Chris J. Dempsey

It has been awhile since we last ventured out, in part due to cold/wet weather elsewhere and we had to put our second dog down in January. Since we had family business (find 2 misplaced headstones) to take care of in southern AZ, we decided to make it a camping trip rather than a day trip. So we returned to Chiricahua National Monument via Fort Bowie Historical Site.

 

Fort Bowie is on the Butterfield Overland Mail route between St Louis/Memphis and San Francisco. The fort was built to control Apache Pass and Spring. No camping and it is a 3 mile round trip hike to the fort. Little remains unlike Fort Davis, also on this route in west Texas. Dogs are welcome on the trail. 6 miles of maintained dirt road off 181 from Willcox or 12 miles of partly paved road from Bowie on I-10.

 

We camped at Bonita Canyon campground for the only 3 nights we could reserve. Reservations are a must for the 24 sites. Maximum trailer length is 26’. We had site 5, 22’, but actually more like 25’+. Back in and it was level. We were there to hike and weather was perfect. There also is a morning shuttle 0900 and 0945 to take hikers to the top to hike down. Have to sign up for the 14 passenger van, which we missed. We hiked to the top and intended to hike back down. About half way up, we met our camping neighbors who left one of their trucks on top. They gave us the keys and drive their new GMC pickup down the mountain. Great ride but way too fancy...

 

Although this trip was bittersweet, we did get to use the back seat and not have to pack up dog food etc. More room, and we had to reconfigure packing. Still working on this in preparation for some longer trips this spring and summer.

Sorry for the loss of your travel mates, Rad.

Looks great. My 2014 Hi-top’s wheel is wearing poorly and I may want to do this. Do you have any in-process pics? Thanks.

Price?

When I was 15-16, my buddy and I fantasized about buying Jeeps and driving around the country camping in areas only accessible with 4WD. 

I ended up buying a 1982 CJ-5 and did a lot of traveling with it, but little camping. Had a lot of crazy fun until it caught fire on a Lake Michigan beach and burned to the ground. Probably the best thing that could have happened, as the quality control back then was horrible; constant problems with everything on that vehicle. In spite of the headaches, loved that Jeep.

Still available . . .

 I have been keeping busy after I retired doing some mods to my NV. Not trying to make it a camper, but just a few thing to make it easier on overnight fishing trips and everyday use. Here is what I added:

 

 I changed the stock battery to a Optima and added one Optima Aux. battery next to it in the engine bay. I added two Optima Aux. deep cycle batteries (for a total of three Aux. batteries) inside. I added a 2000 watt inverter that runs off of them.

 

 I added a 120v. at the base of the passenger seat that has a cord that runs outside to a connector so I don't have to run an extension cord thru the door opening when I want to connect to the gas generator. 

 

 I put a factory tray/drawer under the passenger seat. The part numbers are the same as the one under the driver's seat, pretty easy to add.

 

 I also made a aluminum rail for the floor just on the inside of the side door, because I didn't like it when things would fall down onto the step and falling out when the door was opened. I used the tie down locations to bolt it to.

 

 The canvas storage is handy as it will store long items in the lower two padded areas like rifles (the bottom one is detachable). It is easily removed with a couple buckles. It is made by Mud River. 

 

 Let me know what you think.

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Looks great! I have a similar setup, but my inverter is separate from my truck’s 12VDC system. I’m thinking of changing this and that leads to my question: what size cable did you use to connect the “coach” (interior)  batteries to the invertor? Also, where did you find terminal connectors this large? Thanks.

Still available. I can’t believe I’m the only one who’s smashed the passenger mirror against a brick wall.

 

As I am working on my Nissan NV 2500 cargo van conversion, there is no need for the following parts so they are for sale:

-standard floor mat $150

-center console $300

Both items were never used as they were taken off right after van was purchased.

48309 location.

 

I’m interested in the floor mat. 

Small Update:

Front bumper repainted and light bar installed. (not the best pictures)

Not pictured is Titan airbox mod. Seems good so far.

Do you notice any difference w/ the airbox mod? 

Did you paint the bumper, or have it done?

Thanks, Bamps. 

 

I work with a lot of fork truck drivers, some not very good, skill wise. To protect the factory part, I've got a

Rhino hitch bumper guard, which has already taken a few hits.

 

The desert look might not meet spec for the non-skill levels of some hi-lo drivers.

 

Appreciate it, though.

Just what I was looking for; ordered a Rhino Hitch today. Thanks.

My build timeline is this week. I'm on spring break so I figured I could get it at least 80% of the way done. 

Haha - I love that you’re knocking this out & your timeline is “this week”. I’ve been working on mine for three years! Actually, probably three weeks over the course of three years; hard to come up with the time.

I bought a replacement mirror for my 2014 NV2500, but ordered one w/o electrical connections. If you need a manual mirror, let me know- I’ll let it go cheap.

I was shocked at how bright the reflection was, too. I dimmed the dash lights a bit, and never notice it now.