John and Linda Ross: Fox Hunt For Adventure

From the sandy beaches of North Carolina, to the majestic National Parks of the American West, John and Linda Ross take "Fox" on a hunt for fun and adventure...













It was one of those moments when you meet someone you've talked to on the phone, but never met.  As I greeted the attendees of the Northeast Jamboree this past Friday, I recognized a couple but couldn't figure out why.  To make matters more embarrassing, they recognized me immediately.  Maybe it was the Truck Camper Magazine shirt I was wearing.  At any rate, they finally broke the ice and said, "We're John and Linda Ross!"  I had no idea that they were going to be at the Jamboree and was very excited to meet them.

John and Linda Ross were first brought to our attention when we ran our story on A&M Services, "A&M Services: Truck Campers in Kittrell, North Carolina" in June of 2008.  John was featured in one of the photographs from that story and Mark Mallard, Owner of A&M Services, recommended we talk to the Ross's about their truck camping adventures.  As this story demonstrates, it often takes a long time for a story to come together, but they're always worth the wait.

TCM: How did you get into truck camping?

John: We actually have two Ford F-350s.  On our 1999 F-350, we just have a shell.  Before we had a truck camper, I actually spent several days surf fishing on the beach with just the shell.  Our surf fishing tournaments go around the clock for three days.  Then I started seeing other people with truck campers on the beach, so I went up to them and started asking questions.

TCM: When did you finally get your camper?

John: In January of 2007, there was an RV show in Raleigh, North Carolina.  That’s when we met Mark Mallard from A&M Services.  He was showing an Arctic Fox 990 with a slide-out.  At the show, Mark and I were sitting at the dinette, Linda was by the refrigerator, and four other people came in.  We all fit!  It was amazing that we were on the back of a pick-up truck.  That sold us.  We also really liked dealing with Mark.  He was fair.  When we’ve had questions, we’ve called him.  He’s been fantastic.

TCM: So you bought the Arctic Fox 990?

John: Yes.  We have a 2007 Ford F-350 diesel with a 2008 Arctic Fox 990 we simply call, “Fox”.  Linda and I were just looking at our logbook the other day and realized we have spent over fifty nights in the "Fox" since we bought it in April 2008.

The day we picked up our camper, A&M Services showed us how everything worked so that we would know how to use our camper.  On our way home we had to use a major highway at rush hour, but it was no big deal with the truck camper.  We love our Arctic Fox and had no problems with it.

TCM: Tell us about your surf fishing in North Carolina.

John: We really enjoy surf fishing.  We often go for three days and boondock on the beach.  That’s what really drove us to get a truck camper.  The "Fox" is the perfect setup for the beach.

TCM: Are there other things that you enjoy about the beach other than surf fishing?

Linda: We also go shell hunting, play horseshoes, and grill food.  If it’s raining, we can always watch movies.  We go to the beach about twice a month.  There are always at least two or three other truck campers there.

John: Truck camping on the beach is great.  We have our own bed.  If it gets hot, we can turn our air conditioner on.  We can even turn on the television, if we want.  We always have our own restroom.  The only drawback is that our nine-month-old poodle will get up on the bed and bring sand up with her.

TCM: Our cat, Harley, hasn’t been camping on the beach yet.  He doesn’t know what he’s missing.  Tell us about your big trip out West.

John: That was our longest truck camping trip so far.  Before heading out, we went back to A&M Services to get the porch put on and spent six-nights practicing at a campground with hook-ups.  When we left, we figured if something with the camper didn’t work, we could get a hotel.  That was actually the furthest thing from our mind after we left.

TCM: We did that too.  When we got our first camper, we camped in Gordon’s grandparent’s driveway and learned all the camper systems.  When did you set out?

John: We left home at the end of May and spent a month on the road.  We took Interstate 40 and headed to San Jose, California to see our son and his wife.  Our son works for Google, and his wife, Shannon, works for another computer firm in San Jose.

On our way out West, we played tourist and enjoyed seeing a lot of places we have always wanted to see.  We traveled Route 66 in parts of New Mexico and Arizona.  I grew up learning about Route 66.  Of course most of it’s gone now, or changed.

We toured the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, and Hoover Dam. The Grand Canyon was amazing and we want to see more of it some day.  We had never seen Las Vegas, so that was interesting too.  This was our first time driving across the country, so we were in awe most of the time.

TCM: Tell us about how you visit your children as you travel.

John: We spent six days with our son and his wife.  They live in an apartment complex in San Jose, so we had to get a permit to stay in their parking lot.  Actually, Matt and Shannon just flew to Hawaii and camped in a tent.  They think our truck camper is the Taj Mahal. 

When we left California, we traveled Interstate 80 through Reno, Nevada, then the Salt Flats, and onto Salt Lake City, Utah.  From Utah, we went north through Wyoming and onto Mount Rushmore.  That was a beautiful ride and we saw lots of antelope and buffalo.  We had to stop to let the buffalo cross the road at one point.  From there we traveled east across South Dakota back to North Carolina.

Linda: Another one of our favorite destinations is visiting our daughter, Melanie, her husband, Ryan and our two grandchildren, Madelyn and Noah in Beaufort, South Carolina.  We are able to park our camper in their backyard. Our two-year old granddaughter, Madelyn loves camping with Grammy and Granddaddy and "watching movies in my truck" as she says.  It seems every time we visit and grill on the porch of the camper we all end up eating in the camper instead of the kitchen of their house.  They will be moving to Germany in mid-August. It's too bad we won't be able to drive the camper over there!

TCM: How did you like long-distance traveling in your truck camper?

John: A truck camper is the only way to go.  It was amazing how many people wanted to see our truck camper, even people who were in Class-A motorhomes.

TCM: I always tell them that they can, “Do More and Spend Less with a Truck Camper”.  Funny enough, they often seem to agree.

John: Right.  I remember somebody said to us, “Get a condo on the beach” and I said, “We did” and they said, “What beach?” and I said, “Any one I want”.

TCM: I love that.  So what’s next for you and “Fox”?

John: After active duty in the Army, I stayed in the Army Reserves and retired after twenty-seven years.  This past January I also retired from Progress Energy.  Linda plans on working one more year with the Postal Service.  Once she retires, the "Fox" will be very busy.

Our 2010 plan is to head north to Alaska.  We plan on leaving sometime in May.  First we’ll be stopping in the northeast for the College World Series.  Then we’ll be off to San Jose, California, and then on to Alaska for four to five weeks.

TCM: That sounds like an amazing trip.  Is there anything you would like to add to your interview?

John: I think what we enjoy the most about our "Fox" is the freedom and versatility it gives us.  I tell everyone about the versatility of our truck camper.

With our pull behind trailer, I couldn’t always stop where I wanted.  Anywhere I can drive my truck I can drive my camper. There is no fuel station I didn’t feel I couldn’t get into.  The only restriction I have is height.  Our rig is about twelve feet tall and I need to make sure I have clearance.  We love being able to stay just about anyplace we desire.

TCM: Thanks for the interview John and Linda.  Enjoy Alaska and please keep us posted on your adventures.

John and Linda: We most certainly will.