Last week I finally completed my quest to obtain a nice 4 X 4 - side by side, buggy to enhance our many camping adventures. We just returned from a 4 day 3 night "break the buggy in right" trip and had a blast.
We left early Tuesday morning and drove up through Florence, Superior and then along the western shore of Roosevelt Lake. The climb up to Payson is always a challenge {6 percent + for about 9 miles} but our trusty, dusty 2012 E-350 Class C was more than up to the task {Ya gotta love that 6.8L V-10}.
We stayed at the Rim campground located {not surprisingly} at the top of the Mogollon Rim at 7,500'. The $18 a night CG was a mere $9 with our Geezer cards. The views from the Roim are amazing and there are hundreds of miles of Forrest service roads {gravel and dirt} that just cry out for 4 X 4 exploration.
On Wednesday we drove all the way south to the isolated, very rural town of Young. Most of the road was dirt/gravel and the the elevation ranged from 7,500' all the way down to 5,200' in Young. Thursday saw us heading north on the back gravel roads up to Bear Canyon Lake {more Canyon than Lake} but a great ride. Saw a small herd of Elk, one huge bull and a dozen members of his harem right beside the road.
Stopped at the CAT Scale on the way home and was happy to confirm I am still just {barely} under my max numbers...
Fully loaded, towing the 2,560# of cargo trailer and Polaris RZR the coach is 11,480# {on a GVWR of 11,500} with a GCWR of 14,040# with a GCWR rating of 16,500#. The mileage is down to around 8 but still have plenty of power. Climbed every grade on 87 at 50 - 55 without any issues.
Here are a couple of pics, this one was shot from the top of the rim looking down towards Payson to the southwest and highway 260:
Here's one of our Coach and the new buggy, the trailer is peeking out from behind the coach::
:B
We left early Tuesday morning and drove up through Florence, Superior and then along the western shore of Roosevelt Lake. The climb up to Payson is always a challenge {6 percent + for about 9 miles} but our trusty, dusty 2012 E-350 Class C was more than up to the task {Ya gotta love that 6.8L V-10}.
We stayed at the Rim campground located {not surprisingly} at the top of the Mogollon Rim at 7,500'. The $18 a night CG was a mere $9 with our Geezer cards. The views from the Roim are amazing and there are hundreds of miles of Forrest service roads {gravel and dirt} that just cry out for 4 X 4 exploration.
On Wednesday we drove all the way south to the isolated, very rural town of Young. Most of the road was dirt/gravel and the the elevation ranged from 7,500' all the way down to 5,200' in Young. Thursday saw us heading north on the back gravel roads up to Bear Canyon Lake {more Canyon than Lake} but a great ride. Saw a small herd of Elk, one huge bull and a dozen members of his harem right beside the road.
Stopped at the CAT Scale on the way home and was happy to confirm I am still just {barely} under my max numbers...
Fully loaded, towing the 2,560# of cargo trailer and Polaris RZR the coach is 11,480# {on a GVWR of 11,500} with a GCWR of 14,040# with a GCWR rating of 16,500#. The mileage is down to around 8 but still have plenty of power. Climbed every grade on 87 at 50 - 55 without any issues.
Here are a couple of pics, this one was shot from the top of the rim looking down towards Payson to the southwest and highway 260:
Here's one of our Coach and the new buggy, the trailer is peeking out from behind the coach::
:B
