Mint Sauce

I recently purchased an UNLOCKED Sierra Wireless 4G LTE WiFi hot spot from Ebay for $110 including shipping and got a sim card/ flex data plan with Telus in Whistler, BC for my Whistler biking trips this summer. Because I live in the US it took a while to get set up, but we got it figured out in the end. Works great so far (and 4G LTE speeds are FAST, 27 Mbps down 8 Mbps up) and I can use Google Voice for texts and Skype for phone calls. I'll be using the same device in Europe and hope I can get it working in a similar way.

+1 Bellevue, WA. I'll be doing bike trips mostly, but might be open to a different kind of camping trip...

If you have a bucket list, put Mt. Constitution on it! It's not the easiest place to get to involving a ferry ride from Anacortes to Orcas Island and therefore a minimum of 2-3 days is best to make it a good trip. I headed out after work on Friday taking the last ferry and arriving at Mountain Lake campground around 1am. At breakfast I asked other campers about the trails and one couple offered to shuttle me to the top, :-). A few other gravity riders were shuttling, but most opt for the long grind up the paved road or trail (not for me). The vista from the top is a 360 panorama of the Puget Sound area, the San Juan Island chain and parts of BC, Canada. The full, top to bottom biking trail is only open from September thru May and this was the last weekend that it was open for bikes. Sitting in the rain shadow of the Olympic National Park the soil composition is similar to Mt. Pinos/ Mt. Abel with a climate slightly drier than surrounding areas making it a good fall, winter and spring riding destination. The trail is broken up into 4 sections between the various island's lakes and descends around 4 or 5 miles (?) to Mountain Lake campground. It's mostly downhill (75-80%) with a few short uphills/ flat sections, but nothing lung busting. The trail is a mixture of single-track and double-track with technical rock sections, roots, a few kicker/ endless transitions into loamy tacky dirt and plenty of smooth, fast forested trail with epic vistas. The best bike choice would be a sturdy trail bike with 140-160mm of travel with my 2006 Giant Reign being perfectly suited to the terrain and I saw mostly new style AM rigs like the Ibis Mojo, Pivot 5.7 etc. The only casualty was that my dog caught a field mouse on the trail, which probably died of shock! This is a great trail for a trail running dog and can be ridden/ run top to bottom in under and hour, although you'd be a fool not to stop at the lakes/ vista points. http://trails.evergreenmtb.org/w/index.php?title=Trail:Mount_Constitution http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=234&u=15701436'> http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=235&u=15701436'> http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=236&u=15701436'> http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=245&u=15701436'> http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=237&u=15701436'> http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=239&u=15701436'> http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=240&u=15701436'> http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=241&u=15701436'> http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=244&u=15701436'> http://www.servimg.com/image_preview.php?i=243&u=15701436'>

Hitch can be bolted (if you have mounting tabs) or welded to the frame. I paid $300 all in for my 2" receiver (welded to frame) on my '85 Dolphin. I like the Thule T2 and Kuat NV racks. These racks are not cheap, but I've had my Thule T2 for over 6 years with no issues.

OK, so I have my RV and a place to park it between trips (Toy Dolphin in a storage lot close to my apartment). They have a dump station, so I'm covered there, but I'm not sure where to get fresh water (using a clear/ white hose, right?)...? I doubt I'll be using much water as I get bottled water from Costco, I'll take quick showers (or none), I have a bunch of freeze dried meals from Costco (just add hot water) along with paper plates, plastic cutlery etc... K.I.S.S! I'm also making a checklist of things I'll need along with an 'RV toolbox'. I have a 5-In-1 Portable Power Pack in case I have battery issues or need to throw a few lbs into a tire (http://www.harborfreight.com/5-in-1-portable-power-pack-96157.html) and I have a big roll of duct tape! I have AAA Premium with the RV membership and several high limit credit cards. Anything else I need to put on my list?

I think I'm gonna go self contained this summer with no AC (cab air doesn't work) and maybe upgrade for 2014. Thanks for the replies, I'll keep your suggestions in mind if and/ or when I'm ready to spend some $$$$...

Thanks guys! Yes, I'm thinking about covers for all the soft furnishings, but it's not a big priority right now, a blanket draped over is enough for me right now (the colors match the dog!). The hound's a she and I'm looking forward to some fun this summer! First trip might be this coming weekend, but for sure the next weekend for a downhill mountain bike race in Port Angeles, WA (NW Cup) and then Whistler/ BC trips! When I purchased the rig it didn't have a hitch, but I told the guy that it was a deal breaker for me. He ordered a hitch and had it welded to the frame as there were no tabs to bolt onto. It probably shouldn't be used for towing, but it's OK for a bike rack or a cargo carrier. I checked and it does have the 6-lug, (true) 1-ton rear axle with the 5-lug front axle: Rear ( ): Front:

I'm thinking about a small, cheap generator for my '85 Dolphin (which has the 30 AMP electrical cable) for occasional use that will be able to run the AC and provide power to the batteries as well as my gadgets (PC, phone, tablet etc.). Will this one do the job or is it under-powered? 63cc, 900 Watts Max/800 Watts Rated Portable Generator: Powered by a gas engine, this EPA certified generator provides an individual power source for power tools, camping needs or emergencies! The gas generator is contained within a durable steel roll cage to handle any accidental tumbling or rolling and runs up to 5 hours at 50 percent capacity making this a dependable generator to have on hand for getting portable power fast! 63cc air-cooled two cycle gas engine 5 hours run-time @ 50% capacity Circuit breaker protection Specifications Name 63cc, 900 Watts Max/800 Watts Rated Portable Generator SKU 60338 Brand Storm Cat Capacity 1.1 gal. Outlet receptacles (y/n) Yes Rated wattage continous (watts) 800 Rated wattage peak (watts) 900 Run time @ 50% load (hours/tank) 5 Start type Recoil Product Height 15 in. Product Length 14-1/4 in. Product Weight 38.2 lb. Product Width 11-1/2 in. http://www.harborfreight.com/engines-generators/gas-engine-generators/63cc-900-watts-max800-watts-rated-portable-generator-60338.html

Hey guys, I'm Adam and just picked up my first Toy Dolphin, 1985, 22R, 4-speed manual with the rear bed and side sofa. I got it for mountain bike events and weekend mountain biking trips this summer. I was told it was the 1-ton axle, but after reading on here I'm gonna head back to the storage facility and check again to make sure! Everything seems to be pretty good for the year and it has 79k original miles. I'm sure I'll be going through all the posts, but I welcome any suggestions or recos. Cheers! Adam