Daydreamin . . . filling time.

Since I am in between adventures right now, I'm updating this blog to daydream and fill in the time . . . next opportunity to GO . . . weekend of May 16. Will be heading to Texarkana, Texas to see David participate in a triathlon. Bonus will be watching HireJoe (bike), Sylvia (run) and Autumn (swim) as a relay team in the race as well. Sooo . . . as I wait . . . i look at photos.

Here's how it looks as you are crawling in:
Here's how it looks when you are inside looking out:
Ok - so I had those two leaks and now after a couple of big rainstorms, it looks like I got those places sealed up. In the meantime, I took everything out of the camper to make sure the stuff that got wet dried properly. As I did, I took photos of the stuff in sections to help me later on in case I need a reminder (ha ha) of what goes back in.

First up, the bed roll and all that it encompasses. the main thing I wanted to make sure got dried out well.
Next - shelving/storage stuff:
and then all the other stuff. Not all that much junk actually, I am happy to report.
Of course, there are those two black crates - one is the Pantry and the other is the Appliance Garage. Yeah . . . but this is pretty much all that it takes to make the MMR (mobile motel room) - Hurray!!! Not really all that much stuff. I'm a light traveler - that's the goal.

Screen House!!!!

For Secretary's Day I received a Walmart Gift Card and I knew exactly what I wanted to get with it. A Screen House to add to my arsenal of camping stuff. Here is how it fits in with the camper:

A photo of the ever fabulous Coleman Kitchen:

And a space on the other side for my chair and I'm all set.

Of course, I will have to take extra precautions during the summer time when I set this up to make sure the bottom edges of the screen house are very close to the ground and maybe use that mosquito net to seal up the spaces around and under the truck. Otherwise mosquitoes will be coming in. If I can't do that properly, during the summer months, I'll just have to set the screen house up separately from the camper. But in Spring, Fall & Winter, this can be a nice arrangement to give me outside living space and kinda shield me from being so out in the open for other people to stare at me. Yuk.

A few additions . . .

I should have posted these photos a while back, but didn't have time. So today I will explain my super expensive curtain devices that will keep prying eyes from seeing what's in the back of my camper:

Ha! Ha! Yep . . . trash bags. I just used black duct tape and taped the trash bags up long ways across the windows, along with a couple of black shoe strings taped strategically along the way to use as tie-backs. They work perfectly and cost next to nothing.

Here's a pic of how I can use an Army-issued mosquito net to drape over the back of the camper when it is open. Air comes in but bugs stay out.
and I just had to put one more pic of the shelving unit that fits so perfectly in one corner. This gives so much accesible storage space and I use a couple of bungee cords to keep the drawers secure while the truck is moving.

Taking Care of Business

I was proud of myself today. I took the truck in and had the third brake light hooked up on the camper shell and then I found out what was the best stuff to seal those 2 leaks with. Then I went and bought it (clear silicon) and then sealed them up. Tomorrow after it's been 24 hours, I'm gonna test out the seals with the water hose. Sure hope I got the leaky places the first time and that they hold. Soggy covers are NOT for me EVER!

More photos from my trip to Natchez

Click here for more photos of the lil camper in action:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=240612&id=612625133&l=3104065f9a

First Real Trip in the Lil Truck Camper that Could!

I'm at Riverview RV Park which is situated right on the Mississippi River in Vidalia, Louisiana. Just across from the Bluffs of Natchez. Here's my first cup of coffee made in the little camper. This is my kitchen set up. You can cook a whole lot of things by using a George Foreman Grill and making hot water in the coffee maker.
I got here during a super downpour and I got wet getting in and out of the truck and back into the back of the camper. Plus there was a flash flood across my parking pad. With ankle deep water flowing under and around my truck, I did not feel it was the safest thing to plug in my extension cord. So when the rain slacked, I waded up to the RV Clubhouse and asked if I could move to higher ground. Since there were few people checking in on this rainy day, it was no problem. Once I got plugged in and set up inside the camper, I did not mind waiting out the rain, especially since I was able to get online!

It wasn't long before, the storm passed over and I was able to get out and walk over to the River. I enjoyed sitting there watching the mist roll in.
'tomorrow I will be going over to Natchez and will take a tour of 3 antibellum mansions. Then I'll do a fast drive thru St. Catherine's Creek Wildlife Refuge, which is what I had planned to do this afternoon, but the rain changed my plans. Tomorrow night will be spent at the State Park. Thankfully the forecast for both days is SUNNY!! I do now see a couple of spots that leak when it rains, so I will definitely have to get those fixed. But other than that, everything else in my camper has worked as I had expected and hoped for and it has been quite comfortable.

Prototype of Living Space in the camper

Time now to get busy!!!
Before . . . Thinking and measuring and designing . . .
Since I won't have any funds in the foreseeable future for getting a truck liner, but still NEED SOMETHING between my knees and those hard metal ridges in the bed, I came up with the idea of using a foam eggcrate thing and then covering it with a couple of Yoga mats. This makes it soft and easy to take out and clean. And bonus: the yoga mats are "sticky" meaning they will keep things from sliding around! I also had 2 shoe shelfs that I decided would be perfect to fit over the wheel hubs and make that space useable. I cut out one of them to fit it in against the wheel hub, but I left the other one as is and just use those "sticky" yoga blocks to make it level. That way I have the shelves at two different levels and the one that's not cut out to fit the hub still has a full second shelf.
Here is the "sitting area" with the bed rolled up and the Coleman Kitchen standing up against the tail gate.
Here is the bed rolled out. Look at how nicely I cut the shelf on the left to fit in next to the hub!!! The second shelf is also cut out in a half oval to allow the shelf to fit against the rounded hub. It's still usable for storing smaller items.
This is in travel mode with the black storage tubs brought down into the middle and the Coleman Kitchen laid down on it's side. There is still lots of room to tuck all the other stuff I will end up bringing into nooks and crannys but I will have to be careful not to junk it up. And I especially want to keep it where it will only take a couple of quick simple moves to take it from Travel Mode to sleeping/chillin mode. That way should I find the need to Stealth Park somewhere to get a cat nap while on the road or to sleep overnight, all i have to do is pop into the back, shuffle a few things around and I'm happy and as cozy as a clam!