Went out to meet some friends out at some acerage they own out on the dry side (Cle Elum WA area). Came off a dirt road to their "driveway" which was something that at best could be described as an overgrown cow path. Worst thing was they had Pondorosa Pine trees growing here and there on both sides. Checked the branches and they would bend so I decided to go for it. Put the truck in low and up we went, trees rubbing most of the way. Got up there and had a nice weekend. A couple of things I learned: - Going down was worse than going up. I guess I really didn't fully understand what I was getting into up and did going down. Isn't that the way it usually works? I did sort of have a worry in the back of my mind all weekend over the getting down part. - I realized afterwards I was instinctively "shying" away from trees on the driver side. The passenger side got it worse because of that. It's also much tougher to see where you are when the mirror have to be folded in. - The camper fiberglass is pretty tough and "slick" and came through pretty well. You can see something dragged but doesn't look bad at all and will probably look pretty normal with some new wax. Things "sticking out" like the jacks and the window trim took it a bit harder. Also a little damage to decals. - I'm really glad I have glass windows. The windows were streaked with what looked and felt like scratches. Couldn't see how trees could scratch glass but sure felt like scratches to my finger nails and wouldn't wash off. Fortunately they cleaned up with a rough pad and some hard scrubbing. Overall not sure I would do it again but I guess that is part of the reason we got a truck camper as opposed to a class C or A. (Not sure if my friend will have us back after seeing what we were doing to their trees either :o)

I'd be willing to bet your friends aren't RV-ers. In my experience, the kinds of places non-RV-ers think you can drive or park an RV are laughable, e.g., "We've got a perfect place you can park your RV right next to the garage", etc. What they don't tell you is that you'd have to pick the RV up with a crane to put it in there. But they mean well. ;) Thankfully, I now have an RV that can go just about anywhere.

We have a friend with a beach house that has scrub coastal trees on both side of the drive. Their 6' high by 7' wide vehicles fit down the drive just fine, but we had to pull out the pruners to get my 13' high by 8.5' toy hauler into the "perfect" spot. My TC almost has the same dimensions, so now it fits after a clean up of the pruning job we originally had done.

There are people that take truck campers to places where goats don't go .

You can use 00 steel wool pads on windows. I use it on windshields and it works well to get the bugs and pits from dirt.

Since I return to my friends' cabin in the woods a couple times a year, they allowed me to remove some limbs with a saw.I still have a few of the original reminders that a buffer and a good scrubbing might remove. Once I climb the steep hill and cross the creek, I am home free!They did add some crushed rock to the hilly part of the mud road. They must like having me back since I do quite a bit of the cooking.If your friends remove some of the pine tree limbs that you "marked" for them, they may be "inviting" you back.

Going places you maybe shouldn't. | Good Sam Community

Boatycall
Explorer
Jun 03, 2015
Not far from Cle Elum, I had to cut my way into a campsite I really wanted at Beverly ORV. It's a place run by the DNR, but mostly un-maintained.

I knew ahead of time I wanted this spot, brought a pole chain-saw. WITH the permission of the DNR guy (who I know), he had no problem with me bucking the trail, and after 45 minutes I got back in there.

As I'm setting up, I grab my jacks remote...zzzzz... OUCH. zzzzzz OUCH. Place was absolutely inundated with mosquitoes.

I then pulled stake and headed right back out to a site next to the dunes instead of the trees.... after 45 minutes of trail bucking.
Moose10
Explorer
Jun 02, 2015
mockturtle wrote:
I'd be willing to bet your friends aren't RV-ers. In my experience, the kinds of places non-RV-ers think you can drive or park an RV are laughable, e.g., "We've got a perfect place you can park your RV right next to the garage", etc. What they don't tell you is that you'd have to pick the RV up with a crane to put it in there. But they mean well. ;) Thankfully, I now have an RV that can go just about anywhere.

So true. I have a friend who lives in North Las Vegas and I was recently down there for work and he told me I should bring the fam down and we could park the TC in his driveway in the gated community....after going to his house I was lmao!....Not a chance. His wife's stock jeep and his 1/2t shortbed Dodge take up the whole driveway...I'd be out in the street by a couple feet at least.
Could never imagine living there...no offense to those who do.;)
Farmerjon
Explorer
Jun 01, 2015
Bedlam wrote:
I sometimes wonder if they invite us back knowing we will do the pruning for them?

:B You may be onto something there!
Bedlam
Moderator
Jun 01, 2015
I sometimes wonder if they invite us back knowing we will do the pruning for them?
trail-explorer
Explorer
Jun 01, 2015
I've been known to climb the ladder to the roof and trim brush and trees. Even some state parks I have been to I've had to do that.

I have camped at a friend's property too, and last time I was there I walked the rod and trimmed branches. It's getting more overgrown every year, because he never trims the trees. I won't go back there until he triims it, because I know it's going to be impassable this year.
skipbee
Explorer
Jun 01, 2015
On our trip to Alaska, we got some directions from the US Forest Service to abandoned homes in the deep bush with good trout streams. I stood on the hood in front of the windshield, with clippers in hand cut back the brush as much as possible. Eventually I had to climb the ladder and dangle my legs over the front of the TC. We made it in to a very special spot. It had been a homestead but was crumbling down. The fishing was fine, with great views and pretty good cell phone service. We off loaded the TC and drove around a bit for 3 days. It was a very memorable time. Another TC only adventure, without 4X4 it would have been impossible to reach.
kohldad
Explorer III
Jun 01, 2015
I use to go places I wasn't suppose to go with a 35' FW. Always told my wife I could back out of any place I pulled into. Proved to be true. Backed up over 1/2 mile of gravel road with a few curves about 10pm in pitch dark middle of now where.

One of the reasons I upgraded to an 8'-6" TC so I could go where most wouldn't. Find it's a lot more fun that way.
Farmerjon
Explorer
Jun 01, 2015
We visit friends in NC and we had to trim our way in and each year we have to trim it back again.
I looked them up on google earth and Wow!!! The image was taken while we were there. The white blob behind the house is our camper.
mabynack
Explorer II
Jun 01, 2015
We stopped at an RV park near the Gulf of Mexico and the guy at the office gave us directions to get to our site that took us across the beach in soft sand.
Dave_Pete
Explorer II
Jun 01, 2015
Sorry about your marks. I like to keep things looking good too. But invariably I'll get something going and just like DJ said, same here in my state, we call it Wyoming pinstriping.

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