LeftofLucky
Observer
Is there incongruity there? Part of hitting the road is going to see the people you've neglected in your life, even if that means leaving others that you've spent more time with behind. Or that's what we've found so far.
The Bowman Odyssey Rig
- Thread starter LeftofLucky
- Start date
Is there incongruity there? Part of hitting the road is going to see the people you've neglected in your life, even if that means leaving others that you've spent more time with behind. Or that's what we've found so far.
I think it is...but that is the beauty of it and trip too. You had the sadness of leaving folks behind, but the joy of gee thing reacquainted with others you missed. It makes it all more special as you get those ranges of emotions. It was just interesting having read the poignant words of how friendships with folks who are important to us get neglected at times (which really struck a chord with me), only to see immediately after the title referring to the sadness of leaving people behind. I love the juxtaposition of it all. Maybe I am not articulating it clearly enough. But I truly am enjoying the columns....and the posts here. 
Thanks for the info. I have an 04 2500 CTD 6 speed quad cab with a leveling kit and 315/70/17 duratrac's. I have the same problem with rubbing on the stock control arms. Your build really helps me visualize what I want for my truck.
justbecause
perpetually lost
before leaving colorado stop and fill up on what ever you need and put as many miles behind you as possible.
We were stopped just inside Kansas while we were getting gas. "we didnt use our turn signal when we pulled in" the trooper wanted to know where we were going, where we had been, what we were doing, asked the search the vehicle. My fears were everything from "I dont want 3 weeks worth of camping gear strewn all over an oily nasty parking lot" to "what if this is one of the crazy cops and my 4 month pregnant wife ends up handcuffed on her stomach"
We have gone west via Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and taxes, I do not believe I have enjoyed any route. The Sunrise over the plains is always beautiful, but that long drive is usually just an exercise in determination. Maybe one day I will be able to take my time and take a non-interstate route.
We were stopped just inside Kansas while we were getting gas. "we didnt use our turn signal when we pulled in" the trooper wanted to know where we were going, where we had been, what we were doing, asked the search the vehicle. My fears were everything from "I dont want 3 weeks worth of camping gear strewn all over an oily nasty parking lot" to "what if this is one of the crazy cops and my 4 month pregnant wife ends up handcuffed on her stomach"
We have gone west via Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and taxes, I do not believe I have enjoyed any route. The Sunrise over the plains is always beautiful, but that long drive is usually just an exercise in determination. Maybe one day I will be able to take my time and take a non-interstate route.
LeftofLucky
Observer
Been a minute...
Man, I've got to get better about keeping up with this thing.
First things first. There've been a few updates:
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/2811/the-long-first-month
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/2823/louisiana-and-the-lessons-therein
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/2877/on-to-texas
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/2917/for-the-love-of-austin
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/2967/ama-pro-flat-track-is-the-last-great-spectacle-in-racing
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/3015/hurtful-days-in-southwest-texas
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/3071/in-the-crook-of-the-rio-grande
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/3143/family-and-familiarity
That about catches us up. So, yeah. We crossed Louisiana and dropped into Houston. Spent a few nights there with some friends before rolling west again. Some work cohorts just landed in Austin back in September, and gave us a place to stay for a week while we checked the place out. It lives up to its reputation. Lots of excellent food, plenty to drink, good music, great coffee, etc. If you want it, it's there. The downside, of course, is that it's there for something like 4 million people. If you can stay put, keep yourself parked in one little corner of the place, it's great, but god help you if you have to dice with traffic. Nice place to visit, less so to live. We took one day and ventured out of town. Hiked down to Hamilton Pool. I have to say, I've never seen anything quiet like it.
Can't recommend it enough, though if you're going to go, make sure you have a reservation. In the summer, they turn away something like 70 percent of the people who show up on any given day, just to keep the crowds manageable. I'd wager that the place would be heaven on a cool and rainy weekday.
The time in Austin also gave me the chance to execute a modification to the camper that I'd been wanting to make for a minute.
A cheapy 12v amp with aux in and a pair of marine-grade 5.25 Polks. When kiddo's in an outright rage, few things work better than cranking some tunes for an impromptu dance party. A friend had given us a bluetooth speaker, but those things always sound like garbage to me. All that compression. This isn't exactly audiophile quality, but at least you can feel it in your feet when you get the volume going.
From Austin, we headed to Seminole Canyon. Wound up there mostly because there aren't too many other options, but it turned out to be a great spot. We'd heard a lot of worry about being so close to the border with Mexico, but it was mostly just quiet and beautiful. The park's claim to fame is a bunch of canyon paintings from 1,800 years ago. We wanted to see them, but the tour down there is only available on a handful of days, and we missed those. Even so, the park is great. There's a massive, deep, smooth-walled canyon that runs all the way to the Rio Grande, and you can hike the rim all the way to the river. Lots of gorgeous blooming desert plants, lots of wildlife. Gorgeous stars. It's quiet. Exactly what we needed after spending time in the two cities.
We also got to watch three massive thunderstorms wallow their way north from Mexico. They looked close, but they were so far off we couldn't hear their barking. Just a long, gorgeous light show for us.
And then? Big Bend. Man. What can I say about the place? If you haven't been, go. Do it now. Well, maybe not now. Maybe wait until October when it cools off some, but the place is phenomenal. Easily in my top three favorite places I've been. The best campsites in the place are backcountry, accessible by rough two-track trail through the scrub brush, ocotillo, and cactus. Figure more than 100 miles of two track trail out there, some easy enough for a Camry, some that might require a locker and some disregard for sheetmetal. The Rangers are knowledgeable about all of the road conditions, and can recommend some fantastic sites.
We stayed at Twisted Shoe the first night.
You get the idea. We did have a hell of a windstorm the first night. The Ranger Dave, the back country ranger who was on duty, came by the next morning to see if we were alright, and said they saw a gust of 48 mph. Sure sounded like it inside the camper. The thing was rocking and rolling, and it felt like a big fist was constantly pummeling the roof. The thing took it just fine, though.
We ran out to Fresno the next night. Fresno's out there. Probably about 2.5 hours by dirt at around 10 mph. The truck is big and heavy, and not made for pounding over uneven terrain, even with the tires aired down considerably. So, we just took our time and trundled out there. The landscape changes so quickly, from mile to mile. From vacant, burnt desert to lush wash and back again. The terrain is beautiful and fierce all the same time. The Fresno site is at the base of an abandoned mercury mine, and you can hike up and explore the ruins up there. Pretty fantastic.
The truck is the white dot in the lower left hand corner of this photo.
The sunsets out there are sublime. The rocks just explode with color. With fire. And when the dusk finally lets go and night takes over, the stars are unlike anything I've ever seen. The glowing dust of the Milky Way is bright enough to see by. Just, fantastic.
I wanted stay down there forever, but the daytime temperatures were already in the low 90s. My wife has a wilderness first aid class scheduled for next month in Fort Collins, so we decided to press north. We had planned to spend some time in Guadalupe National Park, but the campground there was pretty bleak. Just a big, paved parking lot. Pass. We rolled up the road, found some BLM land and had no neighbors beyond some cows for the night.
From there, we headed up through Roswell and into the Lincoln National Forest. Stayed at the Baca Campground there. It's free, used mostly by hunters and the like, but it's stone quiet. A good spot to get some writing done. We had to do some adjusting to get used to the temperature drop, though. The first night, we watched snow dust the mountaintops to our north.
We headed up to Los Alamos from there. Stopped in Santa Fe to give REI a paycheck. Picked up a new pack for the kiddo, since she's gotten too big for the old one. Such is life, I guess.
I really like this area. It's gorgeous. Lots of open outdoor areas for climbing and fishing and biking and wheeling. It's colder than snot, but otherwise, it's pretty perfect. The labs mean there a bunch of wealthy, educated folks around, and that means the schools are pretty top notch. It's definitely going on the list of places we could see ourselves.
We're planning the route north from here. I'm a little concerned about the temperatures in the higher elevations. It looks like they're still seeing lows in the 20s. Beth and I are fine, but it's hard to know whether kiddo is warm enough or not. Keeps me up at night.
Man, I've got to get better about keeping up with this thing.
First things first. There've been a few updates:
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/2811/the-long-first-month
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/2823/louisiana-and-the-lessons-therein
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/2877/on-to-texas
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/2917/for-the-love-of-austin
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/2967/ama-pro-flat-track-is-the-last-great-spectacle-in-racing
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/3015/hurtful-days-in-southwest-texas
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/3071/in-the-crook-of-the-rio-grande
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/3143/family-and-familiarity
That about catches us up. So, yeah. We crossed Louisiana and dropped into Houston. Spent a few nights there with some friends before rolling west again. Some work cohorts just landed in Austin back in September, and gave us a place to stay for a week while we checked the place out. It lives up to its reputation. Lots of excellent food, plenty to drink, good music, great coffee, etc. If you want it, it's there. The downside, of course, is that it's there for something like 4 million people. If you can stay put, keep yourself parked in one little corner of the place, it's great, but god help you if you have to dice with traffic. Nice place to visit, less so to live. We took one day and ventured out of town. Hiked down to Hamilton Pool. I have to say, I've never seen anything quiet like it.
Can't recommend it enough, though if you're going to go, make sure you have a reservation. In the summer, they turn away something like 70 percent of the people who show up on any given day, just to keep the crowds manageable. I'd wager that the place would be heaven on a cool and rainy weekday.
The time in Austin also gave me the chance to execute a modification to the camper that I'd been wanting to make for a minute.
A cheapy 12v amp with aux in and a pair of marine-grade 5.25 Polks. When kiddo's in an outright rage, few things work better than cranking some tunes for an impromptu dance party. A friend had given us a bluetooth speaker, but those things always sound like garbage to me. All that compression. This isn't exactly audiophile quality, but at least you can feel it in your feet when you get the volume going.
From Austin, we headed to Seminole Canyon. Wound up there mostly because there aren't too many other options, but it turned out to be a great spot. We'd heard a lot of worry about being so close to the border with Mexico, but it was mostly just quiet and beautiful. The park's claim to fame is a bunch of canyon paintings from 1,800 years ago. We wanted to see them, but the tour down there is only available on a handful of days, and we missed those. Even so, the park is great. There's a massive, deep, smooth-walled canyon that runs all the way to the Rio Grande, and you can hike the rim all the way to the river. Lots of gorgeous blooming desert plants, lots of wildlife. Gorgeous stars. It's quiet. Exactly what we needed after spending time in the two cities.
We also got to watch three massive thunderstorms wallow their way north from Mexico. They looked close, but they were so far off we couldn't hear their barking. Just a long, gorgeous light show for us.
And then? Big Bend. Man. What can I say about the place? If you haven't been, go. Do it now. Well, maybe not now. Maybe wait until October when it cools off some, but the place is phenomenal. Easily in my top three favorite places I've been. The best campsites in the place are backcountry, accessible by rough two-track trail through the scrub brush, ocotillo, and cactus. Figure more than 100 miles of two track trail out there, some easy enough for a Camry, some that might require a locker and some disregard for sheetmetal. The Rangers are knowledgeable about all of the road conditions, and can recommend some fantastic sites.
We stayed at Twisted Shoe the first night.
You get the idea. We did have a hell of a windstorm the first night. The Ranger Dave, the back country ranger who was on duty, came by the next morning to see if we were alright, and said they saw a gust of 48 mph. Sure sounded like it inside the camper. The thing was rocking and rolling, and it felt like a big fist was constantly pummeling the roof. The thing took it just fine, though.
We ran out to Fresno the next night. Fresno's out there. Probably about 2.5 hours by dirt at around 10 mph. The truck is big and heavy, and not made for pounding over uneven terrain, even with the tires aired down considerably. So, we just took our time and trundled out there. The landscape changes so quickly, from mile to mile. From vacant, burnt desert to lush wash and back again. The terrain is beautiful and fierce all the same time. The Fresno site is at the base of an abandoned mercury mine, and you can hike up and explore the ruins up there. Pretty fantastic.
The truck is the white dot in the lower left hand corner of this photo.
The sunsets out there are sublime. The rocks just explode with color. With fire. And when the dusk finally lets go and night takes over, the stars are unlike anything I've ever seen. The glowing dust of the Milky Way is bright enough to see by. Just, fantastic.
I wanted stay down there forever, but the daytime temperatures were already in the low 90s. My wife has a wilderness first aid class scheduled for next month in Fort Collins, so we decided to press north. We had planned to spend some time in Guadalupe National Park, but the campground there was pretty bleak. Just a big, paved parking lot. Pass. We rolled up the road, found some BLM land and had no neighbors beyond some cows for the night.
From there, we headed up through Roswell and into the Lincoln National Forest. Stayed at the Baca Campground there. It's free, used mostly by hunters and the like, but it's stone quiet. A good spot to get some writing done. We had to do some adjusting to get used to the temperature drop, though. The first night, we watched snow dust the mountaintops to our north.
We headed up to Los Alamos from there. Stopped in Santa Fe to give REI a paycheck. Picked up a new pack for the kiddo, since she's gotten too big for the old one. Such is life, I guess.
I really like this area. It's gorgeous. Lots of open outdoor areas for climbing and fishing and biking and wheeling. It's colder than snot, but otherwise, it's pretty perfect. The labs mean there a bunch of wealthy, educated folks around, and that means the schools are pretty top notch. It's definitely going on the list of places we could see ourselves.
We're planning the route north from here. I'm a little concerned about the temperatures in the higher elevations. It looks like they're still seeing lows in the 20s. Beth and I are fine, but it's hard to know whether kiddo is warm enough or not. Keeps me up at night.
ExplorerTom
Explorer
When you come to CO, the higher mountain passes and areas are still 1-2 maybe even 3 months away from being passable. We just got a huge snowstorm that dumped over 40" in some places.
I'm in the Denver area if you need anything.
I'm in the Denver area if you need anything.
If Egan had had a blog in 1980....
...it might have read like this. Really great.
Question - other than the fun, gearhead aspect of the vehicle you chose, is there anything you could not have done so far with a small class C RV, or pulling an airstream behind the dodge, while maybe having more domestic tranquility? The truck is awesome (if small), and as someone who continues to blast around North America on a 100,000+ mi K bike can attest, sometimes a quirky rig can add to the accomplishment. Just curious what the bowman odyssey rig has added to your experience.
Please keep up the adventure. Looking forward to where you end up.
...it might have read like this. Really great.
Question - other than the fun, gearhead aspect of the vehicle you chose, is there anything you could not have done so far with a small class C RV, or pulling an airstream behind the dodge, while maybe having more domestic tranquility? The truck is awesome (if small), and as someone who continues to blast around North America on a 100,000+ mi K bike can attest, sometimes a quirky rig can add to the accomplishment. Just curious what the bowman odyssey rig has added to your experience.
Please keep up the adventure. Looking forward to where you end up.
LeftofLucky
Observer
We've been in and out of some pretty tight places so far. None of the back country sites in Big Bend are accessible to a Class C or an Airstream. Likewise, we've done quite a bit of dispersed camping over the past month or so, and many of the trails are tight enough that I'd worry about dragging something behind us.
The truck and camper are small, sure, but they've been the least offensive part of doing this thing. Gotta say, I can't be happier with the pair.
dawnhoyden
Observer
I've been keeping up with your adventures on The Drive, but I'm glad you are posting here for a more personal (and technical) aspect.
I just got caught up here
This helps me imagine where I can go with my Tacoma + FWC Fleet in the future....
The idea of "driving off into the sunset" is a deep desire (for a lot of us) and if all I can do right now is live vicariously through your (and others) adventures, so be it.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
I just got caught up here
This helps me imagine where I can go with my Tacoma + FWC Fleet in the future....
The idea of "driving off into the sunset" is a deep desire (for a lot of us) and if all I can do right now is live vicariously through your (and others) adventures, so be it.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
onemanarmy
Explorer
thanks for posting such details.
Following along for inspiration
Following along for inspiration
LeftofLucky
Observer
Not dead yet...
Two months. Man, things have been a little crazy. So, in the interest of getting caught up, it's lightning round time:
New Mexico was properly rad. Spent a few days in Los Alamos with some extended family. Hiked a slot canyon with kiddo on my back, did some rock climbing. Wish we could have spent more time there, but Beth had a wilderness survival course we needed to get to in Ft. Collins.
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/3143/family-and-familiarity
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/3180/lessons-in-adaptation
Worked our way from Los Alamos to Sedona for a spell. Spent a few days wandering around the rusting sand and spires down there.
There is a massive amount of dispersed camping available just outside of town. The roads are nice and wide, if a little washboarded, and the spots are good and secluded. We spent several hours just sort of poking around and finding good spots for the night. The area is laced with four-wheel drive trails, some more gnarly than others, so it might be worth doing some scouting ahead of time or stopping in and talking with the folks at the Jeep tours. I'll admit, it was fun working the War Rig back onto one of the crunchier paths, and seeing the looks on the tourists faces when they came by in the pink Jeeps. Too much fun.
It was still coolish out west, even though we made it to Arizona by late April. Spring is typically in full swing by then back home, and we weren't all that prepared to still be seeing snow everywhere we looked. Still, the cooler weather was nice in the camper. The heater works just fine.
Also, we were nearing Mother's Day, so I grabbed Beth a new Fuji Instax. Think Polaroid, but you can still buy film for it. It's nice to have something so instant, and the pictures look like the stuff I'm used to seeing in shoeboxes in my parents' house. A little more real, somehow.
http://www.thedrive.com/bowmans-ody...-road-needs-the-joy-of-a-cheap-instant-camera
We left Sedona and made our way up 89A, pointed for the Grand Canyon.
This has to be one of the most gorgeous roads on the planet. The terrain just keeps changing, every last scrap of it more alien and bizarre than the next. We watched the clouds darken their bellies and drop fat rain drops on the dry desert, saw the shadows of big, fluffy cumulus race their way across the earth. There's something about being out there. It smalls you.
Beth had never been to the Grand Canyon, so we stopped off at the South Rim first. It is, without a doubt, spectacular, and you forget how stunning the view is. The South Rim tends to be a little more packed than the North, and we were anxious to get out of the crowds. The North Rim visitor's center was still closed when we got up there, but there were plenty of open forest roads and dispersed camping spots still available. We wound up poking around off road for something like two hours to get to our spot. There's lots of worry about going so long to get somewhere. It might be closed. It might be occupied. It might be trashed. In the end, it was more perfect than we could have asked for, with the spot sitting right on the very edge of the canyon. I can't explain what that's like. To open your front door and to stare out into the striations of a few millennia. To see across that massive and empty vastness. We stayed for three days.
The road was bit of a mess coming in. The area had been hit with a good amount of snow and rain, and there were plenty of soft spots. I was worried that if we got any more weather, we'd have a heck of a time getting back out again. Sure enough, on day two, we got hit with a good-sized storm. It started off as rain. I could see it coming in across the Canyon, but we were pretty high up, somewhere around 8,000 feet, and as soon as that warm, wet air hit the cooler air where we were, it turned to sleet, then snow. By the time I stepped outside to take a few photos and see what was going on, we had about three inches of soggy slush on the roof, and it was bowing the top. Great.
http://www.thedrive.com/bowmans-ody...iff-on-the-forgotten-edge-of-the-grand-canyon
The solution? Collapse the camper, leave wife and kiddo inside with the heater on and a movie going, get on the roof in the middle of a snow storm, and scrape it all off. Not our most graceful moment, but it worked. In the morning, we were presented with something only a handful of people will ever see: virgin snow on the ragged edge of the Grand Canyon. Worth it? Absolutely.
Next? Utah, and the dangers therein.
Two months. Man, things have been a little crazy. So, in the interest of getting caught up, it's lightning round time:
New Mexico was properly rad. Spent a few days in Los Alamos with some extended family. Hiked a slot canyon with kiddo on my back, did some rock climbing. Wish we could have spent more time there, but Beth had a wilderness survival course we needed to get to in Ft. Collins.
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/3143/family-and-familiarity
http://www.thedrive.com/travel/3180/lessons-in-adaptation
Worked our way from Los Alamos to Sedona for a spell. Spent a few days wandering around the rusting sand and spires down there.
There is a massive amount of dispersed camping available just outside of town. The roads are nice and wide, if a little washboarded, and the spots are good and secluded. We spent several hours just sort of poking around and finding good spots for the night. The area is laced with four-wheel drive trails, some more gnarly than others, so it might be worth doing some scouting ahead of time or stopping in and talking with the folks at the Jeep tours. I'll admit, it was fun working the War Rig back onto one of the crunchier paths, and seeing the looks on the tourists faces when they came by in the pink Jeeps. Too much fun.
It was still coolish out west, even though we made it to Arizona by late April. Spring is typically in full swing by then back home, and we weren't all that prepared to still be seeing snow everywhere we looked. Still, the cooler weather was nice in the camper. The heater works just fine.
Also, we were nearing Mother's Day, so I grabbed Beth a new Fuji Instax. Think Polaroid, but you can still buy film for it. It's nice to have something so instant, and the pictures look like the stuff I'm used to seeing in shoeboxes in my parents' house. A little more real, somehow.
http://www.thedrive.com/bowmans-ody...-road-needs-the-joy-of-a-cheap-instant-camera
We left Sedona and made our way up 89A, pointed for the Grand Canyon.
This has to be one of the most gorgeous roads on the planet. The terrain just keeps changing, every last scrap of it more alien and bizarre than the next. We watched the clouds darken their bellies and drop fat rain drops on the dry desert, saw the shadows of big, fluffy cumulus race their way across the earth. There's something about being out there. It smalls you.
Beth had never been to the Grand Canyon, so we stopped off at the South Rim first. It is, without a doubt, spectacular, and you forget how stunning the view is. The South Rim tends to be a little more packed than the North, and we were anxious to get out of the crowds. The North Rim visitor's center was still closed when we got up there, but there were plenty of open forest roads and dispersed camping spots still available. We wound up poking around off road for something like two hours to get to our spot. There's lots of worry about going so long to get somewhere. It might be closed. It might be occupied. It might be trashed. In the end, it was more perfect than we could have asked for, with the spot sitting right on the very edge of the canyon. I can't explain what that's like. To open your front door and to stare out into the striations of a few millennia. To see across that massive and empty vastness. We stayed for three days.
The road was bit of a mess coming in. The area had been hit with a good amount of snow and rain, and there were plenty of soft spots. I was worried that if we got any more weather, we'd have a heck of a time getting back out again. Sure enough, on day two, we got hit with a good-sized storm. It started off as rain. I could see it coming in across the Canyon, but we were pretty high up, somewhere around 8,000 feet, and as soon as that warm, wet air hit the cooler air where we were, it turned to sleet, then snow. By the time I stepped outside to take a few photos and see what was going on, we had about three inches of soggy slush on the roof, and it was bowing the top. Great.
http://www.thedrive.com/bowmans-ody...iff-on-the-forgotten-edge-of-the-grand-canyon
The solution? Collapse the camper, leave wife and kiddo inside with the heater on and a movie going, get on the roof in the middle of a snow storm, and scrape it all off. Not our most graceful moment, but it worked. In the morning, we were presented with something only a handful of people will ever see: virgin snow on the ragged edge of the Grand Canyon. Worth it? Absolutely.
Next? Utah, and the dangers therein.
Love your descriptions....the Grand Canyon is right up therr with the most humbling experiences I have ever had. I have not seen it from the north side yet and can only imagine experiencing it as you did. That is awesome. I also love NM....it seems often overlooked between the beauty that is CO and AZ. So many great areas to explore with the varied terrains and ecosystems. Cool place! Thanks for the updates and links to the Drive. I know what I will be catching up on the next few days!
