Self Service Rally-StarGazing at Sugarloaf

[mustang]

Hi Loretta -
I have a question for you - Mapquest and Google have different epinions about the best route.
Since you are a frequent visitor to SugarLoaf - what is your preferred route?  
Do you go through "Downtown Sonoma" (Mapquest directions) or do you go around Sonoma to the south and west on Arnold rd and then come back to 12 on Madrone?(Google directions)

Hi Rod,
Take Highway 12 through Sonoma, but to avoid going through the Plaza, stay on Napa Rd instead of turning right on Broadway (12).  It will become Leveroni Rd.  Then turn right at the 3-way signal at 5th St.  Continue on 5th until it intersects back with 12 (4-way signal at the Safeway) and turn left.  Then you'll veer right at the Ford dealership.  Now just stay on 12 until you reach Kenwood.  FYI, cell phones don't work at Sugarloaf.  All these streets should be on the map if you need a reference.  Hope this helps!

[towrod]

Thanks for the tip Loretta!
- I had a feeling that "downtown" Sonoma was not the best way to go.
I will email you with check in information from Zamboni, DGrote and myself later today.  
BTW are you in the group camp with your scout families?  I guess we'll need to track you down to find out which sites we'll be in?   :confused:

[mustang]

Thanks for the tip Loretta!
- I had a feeling that "downtown" Sonoma was not the best way to go.
I will email you with check in information from Zamboni, DGrote and myself later today.  
BTW are you in the group camp with your scout families?  I guess we'll need to track you down to find out which sites we'll be in?   :confused:

Some scout families couldn't make it, so there will just be 2 of us on Friday, and 1 more on Saturday.  We will be in the regular family sites, so hopefully I can get everyone close together.  If you look on the Sugarloaf map, I like the north side of the main loop (sites 1, 2, 3 etc.).  These have the most sun with a good view of the meadow.  It's also nice to have the creek behind us for a "babbling brook" sound!

[SCCS]

These have the most sun with a good view of the meadow.  It's also nice to have the creek behind us for a "babbling brook" sound!

 Ah, the sounds of NATURE.

[SCCS]

Well we have some bad news. We won't be able to make it this weekend.       Something came up at the last minute. Everyone have a great time.

[towrod]

Well we have some bad news. We won't be able to make it this weekend.       Something came up at the last minute. Everyone have a great time.

[size=10] OH NO! [/size]
Hope everyone is OK - we'll miss you guys.

[mustang]

Well we have some bad news. We won't be able to make it this weekend.       Something came up at the last minute. Everyone have a great time.

We are so sorry you can't make it!!!!!  I know the girls would have had a great time together.  Hope everything is OK.

[zamboni]

So, given the campout was on Tax Day, I furiously labored to get our taxes submitted the night before (OK, procrastinating, despite a refund)!

I took the day off Friday to get the camper loaded up so we could leave when my wife returned from work @ 1 (Friday is her early day, luckily!)

The day did not start well - I slipped on a pile of papers and fell down the stairs.  Ow.  With my left ankle bandaged up hard & hurting, I gathered & packed the camper.  When the wife returned, we loaded up the truck & baby, lowered the popup, and bailed out.  In time to hit massive traffic.  We got to Sugarloaf around 5:30pm.

Backed into the spot, fiddled to get the camper just where we wanted it (and level).  Started jacking it up.  Since it is an electric lift, I left it hooked to the truck's battery so it did not suck it's own dry on a "dry campout".

Going... Going... Going... <<<<*****CLUNK*****>>>>

The roof made it 1/3 the way and collapsed in a crash.

Would not go up - electrically or manually, the gear moved but nothing happened.

After a beer & chunk of time visiting with all who made it, we headed back to Sacramento... sadly -- Sugarloaf was a great place and we were very excited when we pulled in as we felt it would be a fun place to visit.  Note to self- go back there!

Saturday, took the camper to the local Coleman dealer.  After digging underneath, I was told that my "whiffle tree" was stripped.  Apparently, there is, in fact, a single point of failure that would bring the roof crashing down at any time.  This was shocking - had it failed when it was fully raised, life might have been a touch more miserable/painful.

For those not familiar, the Colaman lifting system is like the "screw drive" of a garage door -- there is a huge screw that you turn with your crank (or electric motor).  A "head" then travels up or down the screw, and has 4 cables attached to it - one going to each roof "leg" -- see attached image:



The gear inside this head (that travels up/down the screw, or whiffle) stripped 1/3 the way up & the roof fell instantly.

7-10 days for a replacement.  Luckily, with several big fellows & blocks of wood to prop up the roof, I got the bunks extended & slide-out pulled so I could unload our gear (including my painkillers!) and the raw meat from the fridge.

Note to self: never pack critical meds (like painkillers) in the camper again.

****

Still, it was fun to meet everybody and we are very sad we could not stay as my wife and I felt we would have had a great time.  This would have been only our 2nd NNC campout - the first was last fall at Lake Tahoe (awesome!).  Francis & Pismo -- here we come!

[SCCS]

Glen,

 Sorry to hear about the ankle and the trouble with the camper. It was a good thing that nobody was inside. :yikes:
 Sugarloaf is a great cp, we plan on making it one of our favorites places to camp. This would have been our second time their, but  :swear: work  :swear: got in the way of our plans. Take care of the ankle, and hope to camp with you sometime in the future.

[6Quigs]

Ouch,
Nothing as bad as getting all ready to go camping, and then to have to cancel your plans.

Just so that you will be able to sleep peacefully in your Niagara in the future, once the door is in place, the top could never crash down. Believe me, I've tried to lower the roof with it in place, and it wouldn't budge!!

Hope you get it fixed soon, and the ankle mends quickly, and looking forward to meeting you at Pismo.