RE: Help with truck capabilities
if you are trading the truck, spend the little bit extra for the 1 ton. it gets you more payload for the eventual trailer upgrade that everyone ends up doing..
x2
To the original question.....the F-150 with the specs you listed is way undersized for the TT you're thinking of.
RE: Arrived in Alaska at our Site
Being stuck in Houston for the next several weeks, all I can say is that I'm jealous....your pictures of the glaciers, Pioneer Peak, and the Chugach (as well as Anderson Lake and environs) are the PA12's backyard.
Take a left turn when flying to the Knik Glacier and in 10 minutes over the mountains (even in a slow cub) you're over my cabin.
RE: Planning Alaska Trip
I would second the "fly & rent" option. I would assume that Tampa has as good a connection as any city in Florida? Otherwise, maybe JAX?
Going into Alaska, Anchorage is your arrival airport.
I'd like to recommend Continental, but they ain't around anymore. The substitute, United, leaves a bit to be desired but may be the best option. From FL, you may be able to get a good deal on Delta flights.
RE: Places to see in Wyoming and Montana
I couldn't offer any particular locations, but Great Falls (MT) always struck me as a very scenic spot (or at least very scenic starting point) and it has the C.M. Russell Museum.
Jackson/Jackson Hole Wyoming is a great place to visit and there are several nearby state/federal parks to hike in that offer neat scenery around just about every corner.
RE: Airline Travel
If travel is on United/Continental, until next week (IIRC) all roads to Alaska lead through Seattle...lots more directs to Anchorage after June 1.
For the past 2.5 years, I've traveled Houston - Anchorage (same time zone as Chi-town) and the difference in time is just something one gets used to. In my case, I walk through the airport doors in Houston and almost exactly 12 hours later walk out of the airport doors in Los Anchorage. When the direct Ewe-stun to Anchorage flights fly, that 12 hours goes down to a bit more than 8.
I cannot, literally cannot, recall how many times I've flown commercial into Anchorage but the last 20 minutes of the flight (which are over the Chugach) is always energizing and revitalizing, presuming one can see the mountains.
A drive to Alaska may or may not be the trip of a lifetime (upon my next retirement I intend to make the trip of every 6 months :) ) but it is a spectacular trip that should be taken as often as possible.....and as proud as I am of Alaska, there are spots in Canada that almost (!) rival the best of Alaska. The BC coast and the Kluane area come to mind.
One last thing...the drive to Cooper Landing from Los Anchorage is one of the best: close access, great scenery, wonderful destination on the other end...but, but, but....it probably won't be easy this time of year as the tourists are just starting to hit the road (in their RV's!) and there are unfortunately few places to pass the sightseeing RV'r that is determined that a travel speed of 45 will allow them to see all the sights from inside!.
RE: Going to a larger fifth wheel. Thoughts? Help!
I went from a "29" foot TT to a "36" 5th wheel: actual lengths were 31' and 39' respectively.
Even that 8 feet didn't make that much of a difference in campsites: yes we had to be a bit more choosy, but never found a town that we couldn't stay in; only very rarely was there a park we couldn't find a spot in.
Gas stations were another matter: my truck at the time had a 26 (!) gallon tank. I didn't have the luxury of finding a good size gas station. After a midnight event in San Antonio where I had to drop the trailer in a Kroger lot, run across the street to fill up and then rehitch, I decided an in-bed tank was in order....after adding an additional 80 gallons of fuel capacity, I could drive all day and refill after unhitching that evening.
So...I'd suggest worrying about gas stations, if anything, and even that worry is more driven by your truck than the trailer.
RE: Old and new products you use and love
Old: Gerber hunting knife (from the mid-70's): still holds an edge, although the original skinner profile is about worn down to almost fillet shape
New: Kershaw knives with the clip on them; guess its not that new and it seems to be the popular thing to have, but strikes me as a pretty practical feature.
RE: Didn't your mama ever tell you to remove your hat ? RANT
Wow....
To the OP, I'm with you. I'm bald, I live where it's either pretty cold or pretty hot (AK or TX) and my folks have both passed away....but I take my hat off indoors unless its inside my cabin. I was taught that that action was polite and, since there's nothing significant lost by doing it, why not be polite?
RE: Recommendation needed for a nice S.P. in F.L. panhandle
St. George Island SP and St. Joseph Peninsula SP are both great parks. I've stayed at both when I had my "36'" KZ Escalade that was really 39' end-to-end.
In both places there were several spots for a big a** trailer. At one of the parks, I can't remember which one, I had to take the road/loop backwards in order to be able to back into the assigned spot.
RE: Diesel or Gas
A) If you're going to be towing with it, I'd suggest a diesel. Better low end torque, less impact to the mileage when towing etc.
B) There are lots of people with lots of experience with the Ford 6.0: Here's mine: 2 2005/6 (?) 6.0's. No problems whatsoever with either. 1 was stolen and the replacement was sold later. No problems; of course, I never chipped or programmed them.
I'd get a diesel if you find one you like and I wouldn't be unduly scared of the 6.0.
RE: What is a good size for a 5th wheel trailer?
I'd echo some of the earlier statements that the "RV Resorts" and "peace and quiet" are not mutually exclusive. Quite honestly, I've found that some of the high-end "RV Resorts" were more quiet than several state parks, particularly surrounding holidays.
My geographic experience was fairly limited to many states in the south (TX, OK, AR, LA, MS, AL, GA, FL, NC, SC, VA) and those that one might hit going between TX and CO (TX, NM, AZ, CO, UT), but I pulled a 39' 5th wheel (nose to back bumper actual measurement) and could always find a place to camp. Not always a rustic seashore or mountainside nature retreat, but always a place to park the trailer that was within easy drive of the activities I wanted to do: hiking & (for the DW) photography.
At the end of the day, we gave up the 5th wheel because: a) it was time to return to God's country (AK); and b) I was tired of shoehorning it into a storage space that only had 12" to spare. If I had a pull-through or 3' of extra width, I'd have that trailer today.
RE: Taking advantage of the stupid!
The credit union and I own two vehicles. The credit union lets me drive them anytime I want, in return for making the payments and keeping them insured.
The bank and I own a house. The bank lets me live in it in return for making the payments. The bank pays the taxes and insurance out of an escrow account.
I'm OK with that. I get what I want, and the credit union and the bank make a profit that they can lend to others.
Please don't try to kid yourself or us here. The banks own the vehicles and the house, the only thing you own is a debt, which essentially works out to owning less than nothing. You are borrowing (using) a car/house that someone else owns, making the payment for them and paying them interest on top of it. It's very nice of them to let you use these things so you can drive to work and have a nice place to stay during the hours you're not at work. It's a great way of fooling us into thinking we are happy & content so we keep going to work to give them more & more money so they get richer and richer.
Not only do we not own these things, it's because of the debt that these "things" and banks own us. They dictate that we spend hours and hours at work to pay on our endless cycle of debt which leave's us very little free time for family and other interests. Very few people ever make it beyond the point of owning anything more than a debt and even when they do get out from under the bank debt they still owe taxes, and insurance. Someone else is always going to profit off our debt.
Don't worry though, we are all in it together, you, me and millions and millions of other Americans. Like you said, the fact that you own a debt and pay interest makes it so someone like me can own a debt and pay interest so someone else can own a debt and pay interest and so on and so on. If we all ever woke up to the reality of it and stopped owning debt the whole system would come crashing down. I own several debts, I live in one, drive another and go camping with yet another one of my debts, it's my small contribution to what makes the whole system work. I guess I better get back to work now so they can keep taking advantage of me. Glad I like my job even though I'm not OK with all that :)
Wow, wrong on so many levels. At a basic level, the borrower doesn't own the debt, but I think you're more concerned with the general concept of financing? Easy enough to avoid that; live in an apartment and drive a yugo.
RE: Help with gun selection
".......let me suggest OP gets a Remington 870 or Mossberg 500. Both of these shotguns are in 12 gauge. You do NOT need a CHL to carry one. Texas law does no require anything special or forbid the public open carry of a long gun. You cannot carry it a fashion to cause alarm however. Carrying one out in a field doing agg inspection would in no way cause alarm.
I would not suggest any pistol caliber for dealing with a gator or hog. The Judge and similar guns are sales gimmicks and awful choices for a defensive pistol.
The shotgun offers better accuracy and control. It is also cheaper in cost and no CHL requirements.
This is what the spread pattern of a .410 gauge Winchester PDX1 shell looks like. One shot was fired at 5 meters, the second fired at 3 meters. You might as well beat the gator with the gun."
x2
RE: 2013 one of coldest Aprils in Alaska in past 74 years!
The anticipated "6 inches" of accumulation on the Anchorage Hillside must have good somewhere else...good stout dusting at my house, but not 6"
Sorry about sending the weather to The Yukon.
RE: Help with gun selection
I would doubt that hogs are going to attack, but gators might. The thing to keep in mind is that to have any degree of accuracy with a pistol when shooting pistol cartridges (i.e. not shotshells) is that it takes about 4 times as much practice with a pistol as it does with a long gun to achieve the same level of accuracy.
If it were me, I'd suggest a 12 ga shotgun with sling with the first shot birdshot and the next two something along the lines fo BB shot followed by birdshot. (approximately twice as many BB pellets fit in a given shotshell than the legendary "00" buckshot)
RE: Reese SC Weight Distribution w Sway Control
I had a Reese DualCam HP that I used to tow a 30' circa 8500# TT. It was fantastic; would estimate a couple of trips experienced 25+ mph crosswinds w/o a problem. Being passed by semi's, busses, Big A** Motorhomes created no problems either.
RE: Off brand ATV's
#1 Son bought an off brand mini-bike that is quite a bit small for him, but just a little bit large for our 8 year old granddaughter. Pull start, not kick, Yangtze (or something) engine, Sun Yin Lee metalworks frame......but that thing starts everytime and has worked well enough as a putt-putt around the cabin for both son and granddaughter.
If it's cheap enough, why not try it. The one that my son bought was about $350 in 2010 and has survived 3 seasons at the cabin, numerous falls, and the stress of a 185# adult or of a ham-fisted 8 year old.
RE: Now that's driving skill...
I was just on that cruise a month ago!
Maybe not that boat, but went on the same cruise (and into that same spot) during a stop in Amsterdam ( :) ) on the way to Angola ( :( )
RE: Sleeping in Daylight
Joe....darn if you didn't nail it exactly. Did something similar some years back when I left Los Anchorage in the dark at 1:30 and was just passing over Gulkana when the sun rose over the Wrangells a couple hours later. Spectacular and, with due apologies, can't be duplicated, no-how, no-way, in Ewe-stun Texas.
To the OP, I'd offer the same advice as joe b......stay up until you're tired enough that the light doesn't bother you. Make the odd hours part of the adventure. Pick some evening (i.e. midnight or later in the summer) when you're not tired and wander away from the RV...just enjoy the stillness and the quiet, watch the pale pinks and oranges of sunrise and sunset, both between 2 - 4 a.m. and so forth.
Granted, it's not RV'ng, but one of the real joys I find in the summer (even in the southern banana belt of Los Anchorage area) is to fiddle around at the cabin all night long, then hit the sack about 5 a.m.....some of the best sleep of my life follows.
