Black Canyon of the Gunnison

 We’re back, and back to camping after last year’s break going to Hawaii. It was a little stressful getting ready, it was a busy spring and we didn’t get a chance to take the camper out for a shake down before the trip. We call it “practice camping” and usually like to take one or two trips to local state parks or our friends cabin to see what needs fixing or we’re missing with our gear. There was plenty to fix without leaving our driveway. The rear slides floor split open on one side where the rollers travel. Luckily for us Marcus was taking welding this year so we were able to get him to fabricate some runners for the slide. So after some fiberglass repair and riveting his sheet metal runners it looks better than ever, we should have done that a few years ago before the floor gave out. Then four days before we left I finally get around to testing out the air conditioner, I flip it on it works, which was expected just good to make sure. It’s on for a few minutes I step out of the camper to get something and come back in to a plastic burning smell. I’ve smelt that before the wires are burning up.  I flip everything off and unscrew the panel cover and the common bar is all burnt up, every wire. I walk into the house shell shocked. What the heck just happened we leave in four days. After a little pity party I got to work and spent memorial day rewiring the camper. Looks like it was corrosion on the plug causing it, so I got a whole new plug to wire into the camper. Then striped and cleaned all the wires in the box and reconnected everything. It took all day but worked, so far at least. 

Long way of saying we came into this year’s trip far less prepared than normal.  

On with the trip, this year we are on our own version of the Oregon trail. Not the most direct route but the main goal this year is camping in Oregon and finishing our goal of camping in all of the lower 48 states. Our first stop was just a layover in Nebraska at Ogallala’s trails KOA. I thought it was fitting to learn the Oregon trail went through Ogallala and is part of the tri trails. The Pony Express, and Texas cattle trail round out the tri of the tri-trails.  The first day trip to Nebraska was good the camper pretty much shook apart inside, the kitchen cabinets took the brunt of it and will need some extensive shoring up. We swam and watch a storm roll in that night so was a good first day.

Next stop was in the colorful state of Colorado at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. We stayed at the KOA in Montrose just outside the park. The trip here was miserable. Roads were rough and bouncy. We stopped at a rest stop and could see the fender was rubbing one tire. Looks like it caused it to heat up and start to split the tire looked pitted and not good.  So we cut away part of the fender it was hitting to give clearance and went down the road a ways.  Thinking of that tire made me nervous so we decided when we stopped for lunch we’d swap it out with the spare.  So we stopped at shopping area that had a target and Home Depot in it so we could buy what we needed to repair the interior of the camper and the kids and I swapped out the tire for the spare. Looking over the other tires they were showing cracks as well. Not great, I had looked the tires over before we left when greasing the bearings because we were aged out to getting new ones but they looked good to me at the time.  Didn’t really think they hadn’t been driven on for over a year. After a way longer stop than we had planned we got back on the road. When we pulled into our spot after 7, we had been on the road for 12 hours for a 7 hour drive. We get out and the spare tire is trashed, just a lump of tire shards on a rim. I can’t believe we didn’t notice it, not sure how long it was like that it was about 150 miles since last stop so sometime in there. Maybe should have left the pitted tire on it that was a Goodyear endurance those things are tough the spare was just a normal cheap trailer tire. Anyway the boys and I got back to work putting the old tire back on. Becky spiraled a bit at the state of the camper and being 1000 miles from home in a broken down piece of junk. Remember the kitchen cabinets are still in disarray, then to add insult to injury she just wants to soak in the pool and gets her suit on and walks over there and it’s pad locked the pool that is open until 10 on the website closed at 7.  I thought she might walk away and never come back… she walked  away but eventually came back.  Came back to a trailer that didn’t have water… the water pump wasn’t working. I couldn’t see anything obvious causing the issue wires looked good light came on maybe the pump just gave out. So we’re dry camping tonight until I can tear into that. Not a great second day. We went to bed with way more problems then solutions. 

Getting up the next day we formulated a plan.  We’d pack a lunch, check out the National park in the morning, eat lunch down by the river then head back and work on the camper all afternoon. Then that evening head to the Ouray hot springs and take a dip. 

We executed that plan perfectly it was a busy but good day took in a couple mile hike see the Canyon from the rim and headed over to Cimarron to check out the river and have lunch. We all worked on the camper Sam and Marc worked on cabinet repair, Becky was on the roof as the air was making a funny noise (just a loose bolt). I was able to call and get us scheduled for new tires on our way to Bryce Canyon the next day and worked on the water pump. I pulled the pump out convinced it was the issue but hooking it right to the battery it fired up and spit water at and almost on our electrical panel, close call on that one. So went back to tracing wires and couldn’t figure it, but we determined it was the positive wire with the issue.  Finally I called it and Jerry rigged it splicing it in with the water heater so we’d have running water again.

We got to the hot spring that evening, which was really just a city pool but it was hot and we relaxed our tense muscles and played some volley ball in the pool.  It was fun but we were tired, we deserved to sleep like dead horses that night.

Everything in the camper is working again looking good and functional.  It was a rough first stop but the camper finally got the shake down it needed and I’m sure we’ll have some more problems but hopefully nothing major. 

Here are some pictures from our first 3 days.

Camper at Ogallala

Becky reading in bed

I called everyone out to look at the lighting

Then we all tried to capture a picture of it this was the best I got not that impressive.

Putting on the spare in Denver

We were by a Red Robin so walked over there after shopping and changing the tire. Big mistake, it took forever to eat and added to our super long day. 

There’s your problem. First camper blow out on the road and didn’t even notice it. Kind of dangerous, glad the other tire held out.  The tire is shredded and there were tire shavings pushed into the camper. We needed to air the place out it smelt of burnt rubber.

Black Canyon

Walking to a lookout by the visitor center

The coolest was you could hear the river roaring up from the canyon 

Lucas facing his fears creeping out to the edge.

Becky on a rock

Lucas taking a panoramic we all had to get out of the way. 

Good shot of the roaring river

Marcus full on Canyon Man pose

Cimarron River view

There was a large dam there. Impressive and imposing walking up to it. 

Anyone got any dam bait.

River flow was crazy fast so didn’t wade in or anything but we got down to touch the extremely cold water. We talked a couple from California that were fishing. Were heading to California so had something in common to chat about.

Side river feeding into the main one.

Having lunch by the river overlook.

Time to fix the camper up, here Becky helping me out with a jumper wire from the box to figure out for sure which wire bad coming into the pump.

The pump tore out. But it works so glad the water heater was close and could hook the pump up to that.  Not looking forward to getting home and really trying to figure out where the break in the line is at. 

Luke and Marc on tire residue cleanup duty. 

And finally eating breakfast at Starvin Arvins in Delta CO waiting for new tires to be put on the camper. Got new set of Goodyear Endurance tires, they are the Rolls Royce of camper tires after all, they are tough and I feel much better rolling down the road on a new set of these. Even got one for the spare not messing around just wish I would have done this before we left. Pay attention to the age of your tires, I learned the lesson the hard way.