Getting Ready to Head 'em on Out

It's 5:30am on the morning of June 24, 2013 and Monte, our new 2013 Montana High Country 343RL, fifth wheel is almost all packed up for our first big trip together. Oh sure, we've had a couple of mini-trips, the first one was a 500 jaunt bringing it home to Oceanside from the RV dealer in Sacramento. Some folks think that might be a little far (1000 mile round trip) to pick up an RV, but I'll just about drive 1000 miles anywhere to save $10,000. Even if it means spending a night in a motel (which we hate) and spending another night in our new RV with a limited number of creature comforts, like the correct sized sheets (how did the twin sheets get mixed up with the queen sheets), toilet paper (just forgot), or even coffee. I guess we were too excited about picking up Monte (the fifth wheel's name in case you haven't guessed by now).

We also did a shakedown cruise to Zion National Park in the beginning of May. It worked fine.

We have almost all our doo-dads along, including bikes strapped to the back, tire pressure monitors, and even a device that will let us know if our big Monte (13' tall) will fit under certain overhangs or tree limbs. But now Monte is totally decked out with an automatic Winegard DirecTV satellite dish, a solar panel system, a MorRyde hitch box (the kind!), an Onan 6500watt propane powered generator, a second air-conditioner, all lights converted to LED's, remote controlled LED puck lights throughout, a Keurig coffee maker, a Progressive surge protector and electricity monitor, a Blue Ox bed saver, 4 - 6v golf car batteries (more power than one measly 12v battery), a deluxe shower head, and even more. We hope to be on the road toward Arizona by 9am taking the interstate system, or freeways as they're called out her in California. But first we're adding the last minute items and then well head on over to the truck scales to see how much all of this stuff actually weighs (I'm keeping my fingers crossed were all within our allowable limits).

Our Monte sure dwarfs our previous Obie (the Outback)
Click to enlarge