This weekend the little Toyota motor home was REALLY put to the test... The mission:
Load 6 grown men, 6 kayaks, & a ton of gear into a 19 ft. motor home, then make a 500 mile drive to a whitewater kayaking festival in Denali National Park.
Did we make it? Yes, but almost didn't when I found a roofing nail in my near-flat rear passenger tire)! Once we loaded all the people and gear into the RV, I did a test swerve on a back road going about 45 mph. Whoa. If any animals run out in front of us, I wish them luck, cause I DEFINITELY am not going to swerve around anything. We managed to putter along at 45-55 mph all the way to & from Denali Park!
I would estimate that we had about 1,500 lbs of gear, boats, and people added, with about 500 lbs of that on the roof made of 1 inch stick framing. Yipes... BUT, the Toyota motor home proved to be a champ and carry the weight just fine. We stopped often & used our hands to feel the tires for excessive heat, as well as the axle bearings.
The kayak race on the Nenana River (the 37th annual Nenana River Race) was a great time! I still have sore muscles where I did not know muscles existed.
Recent updates to my "home" include a hickory hardwood floor (the floor wasn't too difficult to install, just a little time consuming) and a new garden, free of lettuce-eating aphids. It should be about time for my first motorhome-grown salad within the next week:^)
Until the next adventure...
- Timmy
I would estimate that we had about 1,500 lbs of gear, boats, and people added, with about 500 lbs of that on the roof made of 1 inch stick framing. Yipes... BUT, the Toyota motor home proved to be a champ and carry the weight just fine. We stopped often & used our hands to feel the tires for excessive heat, as well as the axle bearings.
