Summer Vacation 2009
Aug 19, 2009 | 09:27 AM
#1
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From: Auburn, Washington
Summer Vacation 2009
Last year I hit up Mount Rainier National Park and did not get much peace.
People constantly stopped to ask me about my roof top tent, cars, hikers, ect would slow down to gawk.
Nothing wrong with that, but I was there to relax, not play salesman.
This year I decided to hit up the forest service roads past the little town of Greenwater.
I have camped quite extensively up there in the past with my two sons when they were younger.
It is all back country camping with no tables or other pay camp site amenities.
I always try to get by a creek or river so I have a water source for getting water for dish washing instead of using up my supply or having to bring a ton of water along.
I arrived up there around 7:10 am and a lot of the good spots were already taken, so I settled for one that was a little smaller than I wanted, but it was smack dab on the creek.
Beyond my tents window the creek was only a few feet.
The creek there had split into three forks with a calmer one on my side.
Down where I was there were no views of majestic Mount Rainier, but if you drive further up the forest service roads you are treated to fantastic views of the mountain.
Also the area I was in has a road that goes to the top of Sun Top Mountain Lookout, an old fire lookout that was used years ago.
Today it has been restored and is more like a visitor center where you can stop by and talk with the attendant who lives there for a duration.
From up there you can view numerous peaks to be on the lookout for fires.
Also in that general area are some of the best mountain biking trails around.
One such trail is Skookum Flats.
The link above says to enter the trail from a different forest service road, but there are a few different ways to get on it.
As soon as you turn off for the area I camped at, it is on your left only a minute in.
You can see in a few of the pictures below the entrance to the trail.
It does turn into some gnarly single track a ways in.
This entrance too was about a one mile ride from my campsite.
I rode part of the trail, but I did not get to do the whole thing.
One weekend day I am going to head back up there just to ride the trail then head home afterwards.
It is only a short 36 miles from my door.
From my door to my campsite it was about 38.9 miles.
This is why I like the area, you have lots of back country camping, and it is close to home.
I have gone up there for years and not seen all what the area has to offer.
My brother arrived later that morning on his expedition motorcycle, a BMW R1200.
His bike is all setup for expedition use which it has seen quite a bit of.
He has onboard air for airing backup after airing down for back country travel.
Nice aluminum cases for holding gear and a lot more.
After we retired that evening a college age crowd came into a site across the creek from us, they were noisy until 3 am the first night.
Barking dogs, screaming, all the kinds of stuff that would get you kicked out of a pay campsite.
Kind of took the joy out of camping that first night up there.
The conversion I did to my Zodi shower earlier in the year worked out great.
When taking a shower you just pull the trigger on the kitchen faucet sprayer, and let go to stop the flow.
This works much better than the head that comes stock on the Zodi showers.
And using the new Outback Privy tent was great, it sets up much quicker than the PETT one that came with my PETT toilet system I bought last year.
There are also more pictures in the Camping Gear Review thread on the forum.
I am going to look into a helmet cam system too for taking pictures and shooting videos while mountain biking.
My digital camera is a little to big to carry along on a trail, and I would have been upset if I had dropped it, as some areas on the trail are quite rough.
A helmet cam would be perfect for that.
Also made a new video on setting up the tent to replace the driveway one I made last year.
This shows you the ease of setting up my style of roof top tent and deploying the ladder.
It can not get much easier than that.
On my way out I also stopped at a favorite campsite I use to take my sons to long ago when we had the tent trailer.
Back up into the site, and you could park within feet of the small hill to walk right down into the same creek I was at this time so you could park a camping chair out in it to the side, or get out where it ran faster and body surf.
There was also a nice ten foot swimming hole there.
The site is ruined now, half of it has been washed away by past storms and the creek changing its course.
Now the creek is further away.
I could hear it, but not see it.
Funny how things change over the years like that.
It was one of the better sites up there.
Here are some pictures I took up there.
Most are just shots around the campsite, as there was not a whole lot else to look at.
If I had that helmet cam, I could have got some nice shots along the White River of Skookum Flats mountain bike trail.
Arrival at the site, setting up the tent.
I have a few other videos to go through still.
Closeup of the solar panel setup to keep the batteries charged while running the fridge and tents 12v interior light.
My backwoods still
Actually it is the Zodi shower setup.
Works fantastic, I should have tried it washing the dishes, but did not think to do so.
Toiletry kit I have had for years.
Tree made a good spot for it and the tent stake hammer.
Cabelas folding picnic table.
Perfect for back country camping where there are no sites setup such as pay campgrounds.
I have a Cabelas roll top table too I bought months back, but I did not see the need to set it up.
This table was fine for eating at and holding extra stuff.
The new expedition rig, a 2009 Specialized Rockhopper Pro.
It came in handy for exploring the area, and hitting up Skookum Flats mountain bike trail.
My brothers expedition motorcycle, a BMW R1200 GS.
Solar panel voltage reading in indirect sunlight.
It puts out around 18.5 v with more sunlight.
My brothers tent.
He also has the Big Agnes sleeping bag system that has the blow up mattress that fits into a sleeve on the bottom of the sleeping bag.
Nice, as it keeps you from rolling off the pad.
I use to hate that when backpacking Mt. Rainier years ago,
I would wake up rolled halfway off of my Thermorest mattress.
All those cases on the bike make bringing gear an ease.
Huckleberry Creek from the bridge which is just beyond the entrance to our site and to the right a short distance.
You can see two forks here, and down by my rig a third fork runs right below the bank a few feet from the rig.
The Engel Wireless Fridge monitor.
Cool gadget that shows the time, outside temperature, and the temperature in your fridge.
The Cabelas kitchen setup I reviewed last year.
The two cases below the stove hold all the silverware, plates, bowls, knifes, foil, pots, skillets, just like home.
I converted the stove over to run a 5 lb propane tank instead of the throw away 1 lb bottles.
A few campfire shots.
Across the creek a few hundred feet are where the party group was camped at.
Not seen are the 6 or so tiki torches they had setup, looked pretty cool.
Bike locked up for the night too to keep it from walking away overnight.
Also seen above is the battery powered pump for the water bottle.
Pretty cool gadget if you are into that sort of thing.
I found the pickup tube does not hit the bottom of the 5 gallon water cooler bottle though, it is shy about 2".
The shelf mod pioneered by fjcruiserforums.com member bjorno.
Gets a few things off of the bed, place to organize a few things.
A view of the creek that forks right below my rig and next to our campsite.
Entrance to the Skookum Flats mountain bike trail.
Biting black flies, resistant to the Cutter Advanced Sport with Picaridin I bought last year.
It worked great up at Mt. Rainier last year, but had no effect on these biting monsters.
I am covered all over pretty much.
And a few videos I stitched together with Windows Movie Maker.
People constantly stopped to ask me about my roof top tent, cars, hikers, ect would slow down to gawk.
Nothing wrong with that, but I was there to relax, not play salesman.
This year I decided to hit up the forest service roads past the little town of Greenwater.
I have camped quite extensively up there in the past with my two sons when they were younger.
It is all back country camping with no tables or other pay camp site amenities.
I always try to get by a creek or river so I have a water source for getting water for dish washing instead of using up my supply or having to bring a ton of water along.
I arrived up there around 7:10 am and a lot of the good spots were already taken, so I settled for one that was a little smaller than I wanted, but it was smack dab on the creek.
Beyond my tents window the creek was only a few feet.
The creek there had split into three forks with a calmer one on my side.
Down where I was there were no views of majestic Mount Rainier, but if you drive further up the forest service roads you are treated to fantastic views of the mountain.
Also the area I was in has a road that goes to the top of Sun Top Mountain Lookout, an old fire lookout that was used years ago.
Today it has been restored and is more like a visitor center where you can stop by and talk with the attendant who lives there for a duration.
From up there you can view numerous peaks to be on the lookout for fires.
Also in that general area are some of the best mountain biking trails around.
One such trail is Skookum Flats.
The link above says to enter the trail from a different forest service road, but there are a few different ways to get on it.
As soon as you turn off for the area I camped at, it is on your left only a minute in.
You can see in a few of the pictures below the entrance to the trail.
It does turn into some gnarly single track a ways in.
This entrance too was about a one mile ride from my campsite.
I rode part of the trail, but I did not get to do the whole thing.
One weekend day I am going to head back up there just to ride the trail then head home afterwards.
It is only a short 36 miles from my door.
From my door to my campsite it was about 38.9 miles.
This is why I like the area, you have lots of back country camping, and it is close to home.
I have gone up there for years and not seen all what the area has to offer.
My brother arrived later that morning on his expedition motorcycle, a BMW R1200.
His bike is all setup for expedition use which it has seen quite a bit of.
He has onboard air for airing backup after airing down for back country travel.
Nice aluminum cases for holding gear and a lot more.
After we retired that evening a college age crowd came into a site across the creek from us, they were noisy until 3 am the first night.
Barking dogs, screaming, all the kinds of stuff that would get you kicked out of a pay campsite.
Kind of took the joy out of camping that first night up there.
The conversion I did to my Zodi shower earlier in the year worked out great.
When taking a shower you just pull the trigger on the kitchen faucet sprayer, and let go to stop the flow.
This works much better than the head that comes stock on the Zodi showers.
And using the new Outback Privy tent was great, it sets up much quicker than the PETT one that came with my PETT toilet system I bought last year.
There are also more pictures in the Camping Gear Review thread on the forum.
I am going to look into a helmet cam system too for taking pictures and shooting videos while mountain biking.
My digital camera is a little to big to carry along on a trail, and I would have been upset if I had dropped it, as some areas on the trail are quite rough.
A helmet cam would be perfect for that.
Also made a new video on setting up the tent to replace the driveway one I made last year.
This shows you the ease of setting up my style of roof top tent and deploying the ladder.
It can not get much easier than that.
On my way out I also stopped at a favorite campsite I use to take my sons to long ago when we had the tent trailer.
Back up into the site, and you could park within feet of the small hill to walk right down into the same creek I was at this time so you could park a camping chair out in it to the side, or get out where it ran faster and body surf.
There was also a nice ten foot swimming hole there.
The site is ruined now, half of it has been washed away by past storms and the creek changing its course.
Now the creek is further away.
I could hear it, but not see it.
Funny how things change over the years like that.
It was one of the better sites up there.
Here are some pictures I took up there.
Most are just shots around the campsite, as there was not a whole lot else to look at.
If I had that helmet cam, I could have got some nice shots along the White River of Skookum Flats mountain bike trail.
Arrival at the site, setting up the tent.
I have a few other videos to go through still.
Closeup of the solar panel setup to keep the batteries charged while running the fridge and tents 12v interior light.
My backwoods still
Actually it is the Zodi shower setup.
Works fantastic, I should have tried it washing the dishes, but did not think to do so.
Toiletry kit I have had for years.
Tree made a good spot for it and the tent stake hammer.
Cabelas folding picnic table.
Perfect for back country camping where there are no sites setup such as pay campgrounds.
I have a Cabelas roll top table too I bought months back, but I did not see the need to set it up.
This table was fine for eating at and holding extra stuff.
The new expedition rig, a 2009 Specialized Rockhopper Pro.
It came in handy for exploring the area, and hitting up Skookum Flats mountain bike trail.
My brothers expedition motorcycle, a BMW R1200 GS.
Solar panel voltage reading in indirect sunlight.
It puts out around 18.5 v with more sunlight.
My brothers tent.
He also has the Big Agnes sleeping bag system that has the blow up mattress that fits into a sleeve on the bottom of the sleeping bag.
Nice, as it keeps you from rolling off the pad.
I use to hate that when backpacking Mt. Rainier years ago,
I would wake up rolled halfway off of my Thermorest mattress.
All those cases on the bike make bringing gear an ease.
Huckleberry Creek from the bridge which is just beyond the entrance to our site and to the right a short distance.
You can see two forks here, and down by my rig a third fork runs right below the bank a few feet from the rig.
The Engel Wireless Fridge monitor.
Cool gadget that shows the time, outside temperature, and the temperature in your fridge.
The Cabelas kitchen setup I reviewed last year.
The two cases below the stove hold all the silverware, plates, bowls, knifes, foil, pots, skillets, just like home.
I converted the stove over to run a 5 lb propane tank instead of the throw away 1 lb bottles.
A few campfire shots.
Across the creek a few hundred feet are where the party group was camped at.
Not seen are the 6 or so tiki torches they had setup, looked pretty cool.
Bike locked up for the night too to keep it from walking away overnight.
Also seen above is the battery powered pump for the water bottle.
Pretty cool gadget if you are into that sort of thing.
I found the pickup tube does not hit the bottom of the 5 gallon water cooler bottle though, it is shy about 2".
The shelf mod pioneered by fjcruiserforums.com member bjorno.
Gets a few things off of the bed, place to organize a few things.
A view of the creek that forks right below my rig and next to our campsite.
Entrance to the Skookum Flats mountain bike trail.
Biting black flies, resistant to the Cutter Advanced Sport with Picaridin I bought last year.
It worked great up at Mt. Rainier last year, but had no effect on these biting monsters.
I am covered all over pretty much.
And a few videos I stitched together with Windows Movie Maker.
Aug 19, 2009 | 10:50 AM
#4
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From: Auburn, Washington
Thanks guy's.
Todd, weather was quite warm up there in the 80s, but as soon as the sun goes down, it cools off fast.
Sky was clear, it was great seeing all the stars out.
Todd, weather was quite warm up there in the 80s, but as soon as the sun goes down, it cools off fast.
Sky was clear, it was great seeing all the stars out.
Aug 19, 2009 | 11:57 AM
#7
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 5,918
Likes: 1
From: Da Gorge, Oregon
Looks like adventure touring is in the Tando blood! Your bro has an amazing setup too. I'll check out his site.
Entertaining pics and writeup, thanks. Glad you had a great vacation and got to deploy most of the gear.
Skookum Flats trail looks anything but flat, whew. How much elevation change to the top?
About the bug bites, I think repellents have a short shelf life and need to be replaced (annually?). I think bugs are attracted to the aroma of soy milk.
Edit: Just saw 800' gain on Skookum Flats trail.
Entertaining pics and writeup, thanks. Glad you had a great vacation and got to deploy most of the gear.
Skookum Flats trail looks anything but flat, whew. How much elevation change to the top?
About the bug bites, I think repellents have a short shelf life and need to be replaced (annually?). I think bugs are attracted to the aroma of soy milk.
Edit: Just saw 800' gain on Skookum Flats trail.
Last edited by BT17R; Aug 19, 2009 at 11:59 AM.
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Aug 19, 2009 | 12:20 PM
#8
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From: Auburn, Washington
Nooooooooo, soy flows through my veins
I cooked up a big breakfast Monday with fried eggs, hashbrowns, Morningstar maple flavored vegi sausage, and Millstone Vanilla nut or some other flavor coffee in the French Press.
My brother really enjoyed the coffee, but almost barfed on the sausage
I guess he can not eat soy products.
Needless to say, I had almost four full patties that morning.
Also the taste was not appeasing to him.
Funny how we get use to stuff, as I eat those daily at home and at work for breakfast.
That recliner indeed is very comfortable.
Only thing is it takes up an awful lot of room, but I am glad I brought it along.
It will come on every trip for now on.
Aug 19, 2009 | 02:21 PM
#12
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From: Auburn, Washington
Thanks Fink.
Some of that gear is from more than twenty years ago when I started putting together gear.
The silverware and Paul Revere stainless steel pans with the copper bottom were my grandparents, and those items are from the 60s.
My brother recognized the silverware being our grandparents from years ago.
I have a lot of other gear too that I will probably not use.
Some new stuff replaces the old stuff.
I was all for getting a new stove later, but really that Sears Hillery propane one I bought 15 years or so ago works just fine.
Same with the Sear Hillery lantern.
I made the switch from white gas to propane many years ago.
Much easier to transport, and not priming/pumping.
Some of that gear is from more than twenty years ago when I started putting together gear.
The silverware and Paul Revere stainless steel pans with the copper bottom were my grandparents, and those items are from the 60s.
My brother recognized the silverware being our grandparents from years ago.
I have a lot of other gear too that I will probably not use.
Some new stuff replaces the old stuff.
I was all for getting a new stove later, but really that Sears Hillery propane one I bought 15 years or so ago works just fine.
Same with the Sear Hillery lantern.
I made the switch from white gas to propane many years ago.
Much easier to transport, and not priming/pumping.
Aug 19, 2009 | 03:47 PM
#13
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 9,076
Likes: 0
From: Orlando, FL
Thanks Fink.
Some of that gear is from more than twenty years ago when I started putting together gear.
The silverware and Paul Revere stainless steel pans with the copper bottom were my grandparents, and those items are from the 60s.
My brother recognized the silverware being our grandparents from years ago.
I have a lot of other gear too that I will probably not use.
Some new stuff replaces the old stuff.
I was all for getting a new stove later, but really that Sears Hillery propane one I bought 15 years or so ago works just fine.
Same with the Sear Hillery lantern.
I made the switch from white gas to propane many years ago.
Much easier to transport, and not priming/pumping.
Some of that gear is from more than twenty years ago when I started putting together gear.
The silverware and Paul Revere stainless steel pans with the copper bottom were my grandparents, and those items are from the 60s.
My brother recognized the silverware being our grandparents from years ago.
I have a lot of other gear too that I will probably not use.
Some new stuff replaces the old stuff.
I was all for getting a new stove later, but really that Sears Hillery propane one I bought 15 years or so ago works just fine.
Same with the Sear Hillery lantern.
I made the switch from white gas to propane many years ago.
Much easier to transport, and not priming/pumping.
While I don't think I'll drop the several grand on the rooftop tent I do want to invest in a good, large tent as well as a nice smaller tent.
It's nice to have the smaller tents for when it's a group of buddies going out for a weekend of hiking and the like.
Having a larger "cabin" type tent is nice when it's a large group of mixed company, co-ed if you like.
Fink
Aug 19, 2009 | 03:49 PM
#14
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 9,076
Likes: 0
From: Orlando, FL
I also forgot to ask, did you get a pic of the FJ all loaded up and ready for the trip?
You brought a crap ton of stuff along, I'm amazed you fit it all in the FJ with the fridge, etc...
Fink
You brought a crap ton of stuff along, I'm amazed you fit it all in the FJ with the fridge, etc...
Fink
Aug 19, 2009 | 04:18 PM
#17
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From: Auburn, Washington
Did not get a pic this time, but I could not see out the rear window coming back.
I could some going, but coming back I had the garbage and dirty clothes bags back there too.
That nice Cabelas lounger takes up a lot of room too in its zippered case.
Thanks, it was fun getting out.
I am looking forward to trying some winter camping this year if I get motivated enough.
Aug 19, 2009 | 04:26 PM
#19
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 6,086
Likes: 17
From: Just North of Pittsburgh
If there were more hours in the day, more days in the week, more weeks in the year...I'd be out there as well. I'm finally getting things settled down and in the next year or so I hope to get out a few times and keep it going yearly!!!! I really miss camping!!!
