Doin' the Moho Slalom

I got the tow pins tonight. All I will say about that is that I'm surprised that I'm surprised about how that went down.

Anyhoo, I arrived at Miranda's parking spot for the last time around 7. I took perhaps fifteen minutes to unload boxes and empty as many of them as I could.

Then, I looked for the magic battery button, but I don't seem to have one, so I positioned Pommette for a boost. Once I got Miranda going, I manoeuvred her into place for hooking up the toad behind her.

Hooking up was surprisingly easy!

My tow bar is a Blue Ox Aventa II. I would have bought an Aladdin, which is a high end model suitable for towing a small car, but much cheaper than the Aventa II. The Aventa II, also a high end model, could probably tow a Hummer. It's really huge and heavy, but I like knowing that I could upgrade Pommette to a pickup or SVU one day and still have a tow bar I can use.

The Aventa II is a self-aligning bar. I can't figure out what's 'self-aligning' about it, but I can say that I was completely hooked up, safety cables and all, in less than 20 minutes. The hardest part was getting the toad lined up perfectly with the coach and at the correct distance. Then, it was just a matter of attaching safety cables and electrical wires. I figured out the wiring on my own. As it turns out, I had to open a thingy under the rig, push in another thingamabob, and then plug the cable into the thingamabob. I'd seen the thingamabob in the rear pass through and had offhandedly guessed that it was part of the towing system, so I was already one step ahead of the game when I couldn't find a skinny rectangular outlet for the wire.

I'm surprised by how easy it was to hook up the car on my own. There is no way I could have done that with a traditional 'fixed' tow bar, the kind with a ball coupler. The only thing I wasn't able to do was confirm that the brake lights were working on the toad, but since the turn signals were, I didn't worry.

Then off we went, the very picture of freedom and the antithesis of the current economic climate, LOL!

The drive back to Ottawa was very emotional. I was pretty sure it would be my last time driving up the 416 into a beautiful orange sunset and watching the pastoral landscape slowly become the skyline of the adopted city I will always consider to be my hometown. For all that's found, something else is lost....

I let Majel the GPS pick the best route to the garage where I would drop off Miranda. She had me go down a narrow residential street that had cars parked down it. The parkers were smart and alternated which side of the road they were on, so I was able to take a serpentine route all the way down. Maybe I'm just tired, but I really got a kick out of doing the moho slalom.

Towing was a piece of cake. It really helps that I could see the car in the backup camera monitor, as well as all the connections. I didn't notice much of a difference when stopping and starting, even on hills.

I feel positively drained and have to keep reminding myself that this time next week, the first day of my adventure will be just about behind me.

Extreme Makeover: RV Edition, Part Two

Pictures, as promised! :-)

Sofa Covers:



My mother and her partner sewed these for me. The fabric ties in the colours of all the various woodwork in the coach, the green of the curtains, etc., and the gold of the trim while still being rustic enough in theme for me to feel that it reflects my style. You would think that I spent weeks looking for the perfect fabric instead of about five minutes of poking around the bargain section of a single fabric store! This fabric was just 3$ a metre! The big brown cushion was one my mother's partner no longer had any use for and it matches the fabric perfectly. The other cushion with the arm rests belonged to my dad and will ensure cozy nights lying there reading or watching movies.

Solar Panel:



Yes, I'm on the roof taking a picture of my solar panel. Want proof?

Here's what Pomette the toad looks like from up there:



Controller:



The solar panel is hooked up to this gadget that makes sure the battery isn't over charged. Right now, the light says 'charging.' It also tells me if the battery is fully charged.

What is that wooden thing on the wall by it?

Night Table:



More parts cannibalized from the useless bar! The tray slides under the mattress when not in use. Simple in its brilliance. My mother is such a genius.

Inverter:



Plugged directly into the battery, this inverter gives me 400W of 120V power. I can't believe that makes sense to me.

Camera:



The camera is a lot more discreet than I thought it would be.

Remote Control:



For the monitor. A useless picture, but it'll remind me that I need to find a more useful cab console for storing stuff.

Monitor:



I was going to provide a pic of what I see out the monitor, but you'll have to stay tuned for that. I got to Miranda today to find her engine battery dead. I have a theory why, but need to have it confirmed. By the time the excitement of giving her a boost (an advantage of having two engines!), the thought of getting a picture of the picture flew right of of my head.

Today, I brought a carload of stuff to the coach and actually put things away as best as I could. I wanted the empty boxes and I also needed to make room for next Saturday's onslaught. Two things I discovered are that the huge basement pass through is full (woe is me) and that my suitcase doesn't fit where I thought it would fit and I have no idea where else to put it (WOE is me).

I Can See!

No pictures tonight, but I'll have lots and lots next time I go to Miranda!

Unfortunately, Mr. Wonderful and his son ran out of time and weren't able to install a second battery since they would have needed to run a load test on the first one. But that's no biggie, really, since they explained to me how to install the second one. It's something I know I can do myself since it's no different than is using jumper cables.

The back up camera is unbelievable. I bought it on eBay on the recommendation of several RVers. The seller is interceptinc and I strongly recommend him. The system was a bargain price and is of very high quality. It included absolutely everything you need to get set up, except mounting screws for the camera. I have a huge colour monitor that can even be hooked up to a DVD player and it has sound and a remote control. I can see almost two full car lengths behind the coach and the tip of the tow bar is evident so I know how far to backup. What a difference this is going to make!

The solar panel mounted beautifully. It's flush with the coach, so I won't be able to angle it to catch the maximum number of rays, but I knew that going in (the gimbled mounts are pricey!). There is a new controller on the wall that tells me whether the solar panel is charging or not, and if the battery is full.

Finally, the inverter was mounted onto the bookcase between the two arm chairs. Unfortunately, I'll need to run an extension cord from it to the back of the coach, so my setup isn't ideal, but it's the best that could be done with the time and resources available. I'm satisfied and thrilled with the quality of the work that was done.

Since I can't tow yet, Mr. Wonderful's son had to follow me behind the coach all the way to North Gower so that he could bring me back to my car (we did the reverse on Tuesday). Tonight was such a nice night, he decided to use his motorcycle. So, I got my first motorcycle ride! It was an absolutely exhilarating experience!!! I must have made quite the picture in my giant sunglasses, helmet, leather chaps, and biker jacket! That experience alone made the financial outlay on the electrical work worthwhile. I'm still grinning from the thrill of it.

Electrical Upgrades and Sundries

I brought Miranda tonight to the house of the wonderful gentleman who, with his wonderful son, will install my backup camera and do what needs to be done to make my solar panel and inverter usable. The solar panel is able to charge two house batteries, so Mr. Wonderful (or Mr. Wonderful Jr.) is going to go pick up a second battery for me! I'm therefore covered for 12 volt power, as long as the sun is shining. I'll still need to run the generator for the 120V power I need to run the microwave, coffeemaker (yes, I need to get a French press), printer, and AC. The way I look at it, a generator needs to be exercised anyway, so I shouldn't fret about using it for these items (except for the coffeemaker, I know, I know!).

I am so STOKED about all this!!!!!!!! Overwhelmed as I've been feeling, I was going to put off having anyone look at the solar panel and inverter until I got to British Columbia. Now, I can boondock my way across the country without worrying about my 12V power. Thinking about it, yes, but worrying no.

Except for my excessive hot water use in the shower (which I won't be able to do in an RV anyway), I'm very good about reducing my power consumption. I mean, I'm currently sitting in a dark house; nothing's on except my computer. So, perhaps the adjustment to RV life won't be that tough, reduction of power consumption-wise.

Finally, I learned that my fridge is not only insanely huge, it's a three-way model. That is, it can run on 120V shore power, 12V, or propane. In plain English, that means it can run on power provided by a campground, the coach batteries, or... propane. I've been advised to pick the 'auto' option and the fridge will figure out on its own the best method to run itself.

One thing remains a mystery, however: we can't find the electrical panel. *cue in twilight zone music*

While we were going over the coach, Mr. Wonderful Jr. made me climb up onto the roof. Eeep. But now that I've been up there, I'm fine. I just didn't know what the ladder was like at the top and now I do. I didn't even dirty my cream pants clambering up and down. :-)

Mr. Wonderful Jr. also MADE ME BACK UP INTO MR. WONDERFUL'S DRIVEWAY. I repeat. HE MADE ME BACK UP INTO THE DRIVEWAY. With his patient guidance, I got Miranda in smoothly! He also informed me that he'd kept an eye on me as he led me back to his father's house and that I was very good at keeping my coach centred in her lane. I definitely need to do some parking lot practising, but my confidence level rose quite a bit tonight.

It's Not What You Know...

It's who you know.

One thing that didn't get done this past weekend is the backup camera installation.

I told a friend that tonight and she told me she was going to make a phone call on my behalf.

Next thing I know, I've lined up someone to install not only my backup camera, but also a whole house inverter and a solar panel, and this at an hourly rate that would be absurdly reasonable for an amateur but is a real gift from a retiree who made his living doing this.

I now have a week to do my energy audit thingy to determine exactly how much of an inverter I need, do some research on my solar panel to see if it'll suit my needs or if I need another one, find both items... and fork out another boatload (erm, RVload) of money.

Please excuse me while I run around the house screaming 'YIPPEE!!!' at the top of my lungs.

Sore, Very Sore

Wow, my body has really forgotten what these sorts of days are like. I really don't have the stamina for weekend-long renovation bursts like I did when I had the house. I could barely move when I got up this morning, so I puttered around a bit until I limbered up. Then, it was off to North Gower by way of Home Depot (needed another box of 'chocolate') and more carpet ripping out until I couldn't move at all any more.

First order of business was to finish ripping out the carpet in the study. That done, it was time to rip out the carpet in the dining/lounge area. That proved to be... fun. I can't remove the chairs so I had to cut around them. Same thing for the dinette benches. Have you any idea how much work (and blades and dust) is involved in cutting carpet?

Before I started, I looked at the bar:



Not entirely useless (there is a table), but almost. I opened the door and discovered that the bar was attached to the coach with only four screws. Away with it!



EEEP! I thought the carpet was in good shape. This really showed me how worn and disgusting it actually was! I kept the bar for parts but will most definitely be putting a bookcase between the chairs. Unfortunately, Ikea has the very thing I'm envisioning, so I'll have to go there.

The dining area, before:



The dining area, during:



The dining area, after:



Again, I just need to put on some trim.

The biggest problem I faced was how far back to cut the carpet:



I decided that I was better off not going right to the edge of the cockpit:



I cut a straight line there and will install a threshold thingamabob to bridge the gap.

This room isn't finished. By the time I got done with the half I did do, I was beat. What's left will involve a lot of cutting, measuring, and fiddling, so I felt it best to leave it for next week. I just put wax paper down over the stick strips to keep dust off them.

What about the desk, you ask.

Next week. I'm taking the shake down cruise of all shake down cruises: going to Montreal's south shore to visit family. If I can traverse the island of Montreal in one piece, I will have nothing to fear after. My mother is much more skilled and creative than I am in matters of carpentry, so she'll help me put together a desk. While there, I'll also dewinterize the coach (it'll be SO NICE to have the bathroom working, LOL!) and possibly wire the back up camera monitor.

The End of a Dream

This morning, as I slowly eased Miranda into a parking spot at Home Depot and then shortly thereafter began to rip apart the back room, I realised that a lifetime's worth of dreaming had come to an end. For better or for worse, I have begun to live my dream. And, thus, the dream is now reality. What will I dream of now?

*pauses*

So, I made it to Home Depot this morning. I decided to forgo the backup monitor installation and leave it for next weekend. I'll be taking Miranda for her first overnight expedition and that will be a nice project to undertake then.

Step 1: Get the mattresses out of there



Step 2: Dismantle the right-side box



After taking apart that box on the right side, I decided that I didn't want to muck around with the left-side box as glue is involved. So, carpet removal and floor installation would have to go around it.

Step 3: Carefully remove any trim so that I might be able to reuse it.
Step 3A: Find money!




Step 4: Marvel that the coach has wooden floors. Which explains why it cost twice what the mobile house cost.



Step 5: Find cardboard. Blink.



Step 6: Check to see if the room is square. It is. Blink.



Step 7: Install flooring. Takes about an hour and a half once you figure out the best way to lay it out.
Step 7A: Waste only one piece because you can't measure.
Step 7B: Pat yourself on the back.



This is Allure flooring in 'chocolate', available exclusively at Home Depot. It is a combination of floating floor and peel 'n stick tiles. You get a strip of three 1'x1' vinyl tiles (so the strip is 1'x3') with sticky tabs that interlock. It's quite easy to work with, although getting tight joints is tough. I'd give my results a 9 out of 10. To cut, just score deeply with a utility knife, bend, and snap (like drywall, only tougher). So, it's a really easy product to work with and produces results very quickly.

Step 8: Reinstall the trim you saved and the little threshold thingie that creates a joint between the hardwood and the vinyl.



Don't they look nice together?!

Left to do in this room is to rip out the carpet on the upper portion of the floor and then finish up the trim. I wanted to wait until the desk was in before doing the final touch ups. Plus, by the time the floor was in it was 3:30 and I was exhausted!

Tomorrow, I'm going back there to look for desk materials so I can finish up this project. I stopped off at Ikea on the way home (literally on the way) and was reminded that I hate to shop there. So, hopefully the Home Depot will have the necessary materials to build a nice desk area.

I stacked the two mattresses on the left side and discovered that the 'sofa' is going to be pretty high up off the floor. I'll live with it that way since I don't want to get rid of the second mattress at this time.

Finally, the right-side headboard is going to be such a nightmare to remove that I think it's going to stay. I just had an idea of how to incorporate it into the desk design--it'll make a perfect push pin board!

Today's mileage: Another 30km!

Reading. More Reading. Yet More Reading.

Tomorrow will be my first full day all alone with Miranda.

I've been reading a lot this week.

Miranda's various manuals have proven invaluable in making me feel that I can learn her systems on my own, without anyone to help me. The Ford manuals (and, incidentally, I can't believe I own a Ford), has schematics of the electrical set up which will aid me in installing the backup camera monitor.

Also, I purchased the following two books on Amazon:

Managing 12 Volts: How to Upgrade, Operate, and Troubleshoot 12 Volt Electrical Systems

and

RV Repair and Maintenance Manual: Updated and Expanded (RV Repair and Maintenance Manual)

Neither is the sort of book you want to curl up in bed with (unless you want to be put to sleep!), but they are very informative and will be helpful tomorrow as I start to make modifications to my coach. The language used in both tomes is precise, but doesn't fall into 'technobabble.'

Unfortunately, 'they're' calling for rain all weekend, so I probably won't be able to install my back up camera. I will try to do the inside work, though, and will then focus on getting the study set up.

I plan to spend about an hour with Miranda at the storage place, unloading more boxes, securing what's been unloaded, trying out the awning, and making sure I know where various components like the water heater and furnace are. Then, we're off to Home Depot and then possibly Ikea and Lee Valley. I made a list of what I want at the latter and their prices, so that I can compare products at the Home Depot.

Tomorrow's 'I hope I can do all this!' list:

-Properly install Majel (the GPS unit);
-Wire the backup camera monitor into Miranda's 12V system;
-Remove both beds from the bedroom;
-Remove the carpet from the bedroom;
-Install Allure flooring in the bedroom;
-Reinstall the left-side bed

I doubt I'll get to the desk, so I'll probably have to go back to Miranda on Sunday. Since spending the night at the storage place isn't an option, driving home and back is a more cost-effective plan than would be going to a campground. That's for next weekend!

The Day Has Come At Last!

I get to go pick up Miranda at 6:30 tonight!

The previous owner called me on Saturday morning to let me know that he was releasing the keys... and that his neighbour with the keys had just left for the weekend. *edits a really honest, but not so nice, thought* Anyway, the neighbour called last night to say I can swing by tonight. At last!!!

A friend and I had planned to go pick up Miranda together in her car, so she could follow me to the storage location and give me a ride back. We both felt that I'd have enough stress without worrying about towing right away. Well, of course, now that my friend has been on standby for over a week, she had to leave town. So, trial by fire for me tonight. :-)

I went over to Their house yesterday to install Miranda's license plate (carrying a copy of an email giving me permission to be on Their property, just in case). I wasn't sure about what tools (wrench) I'd need for that or how complicated it would be (not at all), so I figured that I could save some time on pick up night. And, okay, I just wanted to make sure my rig was okay! :-) At the same time, I took a closer look at the tow hitch... and discovered that They hadn't left me the safety cables. *rolls eyes* So, I need to go pick some up before I get Miranda tonight. There's a store in Gatineau called 'Attache remorques'(Trailer Hitches), so I figured they would probably have the necessary item. They do. Thank goodness. I can't believe how much STUFF is involved in towing. Freedom doesn't come cheap!!!

My car is filled to the brim with assorted bits and bobs for the coach, as well as all my hand tools. Since Miranda will be parked 45 minutes from home, I won't have the luxury of making a million trips out to see her, so I need to maximize every visit. Moving will be easier than I'd thought, though. My mother is coming up the last weekend in August to get some of the furniture my sister wanted, plus the few boxes she'll store for me. It was supposed to be earlier, but this turns out to be a much better plan. I'll be able to pick up Miranda that morning and bring her up to my house and then fill her right there, with help in bringing in larger items like the mattress. Then, I can take off for a campground for my final three or four nights before hitting the road. I had another thought over the weekend. I wasn't sure what to do with the bed spreads and curtains that come with Miranda and which I don't want. I might as well store them.

This coming Saturday, provided the weather cooperates, I aim to go pick up Miranda bright and early and drive her to the nearest Home Depot so I can get all the major work done on her--back up camera installation, bed ripping out, carpet replacement, desk building, etc. That's going to be such a fun day!

So Close...

Miranda is legally mine. I received the necessary paperwork today to go to the SAAQ and get her plated. Once again, I lucked out with a licence plate that has numbers which are meaningful to me, so I already know the plate number by heart.

She's legally mine... but I have no keys yet. I have nothing nice and or non-sarcastic to say about that, so I'll refrain from commenting.

I got Pommette the toad back from having her base plate installed. There is still more to do, and I still can't tow, but I'm very close. In order for me to be able to tow, I'm missing the plug that would connect the car electric system to Miranda's. I didn't know what sort of plug she has, so the mechanic was unable to install it. I went over tonight to ogle my gal, pet her, and take a photograph of the connector. Hopefully, the missing component can be installed tomorrow. After, there's another thing that needs to be installed, but I'll be okay to tow short distances until Blue Ox gets the part to the garage.

Finally, my back up camera arrived. I took one look at the installation instructions and blanched, but I'm sure I can get it installed. It'll just take longer than the instructions say it will.