Alright! Now it was getting closer to time to move The Odyssey To RJ’s- but we decided to hold out a bit longer before the weather started to show the official shift to heavy fall / winter. RJ and I looked at the inside of the once dilapidated closet (Due to being in the back corner where most the damage happened). After evaluating how we wanted to re-finish the inside- RJ decided she would be happy to just leave the inside ceiling and walls as insulation. Afterall, it was just the inside of a closet. I would finish the bottom floor of the closet and we would cut and size the insulation to fit. Here is how it turned out!
Meanwhile a co-worker of Laura’s had been wanting to buy a Toyhome, and since I was routinely scouring the Facebook Marketplace for perfect opportunities, I was requested to give some feedback. In particular she had been interested in a 4×4 that appeared on the market out of Girdwood.
So I took a look at the listing at her request. Man was it cool! But immediately I also thought it was way too expensive… 😵 (Note here I hadn’t researched a 4×4 Toyhome in years. I had given up on chasing that unicorn after my first bout of chasing the Dolphin dream). Later on we ran into her and talked it over. She had contacted the seller and he indicated that the passenger side camper over the truck cab needed re-supported. She was already on the fence about buying it and was looking more for a vehicle that wouldn’t require much repairs after purchase. I advised her I thought it was too much as well- especially if it needed work. I did tell her we would be happy to help her if she decided to buy it though… and we left it at that.
About that time I was itching to give the newly repaired pod a test run- and decided to do a pre-test prior to our end of the season get-together coming up. Laura and I decided we knew a good spot; there was a perfect dip on the way out of Homer. So that’s what we did, ran Serenity down the dip using gravity to catch speed quick and for a short burst. The pod passed the test! 😁 We decided to turn around at the end to the Old Sterling just up ahead- and that’s when something happened.
The turnaround spot was not that extreme of a transition, but it was enough of a change in incline where we gently bottomed the rear of Serenity out. After I had carefully gotten her free- I inspected for damage and she was just fine. 😌 But as Laura and I drove home we chatted, and thought maybe a higher 4×4 idea might be a good idea if we were going to drive around the country in a few years…. 🤔💭 We could go and stay a lot more places with a bit taller and mobile of a rig. I still thought the one we had looked at would be out of the question, but we figured maybe scheduling a look couldn’t hurt. After all- there was no way we would ever want to give up on our beautiful girl Serenity!
It lined up perfectly with another plan I had scheduled a little over a month ago- I was headed to Anchorage for my birthday again. This time I had scheduled selling and buying some board games and teaching a new friend we had made on the Alaskan board game Facebook group, 907G, some new games and making a trade. We would be heading up to Palmer to play games with him, and then back to Anchorage to do a little shopping and enjoy a last Anchorage trip in Serenity for the season. I messaged the seller of the 4×4 Odyssey and he was happy to schedule a viewing. So when we ventured North- we would align a look-see on our trip. 😊
Shortly after it was our yearly get-together! This year the group had voted on a closer to home location; The Anchor River Campgrounds. When the event time rolled around it was a weekend of perfect weather! Laura and I headed out early to snag a group of camping spots to reserve- but it turned out a couple in the group beat us there! It was a good thing though- because they grabbed some of the nicest spots in the grounds!!!! 👍
When we grabbed our own spot and pre-paid for the group I climbed up on the roof to open up the new pod. To my disappointment I discovered a view to my dismay; that weak spot in the middle of the pod had slightly started to warp from our 20 minute trip out to the grounds. I stared at it for awhile waxing deeply about how to remedy the situation when a friend of mine put it the best; “maybe you should get another pod?”
He was right, dang it! 😒 I needed a sturdier pod that could handle being side-loaded due to my roof layout. For the time being I would go with my backup plan- and run the cam-buckle strap over the pod. Down the road though I would be looking for a new alternative… The night was a perfect night, filled with positive moments, songs, laughing, and a few drinks with friends! The awning on Serenity worked like a gem! I had bought some camping stakes and small ratchet straps that fit the new awning setup perfect to hold it in place!
We spent a large portion of the next day taking in a much needed recuperation around the campfire and eating some much needed break-ey (Breakfast),
walking to the river, chilling at the beach,
and checking out a local camping gear swap meet in Anchor Point.
It was the best we could have hoped for to toast an end to summer! 🥂🍻☀️😎
Geoff Murphy 3/13/2020