Ok, no riding today either, as it’s RV-pickup-day. 9:00 AM appointment! NOT! We get there promptly at 9:00, and are told “No, your appointment is at 3:00 PM”. Not happy. Have to put off appointment for the new tires. Argh! Oh well, it gives us time to get more stuff we know we’re going to need. And stuff we DON’T need, but have room for … like a TV! Yeah, we’re going to succumb to that. Noise in the background.

We get a bunch of stuff, then head back to pick it up a little early – luckily, they can get a guy to show us around before three. Well, I was not idle yesterday, but spent quite a bit of time looking for information on the web, and did indeed find a bunch. The guy they sent us was pretty new, and he learned a whole lot more about The Beast than he could ever have shown us. Not happy about that either, but that’s how it goes sometimes, especially when you buy something as rare as this. Oh well.

Ok, finally, we’re done with that, ready to hitch it up, trying to decide if I need the weight-equalizing hitch that comes with it or not – realize that hitch has an issue (a minor one, but still a pain), and try to figure out if I really need it. I rest the tongue on my existing hitch, and Junior squats less than an inch. I think I’m good! If we ever decide to carry the motorcycles, we’ll need the weight-equalizing hitch, but on this trip, we’re golden! Let’s go get tires!

We head out, and this thing pulls perfectly. I can feel the difference away from a stop, but only until the turbo kicks in – when that baby starts cramming air in, Junior still leaps like a gazelle. Life is good … but I have no trailer brakes. I have a brake controller, and it’s lit up, but no brakes. Then I remember (it’s been a few years since I’ve used a trailer with electric brakes, probably more than ten!) that there’s a sensitivity adjustment. I crank it all the way the other way and gently tap the brake pedal … WHOA!! Ok, we have brakes! Let’s turn that baby down a whole bunch, just not all the way. The Bear is still trying to extricate herself from the dash. I get it dialed in and life is good.

We get to the tire place a bit early, but that’s no problem. Rotate Junior’s tires, and replace all five on The Beast. The old tires have VERY few miles on them (the spare has actually never been on the ground, the flashing is still all there), and the guys look at me funny that we’re replacing them. Yeah, take a good look, guys, there are THOUSANDS of little cracks on all five tires, from the dry rot. No way I’d ever risk my life on that set, y’all can have them, I’ll be happy and safe with my new ones.

So, we take The Beast back home, wondering just how much bigger it will look next to PUP. Well, here it is:

Well, the boxes don’t look that different. Let’s go eat, then come back and set it up!

Dinner was at a pizza place recommended by our neighbor – Fatty’z:

REALLY good pizza, probably the best we’ve had so far! Gotta come back before we leave.

Ok, so back at camp, get The Beast set up, and here’s the shot:

And here’s a shot with The Bear standing out front of The Beast:

Yeah, it’s BIG! The floor is three feet off the ground! And I actually measured the inside of the box – it’s sixteen feet, bed to bed! The old one was a bit less than ten! So, 60% more floorspace, BEFORE you slide out the dinette! A lot more comfortable.

Oh, yeah … some smartass made a comment a couple of days ago … how many turns to crank it up? ZERO! I knew the next one would be motorized, and this one is:

One finger raises it or lowers it! Love it! Sure makes life a lot easier …