The idea for a road trip came about very quickly after I bought my 2005 Ford Ranger 4x4 with 80,000 miles on it.
I bounced all kinds of ideas around my brain about how I could do it, and not spend a ton of money in the process; everything from a topper to making my own slide-in camper. I ended up with a sort of compromise, and built 5.5 inch plywood risers to raise the high-roof topper I got for free up a few inches after measuring myself sitting in a 5-gallon bucket. I knew I could adjust the height of a bed, but that bucket is kinda fixed. It worked out perfectly. There's a thread in the TRUCKS forum about all that.
I left my home in Maine on May 20 at about 8 pm...a very late start! I had an appointment at the VA 130-ish miles away for the next morning and just wanted to avoid having to get up early and drive for a couple of hours, so late or not, I hit the road.
Twenty-five miles down the road I got a call that the appointment had been cancelled! I decided that I'd keep going anyway and see how far I got that night, Ended up at the Cabela's in Hudson, Mass. I was impressed! There was special marked spots for RVs only, a dump station and water. If you're traveling that way and need a place to sleep, consider that spot.
That night was the first time I ever used a five-gallon bucket as a toilet. I expected that it would be rather uncomfortable and that I'd wish I'd spent the money for a blue-water toilet, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case at all. Obviously there's some smell when taking the bag out of the bucket and tying it shut, but even in my cramped quarters that dissipated very quickly with the windows open. I did feel like some kind of criminal the first few times I deposited the bag in a trash can though.
The next day I intended to stay at a Cracker Barrel in Harrisburg, PA, but even staying off the highway I got there too early so I kept going to Chambersburg. There was already an RV behind the building but I went in to ask if it was ok to sleep there anyway. I slept very well in my little "cramper" but was instantly awake when the train horn sounded at 5:30 am! My first thought was, "Am I in a repeat of 'My Cousin Vinnie'?"
When they opened at 7 I went in for breakfast, hoping it would be great, but it wasn't. I hit the road and went to two civil war battlegrounds, Antietam and Chancellorsville. Both were goals I set when I planned the trip. I was impressed with Antietam, and disappointed by Chancellorsville.
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]
[/font]
I bounced all kinds of ideas around my brain about how I could do it, and not spend a ton of money in the process; everything from a topper to making my own slide-in camper. I ended up with a sort of compromise, and built 5.5 inch plywood risers to raise the high-roof topper I got for free up a few inches after measuring myself sitting in a 5-gallon bucket. I knew I could adjust the height of a bed, but that bucket is kinda fixed. It worked out perfectly. There's a thread in the TRUCKS forum about all that.
I left my home in Maine on May 20 at about 8 pm...a very late start! I had an appointment at the VA 130-ish miles away for the next morning and just wanted to avoid having to get up early and drive for a couple of hours, so late or not, I hit the road.
Twenty-five miles down the road I got a call that the appointment had been cancelled! I decided that I'd keep going anyway and see how far I got that night, Ended up at the Cabela's in Hudson, Mass. I was impressed! There was special marked spots for RVs only, a dump station and water. If you're traveling that way and need a place to sleep, consider that spot.
That night was the first time I ever used a five-gallon bucket as a toilet. I expected that it would be rather uncomfortable and that I'd wish I'd spent the money for a blue-water toilet, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that was not the case at all. Obviously there's some smell when taking the bag out of the bucket and tying it shut, but even in my cramped quarters that dissipated very quickly with the windows open. I did feel like some kind of criminal the first few times I deposited the bag in a trash can though.
The next day I intended to stay at a Cracker Barrel in Harrisburg, PA, but even staying off the highway I got there too early so I kept going to Chambersburg. There was already an RV behind the building but I went in to ask if it was ok to sleep there anyway. I slept very well in my little "cramper" but was instantly awake when the train horn sounded at 5:30 am! My first thought was, "Am I in a repeat of 'My Cousin Vinnie'?"
When they opened at 7 I went in for breakfast, hoping it would be great, but it wasn't. I hit the road and went to two civil war battlegrounds, Antietam and Chancellorsville. Both were goals I set when I planned the trip. I was impressed with Antietam, and disappointed by Chancellorsville.
[font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]
[/font]
