The stickers on the rig...

So, somewhere last night I said - I'll blog tonight...  I thought I said - I Could, apparently that meant - "I Would..." here it is... :)

I've left some people hanging on explaining what some stickers mean, and added a couple since the last time I posted them to the blog.  The goal of these, again, is to represent the areas we've been to and significantly explored.  Many are just pieces.  Many are just pieces of bigger stickers or bumper stickers.  I'm cutting them down both for the space a whole sticker would take up and to make them more 'ours'.  There are several missing from earlier in the trip, but we'll catch up on those in the coming weeks.

1 - Columbia River Gourge, OR
2 - Pendleton, OR (Let 'er Buck)
3 - Carousel Horse Museum, CT
4 - Mystery Spot, Santa Cruz, CA
5 - Wildlife Safari, OR
6 - Assateague Island, VA
7 - Fleichman Planaterium, Reno,  NV
8 - Multnomah Falls, OR
9 - Mammoth Lakes, CA
10 - Laguna Seca, CA (zoom zoom)
11 - Harrah's Auto Museum, Reno, NV
12 - Santa Cruz, CA
13 - Good Sam (we belong)
14 - Warning (inset 2)
15 - Yosemite, Valley View
16 - Gone Richter (inset 1)
17 - Oregon Trail
18 -  Mono Lake, CA
X - Reflectives


There were some question about the maps and how they were done.   I made a map of the US and Canada with photoshop, and had the local sign shop make 6 cutouts of it, five colors plus black.  Then, I took the outline of the black and placed it, and then placed the states in the outline as needed.  It took a bit of planning, and if we ever get out of places we've already visited, we'll get the chance to fill up the map.

The vinyl should work well, and last forever  - I drew up an outline on paper so that I could make sure two areas don't touch with the same color.  I'd swear we've filled more of the states up -  it looks a little empty for 18 months.  However, with the criteria we've come up with (see the previous post for more info) , we know that when we fill in a state, that means we've really seen that state.

Inset 1 -- GoneRichter.  Gone, sadly, but not forgotten.  For me, this was the impetus for our trip.  A high-school classmate decided to take a trip.  They bought a huge RV, loaded up an amazing amount of toys, and proceeded to try to travel the country.  This idea, having come to fruition soon after I got on Facebook, made me bring up the idea to Jill and think it was a possibility.  I absolutely had to pay tribute to them directly on the rig.  Unfortunately, their trip did not work out as well as ours has, but they did set our wheels in motion, pun intended, and I will always appreciate that.

Inset 2 -- Mess with my rig and I beat someone. I found this sticker kinda fun, so I put it on the rig. Nothing more, nothing less. I know most would have trouble IDing it without a closeup.

Don't mess with my house. :)

Oh say can you see....

Those that have been by our old house know that I've flown a flag just about every day since 9/11, and not having one on the RV has bothered me a lot actually. I finally got a lit flag on the RV last night, and I'm really happy with how it came out.

The LED light that I picked up from Home Depot really is bright enough to light it well, and I'm very pleased with that. Most people don't realize that those landscape light systems are 12V, so they can work in an RV environment right off the batteries, without any kind of transformer.

I'm not sure about how high a wind-speed it can take yet, but we'll figure that out as we go along. It's still only rigged up temporarily, but I'll fix that this weekend.

Washers, and Dryers and Desks -oh my!

*breath out*... finally. Finally I can start building toward getting this trip off the ground. As Jill mentioned, yes - the Washer finally is fixed. It took 3 program boards, 29 phone calls to the company, and countless (ok, I counted them - it isn't pretty) hours, but the washer if finally functioning correctly, the dryer is out of the living room and I can start moving forward with everything, rather than wait, and wait, and wait. The pic to the right is a little Picasso/Frankenstein, but the iPhone is only so cool in small spaces, ok? ;)

Anyhow - I put everything back together, put in the breather grate above the dryer, mounted the dryer vent on the wall (until I can put something in that vents under the RV) and for now, finally, peacefully, Laundry proceeds... HUGE :)

The desk is also in, now that I have space to move around in the LR. It took some work, some help from Jill, and there are little problems with it that I couldn't have known until installed, but it gives me space - I can setup my stuff on it permanently (the biggest bonus), and it actually looks pretty good. I can't wait until I can find a little time to stain and protect it, but that will come soon. 4th of July was mentioned, and is likely.

I finally feel like I'm not fighting against things, but toward something. Its a nice change and I'm sure Jill would tell anyone she's talked to (Hantje? ;) ) that my mood has improved dramatically. My list has gotten to a manageable size and I see the end of it in sight. Granted, it wasn't on the timeframe that we'd hoped, but I also didn't see so many obstacles from so many arenas come our way - I mean... a bad washer from the factory - twice? Really? The wrong kind of 30 Amp - really? Mow everything - really?

Anyway - tomorrow will be another very busy day. Lots to do, and of course some items that I hadn't planned on (like office AC units going bad... really?), but I can now say that I'll take that in stride and we'll do what we have to do to get out of here. In time, on-time? We'll see.

WINNER - That's a great pair of mods! ;)

Pretty cool I must say. There is a site that I've been following which gave me the idea for a few of my mods, and information as to why they were important to do. ModMyRV.com told me about the Trimetric Battery Monitor, and gave me information for others I want to do, and plan to in the future (wilson cellular amplifier, solar panels, macerator, etc.)

Anyhow - they ran a contest to give away a couple of fans, and it finally drove me to send some of the stuff in that I've done to our RV. The first I sent in on a whim, the Aluminum Plate I put on the door to fix that stopper problem. I rewrote it when I found out it was a good enough mod to post, and although the pics weren't great, the mod was creative enough to get posted and declared a contest winner! :) Pretty exciting.

Then, since I have a couple of other projects that I felt were pretty big and detailed, I thought about submitting another, but didn't want to overstep someone else. I did want that mod to get posted (the water heater lights), but hesitated to put it in for the contest because I didn't want to take away someone else's fan, and because I saw how important good photos were - I didn't have great photos. I went down there and retook the photos last night, then I submitted it last minute when nobody else had been awarded (and I mean like the last hour of submissions), and won another. Also - very cool!

As a winner, I get a Vornado fan (installed pic right) for both mods. An under-cabinet mount 120v fan that actually is a pretty nice idea. It runs fairly quiet, tucks up out of the way, has storage for the cord when you aren't using it, and rotates 360 degrees to push air into/out of the cabin to/from anywhere. I got my first one on Friday, and mounted it that very night next to where the desk will be, over the window in the kitchen (so I can get all the great breezes). :) I think I'll put the second one in the master bedroom over my nightstand. With the 360 movement, it'll work well for placement from the corner, and tuck up out of the way when off.

Overall, I'm excited that my mods were so well received. To me they've been very logical modifications, but maybe there are just so many different things to do, and so many different ways to do them, that they are cool. :)

I can't wait to submit my next couple of mods. Maybe I shouldn't tell them that the trailer hasn't even been out on an adventure yet?

A VERY busy day.

So overall today was quite successful in the RV mod world. I was up early which, if you know me, is quite an accomplishment in itself. But, I knew there was work to be done. On the schedule was the new cam locks I got, a desk to fabricate (the Steel Part anyhow) and battery wiring to do. The desk was the main focus, with other items filling in the cracks while I couldn't help.

Cam Locks

So I decided that the last thing I want is to need keys to get into the belly of beast, not to mention that there are really probably 2 key types in the RV world (CH751 and CR128 or something). So I'd wandered around the net (maybe I found them at the RV show?) and found combi-cam locks. I wasn't sure they'd fit (measure carefully) and the offset that my manufacturer used was different than I could buy - but go for it, right? Installation wasn't too bad (just take the old one's out and push the new ones into the same space) but like I said, the offset was a little short. I'd come this far, so I just thought I'd bend em a bit. I couldn't use the manufacturer offsets because the square on the back was too large - wouldn't turn. Anyway - the bending worked great. I don't need keys, the compartments are more secure and in my opinion actually easier to operate. I'm interested to see how they do when we're actually on the road, but I'm feeling pretty good about it...

Batteries

Time to finish up the wiring for the batteries and put the tops on the boxes. Turns out this was much tougher than I thought. I ended up needing to go get 2 gauge cable at Lowe's because the auto cables I could get were too short to be run right. It amazes me how much cable was required for my battery setup. The bending and the placing also turned out to be a little difficult - that house 2 gauge copper is much bigger than the auto stuff (the wires inside the cable, not the nominal ID) I think the House that I had used 12 ga. and the auto stuff, along with having a more flexible casing, uses 18 or 20.

Building the Desk

What a task, but I was confident that Adam could get all that worked out. He seemed so happy to be welding, and since its something I know nothing about, I was happy for the help - very happy. I built the top of the desk out of foamboard so that we could measure and make it all work right. Turns out that may have been the most important thing I did in this project. Building the top allowed us to lay out the desk right on it, so that we were absolutely sure the structure would work.

The top was offset back from the sides and front 2 inches, with the top being cut very creatively. Pictures (right) tell a lot about the build. We had a little trouble with the measurements at one point (How did that extra 1/4 inch get in there?) but with the top we were able to figure out the problem.

The legs were a little more of a problem - how do you know what height is right? We put it at a couple of different levels, and finally came up with something that works pretty well. On the bottom we welded extra pieces under to support the legs a bit better - and it seems to work very well.

After Adam finished the frame (endcaps and all) came time to clean and paint. I hate underestimating what that takes, and had to run to the store in the middle of the paintjob. Adam painted wheels at the same time, and it had a whole paint-booth feel to it. After the primer (2 coats) I went with the textured paint that I so very much like (a brown speckle). I think the final result came out very nice.

Next Steps

I still need to install the desk and put a top on it. I know that it seems pretty easy and straight-forward, but my guess is that, as usual, it'll be much more work than I was expecting. I'm hopeful to finish it in the next week or so, and we'll see how those pictures look :)

I also need to put in the battery manager and double check the fluid levels in the batteries. All work still to be done. I need a couple of extra days a week :)

Project #1 is a success - on to project 2

Well, The first project (make room for a stackable washer/dryer is completed. We'll still need to vent it once I get the product, but at least the closet is done. I'm actually pretty happy with how everything turned out, and I think, for having to reuse pieces and canabalize the scrap, it turned out quite well.

The only thing that happened which I failed to realize is that the cabinet door will now need to be open to use the remote with the DVD player. While that's inconvenient, it isn't the end of the world, and if this setup works out ok I may just cut a hole in the cabinet door to make it work. OOF - I also forgot about the satellite receiver... hmm. More mods to be made :)

So - on to planning the next - Bed Rails. I found an example of what I want to base what we're doing (left). This is out of a Class A (a really expensive one - notice the granite end table for the lower bed...). I am hoping we can do something similar, but I'm not entirely sure how the ladder will work. Sound I use heavy closet rod (found one at Lowe's) or should I order something higher end? I think I'll use red oak stained to match as close as possible - its really all I can do. I sketched out the idea, and I think it'll be a pretty straightforward design.

I was planning on doing the desk next, but I realized that I can vacation without the desk - I can't put the girls in bed without the rails.

The first cut is the deepest...

So, in the spirit of posting constantly - here I am. You might think the title is strange, but I assure you, it isn't. I'm referring to the first MOD (modification) to the RV. It was tough at first, but it has picked up steam and its going to be great.

Project #1 started simply as a couple of guys wondering what the first project was, then... how can we take that apart, then... get me the prybar just to see how that's built, then - poof - project. :) Soon there was panelling all around and nails on the floor and exposed wiring... Woohoo!

I knew we needed a stackable washer / dryer in the RV, and while they'd prepped it well for a single, I knew we could modify it to handle the stackable in the closet they set aside. I understand Glendale's thought behind what they are doing, but I wish they offered this setup straight from the factory. The modifications are pretty straightforward, and would have been easier to do at the factory level (in fact it would have been easier to build than what they put in there...) Hopefully what I have to do will work out right :)

So the first day Adam and I tore apart the back of the TV cabinet, seeing how things were put in, and how they could be altered. turns out that for the most part it looked like a pretty easy task - shorten the shelves, move the back of the cabinet forward, reposition a couple of electronics and poof - Stackable W/D with vents...

Tonight I went down to take the next couple of steps. First we had to remove the shelf from the closet. That turned out to be a pretty simple task. Everything is built pretty simply. Framed out of 1x1 pine, luan stapled to both sides and edged with either moulding or trim tape. The major intersections where strength is needed is done with some 2 to 3 inch screws. I wanted to do this right, so I'm taking my time in deconstruction. The thing to me is to try to keep the front of the cabinet untouched. Adam would like to rip into it and make some replacements, which I agree would be easier, but I want to see if I can keep everything together and 'redo' as little as possible.

Second step was to cut the shelves. This turned out to be quite difficult even with the new dremel toy that I bought. I really though it would be easy, but with the angles and space that I had to work in, it just got a little mangled. Well, I guess that's what they make trim pieces for. I'll be trim tacking away when I finally finish!

Third step was to cut away the back where I need to put the shelf for the electronics. That did happen pretty nicely and once cut, the board now hangs freely and allows movement into position. All told I'm thinking we probably moved that back up by about 8 inches.

The last thing I did last night was to dry fit it and take some pictures. I think its going to line up pretty nicely and unless you knew what it looked like before, it'll be tough to tell that I've made any modifications.

So far: Casualty count - people: 1 (Adam stepped on a pin nail in bare feet and proceeded to bleed on my linoleum - how dare he :) ) Casualty count - tools: 1(Adam stripped a square bit) Is it just me or is there a theme here? ;)

Tomorrow: Off to lowes to pick up some items and then hopefully make some progress in the 'construction' phase of things. I have other things to do down there tonight, but I'm hopeful that I'll have at least a little time to get something done.

R.

Interesting conversion for a desk

I saw this when looking at used trailers today, and thought it a very elegant solution to not having workspace. I could do this with any chest of drawers using mostly materials that already exist in the RV. The slides and platform for the pullout could be easy to get from Lowe's/HD, and the drawer facia could be cut down to remanufacture smaller drawers on the top level. Everything could then be laid out on the chest, with the pull out left for the laptop.

Since just about every one of the units we've looked at has a chest of drawers like this in some format, I think my problem of workspace is pretty much solved in that fashion. then, if I ever did have to work late, and Jill were asleep I could take the laptop out into the LR without problem, as long as I don't always have to be out there.