Home again.
It was cold. The campground hosts, who are from upstate New York and have been coming here for 14 years, said it was the coldest November at this park that they could remember.
Of course, this being southern Virginia, what is termed “cold” is not what our hosts normally experience up north, or what I experienced when living in Colorado and northern Arizona. But it was cold enough that we had to disconnect the water supply every night to avoid damage due to freezing.
That said,
we were snug, ensconced in our humble mobile abode. During the short daylight hours we walked for miles, and hunted for sharks’ teeth along the beach on the James River. We enjoyed the grounds, restored structures, and history of the beautiful former Chippokes Plantation, and had some great seafood at one of the best restaurants that I’ve had the pleasure of dining at. It was a really good three-day trip. The trip confirmed that cold weather camping entails a fair amount of extra effort and preparation. We decided that we’ll likely stick to three season camping from here on out.
But enough about camping. This trip was primarily intended to be a final test of the Subdivision’s readiness for prime time. That the camping turned out so well was an added bonus.
And I’m pleased to report that it passed, as they say, with flying colors. It towed the camper, to the campsite
and back home, without drama. That is, with not a hint of its former intermittent and sometimes show-stopping shifting and charging system issues.
At long last, after some frustrating (at times baffling) and expensive detours on the road to restoration, this Suburban is now at the point where I
thought it was after the bodywork and paint were completed last April: a very nice-looking, basically sound, rust-free vehicle with a number of things that need fixing; but one that starts, runs, and tows reliably.
Now I can focus on those remaining tasks that I’ve put off while navigating the aforementioned detours - no doubt including some issues that have yet to be discovered - which will bring this beast ever closer to being the restored and fully functional tow vehicle that I had in mind when I found it last November.
However, I feel that calling it a “tow vehicle” doesn’t really do it justice. Why? Because I have an inordinate fondness for these truck-based wagons, particularly ones of this vintage. It’s not rational, and it’s not just about saving money, although the price of newer alternatives are eye-watering. It’s an aesthetic preference for the design and comparative simplicity of the GMT 400. That, and genuine satisfaction in bringing back what I think is one of the best expressions of one of the oldest extant nameplates in vehicledom: the Suburban.
For me, my ‘93 Chevy K1500 Suburban Silverado was the gateway drug. I bought it from someone that kept it stored in a garage for seasonal use in Vail. We needed another vehicle, the price was right, and it only had 50,000 miles on it, so why not?
It was a good find; and exceeded all of my expectations. It turned out to be a nearly perfect vehicle for family road trips, car camping, even for some surprisingly challenging offroading in Colorado and southeastern Utah. Plus hauling mountain bikes, skis, and construction materials in any and all weather conditions. With a few tweaks, it consistently got between 18 and 20 mpg on the highway, and often a bit more. As a daily driver, it is more civilized than the K2500. Being a half ton, it rides and handles better.
And it looked great; right up until the white paint started peeling off in sheets, a former neighbor backed into it (but didn’t own up to it), and I backed it into a tree, denting the rear bumper and rear body. Oh, and it was rear-ended by a Ford Excursion, after which the rear doors were poorly repaired and leak to this day. Most recently, it may now need a transmission. So I’ve decided to let it go, but haven’t decided how best to do that. But that’s for another thread, which I’ll likely start at some point.
In any case, when we bought the camper in October ’22, I naively believed that the K1500 was going to be our tow vehicle. After all, I had towed a camping trailer with it - exactly once. To be sure, a shorter and lighter camper than our current rig, but hey - I towed a camping trailer with it! Should work, right?
Alas, it was not to be. It had reached the point where it simply needed too much to bring it up to par. More importantly, I learned that even running properly the K1500 wasn’t really designed to safely tow our 6000 lb camper. Which let me to search for and purchase the K2500 in November. Talk about putting the cart before the horse!
And so a year later, here we are. Yes, the Subdivision still has a ways to go; but mechanically, it is, as far as I can tell, sorted.
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Which means it’s time for ….
the Happy Dance!
