Renovation Going Slowly

Having removed the carpet and much of the "mouse fur" from the walls in the dining/living area, I fried a few brain cells removing the glue backing with a solvent. Then, I began polishing the interior aluminum with mixed results. Have to get some more aggressive Nuvite polishing cream to work on the roughest areas but getting there slowly. Here's a progress photo.

I took a break from polishing and worked on tapping into the propane system and connecting up a catalytic heater to use when we are boondocking. My brother Barry had advised me on fittings and a general scheme and with patience and some "measure twice/cut once" technique, I got it installed on the front of the gas stove with a swinging door so that we can aim it rearward as well. Leak checks with soapy water and we're good to go.

The couch has been delivered to an upholsterer for recovering and should be ready by late June. Camping season is here -- time to get these projects buttoned up.

Running light wiring problem identified

Yesterday we did some trouble-shooting on the Airstream problems -- focusing on why we did not have running lights. With the couch removed and the wiring exposed, it made life a lot simpler -- and having my knowledgeable brother leading the effort was the key.

We had known that the power off the tow vehicle was fine and that we had power to the running lights inside the trailer. However, as Barry had suspected back in Texas, the circuit seemed to die in a little black box under the trailer. Sure enough, when he bypassed the box, there was power to the lights -- and in fact, all the lights were working! So now it is a process of finding a replacement for the fried box. (I fried a lead on the box at some point with all the problems of loose leads in the 7-pin connector).

So here's what I've posted and sent to a couple of potential suppliers:

I have a 1999 Safari and have had trouble with the running lights. I just found out that I fried a breaker or relay that is between the battery and the lights. It is a small black box with four paddle connections -- one for a hot wire, one for ground, and two for the blue trailer light wiring. It says SC-906 on it and is 12v, 30 amp. The connection points are marked 85, 86, 87, and 30.

It's nice to get an answer to this nagging problem -- now to find the part. And here's the answer I just got from the Airstream Forum:

It's a generic auto relay, should be able to find one at any auto parts store. You can see that one of the pins is burnt, with all the black plastic around it. Curious why it would fail but I would get a new one and see what happens.

What a resource the Internet can be. Off to Advance Auto Parts.

Mouse Fur Be Gone

Having removed the Airstream couch, I've started a project to remove the carpet and replace it with some sort of wood laminate flooring. Of course, the more you open things up, the more "projects" reveal themselves.

The cream-colored covering on the Airstream walls, affectionately called "mouse fur" because of its fuzzy nature, is pretty dingy. A dozen or more years of wear and tear shows -- and I'm thinking seriously of removing it in the front half of the trailer and getting down to the aluminum walls. We'll see how that additionally work feels in the next few days.

Meanwhile, I've started ripping out the old carpet (which looks better than it is in the photos). It's grubby work and I'm going through razor knife blades fast. From the debris I'm finding underneath it, I think this trailer was built on a Friday afternoon. Loose nails, aluminum scraps from drilling, you name it. The staples holding the padding in place are hard to pull and all in all, it's slow going.

One bright spot was the uncovering of a channel through which many wires pass. Hopefully, that will allow us to identify the problem circuit for the trailer running lights which still are out of service.

My brother Barry is coming by in the next day or two to give some guidance on floor materials and the wiring. Next week, we hope to get a line on some fabric to recover the couch.

I've got half a trailer floor of exposed plywood so I guess I'm committed. Stay tuned.

Portable Solar

After a lot of discussion with Airstream owners, we decided not to mount the solar panel on the unit but rather, set it up manually so as to better capture the sun's rays. So far, so good.

Installing the controller involved disconnecting and removing the refrigerator (to be able to snake wires alongside it) and cutting an opening in the wall. Everything went well until I went to close the cupboard over the refrigerator, and the arm hit the controller unit. Too late to move things so I moved the arm to the other side of the door.

I put on a quick disconnect near the hitch and ran enough wire to be able to move the unit around to either side of the trailer. When I first tried everything, I got nothing, even though the controller was reading battery voltage. After reading the instructions again (what a concept!), I realized that the leads to the solar panel were on the wrong contacts -- a quick switch and we were in business.

It's a great feeling to see that controller registering 4 amps of current or so in full sun. It's almost easy to feel smug -- sort of "take that, power company" feeling. The unit topped off the battery, shut down, and came on periodically as I used a little power for things.

The setting, with trees and intermittent clouds (as you can see in the photo), was not ideal but it was a great start to getting more independent energy-wise.

Off To Massachusetts

Having worked some on installing the solar controller and wiring up the solar panel, I tested it yesterday and it was great to see the meter registering 3 to 4 amps as the sun came out from behind the clouds. For now, I'm planning to use the panel up against a sawhorse, positioned to catch the sun -- and not mount it on the roof. Several friends (and my brother) set it up that way and like the versatility.

We packed up and headed out today -- still winterized -- to visit our daughter and family in Merrimac, MA. We've set up a nice little parking area off their long driveway so Penny (the Vizsla) and I boondock out there. It saves a lot of hassle since Jen has an old cat and Penny is terrible with felines.

The trip down was uneventful -- aside from the fact that our running lights still do not work. It was rainy and foggy the first hour and while not dark enough to require lights -- they would have helped from a safety factor. Next week's project.

The site here, as you can see in the photo, is pretty wooded so the use of solar is going to be iffy. Right now, the leaves are not out so there's hope -- but the forecast is for rain. I'm on a limited electrical budget and monitoring the battery with the new controller. I ran the old furnace with the blower for just a bit and saw an immediate drain. Fortunately, the catalytic heater is cranking and should take the chill off. Penny plants herself about a foot from it.

Being further south, the birds are more plentiful and active. On a walk with the dog just before dark, I saw about a dozen or more species including a lovely pileated woodpecker. Hope to do some serious birding tomorrow or Saturday at Plum Island.

No Smiley Face from McDonald's

Throughout our trip to the Southwest, we were careful about cornering and getting caught in tight spaces with the Airstream. Many a time, we passed up a gas station because it looked too tight to get in and out of the pumps. Anyone who pulls a trailer or drives a big rig knows: you've got select your food and gas stops a little more carefully.

We did very well until the last day of the trip. We'd found that McDonald's for coffee often worked well -- the coffee is passable and there is usually room to park the truck trailer. Well, we pulled of I-81 north of Scranton at a little burg called Clarks Summit, which has a strip with many of the ubiquitous service and food outfits. We saw a McDonald's and after a tough left turn, pulled in. We parked and I could see right away that it was a mistake -- there was no exit on the "drive-around" side.

To cut to the chase -- after getting some breakfast, we carefully circumnavigated around the facility and made a sharp turn out to the access road. Too sharp, as it turned out. When we got home, we noticed paint down the right side of the Airstream. We never heard a thing but Mary remembered seeing a pole over there as we left.

So, once the weather is warmer, it will be time to take out the lacquer thinner (which seems to work) and get the blemish removed, or at least looking better. It sort of matches a crease the former owner put on the other side. I'm glad it is a 1999 Airstream and not a 2009 model. It's a little road rash but we'll see how it turns out when cleaned up, washed, and polished. Just another item on the "to do" list for this Spring.
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Wal*Mart -- Tough Love

As a Vermonter and a “buy local” advocate, I’ve always had a dislike of Wal*Mart. Their politics are too red, their treatment of employees is less than stellar, and their gaffes (firing a guy for medical marijuana - telling all “black people” to leave the store) just don’t seem to stop. The company, worth more than many smaller nations of the world, has centers and stores in virtually any city of size in the U.S. That’s bad news for downtowns and small merchants -- it’s good news for travelers.

Yes, having spent two months on the road, I have a new appreciation of the attractiveness of this giant corporation. I’ve blown dust off cans of vegetables in small groceries, been appalled at the lack of healthy food -- even whole wheat bread -- and struggled to find spare parts in local hardware stores. On the other hand, with Wal*Mart, which is everywhere, we can get Cabot Cheese and Stonyfield yogurt in Texas or Louisiana, find Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and fresh produce, and use clean restrooms. They layouts are fairly standard so you know right away where the auto parts are, where the pet food is, and don’t have to orient yourself each time just to find skim milk.
Another big issue is parking -- when you are pulling an Airstream, the expansive parking lots are welcome. Wal*Mart, to their credit, allows RV’s to park overnight. This is a big deal when you are traveling and just needing a safe place to rest for a bit. Sure, you deal with bright lights and traffic noise but it’s safe, free, and available all over the country.

It is depressing to see roadsides and fields littered with white plastic bags -- many of them from Wal*Mart. As a birdwatcher, more than once I’ve spotted a white object in a tree, on a cactus, on a body of water -- and of course, it’s not a cattle egret or snowy egret -- it’s trash. Wal*Mart adds to the problem through their "bag everything that isn't walking" approach although one could argue that people who litter will toss whatever container/bag they have.

So, back in Vermont, we will buy our coffee from Capitol Grounds in Montpelier, our meat from the local co-op, and shop locally for essentially everything. But we now have a new appreciation, whether we like to admit it or not, for the cleanliness, the lower prices, and the good inventory of the ubiquitous Wal*Mart network. They will likely be key elements of our future road travel -- outside Vermont.
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