove through)
Cody WY Went to see the rodeo
Little Big Horn
Devils Tower (bucket list item to watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind on the big screen at the Devils Tower KOA. They show it every night)
Deadwood
Wall drug and various other tourist type stuff on the way home
We have camped in here in Arkansas since

 

[Occidental]

Had my first trip in the new to me 4wc to the Ochoco mountains east of Prineville Oregon this past weekend. The larch were beautiful and it was nice to hunker down beside the heater when the storm rolled in Saturday evening.

 

[CraggyMan]

Had my first trip in the new to me 4wc to the Ochoco mountains east of Prineville Oregon this past weekend. The larch were beautiful and it was nice to hunker down beside the heater when the storm rolled in Saturday evening.

Great area and so easy to access. Been hitting up Mill Creek Canyon and Wildcat CG for years. Excellent shakedown cruise.

 

[hoyden]

Picked my Fleet up last Friday. Did "shake-down" overnight up in Prescott National Forest

with my helper: