Sleeter
New member
Yea, at least it's not pictures of floor mats, leds, and nerf bars. :lol:
Sleeter's build and adventure thread
- Thread starter Sleeter
- Start date
Yea, at least it's not pictures of floor mats, leds, and nerf bars. :lol:
Sleeter
New member
Yep Worthington tank, halfway down page two of this thread you can just barely see how its mounted in a smithybuilt CO2 tank holder attached to the jerrycan holder.
greatape
Senior Member
Thanks..nice hunting camp too!
Sleeter
New member
Maybe? I have a Borla cat-back, but I'm not exactly sure what your referring to. I get 14ish mpg befor and after the Borla.
Last edited:
Stock SR5 did a great job completing the Pearl Pass trail.
Best quote from a Texan in a side-by-side "I hate to see you abuse a Toyota like that".
I responded, "it's a rental"
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I'm new to Colorado and trails, how hard is this trail? Could someone who hasn't really done any off-roading do this? Thanks!
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Sleeter
New member
I wouldn't recommend pearl pass to any novice unless you have another vehicle with you who is a experienced driver and spotter. To be frank, the only way I made over the pass was because I had a excellent spotter, and I had driven over the pass many times in my jeep.
Sleeter
New member
Ive been very busy lately and haven't had much time to update this.
The biggest adventure so far has been the Spring Overland Trip. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/off-r...d-trip-george-washington-national-forest.html Click the link to see the fun.
While at [MENTION=65614]Antman[/MENTION] s last cove trip i bent the my passanger side rear lower control arm pretty bad so I ordered a set of REZFAB replacements. The REZFAB lower control arms are awesome!
Additionally I picked up some new armor from RCI in the form of lower link skids which I installed at the same time as the RLCAs. My passenger lower link was pretty chewed up, So much so i had to grind it down to fit the skids on. I'm really glad i added the armor now before I did more damage.
If anyone is available for a June 8th-11th Overland trip though Monongahela NF shoot me a PM, I have a couple slots open on the next trip.
Today I took the family out for a trail ride. Enjoy the pics.
The biggest adventure so far has been the Spring Overland Trip. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/off-r...d-trip-george-washington-national-forest.html Click the link to see the fun.
While at [MENTION=65614]Antman[/MENTION] s last cove trip i bent the my passanger side rear lower control arm pretty bad so I ordered a set of REZFAB replacements. The REZFAB lower control arms are awesome!
Additionally I picked up some new armor from RCI in the form of lower link skids which I installed at the same time as the RLCAs. My passenger lower link was pretty chewed up, So much so i had to grind it down to fit the skids on. I'm really glad i added the armor now before I did more damage.
If anyone is available for a June 8th-11th Overland trip though Monongahela NF shoot me a PM, I have a couple slots open on the next trip.
Today I took the family out for a trail ride. Enjoy the pics.
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Wookiemonster
New member
Cvt
Nice rig! about to pull the trigger on the either the rainer or the shasta, question for you, does the rainer leave any room on the gobi when packed up ? and how does it fair with 4 people in it? I have to small boys and am leaning to the larger rainer...
Nice rig! about to pull the trigger on the either the rainer or the shasta, question for you, does the rainer leave any room on the gobi when packed up ? and how does it fair with 4 people in it? I have to small boys and am leaning to the larger rainer...
Sleeter
New member
If you mount the tent as far rear as possible you have a fair amount of space, enough for a box or two over the sun roof. I mount it centered so I can raise the rear hatch without hitting the window spring rods.
2 adults and 2 kids is definitely doable, our boys usually start the night in the anex and by 5am they are up-top with mom and dad.
Wookiemonster
New member
lol that sounds about right! My boys do the the same thing. Awesome thanks for the reply that was exactly what I was looking for. We are going to the CVT store tomorrow and while I will be able to look at them in person it's always nice to talk to someone with real world experience, thanks for the help!
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Sleeter
New member
After months of planning and anticipation, weeks of packing and strategizing, the time had come for our overland adventure to Portsmouth Island, NC - an outer banks island off Cape Lookout accessible only by ferry.
In true Outbound Overland nature, we left northern Virginia in the middle of a severe storm. It seems to always happen when we are about to embark of a big trip, packed and ready to leave, the power goes out and there’s blinding rain. Julie hurriedly threw the two kids and two dogs into the truck, getting soaked in the pouring rain, while Tom set up the navigation. And we then we were off!!
We waylaid in Hampton, VA at Julie's sister's house overnight to avoid the worst of the holiday getaway traffic on I-95. The next morning, we continued our trek south, sticking to route 17 and 70, again, avoiding interstate traffic. All things considered, it was a peaceful and scenic though at times boring drive through the coastal countryside. We saw beautiful fields of peanuts, which, at this time of year, are blooming purple!
We finally pulled in to Beaufort, NC late morning, drove around to find a place to park the rig and headed to the waterfront. We noted that waterfront area parking is not free and only for single vehicles; however, we went a few blocks back from the waterfront and found street parking adequate enough for our truck and trailer for free. We used a website called www.bringfido.com to find a dog-friendly restaurant with outdoor seating and were pleased to find the website was accurate. Our pups were quiet and well behaved. The restaurant even provided water dishes at the table. We enjoyed a seafood lunch at Queen Anne's Revenge and then had to quickly pay the check and rush off to Atlantic, NC so we wouldn't miss our ferry!
We arrived at Morris Marina just on time, not really sure we were in the right place. We didn’t see the boat! Until some other trucks rolled in and went right up to the office and we were all told the ferry was a little behind schedule. The office is a little building with a sign on the door that says “PI Office.” They have a pretty good selection of t-shirts, hats, and stickers for sale. The owners have the southern charm you’d expect in a North Carolina coastal town. If you arrive early, or the ferry is late, there is a little restaurant/grill on the shore where you can get a quick bite to eat. Julie satisfied the kids with popsicles while walking the dogs and letting then stretch their legs. Tom relaxed with a $2.50 domestic beer.
The ferry pulled up. The boys had never been on a boat like this so it was quite the adventure for them. The poor pups didn’t really know what to make of it. The ferry is big enough for approximately six vehicles. We say approximately because it depends on how big the vehicle is! Portsmouth Island is really only suited for trucks and over-road SUVs. Don’t even think about bringing your Honda Civic over there. The ferryman first loaded two Ford F-150 trucks loaded with some dads and their kiddos on a Father-Kid weekend. Then they backed us in on the other side. Tom was an expert backing up the rig with little visibility. Julie couldn’t watch and waiting to hear a splash but all went well! Julie, the kids and dogs boarded the ferry back to the passenger area. Then they loaded a Ford F-350. Boy! Once they got that truck on there, there was no room to open doors to get back in the truck. So basically, Tom got about 45 minutes of peace and quiet and Julie had to supervise two kids and two dogs and make sure no one went overboard. Ha!
It was a peaceful ride on the water. We arrived at Portsmouth Island and were promptly greeted by National Park Service rangers reminding visitors of the rules. There is a volunteer/host office where you need to stop to register for camping but it was too late in the day and the office was closed so we didn’t register.
Tom aired down the tires of the truck and the Go to about 15psi which allowed us to maneuver well in the sand. We travel with an ARB portable compressor. Morris Marina provides about 25 cottages for rent and provide a bathhouse with free hot showers right by the ferry dock. It’s located at ramp 16. We started driving to find out spot in the sand. Being a holiday weekend, the island was fairly busy but with 26 miles of shore, it’s easy to find a place away from other people, which is often our preference.
The first place we stopped looked great, a little alcove between the dunes. BUT, as soon as we backed in, the rangers came by on their ATVs and reminded us that wheels cannot be behind the wooden signs in front of the dunes. Tents are okay but since we had a trailer, we had to be in front of the signs. We were also nervous about where the high tide line was. The rangers were perfectly polite and we were actually kind of glad they stopped us when they did so we didn’t get set up and then have to move. We continued down the beach and found another fairly flat alcove with no signs. The dunes somewhat sheltered our spot from the wind.
We backed the GO into the space so that the solid back of the trailer would be into the wind. The GO has floor vent windows and we quickly realized all windows on the wind-side of the trailer would have to stay closed or the trailer would be filled with sand. We laid out our SylvanSport TwinkleToes carpet which was convenient to catch the sand and then could be shaken out rather than have to keep sweeping the trailer. In direct sunlight, the trailer did get hot inside and because of the wind/sand, we couldn’t properly vent it. Oh well.
Julie went to work setting up the camp kitchen, fighting the wind to find a good-enough spot for the stove to maintain heat and flame. By this time, it was nearly 7pm and we hadn’t had dinner. Julie heated up water for a Mountain House meal of chicken teriyaki. Tom positioned the truck perpendicular to the trailer so we’d be close and have some privacy. He set up our CVT roof top tent pretty quickly. We get better and better with practice. In no time at all, dinner was ready and camp was set up. The kids normally wouldn’t like chicken teriyaki but they were so hungry at that point there were no complaints. As soon as they were done, they couldn’t even wait to put swimsuits on and ran into the water with their clothes on!
Finally, Julie and Tom could sit in the chairs and relax. The dogs were not sure what to make of the sand but they quickly learned they could dig to their hearts content and not get in trouble! The NPS has a very strict 6-foot leash law on the island so we couldn’t hook them up to their normal 25 foot tether. They stayed leashed to the truck and mostly hung out in the shade under the truck for the weekend. Never having seen the ocean, they were terrified of the waves and foam. Our boy dog, Jack Frost, was like, “Nope, get me back to my hiding place.” Our girl dog, Jingle Belle, was loving watching bugs and birds. She’s easily entertained.
The sun started setting and Julie cleaned and dried off the kids for bed. James and Tom watched stars through the open windows on the roof top tent and Julie, Joey and the dogs settled in to the GO.
One thing about being on an open island on the east coast - you get direct sunlight sunrise at 5:30 in the morning. Rise and shine everyone! We were all up and had breakfast and cleaned up breakfast and were swimming by 9am. Breakfast consisted of one of our favorite camping breakfasts - egg scramble with cut up pre-cooked sausage, shredded cheddar and pico de gallo and sour cream. Tom makes the BEST cup of coffee with our Aeropress portable French press coffee maker. Quick note about wildlife on the island - raccoons got into our food box and ate our whole package of hot dog buns. We forgot to latch the lid on. We didn’t think about little critters other than birds and crabs but they’re there! Lock up your food!
After slathering on the sunscreen and bug spray, Tom rolled out the ARB canopy on the truck. The canopy holds up extremely well in the wind. We utilized Cosmos sand stakes to hold everything in place. This canopy was an amazing spot to sit and relax for the day. As the sun shifted, we hung the vertical ARB sun shade accessory. We had our beach chairs, little fold-up camping table and cold Coronas.
The beach is great for driving. It was fun to watch all the off-road ready vehicles pass by throughout the day. We watched a FJ Cruiser set up further down the beach from us. The wife was walking her dog and stopped to chat about our set up and later brought her husband by. They too had an ARB awning but I’m pretty sure he added a roof top tent and from bumper winch to his wish list after checkout our our gear. It just so happened that while we were standing there, a Jeep pulled up to chat as well. The Jeep owner had seen Tom’s post on Instagram and recognized our set up so he came over to say hi and check out the gear as well. One of our 8000+ Instagram followers.
The day wore on, the kids stayed wet and sandy. Tom pulled out his fishing gear but there was a pretty strong current. Even with double and triple weights on, the fishing just wasn’t very good. This was backed up by other fishermen throughout the day who also reported little or no luck. Because of the current and the tides, Tom didn’t get a chance to go out on his Field & Stream Shadow Caster kayak. Access may have been better from the channel side but we never made it over there. Same thing for the kids boogey boards - Julie wouldn’t let them go off-shore because of the strong currents. The water play was great, though. Water temps were about 75°F and air temps were low 80s°F. It was quite comfortable to stand in the water and the sand was soft.
Fishing is a big past-time on the island. It was pretty impressive to see these trucks all rigged out with front-bumper fishing pole racks and rear bumper fish cleaning stations and coolers. No need to buy bait, the sand flea crabs are plentiful at low tide.
The island is beautiful and the off-shore home to conchs. There were so many shells to sift through!! A beachcombers dream. We’d get excited to see a conch shell sticking out of the sand and then realize it was damaged. But we still came home with some beautys which my little one reminded me the Native American’s used shells for “wampum” or indian beads.
Day two started to wind down with family dinner in the sand. We enjoyed a Mountain House meal of spaghetti and meatballs, Mountain House fire-roasted veggies, and a fresh salad. You really had to hold your plate though in the wind!!
Speaking of wind, the wind was constant but as the day goes on, the wind gets stronger. It was so windy in the evening, the GO was blowing and rocking. It was more or less holding stead although one side was blowing in. The arches poles over the bed wings were effectively holding shape. But our son and dogs were nervous and unsettled at the noise and trailer shaking so a good nights sleep was not had by all.
Wind can be beneficial to keep the bugs at bay but let us tell you - no amount of Deet or Off! can save you from the biting flies and no-see-ems present on this beach. We were feasted upon in our sleep. Tom and the kids looks like they have chicken pox from all the bites and are presently slathering up with Cortisone cream. Tip for beach camping - dress in thicker clothing head to toe no matter how hot you are. Cover those clothes in bug repellent too!
Like we said, despite our fun and fatigue from Day One, nobody slept well. Tom called Morris Marina at 5:30am and low and behold! They answered! We were confirmed for an 11:30 ferry back to main land, cutting our trip short by one day. We’d like to thank the Marina for being so accommodating and friendly during the busy holiday weekend! Side note about calling the Marina from the beach - there is limited cell service!! We generally got one to three bars of 3G signal with Verizon. We were able to view our Instagram and Facebook pages and receive emails but generally, videos and downloads wouldn’t load.
When we got back to the ferry dock on the island, we used the shower house to clean up before heading home. Surprisingly, it’s a decent shower facility! There are two restrooms, first come first served, unisex. Free facility. In each bathroom is a toilet, a shower shall, sink and mirror, plenty of wall hooks and even two benches. We put our whole four-person family in one restroom to power-shower and clean as a team and had plenty of space. The water was the perfect temp of not too hot, not too cold, but adjustable. Water pressure was good as well. At least we were
We were so relieved when we saw the ferry dock and start loading cars. Our return ferry had four trucks and our gear. This time, Tom had to back on so he’d be able to pull straight off. A little dicey but he rocked it like a champ. As we had the opportunity to get in and our of the truck on this return trip. The return trip was uneventful, we docked and pulled straight off. After about 20 or 30 minutes, the car was rudimentarily cleaned of sand and dogs were walked, tires aired back up and we headed home. For convenience, the marine offers a free air compressor.
Driving home on the interstate on Sunday, we hit relatively little traffic until north of Richmond, VA where we redirected to Route 1 which parallels I-95. Route 1 was pretty quiet for a holiday weekend and we more or less sailed all the way to Fredericksburg and then Route 17 back up to northern Virginia. With two or three stops or food and gas breaks, we made good time and arrive home a little after 9pm.
Tom and Julie spent hours the next day cleaning sand and salt out of all the equipment, running laundry and repacking for the next big adventure.
Lessons learned for beach camping at North Core Island:
• Liberally apply sunscreen and bugspray!
• Bring plenty of water. We had about 40 gallons with us for a planned three-day trip.
• Don’t bother making gourmet meals, just keep meals and snacks simple and single-serve.
• Lock up your food at night.
• Bring a shovel and a toilet chair for very own back-country bathroom. Don’t linger! You’ll regret it and get bug bites in private places!
• Check the forecast and tide schedule in advance.
• Properly air down your tires when you arrive at the beach. Don’t forget to air back up when you get back to mainland.
• We use an 12v refrigerator which runs on battery and solar power but it looked like ice was available at the volunteer’s office on the island.
• Unless you’re going to carry your boat to the channel side, it’s probably not worth it to bring your own kayak.
• We saw lots of truck campers! A hard-sided camping unit is great against the wind but remember to reserve two spots on the ferry if traveling with a small tow-behind.
• The ferry does not have a bathroom. Go before you board!
• Keep you phone charged in case of emergency.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
In true Outbound Overland nature, we left northern Virginia in the middle of a severe storm. It seems to always happen when we are about to embark of a big trip, packed and ready to leave, the power goes out and there’s blinding rain. Julie hurriedly threw the two kids and two dogs into the truck, getting soaked in the pouring rain, while Tom set up the navigation. And we then we were off!!
We waylaid in Hampton, VA at Julie's sister's house overnight to avoid the worst of the holiday getaway traffic on I-95. The next morning, we continued our trek south, sticking to route 17 and 70, again, avoiding interstate traffic. All things considered, it was a peaceful and scenic though at times boring drive through the coastal countryside. We saw beautiful fields of peanuts, which, at this time of year, are blooming purple!
We finally pulled in to Beaufort, NC late morning, drove around to find a place to park the rig and headed to the waterfront. We noted that waterfront area parking is not free and only for single vehicles; however, we went a few blocks back from the waterfront and found street parking adequate enough for our truck and trailer for free. We used a website called www.bringfido.com to find a dog-friendly restaurant with outdoor seating and were pleased to find the website was accurate. Our pups were quiet and well behaved. The restaurant even provided water dishes at the table. We enjoyed a seafood lunch at Queen Anne's Revenge and then had to quickly pay the check and rush off to Atlantic, NC so we wouldn't miss our ferry!
We arrived at Morris Marina just on time, not really sure we were in the right place. We didn’t see the boat! Until some other trucks rolled in and went right up to the office and we were all told the ferry was a little behind schedule. The office is a little building with a sign on the door that says “PI Office.” They have a pretty good selection of t-shirts, hats, and stickers for sale. The owners have the southern charm you’d expect in a North Carolina coastal town. If you arrive early, or the ferry is late, there is a little restaurant/grill on the shore where you can get a quick bite to eat. Julie satisfied the kids with popsicles while walking the dogs and letting then stretch their legs. Tom relaxed with a $2.50 domestic beer.
The ferry pulled up. The boys had never been on a boat like this so it was quite the adventure for them. The poor pups didn’t really know what to make of it. The ferry is big enough for approximately six vehicles. We say approximately because it depends on how big the vehicle is! Portsmouth Island is really only suited for trucks and over-road SUVs. Don’t even think about bringing your Honda Civic over there. The ferryman first loaded two Ford F-150 trucks loaded with some dads and their kiddos on a Father-Kid weekend. Then they backed us in on the other side. Tom was an expert backing up the rig with little visibility. Julie couldn’t watch and waiting to hear a splash but all went well! Julie, the kids and dogs boarded the ferry back to the passenger area. Then they loaded a Ford F-350. Boy! Once they got that truck on there, there was no room to open doors to get back in the truck. So basically, Tom got about 45 minutes of peace and quiet and Julie had to supervise two kids and two dogs and make sure no one went overboard. Ha!
It was a peaceful ride on the water. We arrived at Portsmouth Island and were promptly greeted by National Park Service rangers reminding visitors of the rules. There is a volunteer/host office where you need to stop to register for camping but it was too late in the day and the office was closed so we didn’t register.
Tom aired down the tires of the truck and the Go to about 15psi which allowed us to maneuver well in the sand. We travel with an ARB portable compressor. Morris Marina provides about 25 cottages for rent and provide a bathhouse with free hot showers right by the ferry dock. It’s located at ramp 16. We started driving to find out spot in the sand. Being a holiday weekend, the island was fairly busy but with 26 miles of shore, it’s easy to find a place away from other people, which is often our preference.
The first place we stopped looked great, a little alcove between the dunes. BUT, as soon as we backed in, the rangers came by on their ATVs and reminded us that wheels cannot be behind the wooden signs in front of the dunes. Tents are okay but since we had a trailer, we had to be in front of the signs. We were also nervous about where the high tide line was. The rangers were perfectly polite and we were actually kind of glad they stopped us when they did so we didn’t get set up and then have to move. We continued down the beach and found another fairly flat alcove with no signs. The dunes somewhat sheltered our spot from the wind.
We backed the GO into the space so that the solid back of the trailer would be into the wind. The GO has floor vent windows and we quickly realized all windows on the wind-side of the trailer would have to stay closed or the trailer would be filled with sand. We laid out our SylvanSport TwinkleToes carpet which was convenient to catch the sand and then could be shaken out rather than have to keep sweeping the trailer. In direct sunlight, the trailer did get hot inside and because of the wind/sand, we couldn’t properly vent it. Oh well.
Julie went to work setting up the camp kitchen, fighting the wind to find a good-enough spot for the stove to maintain heat and flame. By this time, it was nearly 7pm and we hadn’t had dinner. Julie heated up water for a Mountain House meal of chicken teriyaki. Tom positioned the truck perpendicular to the trailer so we’d be close and have some privacy. He set up our CVT roof top tent pretty quickly. We get better and better with practice. In no time at all, dinner was ready and camp was set up. The kids normally wouldn’t like chicken teriyaki but they were so hungry at that point there were no complaints. As soon as they were done, they couldn’t even wait to put swimsuits on and ran into the water with their clothes on!
Finally, Julie and Tom could sit in the chairs and relax. The dogs were not sure what to make of the sand but they quickly learned they could dig to their hearts content and not get in trouble! The NPS has a very strict 6-foot leash law on the island so we couldn’t hook them up to their normal 25 foot tether. They stayed leashed to the truck and mostly hung out in the shade under the truck for the weekend. Never having seen the ocean, they were terrified of the waves and foam. Our boy dog, Jack Frost, was like, “Nope, get me back to my hiding place.” Our girl dog, Jingle Belle, was loving watching bugs and birds. She’s easily entertained.
The sun started setting and Julie cleaned and dried off the kids for bed. James and Tom watched stars through the open windows on the roof top tent and Julie, Joey and the dogs settled in to the GO.
One thing about being on an open island on the east coast - you get direct sunlight sunrise at 5:30 in the morning. Rise and shine everyone! We were all up and had breakfast and cleaned up breakfast and were swimming by 9am. Breakfast consisted of one of our favorite camping breakfasts - egg scramble with cut up pre-cooked sausage, shredded cheddar and pico de gallo and sour cream. Tom makes the BEST cup of coffee with our Aeropress portable French press coffee maker. Quick note about wildlife on the island - raccoons got into our food box and ate our whole package of hot dog buns. We forgot to latch the lid on. We didn’t think about little critters other than birds and crabs but they’re there! Lock up your food!
After slathering on the sunscreen and bug spray, Tom rolled out the ARB canopy on the truck. The canopy holds up extremely well in the wind. We utilized Cosmos sand stakes to hold everything in place. This canopy was an amazing spot to sit and relax for the day. As the sun shifted, we hung the vertical ARB sun shade accessory. We had our beach chairs, little fold-up camping table and cold Coronas.
The beach is great for driving. It was fun to watch all the off-road ready vehicles pass by throughout the day. We watched a FJ Cruiser set up further down the beach from us. The wife was walking her dog and stopped to chat about our set up and later brought her husband by. They too had an ARB awning but I’m pretty sure he added a roof top tent and from bumper winch to his wish list after checkout our our gear. It just so happened that while we were standing there, a Jeep pulled up to chat as well. The Jeep owner had seen Tom’s post on Instagram and recognized our set up so he came over to say hi and check out the gear as well. One of our 8000+ Instagram followers.
The day wore on, the kids stayed wet and sandy. Tom pulled out his fishing gear but there was a pretty strong current. Even with double and triple weights on, the fishing just wasn’t very good. This was backed up by other fishermen throughout the day who also reported little or no luck. Because of the current and the tides, Tom didn’t get a chance to go out on his Field & Stream Shadow Caster kayak. Access may have been better from the channel side but we never made it over there. Same thing for the kids boogey boards - Julie wouldn’t let them go off-shore because of the strong currents. The water play was great, though. Water temps were about 75°F and air temps were low 80s°F. It was quite comfortable to stand in the water and the sand was soft.
Fishing is a big past-time on the island. It was pretty impressive to see these trucks all rigged out with front-bumper fishing pole racks and rear bumper fish cleaning stations and coolers. No need to buy bait, the sand flea crabs are plentiful at low tide.
The island is beautiful and the off-shore home to conchs. There were so many shells to sift through!! A beachcombers dream. We’d get excited to see a conch shell sticking out of the sand and then realize it was damaged. But we still came home with some beautys which my little one reminded me the Native American’s used shells for “wampum” or indian beads.
Day two started to wind down with family dinner in the sand. We enjoyed a Mountain House meal of spaghetti and meatballs, Mountain House fire-roasted veggies, and a fresh salad. You really had to hold your plate though in the wind!!
Speaking of wind, the wind was constant but as the day goes on, the wind gets stronger. It was so windy in the evening, the GO was blowing and rocking. It was more or less holding stead although one side was blowing in. The arches poles over the bed wings were effectively holding shape. But our son and dogs were nervous and unsettled at the noise and trailer shaking so a good nights sleep was not had by all.
Wind can be beneficial to keep the bugs at bay but let us tell you - no amount of Deet or Off! can save you from the biting flies and no-see-ems present on this beach. We were feasted upon in our sleep. Tom and the kids looks like they have chicken pox from all the bites and are presently slathering up with Cortisone cream. Tip for beach camping - dress in thicker clothing head to toe no matter how hot you are. Cover those clothes in bug repellent too!
Like we said, despite our fun and fatigue from Day One, nobody slept well. Tom called Morris Marina at 5:30am and low and behold! They answered! We were confirmed for an 11:30 ferry back to main land, cutting our trip short by one day. We’d like to thank the Marina for being so accommodating and friendly during the busy holiday weekend! Side note about calling the Marina from the beach - there is limited cell service!! We generally got one to three bars of 3G signal with Verizon. We were able to view our Instagram and Facebook pages and receive emails but generally, videos and downloads wouldn’t load.
When we got back to the ferry dock on the island, we used the shower house to clean up before heading home. Surprisingly, it’s a decent shower facility! There are two restrooms, first come first served, unisex. Free facility. In each bathroom is a toilet, a shower shall, sink and mirror, plenty of wall hooks and even two benches. We put our whole four-person family in one restroom to power-shower and clean as a team and had plenty of space. The water was the perfect temp of not too hot, not too cold, but adjustable. Water pressure was good as well. At least we were
We were so relieved when we saw the ferry dock and start loading cars. Our return ferry had four trucks and our gear. This time, Tom had to back on so he’d be able to pull straight off. A little dicey but he rocked it like a champ. As we had the opportunity to get in and our of the truck on this return trip. The return trip was uneventful, we docked and pulled straight off. After about 20 or 30 minutes, the car was rudimentarily cleaned of sand and dogs were walked, tires aired back up and we headed home. For convenience, the marine offers a free air compressor.
Driving home on the interstate on Sunday, we hit relatively little traffic until north of Richmond, VA where we redirected to Route 1 which parallels I-95. Route 1 was pretty quiet for a holiday weekend and we more or less sailed all the way to Fredericksburg and then Route 17 back up to northern Virginia. With two or three stops or food and gas breaks, we made good time and arrive home a little after 9pm.
Tom and Julie spent hours the next day cleaning sand and salt out of all the equipment, running laundry and repacking for the next big adventure.
Lessons learned for beach camping at North Core Island:
• Liberally apply sunscreen and bugspray!
• Bring plenty of water. We had about 40 gallons with us for a planned three-day trip.
• Don’t bother making gourmet meals, just keep meals and snacks simple and single-serve.
• Lock up your food at night.
• Bring a shovel and a toilet chair for very own back-country bathroom. Don’t linger! You’ll regret it and get bug bites in private places!
• Check the forecast and tide schedule in advance.
• Properly air down your tires when you arrive at the beach. Don’t forget to air back up when you get back to mainland.
• We use an 12v refrigerator which runs on battery and solar power but it looked like ice was available at the volunteer’s office on the island.
• Unless you’re going to carry your boat to the channel side, it’s probably not worth it to bring your own kayak.
• We saw lots of truck campers! A hard-sided camping unit is great against the wind but remember to reserve two spots on the ferry if traveling with a small tow-behind.
• The ferry does not have a bathroom. Go before you board!
• Keep you phone charged in case of emergency.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Last edited:
Sleeter
New member
Below is a walk around of our new Woolly Bear trailer by Taxa Outdoors. So far we have added our CVT Mt Rainier, The Waterport, and Lock-n-Roll hitch. In the future we plan on replacing the axle with one that will matchs our 4Runner's lug pattern. As we modify the trailer i will try to update this thread.
