TCM STARS: Summer 2010 Part 1 |
| Angela White | Monday, 30 August, 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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It's time to catch up with TCM Stars Anne Brown, Dan Forry, Tom Blanchette, Brent Haywood, Phil Carroll, Jim Jeffries, Kathy Lordier, Jim Tomblin, and many, many more.  Our favorite part of publishing Truck Camper Magazine is the extraordinary community of truck camper enthusiasts we've met through the magazine. To us, they're all stars! Today we catch up with TCM Stars Gary Veeder, Randy and LaWana Smith, Brent Haywood, Anne and Joe Brown, Tom Blanchette, Phil Carroll, Paul Beddows, Jerry and Reta Caldwell, Jim Jeffries, Kathy Lordier, Joei Carlton, Ed and Sandra Krech, Jim and Sheila Tomblin, Dan Forry, and Judith and Günter Reisinger-Waslberger. They have plenty of new truck camping adventures to share, and a few twists and turns. Here come the TCM Stars! Gary Veeder Article #1: Gary Veeder: From Key West to the Yukon Article #2: TCM STARS: Winter 2010 Part 2 2008 Calendar Winner
We are just finishing up fourteen days in Newfoundland and we have really enjoyed this trip. We are older, senior citizen, truck campers which has a bearing on this destination. I would not recommend less than two weeks and if you are of a mind to walk the many trails. The roads vary from not too bad to horrible and it takes longer to travel distances. The ferry service is really unreliable, so strict schedules don’t work. For example, our 12:45 PM ferry left at 9:45 PM. As you drive, you have to look for moose, pot holes, and tight roads with no shoulders. The people of Newfoundland are really friendly. The story goes, stop and ask a Newfoundlander a question and you get a story. The campgrounds are mainly water and electric with a dump station. Cell service is better than we thought. There are no regulations about pulling off and camping. With the above taken into consideration, we wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. There are mountains with steep grades, flat areas, stone beaches, and some of the most spectacular panoramas we have ever seen. We now have seen all of the states and Canadian Providences. Randy and LaWana Smith Article #1: Randy and LaWana Smith: Northstar on a Roll Article #2: TCM STARS: Winter 2010 Part 2
In January, we traveled to Utah to be with our daughter for the birth of her first child and our first grandson. We stayed there until February as the baby came two weeks late! We also visited with our son and his family and their new baby girl. March found us at Navajo Lake Dam for our last camping experience with our F-150. We were also visited by Samuel and his wife, Pamela, from Albuquerque. In April we bought a Ford F-250 4x4 6.8L V10. We put on new Torklift tie-downs, Torklift Stable Loads, and heavy duty Rieco-Titan jacks. We also added Torklift Glow steps because the truck was so much taller. A great concern in the purchase of our new vehicle was whether or not it would still fit into our garage. We made it with one inch to spare! Our son, Michael, and his family came to visit us here in New Mexico and David and his family came from Texas to visit a week later. What a special time was spent with them, their wives, and our grandchildren. We traveled to Colorado and camped at the West Delores Campground in June. We finished that trip up at Panquitch Lake Campground in Utah for a reunion with Randy's brother, Rick, and his wife, Becky, who had traveled up from California to meet with us. This week we will be camping at the San Juan River before school starts again. For us, family time, camping, and RVing are delightfully intertwined. Now that we are better set up, our plans are to boondock more this year. Brent Haywood Article: Brent Haywood: From Negative to Photo Opportunity
We have been using the truck camper more than ever this year. We went on a seven day trip through the Utah parks and the Grand Canyon. Almost every weekend we are at the beach. We just went from San Diego up the coast to Morro Bay over to Yosemite and down the 395 from Mono Lake back to San Diego. We had one instance where we had to cross a small creek. The trail was very tight and scraped the side of the truck on both sides for two miles before I could turn around. I ended up getting a flat on the back dually once I arrived at my photo site. I loved every minute of it. Things are great! Anne Brown Article: Ladies' Week Part 1: Anne Brown Takes the Wheel 2009 Calendar Winner
Our truck camping life for 2010 started off with truck camper friends at Scusset Beach on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Sunburn in March! Next came Assateague National Seashore in Maryland with cold, pounding rain, ponies running by, and no working propane heater. The April Mid-Atlantic Truck Camper Rally was fun as always. A trip to Xtreme Campers in North Carolina followed to have solar installed and a water pump part replaced. Our first North East Truck Camper Rally was May at the beach in Salisbury, Massachusetts. There were thirty-eight truck campers there. We spend as much time in the truck camper as possible even if it’s just taking little one day trips. I've been known to just go out and cook supper there! Our big news is that we just traded our 2005 Ford F-350 for a 2010 Ford F-350 4x4 dually. The 2005 worked perfectly, but the deal on the 2010 was too tempting. New additions will be a bed liner, new Torklifts, camper plug, and a leaf spring addition. It is a sweet, quiet, diesel truck that's already getting better mileage than the 2005. We've since boondocked at Winter Island, Massachusetts over an incredibly scorching fourth of July, camped in absolute silence except for the owls at Cobscook Bay State Park near Lubec, Maine, and enjoyed Kingsbrae Gardens in St. Andrews, New Brunswick. Several short trips wandering Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont have been taken. We'll be touring Nova Scotia this fall for a couple of weeks followed by a truck camper get together for Halloween and then dry camping by the ocean in Freeport this fall. Come join us. We've had several groups of truck campers stay overnight with us this year. A common passion for travel and hitting the roads leads to good friends and great visits. Tom Blanchette, Nancy Campbell, and their furry friend, Finn Article: Tom Blanchette: Building a Custom Truck Bed
Our most memorable trip was touring down the West Coast. We left late December from Calgary to Hope, Canada with a snow storm nipping at our heels all the way! The next day had us in Victoria where we enjoyed the holiday season with family and friends. From Victoria we caught the ferry to Port Angeles where we stocked up on supplies. From there we enjoyed exploring the coast as far South as the Redwood forest in California. It’s a wet time of year to tour the West Coast, but the roads are quiet and you never have to book a campsite in advance. Oregon certainly lived up to its reputation as we enjoyed many fine state campgrounds. Our second day back into Canada, one day short of getting home to Calgary, we got caught in a snow storm. I was glad to have good tires and four wheel drive on my camper rig that day! Centerville Camping Trip By Timer, Phil Carroll’s Tennessee Walking Horse Article: Phil Carroll: Horsing Around with a Six-Pac
The humans planned a truck camping trail ride with other members of our horse club near Centerville, Idaho. We camped along Henry’s Creek. We invited our club to join us for great trail rides and potluck suppers. We horses had sweet mountain grasses. I gave my human the most rides of anyone. After getting settled in camp he and I rode down the road just in time to meet my new best friend, Contessa, and show her back to camp. After her human was settled we took an evening ride. Saturday morning we took a second ride. Six more gaited horses arrived and we rode hours through Ponderosa Pine Forests and back along Henry’s Creek rushing to the Pacific Ocean. Sunday morning we rode with Kirby, an old gentleman Arab that makes any horse work to keep up. His human has spent much of her life near Centerville and shows us new trails each time we ride with her. Even if Phil does overwork me, it sure is fun. The truck camper sure makes it easy to get me to great places, eat grass, and see scenery. Paul Beddows Article #1: Paul Beddows of NATCOA Article #2: Paul Beddows: From NATCOA to Mexico
Once again we spent winter in Mexico. Despite the bad stories, we will probably go again next year. This year we got as far south as Mexico City and Acapulco. I am also checking the feasibility of a truck camper Caravan to mainland Mexico in 2012. Apart from a couple of weeks of local camping this summer, we participated in the May NATCOA rally in the interior of British Columbia, and we plan on participating in the joint NATCOA/LOA rally in October, plus the NATCOA rally on Vancouver Island over Labor Day. We took our two year old granddaughter camping in the truck camper for the first time last week, ensuring of course we were close enough to call her parents to come and rescue us. Jerry and Reta Caldwell Article #1: Jerry and Reta Caldwell: Leaving the Class A Behind Article #2: TCM Stars: Catching Up Part 1 Article #3: TCM STARS: Winter 2010 Part 2 2008 Calendar Winner and 2009 Calendar Winner TCM Ambassador
We started the year with a trip from Tennessee to Florida in January and met up with Gordon and Angela from Truck Camper Magazine. After a trip to the Tampa RV Supershow, we traveled with them to Everglades National Park and then on to Key West. It was a wonderful trip. Our main trip this year will be a trip from Tennessee to the Pacific Northwest. We have never been to Oregon and really look forward to using our truck camper while we make new memories that will last a lifetime. Our truck camper has opened up an exciting new world of incredible travel and adventure for us. Words cannot express the enjoyment we continue to experience each time we're “on the road again”! Jim Jeffries Article: Jim Jeffries: Right Fit For a Phoenix
As part of a trip to attend a tennis tournament this past March in Indian Wells, California, we spent a few days camping around Borrego Springs, California. Borrego Springs is like stepping back into the 1960’s with no fast food restaurants and a nice hometown feel. We camped at Anza Borrego State Park and enjoyed seeing wild flowers. Many campers boondock in the surrounding desert. At this time of the year the desert is carpeted with wild flowers. Multi-millionaire Dennis Avery has commissioned welded steel, prehistoric sculptures to be placed all over the desert around Borrego Springs. These have become a tourist draw. If you stay in Anza Borrego State Park, it’s possible to walk or drive to the 1940’s vintage resort, The Palms at Indian Head, and eat at the Red Ocotillo restaurant, which I highly recommend. Call ahead for reservations if possible. There are many other mom and pop restaurants including Jilberto’s Taco shop where you should try the fish tacos. You can hike to desert oases, and the Borrego Springs Nature Center can provide information and wild flower maps. So enjoy a step back in time. I don’t recommend summers with temperatures up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Kathy Lordier Article #1: Ladies' Week Part 1: Kathy Lordier Lets the Dogs Out Article #2: TCM Stars: Catching Up Part 1 Article #3: TCM STARS: Winter 2010 Part 1 TCM Ambassador
This summer finds me busy with horse related events and a few fishing trips. There's been plenty of camper use! Starting in April, Ken and I traveled to Astoria, Oregon for our third annual visit to their seafood festival. We camped with some great friends at Fort Stevens State Park. Since then I've been using the camper at least two weekends a month, at horse shows and at Equus Farms. Equus Farms is the training facility I take lessons at, which is about four hours from my home. My best friend Sharon is showing her Arabian, Nazzareth, and we've been using my Host Bachelor as a home base for the two of us. It's been perfect. She was showing in Rancho Murieta in May, July was Reno for the Arabian Region III Horse Show, and August is Watsonville. The camper has allowed us to have a shower, a fridge, and an air conditioned changing room all close to the horses. It absolutely can’t be beat! Our camping trips have been fun too. I'm getting pretty good at switching out the fishing gear for the horse gear and vice-versa. So far I've not shown up at a horse show with a fly rod or a campground with a saddle! Joei Carlton Article #1: Author, Speaker Joei Carlton Article #2: Catching Up: Rik Palieri & Joei Carlton Article #3: TCM Stars: Catching Up Part 2 Article #4: TCM STARS: Winter 2010 Part 2
Some people never find their ShangriLa. I find mine everywhere even if it's only for one or two summers. This year I am making my summer home in Smithers, British Columbia, at a campground located right on Highway 16. It’s on a section known as the Highway of Tears because of the number of women that have disappeared, never to be found. This highway is located about halfway between the American border and the Yukon and halfway between Prince George and Prince Rupert. I love the fact that it doesn't get really dark until about 11:00 PM. The campground is quiet during the day so I can write, which is my reason for being here. And, by 4:00 PM, it is packed. During my stay I have completed my next mini read called Morocco Without a Pit to Hiss In and will be starting a new book about my travels to Greece. I have a book signing at the end of July and have been interviewed by two radio stations and one newspaper. For me... this is ShangriLa. To stay tuned with my adventures, check out my blog at www.joeicarlton.com. Ed and Sandra Krech Article #1: Ed Krech: On A Mission Article #2: Catching Up With Ramblin' Ralph, Ed Krech, and Wally Herrala Article #3: TCM Stars: Catching Up Part 1 Article #4: TCM STARS: Winter 2010 Part 1 2009 Calendar Winner
Sandra and I have had a few adventures since last we talked. We went back to the Southwest to visit friends and visit the Overland Expo get together in southern Arizona. While there, we decided that our 1131 Lance, in which everything worked perfectly, was too big. We left it in Colorado, sold it in a week, and ordered a new Outfitter Apex 8. We also got rid of our big Ford F-450 and got a 2006 Dodge 3500 SRW Mega cab for the new camper. While in the area, we went trout fishing in the snow at Taylor Canyon, Colorado and had an awesome time. Jim and Sheila Tomblin Article #1: The Tomblins: Back In Love with Truck Camping Article #2: Camper Batteries 101: The Basics Article #3: Camper Batteries 102: Digital Multimeters and Trimetric Meters
This year’s summer trip destination was to be Taos, New Mexico via various areas of the Southwest. Well, we didn't make it to Taos because we got distracted by places that we had been before. We hauled our 1969 VW Baja so we could run around and see more things. We traveled on backroads for over 3,500 of the 3,700 miles traveled. Monument Valley was interesting. We were sitting in Monument Valley talking to a family from Belgium and a fella from South Korea. I provided a round of good old American beer and we were discussing the world according to Garp, when, I glanced over to where the Mittens rock formation was and noticed a wall of red dust. Holy crap, a dust storm was headed our way. We quickly picked our stuff up and got in our rigs just as it hit. Wow, the camper was shaking. The wind was sixty plus miles per hour. I got out and moved the truck camper front into the wind. Much better. The storm lasted about forty-five minutes and then it was calm with a lot of dust in the air. I got several pictures. The next morning I got some shots of the sun coming up. Beautiful. Here is a list of the main attraction places we explored during our five weeks: Hovenweep National Monument, Canyon De Chelly, Chaco Canyon, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon North Rim, Meteor Crater at Winslow, Arizona and lots of other smaller places. Our trip was trouble free; all camper systems performed flawlessly. Dan Forry Article: Dan Forry: Ranger Out West
Bonnie and I went to Fort Kearney State Recreational area in Nebraska for our annual crane migration watch. The weather was not cooperating. We drove into snow and it was seventeen degrees in the morning. We kept snug in our truck camper with the heater on. It was another memorable experience! This was on March 20th. We had three nights in the camper on this excursion. The left photo is the sunset on the Platte River. The dark mass in the air is a flight of Sandhill cranes coming to roost. On July 24th, we took our daughter along to Waubonsie State Park in Southwest Iowa in search of the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly. We were lucky to see seven specimens. Julie even got a photo of some. We camped for three nights on this adventure. Our next trip was to a tractor show at Albert City, Iowa for the annual Albert City Thresherman show. This year they featured the Gathering of the Orange which is the National Allis Chalmers collectors show so I hooked up my trailer and loaded up my 1952 WD tractor. We camped for two nights in a grove of trees at a nearby farmsted. Our most recent trip was to Baker Park Reserve near the Twin Cities in Minnesota. We camped here for two nights and had our two year old granddaughter visit us. The last photo is a shot of our gray water holding tank that I put together. After reading about your hardside to pop-up adventure in California you can relate to the gray water storage dilemma! It has been a busy summer as usual with a few truck campers staying in our parks. Bonnie and I are preparing to head out September 16th to visit Crater Lake in Oregon with many stops along the way. We can't wait to get out on the road and explore the great Northwest United States! Hope to see you in a campground sometime! Judith and Günter Reisinger-Waslberger Article: Truck Camping Across Albania
Since our last trip to Albania, we did a couple of short trips through Austria. But, our holidays in May and June led us to Greece. We went there by ferry boat and started out in Venice. The view over that unique town from the ferry boat was fantastic! Our trip led us along the northern borders of Greece, Albania, the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, and Bulgaria to Turkey. The landscape and the wildlife was one of the best we’ve ever seen; snowy mountains, deep canyons, the Mediterranean Sea, bears, pelicans at Prespa Lake, huge tortoises, and the National Park of Dadia Forest on the border to Turkey, where thirty-six of the thirty-eight native European raptors live. One time we watched a big dolphin-school hunting a sardine swarm maybe just 500 meters off the shore. We loved it. Also there were a lot of cultural things to see; byzantine churches, antique theaters, and a really great spot, the Meteora monasteries. Again we rode on rough streets and had the best camping spots, most of the time on our own. We also met a lot of nice and hospitable people. It was the best holiday! To join the discussion about this article, go to our Facebook page or Twitter page. |
