Sharing a camp site?

Discussion in 'MINIs on the Dragon 9 (April 27 - May 1, 2011)' started by agranger, Jun 26, 2010.

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  1. Thumper460

    Thumper460 Active Member

    May 26, 2009
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    Good work!! Looks like fun!!

    Fishing...? My son in law is a fisherman ( lol, lives here in Fl) he said it is all in the bait! So he asked a few locals, got the type of bait.. and caught more than he could keep!! And my 2 yr old grand son even "hooked and brought in' a few. I think it was can corn kernels. They fished at the camp, pretty close to the bridge. Bought the Lic for 35.00 If I remember right.

    Storage.. nope! there are a few covered campsites, the rest are open. In my past 3 camping trips, there was never ANY issues with gear. NO Bears, ECT..LOL
    There is a Shower/ bathrooms / soda machine for your mixes and a phone. at the Campground. Water and elect... add a camp fire and company, it doesnt get any better for camping, yes?

    Just me................................

    Thumper
     
  2. hughes

    hughes New Member

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    My campsite will be plum-full of Columbus Brewing Company's various types of beer for everyone from out of state to try. It's awesome! :) :beer
     
  3. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    I had my first weekend out with the trailer and all of the new gear! I was at a race track (road course south of Forth Worth, TX - Motorsports Ranch in Cresson) and was camping in an area all by myself without hookups (bathroom and shower available).

    The Yamaha 2000is Generator worked like a charm... quiet and easy to use. The Coleman water heater was very cool too... it was so nice to be able to wash dishes or my hands whenever I wanted without having to run back and forth to the bathrooms.

    I'll definately have to figure out something for the roof... the material is just too heavy and it sags in the middle... would be a serious rain catcher in bad weather. I've got a couple of ideas and took some measurements, so I'll take a stab at a fix in a bit.

    Here's a little 2 minute video walk-around of the trailer and the gear and the setup. Since I'm at the track, I've got tons of extra equipment with me... extra wheels/tires, tools, race gear, etc. It shouldnt' be quite so cluttered when I go tp the Dragon, but I am a Boy Scout at heart:

    [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bypkq1IANXc]YouTube - Quicksilver 5.0 at MSRC[/ame]

    Lots of pics as well:

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  4. hughes

    hughes New Member

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    What can you say other than WOW!

    UPDATE!:

    I just found out that I am going to be a father of a new mini addition! :) No word on if it is a boy or girl yet but I will have to pass along my opportunity at the Dragon this year! It is for a good reason though, my sweetheart will be 8 months pregnant and although from what I hear, I will want to be gone, LOL, I am going to be here in Ohio helping out as much as I can. So please drink one for me at the Dragon! :)
     
  5. davavd

    davavd Club Coordinator

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    You are definitely camping in style! I'm still planning on joining you, but in much less grand accommodations. Dave is, too, as far as I know.
     
  6. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    Congratulations! Excellent news (the little one, that is... not missing the Dragon)!

    The new camping list is:

    1. Agranger (Aaron)
    2. davavd (Dirk and Dave)
    3. Track-toy (Graham)
     
  7. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Every time I see the air conditioner I get a chuckle.:cool:
    It's gotta be great when it's hot out.
    Is it my imagination or are you making changes, it seems to be growing in size and accouterments?:Thumbsup:
    Nice job on the camper. :D
     
  8. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    LOL. The trailer has gotten as swank as it is going to get... It is now full! :D I've got to say that the AC was brilliant at the track. It was 99-100 degrees out and after a session, I'd cruise back to the trailer and take a nap curled up on the floor in front of the AC. It was absolutely wonderful.

    I put the cooler and the generator in the car, but the rest of the kit will fit in the trailer, along with 1 Rubbermaid tote that I keep empty to use for clothing, dry foods, etc. That left the car to hold all of my race gear, tools, etc. On my way to the Dragon, sans Generator, I figure that I'll only have to put the cooler and a spare wheel in the back of the car... everything else will be out of the way, locked up in the trailer.
     
  9. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    We had one person (Dirk's friend) drop from the event (sold his MINI??? What??? :eek6: ), and a couple of others from the Pittsburgh area join in. It should be a nice, busy site! With my trailer and 4 tents planned for the site, I think we are full-up! I'm getting a new client, I think, in January so things are always up in the air a bit, but I am planning to be there on Tuesday afternoon/evening and will stay until Sunday morning.

    1. Agranger (Aaron)
    2. davavd (Dirk)
    3. hughes (Nick and possible guest)
    4. TrackToy (Graham) and a friend (another tent)

    I got the wife out camping a few weeks ago and I'm just about to button up the trailer and store it for the winter. This last trip trip was my first chance to go purely camping in a long time (not just a place to stay while at a DE event or on my way back from a road trip) and things went pretty well. I've got a couple of minor issues to deal with before MOTD (like a broken side light from hitting the wall of my storage unit - DOH!) but things are in pretty good shape! I didn't come up against any situation that couldn't be easily handled by what was in the trailer and when the temps dropped into the 40s in the evenings, the trailer stayed toasty and warm with the small electric heater only running 1/3 of the time.

    My campfire cooking skills came right back and we had a beautiful dinner done over an open fire and I've gotten pretty good at Bacon/Egg/Potato breakfast tacos, if I must say so myself.

    I've asked Santa for a Dutch Oven and a small bit of fishing gear for a bit of extra Dragon fun. :D
     
  10. Augie05

    Augie05 New Member

    Jan 11, 2010
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    I camped in 2008 but have not not been back to the MOTD event since. Would like to go this year but don't have any arrangements made yet. (hopefully, not too late)

    Please let me know if anyone has any room on their site.

    BTW, Agranger, Your camper looks awesome. Other than gas mileage, how does the MINI drive pulling the camper?
     
  11. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    Augie: I know that the campground was full-up, but I'm sure that someone will chime in here in the next few months and find a space for you.

    I barely notice that the trailer is even behind the car, except I think I've got a bit more tongue weight than I should and, when combined with my lowering springs and stock shocks, I'm sitting VERY low in the back. If I hit a bump of any size, I bottom out pretty hard and scrub the tires into the wheel wells. I'll be doing coil-overs before I head to the Dragon, so I may dial the height up a bit in the back to prevent that issue.

    It's pretty easy to move the trailer around by hand, so the MINI has no troubles at all. It's pretty wide, though, and just high enough to block 98% of the rear view mirror's visibility. I'm running nearly 200hp at the wheels (230-ish probably at the crank... rough guess), so I've got a bit more power than the average R53 and I've got a handful of brake mods (and a BBK up front) which probably help me manage that extra momentum.

    If I remember correctly, I lose 4-5 MPG on the highway at 70 MPH, so it's not too bad... moves from 31ish to 25ish MPG.
     
  12. Augie05

    Augie05 New Member

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    That doesn't sound bad at all. I think the trailer for the MINI is a cool concept.
     
  13. Justa Jim

    Justa Jim Well-Known Member
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    "Air Shocks". Problem solved. :Thumbsup:

    Jim
     
  14. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    If anyone has a reserved camp site and wouldn't mind sharing, please raise your hand! I've already had 2 other folks contact me about sharing. I don't want to turn anyone away, but my site is already pretty busy. The more, the merrier, IMHO!
     
  15. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    I just remembered something for all campers this weekend: BRING EXTRA TENT STAKES!!!!

    The land where the campground is located was man-made. They filled in rubble and then covered it with top-soil. When you pound a tent stake more than 4-5" into the ground, you will very likely hit solid rock... some more than 10-12" in diameter. It will take a bit of exploration and patience to find a place where you can completely sink a stake to properly support your tent. If you are an easily frustrated person, bring extras... you will go home with some bent stakes! :D
     
  16. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    FISHING INFO ----------------------------------------

    You can get a fishing license here: https://www.ncalvin.org/Alvin/default.aspx?MenuTabID=138&SiteID=1&TranTabID=488&trid=41&vid=0

    Regulations here: Licenses/Permits/Registration/Titling

    My very simple take on it: Limit of 7 trout per day - 7 inches or longer.

    The visitor license is a 10-day window. I got the 10-day inland fishing license ($10) + the public water trout addition (+$10). I'm not 100% sure if the second part is necessary, but I tend to err on the side of 'safe' vs. 'sorry'. With a public fishing spot down the road, it may be 'public water'.
     
  17. davavd

    davavd Club Coordinator

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    Good point! The 1/4" diameter rod ones do not hold well even if they do go in. This year I'm trying the screw-in kind.
     
  18. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    OK... more folks are contacting me, looking for a campsite to share... ANYONE? Bueler?

    If you have a campsite reserved and wouldn't mind sharing with someone, please speak up! :D Sharing earns you good motoring karma, which helps to prevent speeding tickets and and adds 10 hp.
     
  19. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    #39 agranger, Mar 22, 2011
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2011
    An update:

    Huges has bowed out as he will be taking care of his wife who will be well into the third trimester (just heard: TWIN GIRLS!!!! :crazy: :crazy: ), so I'm contacting some of the other folks who have either posted on this thread or IM'd me for a spot (in the order contacted).

    1. Agranger (Aaron)
    2. davavd (Dirk)
    3. TrackToy (Graham)
    4. A friend of Graham's
     
  20. agranger

    agranger MINI of the Month June 2009
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    1. Agranger (Aaron)
    2. davavd (Dirk)
    3. TrackToy (Graham)
    4. A friend of Graham's
    5. Chris - A friend of a local club member, Tina!

    Hey... there's always room for one more, right?

    A new addition to the crew!
     

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