Maiden Voyage

[Ted]

Our 2003 Hawk is has a new set of wheels under her. We used the extended Thanksgiving Day weekend to take it out on the maiden voyage. Since DD has dubbed me as Magellan, I thought it only appropriate I christen the new truck The Trinidad, Magellan's trusty ship that completed the circumnavigation, even if he didn't due to some unfortunate incident. But I diverse, the point is the ship was reliable at least. I had grand visions of doing a proper christening with a bottle of bubbly, but Mrs. Magellan wasn't keen on the idea. So with no fanfare at all, we set out for Pinnacles National Monument.

For those that have not been to Pinnacles, it has several draws. Some excellent hiking, a fantastic show of wildflowers blooming in the spring, and one of the few places where sightings of condors, one of the most endangered species on our planet, are all but guaranteed.

The weekend went well. Besides the condors, we had frequent visits from woodpeckers, deer, and quail, and a sighting of a special guest. The temps were chilly, but we were comfy in our Hawk with the heater running. For the foodies, meals included a proper T-day dinner with grilled turkey breast, mashed potatoes, string beans, crescent rolls, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin cheesecake. Friday night was Halibut cheeks with crookneck squash. Thanks to all the space in the new truck, this was definitely the "no cooking gadget left behind" trip. But enough of this, here are the photos.

The new ride. Yes, Cort, XPMarc, and Simimike, we took your advice and went with white.

It got chilly. Nothing to you guys in Colorado, but this is cold to us California wimps.

These guys were strutting proudly on Friday, knowing they got past the holiday.

By far the highlight of the weekend, our first bobcat in the wild. It took me a while to stalk him down for this photo. Either I took the photo while he blinked or he got tired of waiting for me and fell asleep.

 

[Barko1]

Cool shots! Did you have your Snuggie?

 

[simimike]

Very nice truck, Ted. And satellite radio! You and Mrs. M are travelling in style. Looking forward to a tour of the truck the next time we meet. I'll bring bird seed.

mike

 

[craig333]

Awesome. But I was always under the impresson pinnacles became inaccessable shortly after the first snowfall?

 

[SunMan]

Looks great Ted congrats. You sure nailed your platform spacing spot on, perfect fit.

 

[Marc]

Ted ... new rig looks great, all you need are some off road pin-stripes to finish it off.
marc

 

[MarkBC]

I especially appreciate the bobcat photo -- wild cats are rare to see...at least they are for me (I've only seen one bobcat).
Oh -- and nice truck, too. Bet you'll get better gas mileage than my rig!

 

[Ted]

Thanks for the comments folks. So far have switched the tires to BFG All Terrains and added air bags. Short term future additions will include nerf bars, better shocks, and (maybe) a light bar for some extra illumination.

Did you have your Snuggie?
I brought the Mrs. along.

And satellite radio! You and Mrs. M are travelling in style.
A three month free trial comes with the truck. Not sure if we'll extend it. Don't need radio stations that are all Elvis, The Dead, the Boss, Jimmy Buffet, etc. But then again it is nice to get tunes in the middle of nowhere. And ixnay on the eedsay. That is our little secret to be shared at a later date.

But I was always under the impresson pinnacles became inaccessable shortly after the first snowfall?
The campground is open year round. Pretty sure the peaks are below 4000', so they probably don't get a whole lot of snow. But you would not want to do the High Peaks Trail if there was snow. It has some narrow sections.


You sure nailed your platform spacing spot on, perfect fit.
Thanks, Suni.

all you need are some off road pin-stripes to finish it off.
I'm sure they will be there sooner than I'd like. I was whining about all the pin stripes the Warner trip put on our old truck. That is when Cort, XPMarc, and Mike pointed out the reason to have a white truck. That is why I pointed out to them that the lesson was learned.

I especially appreciate the bobcat photo -- wild cats are rare to see...at least they are for me (I've only seen one bobcat).
Oh -- and nice truck, too. Bet you'll get better gas mileage than my rig!
Mark, if you are considering visiting the Pinnacles, I can tell you to within three feet where we saw this cat, but since they roam while hunting, it isn't likely he'll be there. Still, there were several holes that looked to large for rodents around it. They might be a den.
Our mileage is just slightly higher than our old truck, even though it is a bigger engine. I suspect that is because the engine doesn't have to work so hard. Still, at 13.5 mpg, you wince watching that needle drop quickly.

 

[Darryla]

Congratulations on your new truck, Ted.

Darryl

 

[brett13]

Good to see another Tundra. Congrats. Way too cool pic of the bobcat too. He let you get pretty close unless you had a big zoom?

 

[ski3pin]

Hey Ted, my friend, you are really stylin' there. Looks really nice and we're glad you are pleased with your new tundra. Looks like you had a great Thanksgiving maiden voyage trip and thanks for the photos and tips about Pinnacles. It's always special to see a bobcat, nice shot!

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Ted thanks for the pictures. Did you see any condors? Glad you had a good time.That place is so special.
Frank

 

[Cort]

Ted my man looking good looking good.

Glad you guys had a good shakedown and I look forward to seeing you all soon

Cort

 

[syvjeff]

Hi Ted - Thanks for posting a pic of your new truck. I have a 2008 Tundra Crew Max (4X4 and 5.7L Engine) and still trying to figure out a way to fit a Hawk on to it and possibly haul my horse trailer too. With the Hawk on yours (I believe a 6 foot bed) how does it feel? Which engine do you have?

Jeff
Tire Kicking Truck Camper Enthusiast

 

[Ted]

Frank, yes, we did see condors. Unfortunately they are always soaring too high up for a photo. I talked to someone on our first trip there that were able to see some very close while they were doing the High Peaks trail, but we didn't get lucky.

Jeff, we have the 5.7 as well. Our previous truck was a 2000 Tundra with the smaller V8, so this truck seems huge to us and seems to handle the camper much better. A couple of things we have noticed - On the previous truck, we were not able to use the cruise control. The computer would give what normally would be enough gas to maintain speed, but with the camper the vehicle would slow down. So then the computer would punch it to get back up to speed. So it would keep punching it and then backing off over and over. This vehicle maintains speed with cruise control. The other is our mileage is actually a little better than the old truck, despite the bigger engine. My guess is because this engine is not working as hard to haul the load as the smaller engine was. As for your truck, you can read a thread with a picture of a Hawk on a Crewmax here.

 

[DirtyDog]

Lookin good Ted!

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Yes they are usually higher soaring.We have been lucky several times this year,not only seeing some up close but we got to see the young one after it hatched.Hope to go camp there after the new year.We want to make the 8 mile loop and the best way is from the east side.Even in winter it can get warm on the return part.Enjoy the new toy.
Frank

 

[DLN]

Great truck Ted, I'd love to have the bigger engine for hauling the Casita but unless we inherit a large sum it ain't gonna happen. Keep the pics coming.

 

[chnlisle]

The new truck looks great Ted and the pix were terrific too!

 

[Skeeter]

Great pics, thanks for posting. Used to visit Pinnicles when I lived in Santa Cruz 20 years ago. Great place to camp during the week and nice setup!