Rookie Mishap Report

[Mac]

Someone here said "they don't winter camp" and I disregarded it. I have had some issues so it has been almost a month since I went out so I went out last Thursday to the mountains again.

That voice in the gut kept saying "get new tires", even though they look brand new they are 10 years old. I said screw it, I'm going camping!

I get half way there and have a blow out on the freeway. It;s the left inboard tire. Yeah, it beats the crap out of everything under there. Luckily the only thing still okay was the propane line. The plastic wheel weel - smashed into a million small pieces, The fresh water pump head - smashed, the air line for the air bag - broken. The price for 2 tires reolaced on the side of the freeway - $542

Get to the campsite & I know I have no freashwater because the line between tank & pump was taken out. The Pump inlet connection is busted. The fixed water hook up comes in but goes into pump head at the pump connection and luckily doesn't leak if the pump inlet connection is busted. Problem is when there is a blizzard the hose & fresh water hook up freeze.

A lesson I thought I learned was NO AWNINGS WHEN IT ICES OR SNOWS! I will tell you this: when you get caught off guard & it snows wet & tturns into ice & you run out to roll up the awning manually because its so cold it won't roll up any other way - that huge sheet of ice can behead you if you don't know it's coming!

I had a roll of duct tape and a puzzle to patch up the wheel well to keep the animals out, but had no shovel for what was next!

The next morning I awoke to 9" of snow & was kinda excited but looked at the top of the clipper. It was light snow but got worried I was going to get caved in or something. I wouldn't have got so worried but I was snowed in & found out I had no can opener for my food, I left it my garagre after I borrowed it for some beers the night before I ventured out.

No showers was okay because it was just me & dog, my wifes stayed home because it was too cold. but all I had was a game hen & some vegetarian fake sausauge in the freezer.

Lessons learned - have a shovel onboard!!!!!!!! I had a 4 ft long pooper scooper shovel onboard & had to use it to dig tire paths to the main path that was plowed for 125ft in order to get out!
RV tires, I'm going to change them at least every 4 years, a brear blow out on a class C is not a good thing! Winter camping - forget about it! No toilet & having to do your busines in the snow wasn't as exiting as I remebered it! The truth of the matter is that I left my boots in the camp the first day, the next day things were covered in 3-4 inches of snow. Before I knew it, my shoes were lost & had to wear sandals in the snow. Luckily I'm a carpet cleaner & had shoe covers onboard but they don't keep your feet from freezing.

I need a big long 75' Monoco

[Hank Jourdin]

Mighty Mac!  Glad to here someone out there still seeking wild adventures,and having fun doing it in the snow. Just be glad the bears are sleeping or you may have ended  being supper. Hank Out!

[Horst]

Oh Man - that is one freaking rough trip!!
Not to pile on, but 10 year old tires (as you are now  painfully aware) are sketchy at best - even with 1000 or 2000 miles on them - that rubber ages.
The only thing they are good for is  local driving (under 30) to get to the nearest tire shop!
Your darn lucky it wasn't your front left - things can get really weird in a hurry at freeway speeds with a front left blowout.
No can opener? that really sucks.
I've been carrying a buck knife  since I've been 12 years old - always have one with me 24/7.
But I'd always beat them up pretty good using them in ways I shouldn't.
Then about 15 years ago, I finally got smart and started carrying a Leatherman too.
That Leatherman multi-tool has saved my ass so many times it's not even funny. I've opened plenty of cans with them (easy) and fixed countless things. And,  I've had the same Buck now for 9+ years - a record for me, since I use the Leatherman for all the stuff that used to kill my Buck knives
The Leatherman is one of the best things ever invented, and a required item for any Clipper!

[John Eversoll]

STRANGE"

I put a reply to your post and it seems it has been swallowed up into the web

forever....  where ever it went it sure was funny!

[USNRetired]

Hey Shipmate!!  I would laugh, but it isn't funny, is it?  I just got back from Montana, but drove my jeep up there and stayed at motels to and from!  I had a time schedule to keep and I'd still be on my way in the clipper.  ;-)  I'll say more when I have more time.  Wife just asked me to run to the store

[USNRetired]

I'm back!  Didn't have to go to the store afterall!  Found what she needed in the freezer.  

I have absolutely no desire to go camping in the snow, ever.  I grew up in and around Portland, Oregon.  Been camping up on Mount Hood more times than I can count, especially up around Bagby Hot Springs.  There is a nice state run camp ground 1/2 mile from the hot springs now, but back when I was a kid you had to drive in on a logging road to within 3 miles.  Set up camp in a place called Dutch Creek Shelter.  On a hot summer day, the water temp in the creek was about 35 degrees.  ;-)  Great for fishing, really invigerating for a quick dip after a long  hot hike.  But now I am allergic to campgrounds covered with snow!  My wife had a ball up in Idaho and Montana because of the snow.  She was born in Oceanside and grew up in Solana Beach.  Me?  I stayed in the warm car or motel room or restaurant where there was HOT COFFEE!!

I promised I wouldn't laugh Mac... sorry, I lied.  he he he he  he he he!!

Buy a John Wayne, hang it on a chain around your neck with a set of old dog tags.  That way they know who you are when they dig you out after the thaw.  The John Wayne is to open them cans of mystery meat and stuff.

Instead of that big Monaco, get some angle iron, build a frame extension, buy another Clipper and join two of them together using the rear axel of the second clipper to hold the extra length up.  Use some fiberglass patch work to seal everything up! ha ha ha ha!!  Talk about inovative!

[USNRetired]

Oh!! You never said where you went camping? 

[Mac]

Jim, I went to Oakzanita Springs near lake cuyamaca. I think for awhile I'm going to hang around beach campsites like the one you guys showed us. By the way those fish we caught in the surf were surf perch. They sure do stink when you cook them, so much so I couldn't eat it. Maybe because it was close the the nuclear power plant. LOL

[USNRetired]

Surf Perch?  The key to eating them is beer.  Drink it.  Then it's not noticable, especially if you drink enough. hahahahahahaha!!!  Did you check to see if they glowed in the dark?  If they didn't then you're safe - right?  :-)

Oakzanita - Snow?  Yes!  Stay near the big pond, it's warmer.  I am looking at all the parks along the coast heading north toward San Francisco.  It is amazing how many small military bases/facilities have RV Parks with full hookup or dump stations. 

[pop427]

Jim, I live by Pismo Beach. I have a big back yard (1 acre ) if you need a place to park overnight for free. My shop is back there also so you can have power. We are on a water well with the purest water you ever drank so you can also fill your tanks. Vandenburg is south of me about 30 miles and Camp Roberts is north about 50 miles but I'm close to the ocean. I'll pm you my cell phone in case you have a mechanical need.

Doug

[USNRetired]

Doug, I sent you an email response, a little late, but then again, sometimes I'm a little slow...     I hope we can hook up soon, I plan on heading north along the coast this summer... 

Wife has had a "trust" problem with the Clipper due to it's age, but I've taken her on several short trips 50-75 miles and she is becoming convinced that that old dodge engine runs really good.