Expanding horizons, June 16, 2017

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Up to this point the range of my hikes has been dictated by leaving, hiking and returning home the same day.  I have been looking to expand my hiking area by adding day(s) to my explorations.  I’ve never really been a hotel person when getting out for hiking/photographing or fishing, not that I don’t like hotels, generally they just aren’t located at the trailhead or trout stream of choice.  So for the past period of time I have been looking for a large pickup and an in-bed truck camper.

This all started a few years ago the first time I saw a popup truck camper passing through town.  Before that I had never seen or heard of a pop-up camper.  From there, the internet took me to numerous websites of campers, manufacturers and miscellaneous sites related to truck camping.  Earlier this year I found the truck and in June I found the camper.  It is made by Hallmark in Colorado, which is conveniently close.  Since that discovery, I have been following their site looking at their new campers while really watching for a used one.  I also regularly searched ebay and Craigslist.  My persistence paid off when I saw a used pop-up camper of interest for sale.

After speaking with Matt, of Hallmark, and getting photos I decided I had to make the trip through Denver to the Hallmark plant in Ft Lupton.  We met and looked at a few of the used campers that had recently come in before looking at the K2.  I am impressed by the overall construction and how much storage space can be packed into a small camper.  We went over the features of the K2 and after thinking how this particular camper fit my expectations I decided to make an offer.  My truck was not ready to take the camper; instead I would have to return the following week to have camper tie downs and the electrical connections installed.

With the purchase of the camper my truck will no longer reside in the garage.  I had an alarm system installed the day before returning to Denver.  The last thing I want is to look out in my driveway and see that my truck/camper is not where I left it.

While excited at picking up the camper I am not looking forward to the Denver traffic again.  On my first trip I had passed through during the middle of the day – lots of traffic, then left in the late afternoon – even more traffic.  This time on the way up I passed through in the evening – traffic started backing up in Colorado Springs occasionally opening up between there and Denver.  My trip home started well until my Garmin announced that southbound I-25 to NM was closed.

I was in the Hallmark facility most of the day.  It is a small operation with probably a couple dozen people working on any of the 10 or so campers in various stages of construction.  I got to practice backing my truck under the camper then observed as it was fastened to the truck, receiving instructions on what to look for when installing the camper.  Before taking ownership Matt walked me through and had me operate the hardware for a better understanding on how everything worked.  This was a part of the 3+ page checklist on how things work along with additional lists for closing up when travelling and putting the camper to bed at the end of the season.  He answered all my questions and I felt comfortable when I drove off.

As I mentioned earlier I-25 was closed as I was leaving the Denver area.  I was rerouted back into Denver then on to US285 for a climb into the mountains before turning south to NM.  As I was climbing out of Denver I was somewhat concerned that the truck was working quite hard, but after an hour of hurry up and wait on the climb I passed a sign saying I was up at 10,000’.  At this elevation the meadows are in full green, rivers are flowing hard and the tops of the mountains are still snow covered.

I made it home quite late; not having any camping gear or food meant I would not be camping overnight on this trip.  During the drive home I am taking the crash course on using the truck’s side mirrors.  I only see the black of the shuttered camper window in the center rear view mirror.

Over the next week I work through the camper; testing the water, electrical, gas systems along any other items I feel I need to be familiar with before my first campout.  Each system has its own learning experience.  I learn quickly where the water shutoff valves are when water starts dripping from open valves.  Fortunately I do not have the same challenges with the gas and electrical systems.  Both the water heater and refrigerator work as advertised.  We had tried the furnace at the Hallmark plant so I felt I didn’t need to turn on the furnace when it was already 95 in the camper setting in the driveway.

The following weekend I decide to sleep in the camper while parked in my driveway.  In particular I want to know if the mattress will be too hard, too soft or just right.  Traffic is buzzing up and down the street as I go to bed so it takes a while for me to adjust to all the noise I cannot hear from my bedroom at the rear of the house.   All of a sudden the street goes quiet and I fall asleep.  I wake in the middle of the night, usual stuff, but manage to fall back to sleep until it is time to get up.  By the way, the mattress is firmer that I am used to but not bad.

The next week I am thinking of the stuff I need, and think I need, for a successful camping trip.  I hit Camping World to see what is available.  I make purchases at Wal-Mart, Dollar Store, and various other stores while scrounging the rest from the house.

Next installment:  Chaco Canyon trip

Thank you for stopping by,

Mark