Destination Unknown - 2022 JTR journal

[chorky]

Today I got the water heater installed. This was the plan all along as I dont like being nasty sweaty in bed and cold water is not fun. Not to mention wanting to ensure I have ample opportunities to wash my surgery site if camping for a week or so.

If you want to see the water system install go back to post # 93 and 95

I already had provisions for the water heater and temporary water lines ran Since this was the plan all along. I included a shutoff valve as well so that water wont flow backwards if the hot side is pressurized as well as being able to shut that side off entirely if the heater blows a seal or leaks.

The most difficult part of this project was figuring a place to mount. Initially I wanted to mount it on the 813 panels, however, being unable to source a 90 degree compression fitting it was clear that location would not work. My second option was up against the rear window somehow. This was an issue, as stated several times, I dont have access to equipment for good quality fabrication. But, in this case it worked out ok. I had a piece of 1.5” angle alum with just the right amount of length. Cutting the angle part off, I was able to bend it by hand enough to make it form a C. this way I could bolt it to the top and bottom of the canopy, and bolt the heater to it. However, it is not the most structurally sound option and I am concerned of its longevity. So I used two bolts up top and one down below. Because of the lack of fabrication tools it is clearly not level or plum, but it will hopefully work. Time will tell how washboard roads treat this.

Next was to run the propane line. It turns out the propane dual output line along with the line included from camplux with their regulator was about 2’ too long. Which is actually perfect in order to allow extra in a coil should it need to be removed. The other side of the T is to be used with the jetboil stove.

I ran the line behind and under the lip of the canopy to ensure protection.

When getting ready to mount the tank itself I realized it would sit back a little too much to allow for easy connection of the water and LP lines. So I just grabbed some plywood, cut and painted, and used it to push the bottom
of the tank out just a bit. This turned out to be the perfect amount, so on went the lines.

Now everything is easy to access should any of it need to be removed. So time to pressurize the water and LP system and check for leaks.

Before the tank even went on, I was researching what to do about the ignitor. These tanks typically use D cell batteries. However, the last thing I wanted to deal with was batteries. They go bad at the worst time, they corrode, and just are a pain. So looking at how the batteries are connected I deducted the box was removable and could be replaced with a hardwired setup. One problem existed though, two D cell batteries wired in series equal only 3v. So connecting directly to my power system would probably cause a problem. But since Amazon has instant access to everything, a quick search revealed a voltage converter. So I was able to direct wire To my power system like everything else and step down voltage to 3.0v

I wired it to one of the outputs of the switch pros panel so that the water pump and heater could be operated separately in the event that the heater had a problem.

So lets fill up a scepter can, and test it out!

Success!!! Hot water! And very hot indeed! So I turned it down and it is perfect. Now I can take hot showers and wash dishes comfortably. But caution must be taken because this setup will blow through water like nobodys business.

And with that the water system is in! Now I am fully ready for several week long trips this summer!

And for those wondering, rear view is not hampered. This is taken from where my head sits and only a small tiny corner is cut off.

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[chorky]

After returning from another trip this weekend (pics later this week maybe) I installed a quick little bracket for the CB and GMRS mic. It has been annoying me greatly they just sit on the seat and flop around. So those days are now over. Although I do need to get a short arm.

 

[WILDHOBO]

After returning from another trip this weekend (pics later this week maybe) I installed a quick little bracket for the CB and GMRS mic. It has been annoying me greatly they just sit on the seat and flop around. So those days are now over. Although I do need to get a short arm.

I dig it.

 

[chorky]

Over the long 4th of july weekend this year, I thought to use this independence day to celebrate by doing something I never thought I would or could do. The last many months post second surgery has been difficult. Every symptom from the first only worsened, made slightly better by daily meds and a potential job change. On top of this was a whole bundle of fun in disguise of other issues. But I needed to know my ultimate limit, so set out to test them. They were certainly reached this weekend.

Rounding the corner to Hungry Horse reservoir, the goal was in sight. The summit to the Great Northern Mountain. a spectacular sight.

This excursion only made possible by my property set up Jeep to let me camp wherever necessary to mitigate brain and body issues. Because after all, only a Jeep will do.

 

[chorky]

The following morning the hike began. Relatively early as there were conflicting trail reports and difficulty levels. It started off quite step, but still easier than a normal field day at work since there was a trail to follow rather than no trail. The first mile and a half wound through the forest. But once reaching the first Ridgeline, the views opened, revealing the Hungry Horse valley below.

Here you can see the first Ridgeline off to the right. This stretch lasted about a mile and was a relief from the first climb. There were several awesome tent sites that likely offer views of the Milky Way at night.

 

[chorky]

The ridgeline offered a nice and slow walk to recover from the steep climb right from the start. It was an interesting ridgeline with a variety of species of vegetation and almost an instant change from lodgepole pine and doug-fir on the slope, to true firs and whitebark pine above.

This ridge was so unique it almost instantly transported one back in time over 100 years imagining what the landscape must have been like then. Was it different? Was it the same?

I’m bet you these old snags could tell some tales, of a time long before Hungry Horse dam was built and the river was still a river some 500’ lower.

 

[chorky]

Once we reached the main ridge going up Great Northern, the views got even more fantastic. Here you can see Mt Stimson - the second tallest peak in Glacier at almost 10,200'. And I wonder what the natives thought when they saw these sights. Or what early explorers thought. Who was the first one to climb it? An early explorer, or perhaps a local tribal member....

 

[chorky]

And as the ridge continues south to Great Northern, the scenery changes. From grassy forbs and pretty flowers, to rocky ground, lichen, and stubby trees as the treeline gets closer. Amazing to think that in several more hours I will actually be near the summit - never did I think this would occur after some significant medical issues less than a year ago.

From here the trail continues along the ridge. Just slightly to the western side as the eastern side contained several drop-off's more than 1,000 feet down. Not the smartest adventure for a guy with balance problems...

Perspective

 

[chorky]

As I approached the treeline, a friend could be seen off in the distance. Watching....

But, as I approached, it was evident they were not interested in being friends - rather, waiting to see if food or salt would be offered. And as this one walked away, I wondered what keeps them at this elevation besides it being their home range.

Ahh....that must be the reason. The views here are fantastic!

And finally, the trees gave way to high elevation ecosystems consisting of wildflowers, more lichen, And the most bumblebees I have ever seen in my life! From this angle you can see the prominent peak of St Nicholas Mtn at just under 10,000'. One of the handful of peaks in the park you can see from nearly every place within the park (so says my friend).

 

[chorky]

Finally! At a little over 6 hours of hiking, we finally made it. Not to the summit, not even the false summit, but just before. Even the false summit was too much for me to tackle, especially with 65+mph gusts. And the true summit had some class 3 climbs - far above my comfort level with a hole in my skull and all. But this was plenty fine. So sitting down on the eastern side of the ridge, I found a nice little cozy spot to snack on lunch, take a rest, and even snooze for a few minutes. But, not without company. This little feller was interested in my choice to sit on a cliff edge - after all, I am far from a goat. But it probably was more likely he was frustrated in my blocking the easy path for him to walk down. So I watched as he carefully calculated the route to climb up and over. Man these things are fun to watch.

And as he wondered off, I couldn't help but be amazed at the view in front of me. Truly a blessing. This was no easy task by any means. It was very painful. The trip back down put the total hiking time to 13 hours. Far surpassing my level of acceptability with the issues I have. But - it was a goal accomplished, likely never to be done again, and one to remember forever.

 

[chorky]

While working from home today, a nice delivery came. So I took some time at lunch to open it up (and of course waited till evening to install). A shower cube by Ironman 4x4. I opted for this option mostly due to the price and weight. Lighter and cheaper than most other options, I think it will do just fine. Plus, I am getting heavy, and really do not need to be adding super heavy things up top. I used, for just a couple trips, one of those easy to fold and pop up style privacy tent things. It worked fine for what it was, and was light. But I wanted an easier option. I quickly realized over just a couple weekends that I truly need to optimize every single aspect of this setup to be quick and easy - otherwise it is too much work and difficult for me to use on a regular basis.

Before even purchasing this, I had thoughts of how to mount it. Because I don't have a rack, and the RTT is bolted directly to the canopy, my mounting options were limited. Fortunately the tent from 4x4Colorado includes extruded aluminum channels on the outside of their tent - something most, but not everyone, does. I figured since this shower cube is light enough, I would just bolt it directly to the RTT with some channel nuts I had lying around. So...after removing all of the fabric, off to drilling some holes again.

It turned out that if the first hole, measured from the top down, was placed at 3/4", the top of the alum frame would be even with top of the bottom plate of the RTT - making it still easy to tuck in tent fabric as it likes to fold down and get pinched between both pieces of RTT framing for some reason. The holes were 1 1/8" apart, and this left the bottom of the frame about 1/2" from touching the hardtop, and about 2" from touching the canopy - plenty of room

With holes drilled and the whole thing test-fitted, it was time to put the cover back on. This was a major pita and took me nearly 20 minutes! Maybe I'm just tired. but next time, fabric will stay on as there is no need for it to be removed.

And, on she goes - one of, if not the, easiest things I have done to this Jeep. It was a bit difficult because the bolts were relatively short to avoid them punching through the side of the RTT alum structure. Even then, when I tightened them down I could see the bolts pressing into the RTT alum. Hopefully no long term damage is done. I think if the fabric was attached to the front of the frame instead of behind it this wouldn't be an issue, as the fabric itself created a 1/8 to 1/4" standoff that made inserting the nuts difficult, but when tightened it would compress easily being fabric and all. Due to that, I needed longer bolts. Without the fabric being there the bolts could have easily been 1/4" shorter.

Now that it is mounted, the main tent fabric can go back on. And I really like the color and feel of this fabric. It's not quite paper thin like my backpacking tent, but it's definitely no where near as thick as the canvas on the RTT. Yet it is quiet and doesn't rustle too much in the wind. The color also matches the earthy tons I have going on between Jeep and RTT and 'blends in' nicely. I absolutely hate how most awnings are grey in color.

So pulling out the shower head it was time for a test fit. I will be honest that I'm not super stoked about this aspect. I see why it is just a velcro loop, and theres not a whole lot of other options available. But it really does not hold the show head well, and is much too high. Fortunately I don't have a 4" lift. But once I do get HD springs and 35's - I might have a problem here, especially if on uneven ground. Maybe somebody makes a magnetic holder that I can slap onto the stainless canopy.

My original plan was to place this on the drivers side, since that is already where the ladder attaches, and that is the side I keep my clothing bag on. Also because I typically associate 'work' from the drivers side and 'play' from the passengers side - maybe in part too that RV's always have their doors on the passenger side and I lived in a 18' trailer for 5 years. However, I realized that if I did put the shower on the drivers side, it would be more difficult to run the showered and if the water was entirely too hot or cold I would not be able to adjust it. So....I ended up swapping to put the shower cube on the passenger side since that is where the water system is located. And it makes sense to be closer to the faucet to adjust temperature if necessary. However, this means that the awning will have to go on the drivers side, and that will make for some complications with my cooking setup and plan, so those will need to be revised now. I also turned the shower fabric 180 degrees seeing as how it just slides into channels of the aluminum frame above. This way the door opens on the Jeep side instead of away from the Jeep. The reason for this is, again, to be able to easily access the faucet to adjust temperatures if needed. If it opened away from the Jeep, then I would be sharing everything to the world to adjust temperatures.

Another downfall of this shower option over others is it is totally open to above. But then - who cares if it's raining? And if it's snowing are you really going to be wanting to take a shower anyway, or would a baby wipe bath suffice in that situation? So for me it's a non issue. more of an issue of the hot sun beating down if goin #2, but a towel draped over the top will resolve that issue. I do like how it has internal pockets for soap - and for now I just left my soap in one of the pockets. It will likely stay there for good. At first I thought the silver inside lining was kinda odd - but actually it's nice because it helps to brighten up the area especially if using it in low lighting conditions. The height adjustments are very simple as well which are also nice.

Tucking it away might take some time to get used to just due to the plastic rods at the top and bottom that help keep the walls straight but it is easy enough and can be done in less than 2 minutes. Which is about the same timeframe as the other privacy tent thing I have however, this is still easier and it offers more inside 'room' which just makes tasks less of a struggle. I also don't have to worry about tying anything down when driving as it tucks away nice, or wind blowing it entirely away at night like an event that occurred recently with the privacy tent. I can also opt to steak down all 4 corners of course just like others of its kind.

Overall I am pleased with this option. It is very light weight - and compared to the competition I really don't see why heavy duty fabric or extensive options are necessary. I mean, it's a shower. You use it to bathe, poo, or maybe change if you feel the need to cover for that. I just don't see the need to have a super heavy and overly robust product for this particular application. The one thing I really don't like though is the price. Like all 'overloading' equipment it is expensive - and this product seems pretty costly for how simple it is. One could easily fabricate one themselves with the right tools. Then again, other competitors are more expensive, and I purchased it with a 25% off sale.

 

[chorky]

13 hours later with nearly every joint hurting and a terrible migraine and some vertigo it was time to crawl into bed and just skip dinner. But, this is one of the few memories that will be forever.

 

[chorky]

Some time ago I mentioned going on a short trip with a film crew to be in a short documentary film.

I am part of a group called Homeward for Heroes. You can look them up at homewardforheroes.org. It is an amazing organization and group of friends. Dan and Laura have done a wonderful job creating a group that helps people reconnect from trauma and has saved many from suicide. Not only for veterans but also for first responders.

They were picked as ‘heroes’ for Bluetti for 2023. They sent out a professional film crew who spent 2 full days with us driving around, talking, to share the story of this organization and how Bluetti has help. Granted it is a promotional video, and not nearly long enough IMO…however, without these power packs, Homeward would not be able to help so many people all across the nation. Watch this short video to see what it is all about.

If you know a veteran or first responder in need, reach out, or visit homewardforheroes.org just being a part of this group has helped me personally more than I can express. Many of us have deep dark secrets that we never let into the light. And this is one group where that can happen to try and heal. Dan and Laura are truly heroes.

 

[chorky]

The next day was a rest day. With a little drive to the historical Spotted Bear station

And seeing where the Spotted Bear river dumps into the South Fork Flathead.

It was a shame I couldnt camp here for a night. Im sure the fishing would be amazing.

On the way back toward the dam, we swung by firefighter lookout. I dont know much of the history of this site but can imagine it would be pretty awesome to see the milky way from here at night and the northern lights.

Walking back to the truck revealed a nice view of Hungry Horse reservoir and Great Northern that was climbed the day prior

Moving off to the west side of the lake for a short and supposedly easy hike the next day revealed even more views of Great Northern

The views just kept me making stops for more pictures. But one more and we had to get going to make camp and dinner.

 

[Rusty PW]

Looks like a great trip. Glad that you are able to enjoy it. ?

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