Trip to Arizona to pick up our new toy. (no FJ or motorcycle content)

[Firehawk068]

Some of you that see my Facebook posts, have already seen it.
My wife and I have finally graduated up from tent-camping.
Although there are things about back-country camping in a tent that still appeal to me, and I may still entertain the idea from time to time, we had talked about getting an upgrade for a few years now.

With the prices that these things have gradually increased to, there was no way we were buying a new one!
We finally got serious about finding a good used one about 6 months ago. We figured, at the end of camping season last year, there would be some coming up for sale before winter storage would begin.
We made a short list of features that we absolutely had to have, set a budget price that we would stick to, and set about looking.
It took us awhile, because apparently we weren't looking far enough.................
For the models and features we were looking for, there were no used ones for sale in Colorado.......None!
Once we expanded our search to neighboring states, BAM!..................There they all were, in Arizona!

My wife and I e-mailed Craigslist ads back and forth to each other for approval, and we ended up finding 6 or 7 of them in our price range, with all the features we wanted.
A few weeks ago, we finally settled on "The One". It ended up having a few nice features that we hadn't even thought we wanted..............
I called my buddy Todd up, and he went over and inspected it for me. After a few phone conversations, he gave the gentleman a deposit to hold it for me for 2 weeks until I could get down there to pick it up.

Fast forward to Friday the 11th...........I loaded up the Jeep, and hit the highway around 4am, headed for Phoenix.

Those of you that frequent the Desert-Southwest States, know how wide-open and desolate a place it can be, especially between major towns.





Having taken I-25 to I-40, I reached the Arizona border just after 1pm.



And 13-1/2 hours after leaving home, I arrived in Mesa to spend the night at my buddy Todd's house.



The following morning, Todd and I went to breakfast to kill some time before the banks open.
When it was time, I went to the nearest local branch, withdrew the cash, paid Todd back for the deposit he left for me, and said goodbye to my good friend.

I then drove to the other side of town to inspect for myself, get a crash-course on how to set up our new (used) Camper, and pay the man.

We are now the proud owners of a 2007 StarCraft 34-RT Pop-up.



It was apparent right away, that my spare tire on the Jeep would likely hit the trailer jack if I pivoted far enough, so off it came.
Luckily there is a rather large storage rack on the front of the Camper, so I just strapped it on there.





A quick trip down the street to a third-party Title/Registration office, and she's road-legal in my name.



Another "QuickTrip" to fuel up the Jeep, get some lunch for the road, and back to the Interstate to head north toward Flagstaff.



My destination for the day would be Gallup NM.
I had planned to stay at this place, on one of the remaining portions of historic US Route 66.
I couldn't resist testing it out the first night that I owned it...........





I rolled in just before 8pm, paid the $30 for a site with basic hookups, and got the camper popped-up and slid-out.
It took me about a half-hour to fully set it up by myself, and get all 4 stabilizer jacks down. (it helps having a power roof winch)

Although I'd be spending the night in it alone, once it is all set-up there is plenty of room for a family of 4 ! (or even 6 if you pack tightly)

It comes complete with a full kitchen (with microwave), slide-out dining area, awning, king-size beds, toilet, indoor and outdoor showers, 3-way fridge, air conditioner, awesome furnace, electric mattress heaters, outdoor propane grill, and stereo/cd player with indoor and outdoor speakers.















I did some reading up on some of the owner's manuals that came with the Camper, had a beer, and called it a night.
It's a good thing the mattress heaters, and the furnace works. it was 40 degrees, and windy outside. Nice and toasty inside!



Since the clocks all rolled ahead an hour overnight, I woke up at the crack of 8!

It was a bright sunny morning, and the wind had subsided.









It didn't take me long to pack up the Camper, get some fuel and breakfast, and back on the interstate towards home.



Some hours later I finally rolled up in front of the house around 8pm.



After originally seeing how big it was in person, I wasn't sure if the Jeep would handle it ok or not?
Turns out it tows it just fine!  I had no trouble at all maintaining 70mph down the interstate.  I ended up averaging only 3 miles per gallon less with the Camper, than without it.
Although it's rather large for a pop-up, it only weighs about 2800 lbs empty...................The Jeep has no trouble with it.

The next day, I set it all up for my wife and kids, before I parked it on the side of the house.
(She approves!)



In a few weeks, we'll take it to Glenwood Springs to test it out for the weekend as a family! 

[fj johnnie]

 Most wonderful trip. The kids will love camping in that trailer. Best way to spend time with the family.

[Sabre093]

I started in tents...went to a 40ft park model when kids were young...Enjoy we had great time and got to meet some good friends.

[FeralRdr]

Storage Rack says he, FJ carrier says I.   

Great find. 

And, well accessorized too. 

[Firehawk068]

Yeah, I could probably fit (2) FJs on there if I tried.