Welcome back to the first Quickstride and Shambler post in a hot minute. We have been on adventures, but I have been delinquent in writing about them. I am sure there will be more in the near future. Also, it was Quickstride/Jenny’s birthday yesterday, so wish her a grand year to come in the comments! As always, support the blog by checking out the shop!
When we were staring down the barrel of the end of our assignment in Hawai’i, Jenny and I lifted our spirits by daydreaming about buying either a travel trailer or a camper van once we were back on the mainland. The idea of exploring as much of mainland USA as possible helped mitigate the sadness of exchanging the warm tropics for the cold mountains.
We had two trains of thought regarding our camper acquisition. First, we really enjoyed our trip around New Zealand in a rented camper van. Both Jenny and I figured buying a van, either a pre-built camper van or converting a used cargo van ourselves, would be easier and more convenient. There was one downside: camping in a van meant you had to drive your temporary house around with you on adventures.
Enter the travel trailer. By buying a camper trailer and towing it behind my truck, we could leave our house behind while we drove around the mountains on hiking excursions. As a bonus, buying a travel trailer was much cheaper than a pre-built camper van, and way more convenient than converting a van ourselves.
At first, we planned on buying a camper that was basically a bed on wheels. A used sample caught our eye on the local dealer’s lot, but when we went to check it out, it was very apparent the camper was much too small. Even though it was just the two of us, plus the dogs, we realized we needed just a bit more space. After looking at several campers, we had pretty much decided on the camper we wanted. On a whim, the “RV Outfitter” showing us the campers suggested taking a look at a brand new camper on our way out the door.
This ended up being a very savvy bit of saleswomanship, because Jenny and I went home and discussed for maybe thirty minutes before contacting the dealership and beginning negotiations on a 17 foot, 2027 Rockwood Geo Pro. After ironing out the details, we closed the deal and picked up our brand new camper a week later.
After an extremely thorough walkthrough by an eager and helpful RV technician, we hooked our new camper to my Nissan Frontier and brought the camper home to pack for its maiden voyage. First, however, we had to watch the last half of Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers eke out a win against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Our football fix satisfied and our new camper loaded with supplies, we hit the road for our maiden voyage to the North Fork Campground in Medicine Bow National Forest. The trip from Cheyenne to Laramie typically takes less than an hour and a quarter tank of gas. Pulling the camper for the first time, it took almost double the time and triple the gas. Chalk that up to inexperience, as we were much more efficient on our way back to Cheyenne after the weekend was over.
After stopping to top off gas and grab a few last-minute snacks in Laramie, we finished our trip and got ourselves set up in Medicine Bow National Forest. Our new camper was easy enough to get set up, and we arrived just in time to make dinner. Exhausted from watching football, towing the trailer, and setting up camp, and with nothing better to do, we went to bed pretty much as soon as it got dark.
The next morning, we woke up with the rising Sun and made ourselves a little breakfast. Right away, we learned our RV smoke detector is extremely sensitive. Even with the tiny amount of steam produced with the heat from the on-board stove turned all the way down, we ended up eventually just taking the battery out until we were done cooking. Don’t worry, I put it back in after we finished eating.
Following breakfast, our first order of business was to head into the nearby town of Centennial, Wyoming to scrounge up some coffee and investigate the town. Before we left, a trio of mule deer ran through camp, driving our dogs ballistic.
Centennial, Wyoming had exactly what we needed, a spot to buy a cup of coffee. Caffeine secured, our next move was to head out to our first hike. We ventured deeper into Medicine Bow, encountering hunters basically everywhere. After we parked to start our hike, I was suddenly acutely aware the medium brown jacket I was wearing was a bit too close to deer-colored for my liking. I put a high-visibility orange ball cap on my head and had Jenny put on my orange upland hunting vest for safety.
Of course, the first thing we had to do upon parking and donning our safety gear was taking pictures of the scenery and Calvin and Zander in said scenery. The scenery photos turned out great. The overcast day meant we didn’t really have to worry about lighting, but that didn’t mean the dogs wanted to cooperate.
The hike was beautiful. We took a leisurely stroll down the mountain trail to a pristine alpine lake. Once at the lake we took a few more pictures and let the dogs run around just a little bit. I know they are supposed to stay on leash at all times, but we were the only ones there and we had their e-Collars on so they were extra well behaved.
We spent the rest of the day driving around Medicine Bow looking for different points of interest. There was a group that always seemed to arrive at each location just before us, carting their own dog around. Their dog was a big, friendly mutt, and our two enjoyed barking back to him but were annoyed we wouldn’t let them tussle with their new friend.
There was an interesting confluence of outdoor lifestyles in Medicine Bow that day with hunters, hippies, and hikers all out together. Occasional rifle shots from the hunters in the surrounding areas echoed through the mountain valleys, which made those in the brightly colored hiking clothes and the sticker-laden Subarus flinch.
Jenny and I finished our hikes that morning, then returned to the camper for a quick lunch. I had a small game and turkey hunting license for Wyoming, so I tossed my shotgun and .22 pistol into the truck before we headed back out to explore. We frequently saw trucks and ATVs heading further up the gravel road past the campsite, and I was very curious what was up there.
We cruised slowly up the gravel road, keeping our eyes peeled for small game and turkeys over twenty-some odd miles of trail. Jenny was disappointed we didn’t see any critters to look at (or shoot), and remarked that hunting took a lot more patience than she realized.
On our way back to the campground, we swung by yet another lake, this one a reservoir, to take some more pictures and let the dogs run around a little bit. At one point, Calvin started wading out into the cold water, and I was worried he would just start swimming away. Apparently it was too cold even for our little half-water dog, and he came back to shore.
Back at the campsite, Jenny and I gathered tinder, kindling, and firewood from the deadfall that littered the campground. Using dried pine boughs and a match, I got us a bonfire going, which we used to cook our dinner. After dinner, we sat out by the fire, watching the stars emerge. We sat until the last of our firewood turned to embers, then drowned the firepit in water and turned in for the night.
The following morning, we woke up, cleaned up our campsite, packed our new camper, and hooked up to the Frontier to return home. Our return trip was smoother than our trip out, and we made it home from our maiden voyage largely unscathed. The Frontier performed admirably, but our new camper is just at the upper edge of what is comfortable to tow with the mid-size truck.
I suppose it’s a good enough excuse to get a bigger truck to tow our new adventure rig.
