It went better than I thought it might, despite some unfortunate circumstances.
It’s my longstanding practice to take a new camping trailer (or an old one after major repairs or modifications) on a shakedown cruise. Typically, it’s a short overnight trip to a nearby camping spot just to run all the RV systems through their paces in a real-world situation to make sure everything works as it should. Since I prefer backcountry camping, these shakedown cruises are just about the only times I ever stay in a campground. Boondocking in remote areas is my very strong preference,
I know from experience that discovering a major malfunction, or sometimes even a minor one, in a remote area hundreds of miles from home can be a disaster. Long-time readers may remember my report on the shakedown cruise of my last new trailer. On that trip the furnace didn’t function properly, so at night the inside temps of my trailer got down to the low 30’s F.
Don’t want something like that to happen on a long trip when I’m far from home.
My shakedown cruises have always been to Antelope Island, so that’s where I spent Easter Sunday night in my new trailer in Bridger Bay Campground. It was a stormy night with howling winds and rain and both days the biting gnats were out in full force. Those little bastards are a pain in the ass, and almost everywhere else.
This photo was taken from Ladyfinger Point, roughly 3/4 of a mile away from my tiny trailer, the one closest to the lower-left bottom (nearest to the pile of white boulders).
If you look carefully, you’ll see a shoreline shelf of old Lake Bonneville near the top of the frame, which suggests to me that this photo could use a small amount of counterclockwise rotation to make it perfectly level. Some of the trailers look a little “tippy” too.
Sunday night’s sunset from my campsite. Those clouds to the west were precursors of the incoming storm.
Despite the storm and those miserable gnats, I succeeded with the primary purpose of the trip. I put my trailer through its paces and only discovered one potentially problematic malfunction – a quirky kitchen stove that sometimes wouldn’t stay lit. I’ll check it out more thoroughly now that I’ve got it home. Everything else worked as it should.
And compared to my previous longer, heavier and wider trailer, my new little trailer gets major bonus points for gas mileage while I’m pulling it. That will save me some significant cash on longer trips to places like Montana’s Centennial Valley. Pulling my old trailer, those trips used to cost me over $500 just for gas for a 4-5 day long stay in the Centennial Valley. Now it should be much cheaper.
Bird photography was secondary on this shakedown cruise, but I did manage to spend some time looking for birds. This photo of a Loggerhead Shrike would be one of my favorite flight shots of the species, if I only had a catch light in the bird’s eye.
But I don’t, so it isn’t.
Ron
PS – I fully intended to post to Feathered Photography from the island early yesterday morning using my laptop and a hotspot, so I left the campground in the dark (where there isn’t a reliable cell signal) and drove to the marina where the signal’s much better.
But several things conspired against me. My laptop is new so it has a new version of Photoshop on it, which for some reason isn’t giving me the option of saving images as regular jpegs. WordPress doesn’t like that. And it didn’t help that I left one of the two card readers I needed at home. Live and learn.
When is the gnat season so I’m sure to avoid coming out during that month. I stopped at Bear River once and the midges drove me nuts. Could hardly get out of the car !
Gary, I forgot to answer your question about gnats.
Gnats on the island come out in April when it warms up and they disappear when daytime temps reach the 90’s – they don’t like heat. When that happens varies, depending on the weather but they’re usually not much of a problem in mid-summer.
Glad you had a relatively good shakedown trip. As I may have mentioned to you before I have the same trailer. Just an E-Pro same as your Rockwood Geo-Pro. Shoot me an email if you have any questions. Looks like you had full hook ups in the new section ?.
Gary, the midges can be intimidating when they’re thick but they’re harmless – they don’t bite. Those damn gnats are another story.
No hookups while I was there. Because of construction on the island (a new visitor center) there’s currently no water available to campers on the island. I didn’t have electrical either – not at Bridger Bay, the old section.
I was out on Antelope Island visit with my Mom. You are a very brave man to have survived this nasty gnats. Needless to say, we saw Antelope Island from inside the car. That is the most beautiful loggerhead shrike photo
I have ever seen!
Sheri, you have to experience them to understand how truly awful those gnats are. Hi to your mom.
I am so glad that your shakedown cruise was mostly positive. Saving on fuel is a very big plus.
I love the shrike and am so sorry that the catch light was gobbled up by all that black.
Thanks, EC. “Mostly positive” is about all I could hope for.
Your photo is very beautiful none the less. I love the plants in the lower right and the sky. They add to the photo. So – photo shop a little spot on the eye (or paint one on with a pin) and it will be perfect. I think the setting is amazing.
“I love the plants in the lower right”
Judy, the plant at bottom is sagebrush and the one on the right is greasewood.
For me, adding a catch light that wasn’t there is an ethical boundary in nature (as in “natural”) photography I don’t want to cross.
That trailer is the cutest little thing!
All in all, a trip that served its purpose and with luck, the stove and the PS issues are the only two that will vex you for any amount of time (not long, we hope!). Unfortunately, weather and gnats are out of your hands, but that’s how it is when you live (or camp) in the high country.
The sunset image is beautiful, as is that shrike shot, really too bad about its photon sink!
“That trailer is the cutest little thing!”
Glad you think so, Chris. A very good friend of mine keeps saying the same thing. I tend to agree.
Hope that the wonky stove is the only hitch in the git-along of your new rig and one that is easily fixed. How is your twice-repaired truck running, especially during hauling?
I was so impressed with that shrike shot that I didn’t even notice the missing catchlight. So excited for you to be able to go up to Centennial Valley next month — the perfect late birthday present!
Marty, so far the truck is running just fine. The only current hitch in its gitalong is a cooling fan that seems to kick in too much. I’ve complained about that before but the techs just say it’s Ford (over) covering their ass because of previous problems with overheating.
Centennial Valley next month isn’t a done deal, yet. I’m hopeful though.
Gosh, it always seems like something happens on your first time use of a new camper or equipment. Good thing not too bad I hope. Sounds like a good time anyway. Now to sound proof the roof. I like the photo of bird anyhow. Hope the bed was comfortable for you.Happy Trails too You this next month.
Trudy, I’ve never had a new RV (I’ve had four of them) that didn’t have at least a few things wrong with it that needed fixing.
The bed was OK. It’s a little firmer than I’m used to but it didn’t cause any significant problems with my bad back. I was worried about that. The biggest problem is getting into and out of it but I can live with it, I think.
Of all the words of mice or men, the saddest are, it might have been.
If only you could have gotten that catch light. Catch light in that black stripe the Shrike’s have is so hard. Just good fortune when you do get it. Good story Ron. Tough job breaking in a new trailer and new laptop at the same time, but looks like you did it, and survived the challenging weather at the same time. Interesting post.
Everett, sounds like you’re a fan of the national poet of Scotland too!
You make a good point about that black eye stripe of shrikes and getting light in the eye. Those blacks are like photon sinks.
Sounds like the shakedown went relatively well – good news! Hopefully the stove issue is easily solved as well as the PS. Interesting how some noises don’t bother us at all BUT new/different ones will roust us out.
The “road” is calling and late May sounds like a good time for the Centennial Valley……
Judy, I hope that stove issue isn’t a bigger problem than I think it is.
Late May is one of my favorite times in the Centennial. Just gotta avoid Memorial Day weekend…
That’s what shakedown cruises are for – live and learn (and the live part is very important!) Looking forward to more on the road adventures and photos. thanks!
Noel, I learned a long time ago that if I didn’t take a shakedown cruise with a new trailer, I’d almost certainly regret it. New trailers are like that…
Glad the shakedown was a success. Much better outcome than your previous trailer. And no floss loss! How was sleeping in the new trailer with all the wind?
“How was sleeping in the new trailer with all the wind?”
I didn’t get much sleep that night, Brett. Between the wind, and the rain, and new noises that I’m not used to (an electric fridge instead of propane and a different sounding furnace) it was a short night.
I’m a light sleeper, obviously. But over time I’ll get used to the fridge and furnace noises and wind and rain noises should be unusual. So I’ll adapt.
Well you found the deficiencies, and the happy news of improved gas mileage. Sounds like the most vexing might be Photoshop. Good luck troubleshooting it all.
Love the Shrike photo.
“Well you found the deficiencies”
I hope I found ALL of them, Michael. Time will tell.
That PS problem is probably easy to fix but I’m just not smart enough to do it off the top of my head. I’ve got some research to do.
I’m so glad that you had a ( relatively) good shakedown cruise.
The image of the sunset before the stormy night is just gorgeous !
I wish you many serene days and nights in the Centennial Valley,
and wherever else your quests inspire you to go……
Thanks, Kris. I hope to make a trip to the Centennial Valley in late May.