RE: Used 2004 C236 Aero Cub
We have a 2003 Cub 236 and we love love lovvvveeee it. Did I mention we love it? :) We bought it used because we fell in love with the floor plan, and I fell in love with the kitchen counter space and all of the cabinets! (Especially after having a Rockwood with no counter space at all!) Even after two summers and looking at other units for fun, I have yet to see a floor plan I like better. The couch opposite the stove is no big deal - I'm assuming your unit also has the couch slide out? - it gives it a wonderful open, airy space.
The only problems we've had with ours is having some water get into the front bunk when it was closed after a heavy rain. Our dealer replaced the seals and it's been ok since then. As for new vs. used, I think you'll most likely have something to tweak or fix on whatever you buy. We bought a brand new Rockwood prior to our Cub and the entire A/C unit had to be replaced after just a couple of months of use. People here have posted excellent advice on what to look for on a used unit. Good luck on whatever you decide!
A pox on the 'garbage in the firepit' people!!
I'm sure that I'm preaching to the choir here, but I just have to vent!
We had to travel to Iowa for a funeral, and arrived late on Sunday night. The county park was nearly empty and it was almost dark, so we set up just the essentials and went in to bed.
Early the next morning I found the most disgusting sight in and around the firepit. Garbage everywhere. I cleaned up a FULL grocery store bag worth of garbage. In the firepit: Two giant empty glass booze bottles, multiple corn cobs, multiple partially-eaten corn cobs, corn husks, plates, tin foil, partially melted plastic cups, and cigarette butts. Around the fire pit: 20-30 cigarette butts, USED BAND AIDS, more tin foil, plastic wrappers, corn husks, aluminum tabs from drink cans, more cigarette butts.
We were expecting our BIL and his family to arrive the next day, so I cleaned out the firepits of the two sites closest to us, and they were nowhere near as bad, but still had paper plates, plastic cups, cigarette butts, wrappers, etc.
Is it so hard to have a plastic garbage bag handy and toss your trash into it? I know that some people do burn their trash while having a campfire, but a lot of these things would never have burned- glass bottles??? Tin foil??
I guess the used band aids were the worst part of all *ugh* still grossed out by that one...
Please... if you have a habit of putting trash in your firepit, make sure it actually burns, and think of the people coming in after you!
OR maybe just use a garbage bag!!
RE: Minn.?
I don't know what your route will be, but if you can swing up to the Park Rapids area you could visit Itasca State Park and the surrounding towns, a wonderful area full of lakes, deep woods and things to do. Park Rapids has many nice stores, if you like shopping. Bemidji has lots to do as well as being a major shopping center (ie Walmart, restaurants, etc). Bemidji State Park is right on Lake Bemidji and has a "bog walk," a boardwalk thru the bog forest, which is very neat.
You could then take Hwy. 2 eastbound all the way to Duluth, thru Grand Rapids, which is Judy Garland's birthplace (they have made her house a museum). This would take you thru the heart of the Chippewa National Forest.
In Duluth, we've only ever stayed at Jay Cooke State Park, which we would highly recommend if you like state park type camping. During the week you should have no problem getting a site, but if you show up on a weekend all of the first come sites may be taken. The state parks along the "North Shore" fill up very quickly each weekend. I'm not sure about the private cg's.
As for the Duluth area, in addition to the places mentioned above...
-There is a 360 degree rotating restaurant on top of the Radisson Hotel in downtown Duluth- you can't miss it, the entire hotel is round. The views are wonderful, the food is pretty good.
-The Glensheen Mansion is the historic home of the Congdon Family, and has been turned into a museum and is run by the University of Minnesota.
-The SS William A. Irvin Ore Boat Museum in the harbor offers tours and was interesting to see.
-Just across the harbor in Superior, Wisconsin is the Richard Bong WWII Museum, very interesting exhibits .
-Definitely do the North Shore drive up the coast on Hwy. 61
-A stop at Betty's Pies for pie and coffee :)
-Two Harbors is a cute little town and they have a lighthouse you can visit
-Along the North Shore drive there are many state parks with wonderful views and beautiful waterfalls. Gooseberry Falls SP has the easiest walk to the waterfalls. Split Rock Lighthouse is really neat- definitely take the tour, you get to see one of the old keeper's houses as it was furnished in the early 1900's.
-At Lutsen, you can visit Lutsen Mountain ski area, and take the gondola up to the top of the mountain for beautiful views of the mountains and Lake Superior.
Enjoy your trip! :)
RE: "Some" Grocery Store Checkout Employees Really Chap Me!
The thing that gets me is the fact that I have to constantly be on the lookout to save my bread, rolls, and buns from being squished. I actually stopped going to our local small town grocery store because the checkers constantly put the bread in with cans of beans, etc., or even put stuff on top of the bread! And then whenever I asked for the bread to be put into its' own, separate bag, they would give me a dirty look.
I would think keeping the bread from being squished is just common sense but I guess not!
RE: MD to Yellowstone - What to see along the way?
Ahhhh I forgot Pioneer Auto Show in Murdo, SD... collections of antique cars, tractors, and a whole bunch of other stuff too. It's a fun stop for an hour or two!
RE: MD to Yellowstone - What to see along the way?
Here are some of our favorite stops along I-90 in South Dakota...
-If you wanted to spend some time in Sioux Falls, SD there is quite a lot to see and do there. There is a zoo, a butterfly house & garden, a big mall, a WWII Memorial, and I'm sure lots I'm forgetting about. There is a Cracker Barrel restaurant if you like those.
-The Corn Palace in Mitchell is worth a stop for a half hour or so, it's interesting to see how they decorate it with ears of corn, and it smells like caramel corn inside :) Also in Mitchell is a big WalMart and Cabela's and tons of restaurants. There are also a few nice antique stores not too far from the Corn Palace, in the old downtown area.
-The Lewis and Clark Visitors Center near Chamberlain-Oacoma is a great SD visitors center, with absolutely beautiful views of the Missouri River and "West River" South Dakota.
-Al's Oasis near Chamberlain-Oacoma is a great stop for gas, groceries, gifts, and a meal in their restaurant. Nothing fancy, but good pie and great coffee. Great people watching, as all the ranchers and cowboys and local folks come there to eat. At that same exit there is a great antique store if you like antiquing.
-1880 Town is one place we've always meant to get to but haven't yet. All authentic buildings were moved there and made into a town showing how they lived back then. You can see it right off the interstate so there's no missing it if you do want to stop.
-At Interior we like to stop at the Ranch Store, a teeny little gift store, but the fun thing is that you can buy some peanuts and feed their colony of prairie dogs. They come right up to you and take the peanut from your hand.
-As you're passing Badlands National Park it's easy to get off the interstate and take the park's Loop Road that goes past some of the nicest scenery/features in the park. Our stop at the Ben Riefel Visitor Center was really interesting. You can follow the loop road all the way back to Wall and the interstate.
-Of course it goes without saying WALL DRUG... after seeing hundreds of billboards you almost have to stop :) They have very good donuts and coffee, and a great restaurant too. And all of the souvenirs you could ever want. I have noticed that they do have very good prices on jewelry, especially Black Hills Gold, so if you're interested in that you might save money buying there.
That will take you to the Black Hills, about an hour further west of Wall. There is so much to see and do there. If you're planning on spending some time there, do a search here or post again and you'll get lots of great advice. Have a great trip!
RE: Sale or trade
Well I am no expert but we found we did much better in selling our TT by ourselves. We have a good dealer that we like a lot, but their offer on our like-new Rockwood that we purchased from them was rediculously low- not even near what we owed on it. We haggled back and forth, and the higher our trade-in value went, the higher the cost of the new Rockwood was. We said forget it, waited another season, then sold our Rockwood for slightly more than we owed on it. Then the next spring we went and bought a new to us HTT.
It took a little longer to sell our TT ourselves but it was worth it.
RE: John and kate plus 8
I used to watch and like this show but the last straw for me was when Kate made one of her sick little boys sleep on the floor of the laundry room, on cold, hard linoleum, because she didn't want throw-up on the bed. I guess she's never heard of putting a blocker down on the bed to save the sheets if there was an accident. And anyway, it's just throw-up, it's not battery acid. I felt so bad for that poor little boy :(
Another thing that bugs me is every time they take a trip or do something out of the ordinary they have 2-3 additional adults there to help them with the kids. I know many families that would love to have that luxury!
RE: Wives!! Let your husbands accept Help ;)
Well being a woman I feel the need to stick up for us gals everywhere and remind y'all that being nasty knows no gender preferences. Our last camping trip an older couple (70's) backed into the site next to us and after a while it was obvious that the man was having trouble unhitching his TT. My hubby went over to offer assistance and the entire time he was helping, the man berated his wife about every move she made. She at first was trying to help too but after about 10 minutes of being yelled at by the man she gave up. When she walked away the man turned to my husband and said "Never ask a woman to do anything, they'll just screw it up."
The woman avoided my husband's gaze and seemed extremely embarassed. We both felt really bad for her. So you see, sometimes is the man who needs a whack with a "clueX4"....
RE: BIL's HTT probably totaled...
Pass along our pat on the back to him...what a bummer. We had not one but TWO blowouts on our last trip (and guess again which brand of tires?). The only good news is that there are no longer any Carlisle tires left on our trailer- they've all been replaced after each and every one of them blew out. If I had to guess, it was probably age, because DH is good about checking tires and keeping up on all of our vehicles.
RE: Bunk Ends and Falling Kids
BootyHunter, I hope your son is feeling better!
We have two young DD's. When we were looking for a new camper we saw a Cub and really liked it, but I was nervous about there being only velcro around the bunk ends. Our dealer offered to add snaps around the three sides on each bunk. It's now super tight and I have no worries.
If anyone out there has kids (or dogs :)) and is concerned about velcro-only, I would suggest checking to see if snaps can be added.
RE: Obligated to go to a family funeral?
Welllll...since you asked, yes you should have gone to at least one of the services.
This was your Aunt, your dad would have appreciated your support, and her children would have appreciated seeing your friendly face, even if they are not especially close to you.
Sometimes life means sucking it up and doing something we really don't want to do. Just my humble opinion.
RE: Tragedy at MN state park
Although the story is confusing, it sounds as if they borrowed the vehicle, not the camper.
Perhaps the reason the story is confusing is that the police were still trying to sort it out at press time?
My prayers go out to the children and friends and family...
You just never know when it will be your time to go. :(
RE: Worst dish mom made?
Every time the "rotation" puts us at MIL's house for a holiday dinner seems like we have a new horror story. Last Thanksgiving we were looking for something in the fridge... came across "cool whip" with hairy gray mold, and some Parmesan cheese with a sell-by date of 2001. No, she wasn't just re-using the container, either!
When I help with a meal over there, I usually have to clean the kitchen before I start cooking. Ugh. Early on, DH gave me a lot of grief for eating before we'd go over there. Now he joins me.
Holy cow, I think my MIL and your MIL are long-lost sisters!!!
One time my MIL was serving a salad with dinner with a few different bottles of dressing on the table to choose from. DH and I looked at them and realized every single one of them was YEARS past its' expiration date. MIL's response: "Oh those dates don't MEAN anything!" This has become a running joke in our house whenever something is past its' date. For what it's worth, I don't think salad dressing instantly turns bad on it's expy date, but being years past was a good reason to skip the dressing that night!
RE: Worst dish mom made?
There was not one "worst" meal, but we really hated the hamburgers baked(well done)on the cookie sheet in the oven. We had to put them on slices of bread because my mom wouldn't buy buns. Nevermind that the ketchup soaked thru immediately...the lucky one got the heels of the loaf!
I have to tell you, this made me laugh hard! :B
You weren't the only ones making do without buns! I also remember the ketchup coming thru the bread... and then the bread would fuse to the hamburger and become one big, gummy mess.
Once in a great while I will have to use a piece of bread to eat my hot dog because I ran out of buns, and it brings back many memories :)
The worst cook in my family was one of my grandmothers. She made something she called pork pot pie that was terrible. She would boil a pork roast in water and onion salt (lots of it) until it was a nasty gray color and was falling apart and then added strips of dough made with flour, lard and you guessed it more onion salt and continued the boiling process. What you got on your plate was a piece of gray tasteless meat with a salty, pasty, greasy gravy with lumps of doughy stuff. :( ohhh that sounds BAD!
Years ago also as kids we were dirt poor. Mom came home with a large package of steaks. She fried them all up for supper, "yummy". Come to find out some time later. It was horse meat that she got a deal on. :R :E OHHHH that sounds worse!!!
RE: Empire carpets???
There was an article in our local paper a few months ago where they compared all of the carpet retailers, and I remember them quoting a few people that said Empire uses pressure tactics to get the sale. Also one lady said she wanted to think about it and called back the next day to agree to the purchase and the price mysteriously went up quite a bit.
I will see if I can find a link for you...
RE: How stroller accessible is Yellowstone?
We went in 2005 with our then 20-month old daughter.
I would recommend two lightweight umbrella strollers, vs. one double stroller. You will be in and out of your vehicle quite a bit, and two lighter strollers will be easier to lug around. Also, you can then go single file along the paths and boardwalks, and they're easier to lift if necessary to go up/down stairs.
We had no problem getting to anything we wanted to see with our daughter in the umbrella stroller. We stayed to the main attractions and did not go into the "back country." You may see buffalo along the road and maybe even along a trail (they tend to go where they want to go and pay no heed to people) but I wouldn't worry about running into any dangerous animals unless you do go into the back country. You will probably almost always be around other people.
We did have a harness for our daughter and I would recommend one in the thermal areas as a precaution for your 2 year old. That beautiful blue water is very tempting, even to adults. I would also recommend using LOTS of sunscreen (the sun is much stronger due to the high elevation), drinking more fluids than you think is necessary, and giving yourselves a day or two to adjust to the elevation change. Our daughter had a slight case of elevation sickness the first two days we were there. I had never heard of it until we took her to the Old Faithful clinic.
RE: You know a RVer didn't design it when......
What gets me is the interiors of those higher dollar trailers and motor homes looking like the inside of a house of ill repute. It seems like the more it costs, the stupider the interior designer gets.
LOL you are so correct on this one. Everytime I see one of those "million dollar RV's" shows, I cringe at the interiors. I always think it looks like you're stuck inside a Las Vegas hotel lobby, with all the lights and mirrors.
To each his own, but I would prefer a much more "homey" and comfortable space!
RE: What do you do with that goofy little shelf?
Thank you everyone for sharing & keep those posts coming!
I love seeing how others setup their camper and I love love love the pics!
Mike those lights are wayyyy cool... I think my hubby just got himself assigned to a new project! :)
I also really like the idea of having a railing across each shelf. That would help a lot in keeping things secure. Our shelves are open air all the way across so there's not much to hold anything.
Seeing the pictures, especially Ranger431's sunny summer picture, just makes me want to go camping even more! Can't you just see yourself lying on that bunk in the sun with a good book?? :) :) :) And, it looks like it's lunchtime too~ woohoo!
What do you do with that goofy little shelf?
I've not been inside a ton of hybrids, but all the ones I've seen have a little shelf over the tent sleeping area. Our Cub has two- one over the front bunk and one over the rear bunk. They're only about 6" high and maybe 8" deep, with a 1/4" lip.
I'm not sure what to do with these and I'm wondering what you all use them for? I put a couple of books (laying flat) and some small stuffed animals for my girls, but I'm guessing I'll find most if not all of it on the floor when we get to camp! :)
What do you do with yours?
