Harrison Lake Adventure Truck Camper Saturday Morning

Yesterday, I got the electric bicycle onto the front carrier of the truck.  No small task, finding bungee cords, keys, locks. Eric, from Starfleet RV Repairs, had finished the improvements to the camper, second battery, tv mount, level indicators, new Venetian blind, coat hook.  Special little treats that personalized the already fabulous Alp Adventurer Camper.

 Laura arrived in her red Smart Car, pulling her overnight bag like a beautiful stewardess in Birkenstock’s and jeans.  Gilbert was beside himself with doggy glee to greet her.  I remembered to winch up the stabilizing struts of the camper with the remote.  Almost makes it feel like I’m preparing for a space ship take off. Next year. I’m in the space cadet program. My camper and truck a proto flitter. Gilbert my Chewy buddy and Laura, my Barbarella are with me.  We depart.    

At Fraserway RV we picked up our new mattress. Sounds like an easy thing.  Nope.  Lots of grunting and pulling to get the old 6 inch mattress out. Then with the help of a darling warehouse girl and handsome strong young man we all shoved the new 9 inch mattress into the camper catching the factory plastic on every door handle. Laura was not pleased with the extra ‘3 inches’.

“I had trouble getting up on the bed before. Now it’s three inches more. I don’t know how I’m going to do it.”  I witnessed a very creative struggling crawling pulling bed mount by Laura later.  To be honest, it was harder for me to mount the bed despite legs 3 or 4 x the length of Laura’s.  But the bed is still heavenly.  “I love bed!”  I opined. So comfortable.  

I arranged storage in Chilliwack with John. His son was there too. The two of them are such fine men my faith in the future is restored.  Good people. Caring and helpful.  John at Chilliwack RV Storage has helped me, above and beyond, so often over the last couple of decades I’ve stored an RV or camper there. His son last year was the muscle and genius behind my getting my KTM 690 motorcycle stored safely on a rack behind the old Camper.  We have the key to the gate for the return, our return when we drop off the camper. 

At Superstore Chilliwack where the weekend crowd was competing with Walmart for best dressed awards I got the steaks for the weekend. I’ve the little propane bottles for the barbecue this weekend.  We missed the Agassiz turn off so drove up to Hope only to find too much snow and the RV campground we like there closed still.  Back to Harrison, A little sight seeing along the way. The mountains around Hope were beautiful.  We saw a water fall frozen on the side of rock, a great fluffy snowy product of a white witch’s wand.  Lovely sunset as we passed through the truly pleasant and welcoming town of Agassiz, one of my favourite places next to Rosedale. 

Sure enough Glencoe RV park in downtown Harrison had our spot from last week free and waiting.  “Gilbert will recognize this.”  Laura said. I thought given the poor little guy is blind, it really is a good thing that I balance my own drive to explore new territory with his appreciation for the similiar.

This week there are several other RV’s here. Bookings are coming in for the rest of the month though. In summer this place is booked months in advance and the whole of the town is overflowing with tourists.  

I took Gilbert for a walk leaving Laura cursing, grunting, sputtering in a fight to the death with the new mattress and the sheets.  After Gilbert had reacquainted himself and marked his territory we returned to find that Laura had indeed vanquished the mattress.  She’s was not impressed when I said,”You won’t have to go to the gym this week.”  She’s not her normal self on Friday night. A week of patients demanding and angry at the waitlists and delays steals her normal joie de vie.  It’s takes hours of Gilbert, the therapy dog,  working his magic. I made her dinner, roast chicken and potato salad while Gilbert snuggled. Paper plates.   The people at Superstore had roasted the chicken and made the salad but left me all the heavy lifting of spooning and slicing. 

I tried setting up the tv but can’t find a cable plug on the outside wall. I did get DVD and tv working.  I love getting systems up and running.  Heater, refrigerator, shore water, electricity.  I might well be docking with my sailboat, the camper so like a land version of my yacht. 

Climbing into bed I loved the mattress.  So incredibly comfortable. I believe there’s a lot to be said for 9 inches over 6 inches but Laura insists that the 6 inches is easier to handle and leaves her more room. I hope no one heard that conversation . 

Great dreams of childhood adventures with friends.  Waking in this spectacular location, white capped mountains about, blue sky, Gilbert thankful that I lift him up on the bed so Laura can scratch his tummy. I love my indoor flush toilet and the electric fan.  I’m on my second cup of java and hearing the Manhattan Transfer singing in my mind, “I love coffee, I love tea, I love the Java, Java and it loves me.”  I heard them play at the Vancouver PNE and they were terrific. 

I might be coming down with a cold, raspy throat, sinus, but it’s probably the pollen. This is the BC time of hay fever. A Reactine with the coffee. A further reason to rest and do nothing except walk the dog and maybe get on the bicycle for an electric ride.  Life is good.  The winds of mood blow through with the endearing love of fair winds and following seas. This is just that. Some time this afternoon I’m going to ‘take the healing waters’  of Harrison Hotsprings.  I love this roughing it wilderness camping in downtown Harrison’s Lake. 

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Alp Adventurer 86FB Truck Camper - first journey

I’m in heaven.  Laura, Gilbert and I are in Harrison Hot Springs in my new to me 2017 Alp Adventurer 86FB Truck Camper. It is a truly skookum home away from home, the weekend cottage on wheels.  There’s snow on the ground outside but the propane and electric furnace kept us warm. We arrived last night in the dark.

Roy, our salesman at Fraserway handed us over to this bright delightful young guy who did the final walk around with Laura and I.  

“He’s really cute,” Laura said. 

I liked that he could answer all my technical questions succinctly. He’d make a good teacher. Despite having had a camper I learned some really useful ‘tricks’.  I’d asked for a ladder to be installed and loved it. Like a King I climbed to the top of my new domain and surveyed my territory. 

“The roof is made so you can walk on it.” He’d told me. “ There are no leaks but the only way to keep units that way is to check the calking and seals regularly.  Every three months it’s a good idea to go round and make sure with the travel and movement no seal has opened up. “ 

I loved the refrigerator with it’s automatic closing of electricity or propane depending on whether we were plugged in or not. 

The unit had been winterized for storage so had non toxic antifreeze in the lines. He purged these for us showing where the hose is that can be used to draw non toxic antifreeze into the system as well as which valves to turn on and off for this price. 

I liked again the accessibility of the black water and grey water outlet, the panels showing whether they were empty or full. The black water was empty but the grey water sensor said full.  He ran  off the grey water there, suggesting I watch the sensor and emptying as it hadn’t emptied as robustly as he would like. 

“Sometimes sludge in the tank.  If that’s it, you just fill the tank then stand inside and rock it a few times and purge. That usually clears the sensor or the sludge.” 

He showed me where the Happy Jack Electric Jack fuses were and how to use the manual jack if the electric failed.  On my previous camper the electric jacks had often failed so I was well versed in manual operation and thankful for this new system.  Further it came with a remote which was really an improvement allowing me to do all jacks together or one at a time.  

It even had a solar panel battery charger already installed with a panel showing the state of the new battery as well as effectiveness of the new solar panel. I had one of the earliest solar electricity systems on my offshore sailboat 25 years ago so appreciate how the technology has advanced.

The propane stove was nothing new to me but I did appreciate him showing me how to light the oven pilot light again. “The trick is holding it for 10 seconds once it’s lighted so it stays on.”  I’ve generally not used propane ovens because I obviously haven’t been patient with the lighting process. I can see using this oven now knowing the problem is me not the technologg.

Both Laura and I love the toilet and shower in the Adventurer.  The Jensen sound system with blue tooth, DVD and USB, indoor and outdoor speakers is going to bring us joy. I imagine a candlelight dinner with Laura and Gilbert and  Mozart playing quietly in the back ground 

The best though was loading the camper onto the back of my truck.  With my last camper I’d repeatedly banged up the truck box and camper in this process.

“This is how I do it ,” he said.  Well, his technique which can be used solo or with a spotter involved lining up the wheel wells from the ‘danger zone’ under the camper and simply going back and forth multiple times and checking the alignment on both sides. John, from Chilliwack RV Storage in Yarrow had used a similiar technique.  John is my favourite  wiseman when it comes to vehicles and campers. Now I know what he was aligning when he was giving me directions for backing up.   I had had  this weird idea that one could just back in directly. Naturally this Captain Ron ‘docking’ technique hadn’t worked so well for novice me.  Slow and easy and multiple checks is the future which will save this camper the experience of it’s predecessor.  I also won’t have to kidnap and tie up one of these guys to have with me when I want to load or unload the camper.   

The new tie downs are space age, expensive but a major time saver.  My iron extension connections under the truck had rusted but with my approval and encouragement the guys freed them up with  application of the ball preen hammer philosophy. No damage but a quick solution. 

“Here’s a new manual.” He said in parting. 

“What was his name?” I asked Laura later.   

“I don’t know.” She said. “I don’t think I ever got his name.”  

The anonymous tech assistant might well have been  the Lone Ranger having done his good deed but left us to ride off into the sunset.

Victor was waiting in Chilliwack. As his friend had bought the old camper as a wreck, Victor  been kind enough to stow the contents in his garage.  Victor’s new home and garage are the envy of all men with his Harley trike project almost complete in the centre of the garage with moose and deer racks all around the upper walls.  Definitely it’s fast becoming a major ‘men’s meeting space’. Screw women’s town and country homes, by all men’s standards, this is an award winning garage.  

“That’s a nice unit.” He said as we we handed Laura the kitchen boxes so she could load them into the cupboards over the sink. I put the old tools in the space under the outside door. Lots of clothes and books went into the back of the truck to be taken home as we were going to have be be a bit more utilitarian with this camper.  I just seem to collect clutter but then the last we’d used the other camper had been in hunting season so there was a lot of fall and winter clothing and tools for that activity. Nothing we’d need in the spring and summer.  

“Thank you, Victor.” Laura and I said sincerely as we departed.  What a great guy with a skookum garage.  Thanks to him we’d been able to get the old camper to his friend in the winter and now load this new camper with the kitchen ware, tools and barbecue for spring camping.   

We headed out with him waving to us in the mirror. “Happy Trails.” was playing in my mind. 

Last stop, Superstore for weekend groceries.  While we have less open space without the slide I really like not having a slide on a camper. Great on RV’s but slides on campers make the interior space less functional when closed.  This task of unloading groceries into the refrigerator was a trial in the old camper with the slide but a breeze with this one.  Further if we had to pull over for a nap on a trip no one would know. 

It was 6 pm and dark as we headed on to Harrison’s.  I’d decided we’d find something close where we knew our way about rather than heading out into the wilderness campsites this first weekend.  Glencoe RV campgrounds in Harrison was open.  The delightful manager welcomed us and wished us well with our new camper.  Harrison’s has several RV campgrounds, the provincial campground out of town and many wilderness campsites further north.  Here we were right across from the Harrison Hotsprings Town Pool which I certainly will be partaking of. Healing soothing waters are calling to my aging aching body.   We’ve often been to the fabulous Harrison Hot Springs resort or stayed at the Bungalow cabins or the luxurious Beach Hotel but this is the first time in a camper. With snow on the ground and ice on the roads we’re the only camper in the park.

The Happy Jacks made set up easy. I had connection to the shore power electricity on. The furnace worked with one button and the freezer was automatic. I didn’t have a slide to worry about. Laura had the bed made. Gilbert had his walk and sniff.  

We had a glorious sleep in the quiet of the sleeping town. Now it’s a new day and I’m so pleased with Fraserway RV and this new to me Adventurer Truck Camper.  We learned that these rental units are most commonly used for trips from BC to Alaska or up through the Rockies.  I imagine we’ll be taking this unit in time to places it’s been bringing joy to others as it will bring to us.  Gilbert loves it.  From the ashes of the poor old Palimino this Adventurer has arisen.  I do like roughing it with furnace heat, refrigerator, hot and cold running water, electricity and wifi. Now that I’ve had coffee and made Laura coffee I may have to walk Gilbert down to the little cafe that makes the best egg and bacon sandwiches in the world. 

2017 ALP Adventurer 86FB Truck Camper

I”m here at Fraserway RV having put the deposit down on a 2017 Adventurer Truck Camper.  It was used as a rental and is now up for sale.

The fact is I destroyed the 2000 Palimino camper I got last year. I needed one as a place to live for a month while I was having home repairs so it certainly served it’s purpose.  Laura, Gilbert and I loved camping in it. Indeed when I was in Africa I just kept thinking about our truck camper experiences outside of Princeton along the river there.  I sold off last year’s camper and this year I’m getting a good one. Even the insurance guy I had look at it said there was nothing he could do because there was so much pre existing damage.  It’s one advantage had been it was cheap. 

It turned out it had had previous leaks and repairs. But really, I made every mistake known to man. I even drove away with the struts down. I realized immediately.  It’s  not a good thing to do. Mack and Dave helped me straighten out the struts after that fiasco.
I also backed into a hanging tree limb.  I’d not wondered what was stopping me from going backwards but never thought to look up.  Erik came buy and fixed that embarrassment.
Something hit the front end too and my gorilla duct tape just didn’t cut it.
I also didn’t line up the camper properly, backing up once and really banged the bottom.
Then there was the time the jacks seized.  Using the mechanical winch I had it twisted all to hell worrying that it was going to topple over.
It was a steep learning curve. I never knew what I’d do wrong.  

Now a fellow who is handy with time on his hands is happily going to rebuild the roof and enjoy it.  What’s one man’s junk is another’s treasure.
I am so thankful that I didn’t have a new one or I could have destroyed that. There’s a lot to be said about starting low.   These truck campers new go from $30000 to $100,000.  

Frazerway Rents these Alp Adventurers then fixes them up like new when they sell them a year or two later. I’m pleased.  It’s my birthday present to myself.  

Laura is ecstatic. I think the Greenwood Motel experience last fall, with the hair in the bed and poop on the towels, finalized her preference for campers. We really do love the camper/trailer experience.  I’m no longer really into tenting.  Laura was off tenting with the grizzly bear warnings at the wilderness campground a couple of years back. I still like to blame her for my no longer liking roughing it.  The fact is Gilbert and I love the luxury and comfort too. Gilbert is such a suck! He lies on the bed with Laura and lets her rub his tummy. If she stops, he hits her with his paw. I like having coffee at the table looking at the rain outside the window.

The trick is getting the indoor shower and vanity.  There’s cheaper and lesser models without the shower but I really like the shower.  

This Adventurer is perfect. I’d emailed Ray Konynenbelt what I was looking for and he got back to me with several options. The 2017 ALP Adventurer 86FB turned out to be the ticket.

Now I’m here just waiting to deal with the paper work and financing. We’re hoping to be camping next weekend when it will be ready to pick up.  I love the Canadian outdoors.