(2023 Alaska Revisited Ep 3)
We have been traveling in our truck camper for nearly two weeks, traveling southeast from Oregon to Idaho. Although the mountains are slowly emerging from their solid white blankets of snow, it is still cold by Florida standards, especially at night. Long pants, a flannel shirt and jacket are the uniform of the day. We long for shorts and a T-shirt!
Our route took us near La Grande, OR, where our Wolf Creek truck camper was birthed. We toured the Northwood manufacturing plant where Wolf Creek and Arctic Fox truck campers, and Arctic Fox travel and fifth wheel trailers are made.
Truck campers like ours are put together from the inside out, starting with a base and floor. Internal walls and framing come next followed by components like water tanks, plumbing and wiring. Kitchen and bathroom fixtures, appliances, cabinets and drawers are added. The nearly finished interior is then wrapped with pre-assembled exterior walls and roof. Finishing touches include cushions, bedding and window coverings on the inside and decals on the outside.
The manufacturing process for travel trailers and fifth wheels is very similar, although the components are much larger, and involve heavy-duty frame and wheel assemblies.
Northwood produces just a few models at any one time and our model (Wolf Creek 890) wasn’t in production during our tour. It is next scheduled to be made late summer 2023.
Unlike larger RV manufacturers, just a few of each model are completed each week and sent to select dealers nationwide. Individual hands-on construction with great quality control is very much evident during the entire build process.
Later that day, we crossed into Idaho and spent the night a few miles southeast of Boise in Mountain Home. The next morning, after dealing with the frozen water connections mentioned in our last blog post, we continued to Twin Falls, where we would turn directly south to Nevada and (hopefully) warmer weather.
Shoshone Falls
Twins Falls is named for Shoshone Falls, a beautiful waterfall on the Snake River, a few miles upriver from the town. The Snake, floated by explorers Lewis and Clark in the early 1800s, flows 1078 miles from Wyoming’s Grand Tetons through Idaho before it joins the Columbia River near Pasco, WA.
We’ve seen many spectacular waterfalls in our travels. After driving a narrow road down into the Snake River Canyon, we rounded a curve for our first view of the falls. They were a marvelous surprise, and my spontaneous reaction was “Oh – wow!”
Jumping the Snake
A few miles downriver, we visited a 60+ foot sloped mound of dirt on the southern edge of the Snake River Canyon. This was the spot where, on September 8, 1974, daredevil Evel Knievel attempted to soar nearly a third of a mile across the Snake River Canyon on a rocket powered motorcycle.
There was considerable media hype for the event, and Pat and I remember watching as the motorcycle failed to complete the jump (by a considerable distance). A parachute opened not long after the takeoff and lowered Knievel to a safe landing.
After stressful offroad 4×4 adventures with Max in 2021, we decided to pass on an attempt of our own Snake River jump in our truck camper, even if the new truck is bigger and stronger!
Our day ended a few miles south of Twin Falls at the Nevada border town of Jackpot. Jackpot is the home of a large casino and campground.
Send Those Name Ideas!
Many thanks to you who have sent name suggestions for our truck and truck camper. We’re still welcoming additional suggestions and will let you know our choices in the next few weeks!
Next Week
We drive south through Nevada to Valley of Fire State Park, near Las Vegas. Was cold weather finally behind us?
Along the way we have an extraterrestrial experience.
Take the LONG Road... 