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12/15/2011 10:16:03 AM
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anutami
Posts 81
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Great Way to explore ABDSP is by Truck Camper and a 4x4 truck. These make great base camps, and can get virtually anywhere through the park. I have been all the way through Fish Creek to Sanstone Canyon, Pinyon MTN Rd, Pinyon Wash, Indian Canyon, June Wash, Oriflamme Canyon, and Mine Wash.
edited by anutami on 12/15/2011
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12/15/2011 5:26:41 PM
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hikerdmb
Posts 229
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I agree about the truck camper. We really love our camper.
Here we are camped above Clark Lake last December. It was much wetter last year at this time as you can tell from the water on the lake bed. We are just off the Truckhaven Trail at a somewhat level spot.
Here we are camped above Little Blair Valley on Memorial Day weekend a couple of years ago. That was a great trip, very cool weather for the end of May.
I also have taken the truck and camper through some other places in the desert. We went the full distance of the Bradshaw Trail a few years back. That trail goes from the Salton Sea to the Colorado River. It's not very rough but it is a long all dirt trail. Here is a pic from that trip.
Welcome to the forum. I look forward to some trip reports to see where your camper goes. How far up Pinyon Mountain Road have you been with your camper? There is a fairly rough and rocky section as you get up toward the wide area where the Whale Peak trail starts. I once pulled a full size truck off those rocks after he had high centered.
David
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12/15/2011 6:14:46 PM
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dsefcik
Posts 546
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I used to have a camper on my old '63 Chevy C20. It was one of those classic Six-Pac 1980 models. It was great when I would go with my wife and young kids, just roll up, kick out the cooler and spare tire and we were done. Back in those days we could ride IN the camper and we had a pass thru in the rear window, my kids would even crawl thru it to go from the truck cab to the camper. Since I pretty much camp solo these days I am happy with my shell and truck bed or just out on the ground.
Speaking of truck campers and ABDSP, anybody know who the guy is in Ocotillo that has the big hand built wooden camper on his truck??
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http://www.darensefcik.com
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12/15/2011 6:19:23 PM
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hikerdmb
Posts 229
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Hey Daren,
Do you have a pic of the hand built camper you saw?
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12/15/2011 6:28:11 PM
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dsefcik
Posts 546
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hikerdmb wrote:
Hey Daren,
Do you have a pic of the hand built camper you saw?
no...but i can/will after next week..i am gonna go out this weekend for a few days and will take a picture.
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
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12/16/2011 8:59:13 AM
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anutami
Posts 81
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Thanks for the welcome, came across this forum researching a trip to Cougar Canyon we are looking to do after xmas. Looks like this forum is right up my alley as I do approx 5-10 trips to ABDSP a year. Still trying to figure out how to post better pictures as I am not that computer savy.
I made it all the way to the Whale Peak Trailhead on Pinyon Mountain Road. Just put it in 4wd low and rolled right over everything. I have an 01 F350 diesel crew cab stick shift so I am very long. Only had 2 scrapes with the rails on my truck, and 1 scrape with the jacks on a rock. A kind soul in a 4runner guided me over the huge protruding boulder. No damage, but it was stressfull, especially with the kids wrestling around while I was driving. The road is also not level and had the truck at some crazy angles angles as well. Also had a lot of run in's with nolina, scraping my sides. That road is about as extreme as I want to go with my truck and camper. We camped at the trailhead then backpacked to the summit of whale peak for the night. It was my 6 and 4 year olds first backpacking trip! Pic below is our campsite at the whale peak trailhead. On the way out I put a DVD on for the kids to keep them settled down and only skipped the dvd player once!
Headed up Pinyon Mtn Road
Headed up Pinyon Mtn Road
Camped at the Trailhead
Head back out from Pinyon MTN Road
The huge protruding Boulder on Pinyon MTN Road
edited by anutami on 12/18/2011
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12/16/2011 9:44:22 AM
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hikerdmb
Posts 229
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That is amazing that you made it up that far. Good driving skills! I bet that last part where the road is one huge rut was pretty sketchy. I am surprised that didn't get the kids' attention with the off camber stuff in there. I think it is great your kids made it up Whale Peak. I have been up there many times and have never seen anyone even close to that age. They must be great kids.
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12/16/2011 3:46:50 PM
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surfponto
Posts 480
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Thanks for posting your truck/camper setup.
Have always wanted something similar but now we are in Land Cruiser /Rooftop tent mode 
Someday when my wife will let me I want to put a 4-Wheel Pop Up camper on her Tacoma
I have to fix this forum software and the way it handles uploaded files. Seems to truncate them.
Welcome to the forum,
Bob
anutami wrote:
Great Way to explore ABDSP is by Truck Camper and a 4x4 truck. These make great base camps, and can get virtually anywhere through the park. I have been all the way through Fish Creek to Sanstone Canyon, Pinyon MTN Rd, Pinyon Wash, Indian Canyon, June Wash, Oriflamme Canyon, and Mine Wash.
edited by anutami on 12/15/2011
edited by surfponto on 12/16/2011
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12/16/2011 3:54:58 PM
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surfponto
Posts 480
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Currently the best way to embed pics is to link to them with the image option
This requires they are uploaded to a server somewhere (Picasa - Google) or some of the other free one's.
For some reason the file upload functionality does not work that great 
anutami wrote:
Thanks for the welcome, came across this forum researching a trip to Cougar Canyon we are looking to do after xmas. Looks like this forum is right up my alley as I do approx 5-10 trips to ABDSP a year. Still trying to figure out how to post better pictures as I am not that computer savy.
!
edited by surfponto on 12/16/2011
edited by surfponto on 12/16/2011
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12/16/2011 6:07:20 PM
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anutami
Posts 81
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edited by anutami on 12/17/2011
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2/14/2012 12:25:13 PM
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DRT Lakeside
Posts 15
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Took some not so good pics of a home built camper/truck that we usually see on the way out of Ocotillo. Not sure if it is the one mentioned in this forum, but it is definitely unique.
Nice craftsmanship and you gotta love the fullsize "Whirlybird" roof vent on it. Looks like it has a lot of underneath storage and a porch of some sort on the back. I have never seen it moving though, it is always parked when we see it.
Here are a couple of crummy pics, I didn't want to creep around the front of their house too long. You can see much more detail if you download them full size.
link
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2/14/2012 6:16:24 PM
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dsefcik
Posts 546
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Yep, that's it...I never stopped to take a picture...but someone likes to work with wood..!!
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
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2/21/2012 10:32:25 PM
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kylekai
Posts 11
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We just spent the weekend off Indian Gorge road, hiking Torote Canyon and exploring other nearby areas. Beautiful weather. It's amazing such a beautiful place can be so close to such a large noisy city.
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2/22/2012 5:31:57 AM
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dsefcik
Posts 546
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Indian Gorge is one of my favorite places...last weekend looked like a very busy camping weekend for sure, we saw lots of people out.
Welcome to the forums!
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http://www.darensefcik.com
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2/22/2012 7:46:43 AM
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hikerdmb
Posts 229
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Nice camper and welcome to the forum. Can't wait to see where you take your rig. Indian Valley is definitely a great place. Did you go all the way up through the gorge with the camper? I know it is a bit narrow in a couple of spots.
David
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2/22/2012 8:04:25 AM
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kylekai
Posts 11
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We camped on the North Indian Canyon road, right after it forks from Indian Gorge. The next morning we went to the end of the North Indian Canyon and hiked around. The road was narrow at times, and it took some creative steering!
About a month ago we camped at Bow Willow and hiked around the trails there:
edited by kylekai on 2/22/2012
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2/22/2012 8:17:03 AM
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surfponto
Posts 480
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I really like all of these truck popup camper options.
I am hoping to pick up one for my wife's Tacoma in the next couple years after I get tired of climbing up the ladder into the rooftop tent.
What's nice about the 4-Wheel popup campers is that they can hake some off road abuse and they are pretty compact when folded down.
edited by surfponto on 2/22/2012
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2/22/2012 8:23:05 AM
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surfponto
Posts 480
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Not sure how well that would handle off-road 
DRT Lakeside wrote:
Took some not so good pics of a home built camper/truck that we usually see on the way out of Ocotillo. Not sure if it is the one mentioned in this forum, but it is definitely unique. Nice craftsmanship and you gotta love the fullsize "Whirlybird" roof vent on it. Looks like it has a lot of underneath storage and a porch of some sort on the back. I have never seen it moving though, it is always parked when we see it. Here are a couple of crummy pics, I didn't want to creep around the front of their house too long. You can see much more detail if you download them full size. link
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http://www.anzaborrego.net/
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2/22/2012 12:59:54 PM
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anutami
Posts 81
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Nice hallmark! Looks brand new. Did you drive to Colorado and pick it up? Indian gorge is an awesome place to boondock with a truck camper. Looks like you have solar panels which are essential in camping off the grid. I just installed a wave 3 catalytic heater in my eagle cap. It makes no noise and is much more efficient than a standard furnace. Can't wait to hear of other areas you get your rig to. You just have to watch out for the smoke trees, but the scrapes add character.
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2/22/2012 1:43:00 PM
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anutami
Posts 81
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I drove by on Sunday and that guy also has a full size dodge truck with a camper shell made out of the same wood construction.
DRT Lakeside wrote:
Took some not so good pics of a home built camper/truck that we usually see on the way out of Ocotillo. Not sure if it is the one mentioned in this forum, but it is definitely unique. Nice craftsmanship and you gotta love the fullsize "Whirlybird" roof vent on it. Looks like it has a lot of underneath storage and a porch of some sort on the back. I have never seen it moving though, it is always parked when we see it. Here are a couple of crummy pics, I didn't want to creep around the front of their house too long. You can see much more detail if you download them full size. link |
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2/22/2012 3:26:38 PM
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kylekai
Posts 11
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anutami wrote:
Nice hallmark! Looks brand new. Did you drive to Colorado and pick it up? Indian gorge is an awesome place to boondock with a truck camper. Looks like you have solar panels which are essential in camping off the grid. I just installed a wave 3 catalytic heater in my eagle cap. It makes no noise and is much more efficient than a standard furnace. Can't wait to hear of other areas you get your rig to. You just have to watch out for the smoke trees, but the scrapes add character.
Yes, it's less than a year old. This is my 3rd TC, and I knew what I wanted when I ordered it. I flew out to Colorado last April, toured the factory, and placed my order. Then I drove out mid-June, picked it up, and spent the summer driving it all over the western US with my 11-year-old son. There were some initial problems with the TC, as usual, but Hallmark has great customer service and fixed all the issues ASAP. The solar helps a lot (I can't stand the noise and exhaust from generators). It also has an electric refer, so I don't have to worry about parking on level ground or running out of propane. The refer is a lot quieter than I thought it would be. I've only taken the TC to the local desert a few times, but I know what you mean about the smoke trees. They have a tendency to reach out and grab your vehicle as you pass by!
Here's a picture of my first TC at Death Valley. A 2006 Northstar 650 on a 2006 Ford F250. TC and truck both had their issues. My current has virtually none.
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2/22/2012 3:45:35 PM
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dsefcik
Posts 546
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Bob who runs this forum helped me get my new Dodge truck initiated a couple years ago driving out thru Carrizo Gorge...
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http://www.darensefcik.com
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2/22/2012 3:57:37 PM
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surfponto
Posts 480
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Glad I could help break her in
I do like those big diesel trucks
dsefcik wrote:
Bob who runs this forum helped me get my new Dodge truck initiated a couple years ago driving out thru Carrizo Gorge...
edited by surfponto on 2/22/2012
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2/22/2012 4:27:35 PM
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hikerdmb
Posts 229
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Daren,I think a little wax and elbow grease and those will buff right out.
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2/22/2012 5:03:06 PM
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dsefcik
Posts 546
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hikerdmb wrote:
Daren,I think a little wax and elbow grease and those will buff right out.
I have tried, some do but others do not..also, it would just be a waste of time...I am going back out next week again...
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