Strolling Amok

Pops goes on tour.

03 May 2013

Doing What Can’t Be Done

One bed cover, ready to go.

One bed cover, ready to go.

Originally posted 10/3/2012

The truck bed tonneau cover manufacturer Truxedo and its dealers will tell you that its original Truxedo model cannot be shortened en situ, and that about $520 will get you a special-order cover of another model in a few weeks.

Now the original Truxedo cover is a quality piece, a solid design with very durable materials, and mine cost me about $400-plus four years ago. It can be mounted to the bed by one person in a couple of minutes, using its clamping system. It opens and closes easily, without snaps. Although the tonneau material does not seem to shrink or weather, it can be re-tensioned in another minute or so if needed. For a cheapskate like myself, the Truxedo is one of those few products that you pay substantially more for and don’t regret a penny of it.

But, I hated the thought of ditching my perfect $400 cover to then lay out again for a $500 replacement. A local Truxedo dealer understood my plight and pointed me to Read more…

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03 May 2013

What a Waste!

Amid the mess is a Tankmin 360 water tank system.

Amid the mess is a Tankmin 360 water tank system.

Originally posted 9/29/2012

Much has been going on with the Enterprise, and I’ll write about each area in separate articles. Step one of major items to be installed was this Tankmin water tank system, consisting of a 70-gallon fresh water tank above a 67-gallon waste water tank. I found a boat cover shop in McHenry, IL with experience in custom automotive work to shorten my existing Truxedo bed cover, and that will happen in a few days.

The Tankmin requires a waste macerater (poo grinder) at the camper tank to pump waste into the lower tank via a special 1″ tube I rigged up, thanks to pplmotorhomes.com and a local Ace Hardware. The freshwater tank is filled by faucet and hose (or gravity fill at the top vent) and drains via hose to gravity fill the camper’s fresh water tank. Thus my total fresh water capacity jumps from Read more…

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03 May 2013

That Statement is No Longer Operative

Originally posted 9/13/2012

The title for this entry is a quote from Ron Ziegler, Press Secretary for President (tricky Dick) Richard Nixon, serving as a way of admitting that “he lied” without saying it directly. You know, weasel words. If the situation around it had changed, he would have said so and blamed that. But, the underlying situation hadn’t changed, and so came his explanation for the change in direction.

I’ve been preparing the ancient Innsbruck camper for extended dry camping with the assurance that I’d be able to stay onsite until it was completed, the target departure being mid-October. Hooked up to clean water and electrical power, progress has been good. Plan the work, work the plan.

Alas, the assurance and the resulting schedule are no longer operative. Instead of six weeks to fabricate and mount an unusual home-grown solar panel system, extend water tank capacities, and build out the interior for full-timing, I’ve now been given just Read more…

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03 May 2013

Surveying the Wreckage

Originally posted 9/9/2012

The Gulf Stream Innsbruck in more carefree days.

The Gulf Stream Innsbruck in more carefree days.

As I mentioned before, living in an RV full-time is much different than weekending and vacation touring. And, dry camping is a different animal than standard RV camping where electrical power, water and sewer are readily available. As far as hardware goes, what makes sense to one full-time RVer doesn’t work for another. A few live out of a pickup truck shell, some live out of a converted van, and some live in a bus-sized luxo-home. The great majority opt for something in between. In keeping with the That’s Obsolete blog theme, I’ve opted for a vintage 1994 Gulf Stream 24’ Innsbruck travel trailer. Surprisingly, nearly everything in it still works.

This trailer has suffered the bain of all campers, water leaks. Despite an impressive one-piece aluminum roof, a leak occurred at a rear roof vent in storage, ruining quite a bit of plywood flooring Read more…

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03 May 2013

The Sea Change

Originally posted 8/20/2012

In our journeys through life, not everything works out as we hope it will. I’ve been called inordinately tenacious (among other things) but sometimes, hunkering down and doing the best you are able during the bad times isn’t enough. Of course, the greasy underbelly of “tenacious” is “stubborn” with just a hint of “dullard” thrown in, but let’s stick with “tenacious” because it sounds more like a positive quality.

Obviously, not every decision is ours alone to make, not every event is within our control, and not all of us are equipped to properly handle the full scope of life’s challenges. Doing the best we can sometimes gets us through, and sometimes not. I’m a slow learner, but at least I’ve finally managed to pick up on the full depth of Read more…

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