Bag Tours ~ 2018

At the end of 2017, with Penni planning to retire in March 2018, we took delivery on a new Ram 3500 truck and a Cirrus 820 truck camper. They were chosen after many hours of research to determine what we needed and wanted. We have been very pleased with both.

During my years of travel on the bicycles, if someone had told me that I would buy a truck and like it, I would have scoffed loudly. And if someone had told me that I would go on vacations to get away from it all but take it all with me, I would have rejected the idea. However, now that I'm an old fart with a troublesome back, can't ride the bikes anymore, and require more creature comforts to enjoy my travels...well, the truck and camper has turned out to be ideal. I really like the truck: it just does what it's supposed to do without fuss or apparent labor (the engine is the 6.7L Cummins diesel). And the camper is cozy and comfortable. We no longer schlep stuff in and out of motel rooms. Wherever we go, we have everything we need—nothing gets left behind. The combination is reasonably maneuverable and efficient.

Thus it is that we have a new "camera bag." I purchased the truck at Cole Dodge in San Luis Obispo, California, and the camper at Tom's Camperland in Mesa, Arizona. The experience at both businesses was positive. No one wasted my time trying to sell me what I didn't want, and both manufacturers and dealerships answered questions and provided accurate information quickly. Other dealers I contacted failed in that regard. They know who they are.

Photography was not generally the primary motivation for the travels depicted here. We did sometimes try to arrive at locations when we might expect ideal light, but the light didn't always keep the appointment. Many of these images were made for personal reasons rather than an effort to create "the next exhibition grade photograph." Some were made just to share some of the experience of our travels, and for that, I hope you will enjoy the selection offered below. Most thumbnail links to larger images include relevant information about our adventures.