TWINS' WEEK PART 1: The Geese Have Landed |
| Angela White | Monday, 19 October, 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dave Casal and the Barlows take their twin Northern Lite 10-2 CD Special Editions on a Nova Scotia adventure. That's right, two geese fly north.  When we caught up with Dave Casal and the Barlows at the Northeast Jamboree in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, they had their brand new Northern Lite 10-2 CD Special Editions parked back-to-back. We took one look at these two identical Northern Lite campers and knew we had a story.
First up are Dick and Elizabeth Barlow. Their 2010 Northern Lite was supposed to be a 2009. As you're about to read, it's all Dave's fault. TCM: Tell us about the process you went through to purchase your Northern Lite. Elizabeth: We’ve wanted a Northern Lite for awhile. A couple of years ago we had seen the Northern Lite campers in Massachusetts. When I saw them I said, “That is going to be my next camper!” While I was researching, I was watching the Truck Camper Magazine Northern Lite 10-2 CD Special Edition video over and over again. As I was watching it, I was thinking about where I could put things and trying to figure out if everything was going to fit. I’d freeze the video and look at the space and think about what I was going to put in the cabinets. The guys love the outside, but I wanted to make sure the camper was usable for me inside. The videos on TCM are good because when you go to a RV show, you can’t remember where things were. With the videos, I can refresh my memory. Dick: We started talking to Charlie’s Garage at the Mid-Atlantic Truck Camper rally in 2008 and again this past April. We looked at the other campers, but we kept coming back to the Northern Lite. Charlie, the original owner, preferred not to take a trade at that time and I was not going to end up with two campers. At the second Mid-Atlantic Rally, Charlie was there with his son, Chuck. That’s when Dave told me, “I talked to Chuck and he’s taking trades”. That got us excited and talking again. Elizabeth: After the Mid-Atlantic, we went on vacation to Georgia. The whole time we were discussing the positives and negatives of the Northern Lite 10-2 CD Special Edition versus the Northern Lite 10-2 RR. Finally, we decided that we’d buy the Special Edition. At that point, I checked online and they were still on sale at Charlie’s Garage. But when we got home, they were both gone! A little while after that, Dave was helping us with some work on our house. Dave pulled in the yard and I couldn’t see the front window of his Lance camper. When Dick looked at the camper he noticed that it said Northern Lite! Dave got out of his truck with a big smile and said, “The goose has landed!"
TCM: So Dave stole your camper. That’s funny. Dick: Dave and I got talking and he told me the deal he got on the camper. So I called Chuck and he put one on order. Our camper arrived from Northern Lite the first week of July; earlier than we had planned. We left July 7th to pick it up and then started off to Nova Scotia on July 17th. After all that, the joke is that our camper is a 2010 and Dave’s is a 2009. TCM: Great story. So, how did you get into truck camping? Dick: My whole family grew up tenting and camping. My first truck camper was a 1972 Layton 10.5 model. I had it on a GMC truck. I was contracting at the time and living out of a tent. I purchased the camper and it went from there. I used it for three years. My parents camped with it on and off when I wasn’t using it. Elizabeth: We would camp in the backyard as kids. I was also involved with the Girl Scouts. Dick really wanted to travel and wanted a truck camper so we could travel with our dog. In 2002, we bought 1990 Sunlite ten and a half footer and then we had a 2003 Lance 1025. Truck camping for us started with short trips exploring New York and then working outward to other states. One of the first trips we took was to the locks on the Erie Canal. We spent the night at the locks and later did the Finger Lakes region. Dick: Our main goal to visit each state and so far we have twenty-nine states completed. Somehow Canada got shoved in there. The plan was to go to Alaska this year, but it never materialized. Now that trip is on the back burner. After hearing Dave’s adventures in Alaska, it’s something we want to do.
TCM: How did you meet Dave? Elizabeth: We went to the first Northeast truck camping rally in May of 2007. Then, in the fall, we met Dave Casal in Conway, New Hampshire at the Jamboree fall rally. Later four of us moms adopted Dave. Dick: Dave and I hit it off at the September rally on Sunday morning when the men did the breakfast. We were on the breakfast line together. When it came time for our Wagon Master duties, he helped take care of everything that we just didn't have time for. Elizabeth: Dave jumps in and helps out and we tend to do that too! TCM: Is this the first time you’ve caravanned with another camper? Dick: We have taken short caravans to Assateague Island after the Mid-Atlantic. Elizabeth: Our trip to Nova Scotia was our first time traveling long distance with another truck camper. It’s different for everyone because everyone has their own style. For example, Dave travels for hours on end without a problem. We think we tried his patience because we stopped so often. During the trip, we tried to compromise between the two types. He had Splash, his dog, so he had to stop more than he normally would. He would follow us and then we would lead for a little bit, and then he would pass. We started with walkie talkies. Dave was Goose One and we were Goose Two. We would say, “The geese have flown” and “The geese have landed.” Dick: When we got to Nova Scotia, Paula and Jerry didn’t know we had gotten our new campers. They were surprised when we showed up in the Northern Lites because we hadn’t told them. They were also shocked that we had matching campers. Elizabeth: One night the guys went to dump and they parked in different spots when they returned. When I went to go to bed that night, somebody yelled, “wrong camper”. I had forgotten that they had switched spots. The only thing that’s really different is that the graphics are a little different with the 2009 and 2010 models.
TCM: Where was your favorite place in Nova Scotia? Dick: Halifax. Paula and Jerry wanted us to see the tall ships in Halifax. Their daughter has access to a place that’s about seven stories up. We watched the tall ships from the seventh story that overlooks Halifax harbor. What a view! The ships would turn right in front of the balcony. At the Bay of Fundy, the cool thing is when the tide is out the boats just sit in the bottom with no water holding them up (see picture above). TCM: Is there anything that I didn’t ask that you would like included in your interview? Dick: Truck camping is a great way of life. We don’t even consider it camping. We love that we can spend a night or two with people in their driveways and don’t have to infringe on them because we use our own stuff. Elizabeth: Just that I love truck camping. We can be nice and cozy and we can travel everywhere. It’s a wonderful way to travel because you have your house with you and the comfort of home. Truck camping opens up a whole new world.
Dave Casal shared his incredible Alaska story with us last summer as part of Alaska Week; "ALASKA WEEK PART 1: Dave Casal's First Trip to the Last Frontier". Here's his side of the goose heist story and more tales from the Nova Scotia caravan. TCM: Tell us about the process you went through to get your Northern Lite. Dave: I had been thinking about getting a new camper for awhile. At the Mid-Atlantic Truck Camper rally, I talked to Charlie from Charlie’s Garage and got into the Northern Lite they brought to the show. I was really impressed. After deciding I was going to get it, I traveled 778 miles down to Charlie’s Garage. It’s a small family run business and they are really friendly people to deal with. TCM: What model do you have and why did you get that specific camper? Dave: I have a Northern Lite 10-2 CD Special Edition. The cool thing is that with the Special Edition you get every option, except for the boat rack and generator. It automatically comes with the air conditioner, larger bathroom, dual battery box, and outside shower. It pretty much has anything you could ever want. A big reason why I got the 10-2 CD Special Edition was that I’m 6’4” and I was able to get into it. I also love the insulated windows and the two piece fiberglass shell protecting against water leaks. Switching campers also gave me the ability to increase the size of the holding tanks. I don’t like to dump my grey water on the ground because I don’t want the water going into the streams. And when I’m in bear territory, I don’t want them smelling that. The Northern Lite has a forty gallon gray tank. I also wanted a straight layout for the kitchen. That was another big point to me. The only thing I wish they had was a twelve-volt refrigerator.
TCM: How did the caravan trip come to be? Dave: The caravan trip dates back a bit. With the Northeast truck camping group I have four adopted mothers; Elizabeth, Jane, Paula, and Anne. Paula was the only one I hadn’t visited. I planned to go up to visit Paula in Nova Scotia, but caravanning with Dick and Elizabeth was a spur of the moment decision. They live 130 miles away and we’re really good friends. TCM: Tell us about the way up to Nova Scotia. Dave: We would take turns leading depending on what was going on. If one of us wanted to stop, we stopped. The first day we went from New York to the northern part of Maine in Bangor. I tend to travel a little longer than they do. TCM: What was your favorite place that you visited on the trip? Dave: The Bay of Fundy. It’s got the highest tide drop in the world. It was cool to see how much the tide drops there. The people up there are super friendly and go out of their way to say, “hi” to you. TCM: How was camping in Nova Scotia with a truck camper? Dave: We went up at the end of July and the campgrounds were full. You need to make reservations. While in Nova Scotia, we mainly stayed with Paula and Jerry. TCM: Was it easier to get around in a truck camper in Nova Scotia or in Alaska? Dave: To be honest, Alaska was easier. It was more remote and there are more areas that you can boondock. Alaska has so much open territory and so many places to go. Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia are smaller. There is lots of farming, so there aren’t a lot of places for boondocking. You really have to go into the parks and campgrounds. In Alaska, I never had a problem finding a place to stay. TCM: Do you have any other comments about your Northern Lite caravanning adventures? Dave: You have to be compatible with the people you caravan with because you are working on each other’s schedules. I am really good friends with Dick and Elizabeth, so it worked out really well. We had a blast!
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