My van camper

[txmnjim]

pics bring back wonderful memories. haven't been to pedernales falls sp in probably
25 years...i sure loved Balmorea and advise to go back in summer for an awesomely refreshing
swim! safe travels!!
jim

 

[B and C]

...i sure loved Balmorea and advise to go back in summer for an awesomely refreshing
swim! safe travels!!
jim

Be prepared, when it is 90 degrees and you jump in it will take your breath away and make any outie an innie!  IIRC the water temp is something like 54 degrees as it is spring fed and deep.

 

[txmnjim]

yes, it was great. we also loved camping in BIG Bend in august even though folks advised not.
up in the Chiso mtns it was not bad at all...although the desert floor was certainly warm

 

[Campor99]

GO SMALL GO FAR GO NOW!

HI ALL YOU VAN LOVING GUY'S AND GAL'S, THANKS FOR CHECKING THREAD

MOVING EAST THRU TEXAS, STOPPED IN GOLIAD TX AND SPENT A COUPLE DAYS 
AT THE STATE PARK LOCATED ON SOUTHERN EDGE OF TOWN.  RICH IN HISTORY
ITS A LOVELY SPOT.  PARK IS POPULAR AND YOU SHOULD ARRIVE EARLY TO GET
A SITE, I TYPICALLY ALWAYS TRAVEL EARLY IN DAY AND FIND A CAMPSITE EARLY
AFTERNOON. 

GOLIAD WAS LOCATION OF THE MASSACRE OF TEXANS WHO HAD SURRENDERED
BY MEXICAN TROOPS.  

BE SAFE AND ENJOY OUR BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY.
 

 

[Campor99]

GO SMALL GO FAR GO NOW!

HI ALL YOU VAN LOVING BUCK A ROO'S!  THANKS FOR CHECKING THREAD

GOLIAD IS ONE OF MANY SMALL COUNTY SEATS IN TEXAS THAT 
HAS A BEAUTIFUL CITY SQUARE WITH COURTHOUSE.  RECENTLY
MANY OF THESE BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN REFURBISHED TO THEIR
ORIGINAL BEAUTY.  ADDITIONAL THE TOWN HAS THE LA BAHIA 
PRECIDIO AND CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL.  

IT TOOK A WHILE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE ROAD WARRIOR PICKUP WAS
NOTE BOTTOM OF GRILL GUARD, LOOKS LIKE OLD SCYTHE BLADE ATTACHED. HMMM!

BE SAFE AND ENJOY OUR BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY.

 

[highdesertranger]

LOL I thought Texas had safety inspections. if that thing passed, the inspections are a waste of time and money. double LOL highdesertranger

 

[B and C]

Old farm truck to the max. That 1/2 sickle blade on the front is probably to help clear the weeds out of the way.

Texas does have safety inspections, lights, brakes, seatbelts, good tires, cracked glass, etc. All I see is a beat up and put away wet truck. Just 'cause it doesn't look good doesn't mean it is not safe.

 

[highdesertranger]

no front fender, no rear mud flaps, that thing is going to throw road debris all over the place and it looks like the head light is held in place with clear tape. that's just what I can see from one picture. highdesertranger

 

[B and C]

Texas doesn't require mud flaps AFAIK. Even with mud flaps, the debris is still thrown/deposited on the roadway. Missing fender? What does that have to do with safety? Headlights are only required to properly light the roadway ahead and we are talking small town Texas, not a major suburb. Farm truck probably only gets on the road in daylight anyway. There may be finer points but my vehicles are generally in good shape so I don't keep up with the little stuff.

 

[bullfrog]

Some states used to only require a flashlight with red crate paper taped on the back at night and a red flag during the day. Ah the good old days! I drove a tube frame buggy 21 days across the country. One state required me to get a rear view mirror as my chrome bullet headlight distorted the image, put a bicycle mirror on one of the tubes with a hose clamp. Another state required a windshield wiper even though I didn't have a windshield, got a windshield wiper and arm and used a self tapping screw to hold it on an upright tube. Almost got a ticket in West Virginia because of a law they had that if an officer could not cover up a rust hole in the body with a quarter coin it was considered unsafe but turns out he was upset because my passenger seat belt was creating sparks as it was dragging the ground due to no floor. I did get a ticket in Phoenix for driving around the block twice in an hour as it was easy to spot me. Got pulled over in California rush hour traffic stopped in a long line of cars for tailgating, the officer walked up from several cars back as he was bored sitting in traffic and looked for out of state plates. Utah has some really strict laws but did away with the required safety inspections as mechanics got tired of getting beat up when they told the vehicle owner no aftermarket parts were allowed and tires must be 2/3s enclosed and inside the fender, used basement window wells for fenders but finally got to old to scuffle with these young mechanics so I sold it. I really enjoy your thread and look forward to your posts.

 

[carestock]

Has anyone put a lift kit on a town and county minivan? Looking for a few more inches of clearance for boondocking.

 

[highdesertranger]

"Has anyone put a lift kit on a town and county minivan?'

Don't do it. you will ruin your mini-van. there are several reasons. I have lifted thousands of vehicles, trust me don't do it. if you want more clearance put the tallest tires that you can that don't rub. with a unibody a few years of off road driving is also going to take a toll. highdesertranger

 

[Campor99]

Has anyone put a lift kit on a town and county minivan? Looking for a few more inches of clearance for boondocking.

Never as I remember seeing one,  If you are that serious about the back country I would look at a Astro or Safari van.

 

[RoamerRV428]

wow sounds like HDR has a lot of knowledge on that one.
for me I hate 'adding' to things too much in life, in that, they never seem to work as well as a product that was meant for it....like buy the high clearance vehicle produced for that reason vs. trying to add some clearance like lift kit etc.
I think HDR might sway ya with that answer

 

[Campor99]

Tend to agree with Roamer and High Desert, neither my Astro or Suburban have lift kits and do just fine getting me where I
wish to go, however, I'm not one for going totally off road and blazing a new trail. Suspension issues can get you a hard to fix
Death Wobble!

 

[Glynb]

Love your Astro van!  Mine is just like it except a conversion.

Happy travels!

 

[Campor99]

GO SMALL GO FAR GO NOW

HI ALL YOU VAN LOVING BUCKAROO'S,  THANKS FOR CHECKING THREAD.

DIME BOX TX  SOUTH CENTRAL TX NOT TO FAR FROM HUNTSVILLE.  WAS 
A RAILROAD TOWN, OF COURSE THAT IS HISTORY NOW, AND IS A SMALL
RURAL TOWN  WITH NOT MUCH GOING ON TODAY.  THE NEAR BUY STATE
PARK IS QUITE NICE IS DESIGNED FOR HORSE FOLKS. WITH EXCELLENT 
FACILITIES AND A NICE LAKE.

BE SAFE OUT THERE AND ENJOY OUR BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY.

 

[highdesertranger]

dang what kind of horses do they have down there those corrals look to be 8ft tall, LOL. looks like the lake is real full. thanks for the report and pics. Dime Box I wonder what the significance of that name is. I am taking it that it's not the same as dime bag, LOL. highdesertranger

 

[Campor99]

Dime Box although on Wiki didn't have any info on the name source or even the meaning. Had more empty buildings in town than
occupied. You ever get that diesel transplant completed.

 

[highdesertranger]

short answer no. unforeseen circumstances came up set me back a little. but the plan and the parts are still there. highdesertranger