Sometimes Simple Jobs are the Hardest

One of the last things I needed to do to make the new vehicle "tow-ready" was to lower the hitch so that the Bambi towed level. What I thought would be a very simple task - removing 2 bolts - turned out to be very difficult and time consuming.

Summary of 7-pin tow harness installation on a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder

On the off chance that someone stumbles acrossthis blog and wants to install a 7-pin towing harness on a Nissan Pathfinder, here is a summary of what I had to do and what it cost.

New Tow Vehicle

2008 Nissan Pathfinder

My 2008 Nissan Xterra has been a great tow vehicle and more than up to the task of pulling the 16' Bambi (GVWR 3500 lbs.) through the mountains for several camping trips this season.  However, it struggled more than I liked towing over some of the higher Colorado passes.   So, I did some research and decided to replace it with a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder.

Wyoming Camping Rocks!

Curt Gowdy State Park

We hitched up the Bambi, bound for a location twenty-four miles west of Cheyenne, WY, for possibly the last camping trip of the season.   The trip took us through quintessential Wyoming, with expansive skies and endless windswept plains that seemed to roll on forever.    Heading west at sunset, the sky began to burst with color, painting the clouds with every hue of red and orange imaginable. It reminded me that sometimes half the enjoyment of camping is the experience on the way to your destination.

Mountain Biking in Fruita, Colorado

Highline Lake Campground

Just off Interstate 70, near the dusty Colorado-Utah border, Highline Lake State Park sits as an oasis for campers and mountain bikers.    With Airstream Bambi in tow, I joined a Denver mountain biking club for a long weekend of great single-track riding in this area.

Labor Day 2011 at Lake Pueblo State Park

Bambi and TV

Work and other commitments have kept me from hitching up and heading out for a few weeks, but the Labor Day holiday finally offered the chance to camp at Lake Pueblo State Park.   It was a fun weekend of relaxing in the camper, enjoying the company of some biking buddies, tubing down a lazy river, and mountain biking in the nearby hills around the reservoir.

Second Maiden Voyage with Bambi II

Campsite at Mary's Lake Campground

So for the first time out with the new camper we headed to familiar territory, Estes Park, Colorado.  It is a little over an hour's drive from home, through a scenic canyon, and at the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park.    It was an ideal location to test out everything and make sure the plumbing worked, the lights functioned, the A/C ran okay, etc.  Happy to report there were no major problems.

On the Road Again

After a 3-year hiatus, I am happy to report that I am on the road again with an Airstream trailer.  It is a different trailer this time, but it is the same size and floor plan as before.