RoadTrip Blog

Could be fun exploring Death valley, or could it get across Tioga pass in the winter ?

Mitsubushi futuristic concept racer

Not quite what you expected, eh?

Dave Gomm

I was looking on the Yosemite NP website this morning and took a look at the webcams in the current conditions section and was amazed at the spectacular sunrise.
No camera tricks but straight from the webcam.

Courtesy of Yosemite webcam

From the Yosemite park webcam

Pretty spectacular !

Dave Gomm

When we are not road tripping in the US enjoying the open road with an RV we like to head off in our trailer tent. We also have what you call “pop ups” over here in the UK but the type of trailer tent we use is quite rare. It is very light and smaller than most,  easy to tow and easy to get down the smallest of lanes or up the steepest of hills.

The real beauty is that it is very quick and easy to get erected.  This is much to the disappointment of the caravaners who like to turn the sun chairs in the direction of anyone arriving with a tent and sit there giggling,pointing fingers and pulling faces while you are trying to sort out where each pole belongs and getting frustrated. [Been there done that] Funny how some people get their entertainment!

Anyway here’s our “second home.”

OK. We get it level on the ground and put the adjustable legs on the luggage rack [handy for carrying gear if using a small tow car] ready to open it.  Open the rear door and release the catch inside that is holding it shut.

We then open it out and, to the disappointment of those onlookers wanting entertainment, there is only one short pole that inserts inside the poles in each half to make it one solid bar.

They start to think, “There must be a lot more poles in there somewhere” as they look on. Well no there aren’t — all we have to do now is pull it over like a pram hood, peg the front down and extend the poles to tighten the canvas.

Inside there is enough room to store fold away tables and chairs, fridge, portable TV, gas cooker and bottle, Porta potti,lamps, electric cable  and all the other bits and bobs you might need. There are two inner tents that turn each part of the trailer into two separate bedrooms at night and into a settee during the day. It basically has everything we need stowed inside.

And there we are, all ready to crack open a can or two and light the BBQ.  Although it takes some time to do all the little bits for a longer stay in the same place, for an overnighter you could have it ready for a nights kip in less than half an hour. All in all a good little unit if you like that sort of thing.

Dave Gomm camping., Equipment

I was fortunate in the fact that while returning from one of our jaunts down to the West country we happened to be passing Stonehenge as the sun was about to set.

Within half an hour it had gone from this

Stonehenge by Dave Gomm

To this

Sunset.

Stonehenge by Dave Gomm

Unfortunately the light was changing so quickly I struggled to capture it fully in film but it was an amazing sight, even though I have passed by many times before.

If you “cut to the chase” they are just some rather large rocks in a field, yet they “entertain” people from all over the world and still baffle scientists and archeologist’s as to how they got there and for what purpose. They do know they are very,very old and some of the large rocks found there way to this site from across the water in Wales. It has been suggested they were used for worship, or by early Astronomers, even placed there by the devil himself. It has been said that over 300 million hours of labour was used. Who works that one out ?
Whatever it is, it still captures the imaginations of millions of tourists. Hey, wait a minute ! Is this the first man made tourist trap ever built.

Dave Gomm

When I am at home in the UK, there is nothing I enjoy more than jumping in my Nissan 200sx turbo and going for a blast in the country lanes of the South Downs. The car is an ongoing project and at the moment produces 260BHP which is up 90bhp on the factory standard. That may not sound much compared to the “Yank tanks,” but from 1.8 LTR engine and weighing little more than a ton it, will propel it to 60mph in 6 secs and onto 150mph [138 proven and still pulling]

Here she is:

Nissan 200sx turbo (Photo by Dave Gomm)

Now as some of you might know, when I am Roadtripping in America I love the R.V lifestyle and one day hope to buy a Motorhome for touring Europe. That is when [if] time and money isn’t an issue. If I could afford one at the moment it would spend 50 weeks of the year sat on the driveway collecting cobwebs.

Anyway, to the point of my ramblings. I have just found my idea of Roadtrip Heaven and thought I would share it.

(Photo courtesy of Volkner Mobil.com)
At more than a million Bucks it’s gonna have to wait a while though! Click here to read an article about this million dollar vehicle.

I did some more poking around the site of the company building these machines and found this one, which is capable of off-highway travel!

4x4, Off-Road Capability (courtesy of Volkner Mobil)

Dave Gomm R.V, roadtripping heaven., Sports car