Announcement New Raindrop Waiting To Be Picked Up!

Camp-Inn #408 560 raindrop is completed and I just mailed in the final check so it's mine! I'll be picking it up April 7th or 8th depending on how quickly we make the drive from Spokane. I'd better get a busy installing my hitch! We are leaving Necedah with the trailer for a long trip so I'll have to be careful to pack everything to outfit the trailer (or make lots of stops on the way to buy gear ).

By the way, I should mention that no one should order a hitch from a company called eurohitches (www.eurohitches.com). They have been terrible. I ordered my hitch last March. It finally arrived four months later, and it was the wrong hitch. I have been fighting with them ever since trying to get them to send me a replacement and they have done nothing but make empty promises and ignore me.

 

Very cool. And thanks for the heads up on eurohitches.
Steve

 

Congrats, Mewton! So where are you headed after you pick your trailer up?

 

Congrats! Very excited for you!

 

After picking up the trailer we are heading towards Alabama. At the end of two weeks we will end up at my sister in law's place in Opp AL and I will fly out to work for two weeks. When I get back we will either take two weeks working our way back home or head to Tucson where my wife will stay with her other sister and I go to work again and then use another two weeks off working our way back home when I get back. I haven't set our itinerary yet but I want to make a stop near Omaha to visit old friends then stop for a couple days in the smokey mountains, maybe camp a few days on the coast of Florida. From there it depends if we are going to Arizona or not. If so I'd like to visit the Carlsbad caverns and Grand Canyon if not we will probably spend some time in the Ozarks and in any case I'd like to stop and spend a couple days at Arches NP on the way home. I've bought camping books on all the regions we will be passing through so we can always find backup campgrounds. It should be one heck of a shakedown tour. Later this summer I hope to make it to Yellowstone for a week and I'd like to make it back to the Olympics for a week in August.

 

Wow - you're a lucky guy to be able to take off half of each month. Hopefully you won't bring as much junk as we did on our first road trip.

 

It's a trade off Evan, I get half of each month off but I also have to be away from my family half of each month. It works if you make the most of the time you do have off. After picking up the camper this spring I don't expect to spend a lot of time at home while the weather is good.

 

A fingerprint! AAAAAAGH! ;-) LOL...

Thanks Jenn, even though I've seen all the build pictures I'm sure it looks different (better!) in person. I've been having a really hard time concentrating on work when I really want to go home and jump in the car and drive to pick it up. I spent the last two weeks either packing for the upcoming trip or shopping for goodies for the trip, and although I packed more than I wanted (I'm going to need the roof carrier) I'm pretty sure I didn't bring as much as Evan! ;-)

Our itinerary is pretty well set now. After picking up the trailer we are heading for the Great Smokey Mts NP, then Florida campgrounds for a week before going to the in-laws. On the way back we will stop in the Ozarks, then Omaha (family and friends), then we will go through the Badlands and Black Hills before heading home.

 

I left a finger print on it for you!

When Cary showed me yours and I went over to tell it you would be here soon, "Don't TOUCH!"

Based upon my personal experience touring the factory and touching a new trailer, Cary does yell at you for touching the trailers.

After touching the new trailers, he then had to clean my print off. I learned my lesson, don't touch ready to ship teardrops!

 

Hey, Greg, Congratulations!
When you're in the general vicinity of Tuscaloosa, AL, give a wave from the road to my folks who live there. Hopefully, we'll drive there ourselves with our new 550 somtime next fall.

 

Oh wow! Congratulations! I can totally relate to not being able to concentrate on anything else - What a great time you and your family are going to have!

Ozarks: If you end up in the Hot Springs, AR area the Ouchita State Park is very nice - Three Sisters area - it's 20 minss. from our home and very beautiful. If you end up in Hot Springs (the whole city is a National Park) the actual "Park" part of it is called The Gorge and is beautiful and has full hook ups, a hiking trail up the mountain (very kid friendly) a running sream and about 10 degrees cooler than the rest of the area.

Enjoy your new drop! We're on our Maiden Voyage now!

 

Thanks for the recommendation. Lake Ouchita State Park does look nice,http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/lakeouachita/. I hadn't decided exactly where we were going to go in the Ozarks but right now this is probably on the top of the list.

 

The shakedown tour. 4686 miles of highway, who knows how many more on "adventures". Even though I'm very excited and can't wait to go I have to admit I'm a little worried about a shakedown tour this long and how our little Jetta TDI will hold up towing the 560. Not that I'd let that stop me! When I get back I'll be sure to let you all know how it went.

 

Whoa, not even gonna try stopping in Yellowstone to see if the 560 is bear proof?

JP

 

Wow, what a trip. I am very jealous. Have a great time! Look forward to the pictures and stories.

 

Looks like you're gonna get a Long Haul badge for that trek.

 

JP, naw, Yellowstone is close enough for us to visit on a separate trip later (maybe even this summer). I wanted to concentrate our time as far away as possible, who knows when we will make it back.

Evan, I hadn't thought of that. When I looked it up and saw it was 5000 miles in one trip. Dang, I might have to come up with a 5 to 7 hundred mile detour to put us over the top! ;-)

 

To add a few miles you could change e to f to a drive up the mighty mississippi. Beautiful views, Bald Eagles, good variety of camping spots. In Arkansas we like the Bull Showles area in the NW corner. Have fun!

 

That shakedown tour looks like a great adventure I am sure you will have a wonderful time,be safe and send pictures.

 

I am jealous. This is one great adventure. Please keep us posted.
Steve