Memory Roads

Are you Looking for our 'Projects' ....... or Travel log?

2012-02-09T19:24:00.000-05:00

... right side of this page for........ PROJECTS OR TRAVEL

... top left of page and choose FOLLOW to be alerted automatically, when we update our posts.

OR.........
... bottom of page ....right side, for OLDER POSTS with page after page for years of info.

Enjoy!

Interesting RV

2012-02-09T12:57:00.003-05:00

Cadillac conversion was COOL. It appeared to be a workman doing asphalt reconstruction at a local Home Depot. He had a Hoot of imagination and in the back was a kind of workshop/storage locker. he lived up front. I have always admired free thinkers and here is another. ( I once drove across 2/3'rds of America in a 1959 Austin Healy Bug-Eyed Sprite..............witha set of those horns tied between the lights,and my duffle bag on the trunk! ah memories..............

Lady and the Tramp

2012-02-09T12:54:00.000-05:00

Lady and the Tramp.

…..............a dog couple! Lady is a Rat Terrier (shown on left) and Buddy (on right), is a full blown Jack Russel Terrier.............

Just check out their color markings!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lady is from Texas yet Buddy is from Florida]

Oh yeah, he's checkin' her out!

Delia and Lady

2012-02-09T12:51:00.000-05:00

What gives? Enjoy the photo and make your own explanation.

Been thinkin..............

2012-01-21T11:21:00.000-05:00

"Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don't & believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get the chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it."

Ulu Sails

2012-01-20T11:50:00.000-05:00

This past winter we were lucky enough to enjoy our 2nd season cruising the San Blas Islands of Panama. It's home to the Kuna Indians who live mostly on small islands just off the mainland, on the Caribbean side the country.
We found them to be lovely people. Last year, we brought some some gifts of fishing gear, mostly packages of hooks and mono filament line. Not much, but it will help the the men supply food for their families.
This year, I'm making some sails for their ulu's(canoes). It was evident that they had a nearly a non existent supply of decent cloth to make their own. Hand sewing pieces of old sails donated by other cruisers, or bed sheets, political posters, food sacks etc. was the method of production.

Really a hodge-podge of materials that could catch the wind.

Before leaving the islands in April, I took many photos of ulus sailing by our boat in various anchorages,

then asked one Kuna friend, Justino of the Robeson island group, to take me around to his islands and help me measure an assortment of the sails they were now using.
Using the photos and measurements and discussions with Justino, we came up with 3 basic sizes used. The middle size was by far the most common, then a few bigger ones for larger ulus. The small ones would not be a part of my efforts this year.

My plan is multifaceted, hoping first to get the Ulu's in the Robeson group of the San Blas Islands, some decent sails. It's like putting a decent engine in their daily transportation-making their travels better, safer and more reliable.
After that, if I can gather support, possibly the materials- donated sail cloth, thread and hand crank sewing machines(I already bought a great old time Singer in perfect condition and opting for a hand crank after market add on) could be delivered to the Kuna's to develop their own micro business.

For now, it's up to me and a small group of good folks, helping out at various stages.

So far, I have been able to procure 167 yards of 4.18 oz. Challenger sail cloth through the assist of Keith, owner of Advanced Sails, St. Petersburg, Florida.
Keith has been a great help and supporter of my endeavor.

Besides ordering and taking shipment of the material, (Keith standing)was instrumental in laying out the design from photos and measurements I had taken while in the San Blas and also cutting and stitching the first sail! He worked, I watched. Needless to say, he gave me a many pointers on how to do this for the rest of the sails. It was soooo easy, watching him and so much different doing it!! Thank you Keith!

One medium size sail cut and ready for stitching!

One Larger sail cut in Gulf Breeze later on....

One sail 'Stitched and ready for shipping!' Yay!!

My old Riccar (Japanese version of a Singer-vintage early 50's) was tuned up by a local shop but now seems too weak for the job so just drove back to St. Pete from Pensacola, 900 miles round trip) to pick up my Sailrite LSZ-1 Industrial machine.

A friend Joan's garage in Gulf Breeze, Fl. is our sail loft.

Joan shown above with Venancio, a master mola maker, had been a guest of ours 2 years ago in the San Blas, so knew first hand of the sailing ulu's.

So here in December just before Christmas and well into January, we are producing the first bunch of sails to ship south. We're doing fine, and progress has been slower than originally imagined but in a week, we should be done with the physical part of the manufacturing process. Then comes the shipping/delivery disbursement part.

Lady, our toy rat terrier is miffed, that she has not received full attention but has instead been put on guard duty.

Much of the work has been on the concrete floor, cutting out patterns to be sewn together later. Dorothy came in to help too. I never imagined how long this would take, but boy the hours are flying by! :)

Lady, guarding scrap............

So far, we have cut out 23 mid size sprit main sails and............ 7 larger sails with jibs.

Photo below of Jib pattern. It's small but what they use.

I'm pushing to meet a self imposed deadline but still have to find a way to get these sails to the San Blas Islands pf Panama and then,,,,, to the people of the Robeson group. We just might fly down ourselves and find a way out to their islands.

A few people already have offered to to help, or sponsor a sail or two, so their names will be written along the top of 'their' sail/sails. To produce a sail has cost about $20. The larger sails with their added jibs will run about twice that.)

A friend Dave Barker, who volunteers locally teaching kids about the outdoors, often using his Kayaks (see more at "Navarre Beach Kayaks" ) and also the kind of guy who when going to the beach brings along a big plastic bag to pick up beach plastics/broken glass and other trash, came by several days to help sew up these sails. Dave was a sewing machine tech for Van Hussen shirt company for years, so is a big help here!! :) **also gets my 'good guy' rating!

Dave and I would switch off doing a sail each. This kept things rolling along at a nice pace.

After the sails were sewn, I am adding webbing material to serve as tie points for the 4 corners instead of grommets, as it's stronger, and easy to repair later if necessary without special tools, just needle and thread.

The loop for the tapered end of the Sprit Pole was made larger, and the attachments on the luff, made short.

Any constructive comments, ideas, suggestions or sponsors are welcome to speak up!
Comment below

4 Days Instead of 8 Hours

2011-12-23T10:04:00.004-05:00

PALM TIKI-WOOD CARVINGS/GULF BREEZE, FL.-CHARLES KNIGHT

A trip to visit family in the Panhandle of Florida from our home on the Central West Coast of the state, is an 8 hour drive +/-. For many years, we drive the interstate to get there and back asap.

Now, I take the slow road. 'This trip', the slowest road trip ever, using our motorhome and 4 stops at State Parks along the coast. How lovely it was.

ST. ANDREWS STATE PARK, PANAMA CITY, FL. SURFERS PARADISE

OCKLOCKNEE STATE PARK AND SURROUNDING AREA. WHITE SQUIRRELS, TURKEY, DEER, RACOON, POSSUM AND GREAT FISHING.

MANATEE SPRINGS. ONE OF MY FAVORITES NOW. VERY QUIET/NATURAL SPRING FOR SWIMMING, BIRDING SMALL TO VULTURES. SUWANNEE RIVER, STURGEON, GATOR DEER.

CRYSTAL RIVER ARCHEOLOGY SITE HAD UNUSUAL POTTERY CHARDS. UNUSUAL IF YOU FOLLOW SHOWS LIKE THE HISTORY CHANNEL, ON ALIEN VISITATION THEORIES. I'VE NEVER SEEN SUCH AN UNUSUAL PICTOGRAM ON A FLORIDIAN ARTIFACT.

SWIMMING IN FLORIDA, TAKES EXTRA CAUTION. NOT A JOKE!

CARRABELLE, FL. QUIET, ARTISTIC AND LOVELY.

In reverse order, so it will read well on this blog, I'll do separate posts this weekend, on Manatee Springs, Ochlockonee, St. Joe and St. Andrews State Parks and assorted stops along the way.

Hope you enjoy the photos as much as we did taking them!

St. Andrews State Park, Panama City, Fl.

2011-12-07T09:44:00.000-05:00

Stop #4. St. Andrews State Park was a bit big for us. Yes, we like the remoteness of small parks but St. Andrews is special too.

Quiet places are available. The beach has a combination of attributes that attract a variety of folks.

Shelling is excellent, fishing off the beach or jetty should produce a good catch. Photography enthusiasts have endless subject matter. Boaters can ply the bay waters, inlet or Gulf waters.

The Navy has it's Diving and Salvage School located near the inlet, so their vessels are commonly seen transiting the inlet and local waters.

Surfers of all kinds enjoy the action near the breakwater. Regurlar boards, stand up boards, and wind surfers share the bounty of action. The kite sailors seem to have the majority of fun though. Wow, it was exciting to watch them!

Port St. Joe, Florida

2011-12-05T19:07:00.000-05:00

The beaches at Port St. Joe State Park are extra ordinary. I camped here 38 years ago, in my VW van during January. The temps dropped to 29F that night. COLD-D-D!
Warmer on this trip and still outstandingly beautiful.

Appalachacola, Carrabelle, Fl.

2011-12-03T10:02:00.000-05:00

Often in our culture, we tear down anything 'old'. Not true in many foreign countries. I'm glad some history has been saved, when I can stand and view a slave home on the property of an early leader of Appalachacola.

How many times had eyes stared out this window? How much life evolved inside. Where did the residents and their family go later on? .......................??? questions.

The 'Main' house is kept up now as a tourist atttaction. Decorated for Christmas, this one front window with a reflection of the flying American Flag in the glass window, caught our eye.

NOT store bought, but finely crafted with love and attention in an old fashion kind of way.

Home garden decorated for the Christmas Season.

Below, one of several bat houses on the property.

This part of Florida is slowly giving in to the development that is commonly changing our country from quaint to generic, but much of the 'old' is certainly there and the locals are proud of their heritage. Nice town, nice vibes.

A war memorial in a special square, contained bronze statues for each of the 5 US services proudly displayed. Very Nice!

Local art had changed this old home into a gallery. Funky but it sure made me smile. Had to stop and do a walk about.

Old, mixed with new. The 'tire' told you of another chapter in this town's history. The vine? well the book that is being written.

Gosh, I was trying to figure out how I could get this sweetie to join my crew!?

Or this one!!! Yes, once a sailor, always a sailor..............you don't grow out of certain things. ;)

Dorothy noted the nets were colored perfectly for the Christmas Season!

Not many of the wooden fishing boats left. Time, hurricanes and the cost of this highly labor intensive craft have taken the majority to the bone yards of the deap blue or the local marshes. They photograph so well though, and I can't stop imagining stories lived aboard these vessels.

'Art' in the eye of the (this) beholder.

A bronze copy of the Vietnam Memorial art standing in DC is at a park in Appalachacola,Fl.

A sight once common when I was a kid, were fields and fields of cotton in the southern U.S. No more. This cotton was decorative growth in a private garden.

Manatee Springs to Crystal River Archeological sites

2011-12-01T19:55:00.001-05:00

Several times in the past we have chosen to take a slow trip up the coast of Florida. We have stopped at Manatee Springs 4 times now and love it for it's quiet, natural setting. The spring this park is named for, is as clear as air, yet appears turquoise. Folks love to swim or soak in it's cool waters. Along the short waterway from the spring to the Suwannee River, the park system has built a wooden raised walkway, to traverse the cypress swamp.

Buzzards lined the tree tops and below, in the mud were constant signs of raccoon traffic.

While sitting in our motor home, we enjoyed the deer walking through the campground eating vegetation. They were cautious and often looked around. Later, while walking our dog, we came across deer several times.

Our dog, a rat terrier/all of 8 pounds was totally confused. Her eyes were as large as they get. Seems she had never seen a 'dog ' this big!

Next day, we were traveling north and spotted a sign for an archaeological site along the Crystal river. I enjoy the history of our hemisphere so turned to investigate. The site was the remnants of a village along the water dating thousands of years ago. Various tribes over time inhabited this area.

A shell midden was at one time a Temple Mound with a ramp built leading to a large stone in the center of the village which might have had special significance. The midden was build entirely of oyster shells. Sorry to say, part of the midden mound, had been destroyed by early settlers or land owners but it does allow a good shot of the shells.

In the museum was something extremely interesting to me. A pottery chard (piece) that resembles the large eyed drawing humans have drawn for thousands of years, representing aliens. Yes, aliens.

I have NEVER seen this drawing on Eastern indian pottery, although in the american south west, this representation of a humanoid is common in petroglyphs.

Also, inside the museum as a very decent collection of man made weapon points, from spears or arrows. I happen to be lucky enough to have one of these.

This display shows a specific type of arrow head I actually found on the surface of a plowed field in Georgia 40 years ago. It's the 'White' one shown here in the upper right and called by either name, a Bollen Bevel or a Big Sandy. It's one of the earliest projectile points found in the South East U.S. and was believed to be made by the first nomadic peoples venturing into this part of the U.S 7,000 BC, read that as...........9,000 years ago! How cool!

Pottery displayed here was pieced together from fragments found on the property.

View from the top of the Temple Mound looking west.

Merry Christmas

2011-11-28T10:58:00.001-05:00

We are finally off traveling for the winter, so wishing a Merry Christmas and Wonderful New Years to all.

Travel posts start this week,
thanks for waiting!

Hammer Head Shark at our dock!

2011-10-12T12:39:00.000-04:00

Surprise, Surprise....when I looked over and saw a Hammer Head shark about 10' from me, a foot below the surface. It was a juvenile, about 36-40" long, slowly checking out the empty slip next to Memory Rose.
I luckily had my camera near me too, so I was able to grab a few shots of it as it was swimming out to deeper water.

I passed it along to the local TV news channels, 8 and 9 and caught it being aired once per hour. The good reason for this was a few weeks ago, a spear fishing group was attacked by a bull shark in our local waters.

9-11

2011-10-02T08:31:00.000-04:00

Replace Onan Genset with 1 or 2 Honda eu2000i's on Drawer Slide Assembly

2011-07-24T18:08:00.008-04:00

I removed the Onan 6500 watt Commercial Generator. It was far too Big for our Class C needs; too Heavy and Noisy by a long shot and also, did I mention ......... a real Gas Hog! Why would a Class C EVER need a gen set this big? Yikes, "don't you love the ....salesman?..Stop the Snake Oil CRAP and get back to truth..................
Ok, getting back to our post....

The Access Door's 24" width was increased to 32" with our new Ebay door... to allow easy access for One or Two, new Honda eu2000i Generators.

BEFORE

AFTER

Sold original Onan 6500 Commercial Genset on Craig's List locally to a new Class A guy who needed constant AC, to make space for a Slide Out Shelf/Drawer for either 1 or 2, Honda eu2000i -- "normally portable"-- generators.
While I am rebuilding this space--to hold 2 of these Honda's, I must admit, I will probably only bring one along with us now, for quiet/efficient battery charging and not 2 Hondas required for the higher amps required for Air Conditioner use. My project though is meant for 2 Gensets!

This space will continue to use the original Pair of --frame mounted "L" shaped "C"channel mounts (shown in black) to adapt to this Sliding Drawer system. The Drawers are made of heavy 1/4" 6061 Aluminum construction. NOTE, the vehicles frame was drilled to allow the C channels to be relocated with a wider stance than original, so it could offer a wide Drawer Assembly.

Shown below, the concept of Drawer Slide Assembly and initial drawing taken to machine shop.

Shown above, is close to, the final product, mounted to the underside of the original but relocated black frame extensions. The Black L frames were spread Wider...on the Frame to allow a Wider Drawer Assembly. Shown here also, is the new enlarged opening with Eternabond tape sealing all edges.

The NEW access door was an inexpensive Ebay purchase but was purchaced to allow an increase in the width of opening, from 24" to 32". I cut the door shown below, almost in half, left to right.... and relocated the Twist lock mechanisms, to the sides. (See other photo of this door below, as finished product) I also bought 2 locks to add to the Original holes in the door assembly and now have then installed. The door modification hides the lower half of the Honda Genset as I boxed in the area. The original Onan was visually too obvious and I think I can clean up the look and security of the new installation quite a bit! What do "you" think?

I used a sabre saw with a long metal blade to cut the sides of the opening to the desired size.

The foam insulation was removed to a depth necessary to insert a piece of 2" x 4" material which was then marked and trimmed to fit. The wood, bonded into place with Liquid Nails was then taped over completely with Eternabond tape for future protection, prior to installing the door. The purpose of the wood it so the door assembly has something to be fastened to.

Basic assembly of Drawer Slide installed.

The Triple rail slides extend 28" out from the closed position and can support 176 lbs. at that position....far more load than I can impose on it.

The Drawer Slide assembly creates "Ease of Access", rather than just building a 'compartment' for the generators. Being able to easily load or unload a generator and not have to bend or twist my back while using, maintaining, or fueling or starting these Hondas is 'to me', worth the extra expense and effort.

Shown above if the Drawer Slid out a few inches to demonstrate the Locking Mechanism I built to prohibit the drawer from sliding out while I drive!

Drawer Slide in 'Closed Position'.....ready to insert Push Pin (shown on lanyard).

Locked Position.

FINISHED ! Honda Generator is hidden from sight and the enclosure blends in, almost unnoticeable.

The Onan's Remote Start Button located inside the M.H. was sold on Ebay, as the Honda replacement is a Pull Start.

Replaced the "Start Button and hour meter with an intelligent Read Out of Voltage"

Minimizing Water Usage

2011-07-18T17:02:00.004-04:00

I just wrote something on one of my favorite RV sites that I thought I should just ADD to my blog, so here goes!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OK, gonna hang it 'out on a limb' here...

We are Sailors as well as land bound "Travelers" in our RV. Methods learned from nautical cruising for more than 30 years have graced us with some wisdom, --- that is appropriate to land travel too.

At this point, we should agree that: ...."Limiting what you "put water IN a holding tank, can extend the time between Dump Station Visits".

For Showering, we use land based showers at State and Private Campgrounds but when in more remote locations.....to save Drinkable Water and Grey Water Tank levels, we use a "Solar Shower 2.5 gallon bag and NOT our built in shower, unless necessary". On our boat and RV, we heat up the water-only a bit with Sun Light(2 hours maybe)- so there is no scorching, but in the RV, if we need it, we fill the plastic bag with some water out of our tank-then add a tea/coffee pot volume of water heated by our propane stove-then top off the rest of the bag with more tap water.
This gives us a pleasant temperature... and power 'efficient' - shower.
....When appropriate.... we hang the 2.5 gallon Solar Shower Bag, on the rear of our rig's roof ladder 'or, if more comfortable' a tree limb ......and enjoy our shower..........after dark. We read that sink and shower water can be used for watering our garden plants, so why not 'mother nature's'?
When not using this method we can go a week or more without need to empty our grey water tanks at Dump Stations.

In the galley, we opt to use a Moen single handle control for supply of water[recently purchased at Home Depot, NOT OEM], with a fine/minimal.... 'spritzer'.... to rinse dishes. This uses much less water; rather than the FULL FLOW of water available!!

IF, you do not "put water IN a tank, you do not have to EMPTY a tank". ;)

We do make it a practice of emptying both tanks once a week when possible
Simplification works without minimizing life's pleasures or responsibilities.

Base Plate installation / Tow Package setup for Hyundai

2011-07-06T10:38:00.002-04:00

We had purchased a Hyundai Elantra Touring manual shift auto in 2010. One important thought at the time, was to purchase a car that 'could' be towed behind our motor home. Well, I finally got the time and inclination to order all the parts necessary to accomplish a safe tow.
I had to wait, until a manufacturer actually had produced a BasePlate for our particular car. It took Blue Ox company 2 years to actually get one to market. I ordered it in May.

The installation seemed straightforward, but I found their instructions to be lacking detail and incomplete. "Of course, there is the caveat "Professional Installation" required or suggested................. :(

Removing the front panels on the car was not difficult, but getting the car up off the ground took some thouhgt and time to set up. I had some extra lumber in my garage, so built a platform of it and used a short piece as a ramp for both sides. Not being as flexible as I used to be, I needed the advantage of a more comfortable sitting/work position on the floor.

To install the BasePlate bar, some of the front panels had to be trimmed, as well as 2 corners off of the Frame Rail extensions. That all went well and I was able to cut, drill and mount all of the components, but the cutting of the grille, required to allow the Baseplate components to be accessed from the front, was inadequately explained in the instructions. Hence, I cut away a bit too much, instead of a perfect job, I got one that I call acceptable........

The 'Wiring' portion of this Tow Setup requires a 4 wire harness to be run from the Front Grill Area, back to the rear lights.........for brakes, tail and turn signals. This job, I think I'm going to have to hire out as I just cannot bend my body into the tight spaces required anymore......... so be it. I ran the wiring from the front 6 pin connector at the Grille, to just inside the engine compartment.

Now, I'm going to search the phone book and internet to see who I can find to complete this job.

Loved the Music!

2011-06-24T19:57:00.000-04:00

But feel awful in the morning.................

Felt like this the whole week. thanks Bob ;) but I get this way too.

Moen Water Faucet for Galley

2011-06-21T20:03:00.001-04:00

Tired of the cheap $5. plastic faucet put in our rig 20 years ago, so upgraded it to a quality metal Single Hand Moen Faucet.

No more dual knobs...............One Lever and a 'Spritzer' !

West Texas

2011-06-20T18:42:00.000-04:00

Miles and miles of...miles and miles! Wow, what a big state!

We were so surprised though at the good use of the state's natural resources. Those miles and miles were usually miles of Oil Rigs, of Natural Gas drilling and storage, of Cotton,

of Corn, of Soybean, of Mining, of Cattle, or Ostrich, Emu

or other exotic animal ranching. The land was being Used! You can drive for an hour or HOURS and see the same crop. Amazing to us how Texas has rolled up it's sleeves and is 'Producing'! Not a lot of people seen out there, but a lot of work going on.

Windmills at first surprised me. I'm from the east and not too familiar with them on my horizon, but out here? they are almost everywhere and why not! (Exclamation, No question mark) It's WINDY here.

Oil and Gas Rigs dot the hills and valleys.

In town? Fun!!

Hot rod shows, flea markets or other events going on during weekends. A nice bunch of folks, living and working hard and it seems well. Here's a few shots of wonderful rods!

Some of the old towns have dried up, but that is true everywhere.... where life has gone through serious changes. I'm glad they have left some of it.... as it was.....it adds a flavor of history.

"Thankyou" U.S. Military!

2011-05-05T09:22:00.001-04:00

December 2010, Lower Manhattan, a 4 hour walk through history.

2010-12-04T22:20:00.007-05:00

The Wall Street Bull.

Looking south from our room a few blocks from the South Street Seaport Museum.

Mary Youngblood, Grammy winning flutist, was preparing for a public concert in the NYC Customs House/now a museum.

Oustide the Customs house are 4 large statues.

Inside, above where the concert was to be held, the circular rooms domed/wall ceiling contained 10 large 20x20' paintings of NY history.

In the museum was a permanent collection representing the Indian cultures of this hemisphere. This golden figure was from Columbia 600-1000 AD

Inside, everything was the best of the best. From floors to doors, marble and bronze or ceilings and walls and painted halls, everything was and is, equal the best palacial grandeur of the world.

"High Noon" on Broad Street.

Home of the Free, land of the Brave. America.

Lunch time in the Big Apple.

Stopped by George Washingtons favorite pub, but it was closed today..............sigh.

Outside the NY Federal Building.

Lower Manhattan is an eclectic mix of architecture. Still finding streets I've never been on before. Lovely!

Eateries almost everywhere.

Stone Carvers were NOT in any unemployment line in this city. They must have numbered in the thousands and worked overtime. It is a city of carved stone.

Street Art

Trinity Church

Hot Dog!

Trinity Church, near Ground Zero, the stained glass above the altar.

One of the many bronze reliefs on the entrance doors.

Dad, camera, son and street sculpture across from Ground Zero.

...................a NYC must do! FINGER FOOD. Try some!!

The city that never sleeps...........Gotham.

Many artifacts of NYC are stored below ground in vaults and tunnels. Some, are kept below the roads of the land bases of the NY bridges. The arched sections under the Brooklyn Bridge hold original material used in construction of the bridge and borings of the rock beneath it's structure and the East River itself; taken before the bridge was built. I had the luck to view some of it 30 years ago. The bridge is now undergoing renovation but I wonder what is stored in this section?

Glacier National Park, a shared wilderness of Montana and Canada.

2010-12-04T21:22:00.004-05:00

The light of early morning illuminates to top of these mountains in the warm colors of sunrise. Later in the day the scenery changes continuously until the darkest skies of night are illuminated with millions of stars.

Glaciers are accessible and on the slopes near them are Big Horn Sheep resting in the sunlight and Marmots,constantly running, playing and grooming each other.

Fields of snow and ice surround the mountains at this altitude all through summer. We walked across much of this until we were quite winded and not having the proper shoes on, our feet were cold. Wanted to get another mile in and a few hundred feet up to actual glaciers but..........it was time for warm, cozy and some soup back in the MH.

Amazing how some things blend in up here. Flowers and insects we have never seen before.

Miles of views, each turn of the road had me wanting to stop and see or explore something else. Each day up here is a blessing and a wonder.

Fields of flowers along a road or up in a meadow are often just a bit different from the last field of blooms.

In these colder climates moss seemed to grow on everything and most sides of it. Ferns, fungus and well, it was a biologists wonderworld.

Deep canyons and roaring streams and rapids were often only a few feet left or right of the road, but MAYBE A THOUSAND FEET BELOW! Drive carefully!!!

To access this lake we had to drive up what I would have called a cliff, but there was actually a road going UP. We took our time and the lake was incredibly beautiful. We were lucky with weather and often the skies would open for us and give us the gift a photo needs.

Walking around the lake, we had to detour through some marshy areas normally in shade. In there were pools of clear water with undeterminable age and though shallow, reflected the life above and the record of life before.

I

It's hard to photograph large things without some perspective. I often use the motor home to aid me here, but in this shot, .................well, it's kind of like....You had to be there!

(clicking on photos will often give you more detail, /click on them Twice and you get still larger ones)

Glaciers.

and waterfalls were now common and you see those trees up there? Well, they are really BIG and that clue gives you an idea of the size of this waterfall.

Willsaw, Montana

2010-12-04T20:49:00.000-05:00

One of the pleasures of driving out west, is the absence of waste. Things might get old, maybe left as is for awhile or forever, but that which is old, is not just trashed/demolished/replaced because there is something newer available. Old is good, even if it just gets older.

The, "the" intersection of roads within Willsaw, have been virtually unchanged for a century. On the side wall of Willsaw Merchantile Bldg, was painted a scene of yesterday. The merchantile is still operating in some fashion as it did in it's beginnings. The Bank, is now the Bar on the oposite corner.

Clean, neat and with a seat outside for anyone to rest and ice for those on the go.

On the third corner, the old gas station pricing the liquid gold at 17 cents per gallon. Someone cuts the grass and takes care of the flowers. A small, very small population, yet all seems in order and working. How nice!

Beyond town, not sure now, were farms and ranches of old. Time and weather took there toll on what was left, but nothing destroyed for the sake of destruction. Even the old pick-up rested where she probably last ran. Now things removed, but the life and spirits of past days seem to remain.

I think Montana is called big sky country but it is a wonderful state with more than sky. I hope to visit it again and at a slower pace.

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

2010-10-17T01:54:00.002-04:00

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
I traveled through Yellowstone NP in the mid 60's on a weekend jaunt from Denver, Colorado; a very fast trip in a small 'bug eyed' Austin Healey Sprite. I was lucky enough see it again on a motorcycle in the mid 70's. Both trips were fast and the motorcycle trip was in snow, so when Dorothy said she really wanted to see this park, we decided to make this our turning point. We basically drove westerly from Florida until we enjoyed the park, then we would head north to Canada.
The little sports car/top down, was a fabulous way to see the park. So too was a motorcycle, breathing the different fragrances and sensing the temperature and moisture conditions-being so aware of your surroundings! However, I add as an equal, traveling in a motor home. The comforts we now enjoyed in our vehicle allowed us to relax. We could now travel at any pace we wished as food, bathroom, sleeping accommodations were all present in our vehicle. So relax we did and we took our time to view this amazing national treasure.
Leaving Cody Wyoming mid day, we continued west towards the Park as we knew there were a good number of government parks just off the road before entering Yellowstone. We choose Park Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Corps. of Engineer campgrounds whenever possible as these are usually the most natural. Built up to a hundred years ago, they had options for the best sites and were done in a primitive manner, leaving 'nature' as their focal point, not some man made accommodation like putt putt golf, swimming pools, snack store, etc. Also, since they were paid for so long ago, they are paid for and cost little to maintain. Volunteers often are caretakers during seasons they are open. This keeps the cost to visit or stay overnight at one of these park campgrounds very reasonable. We checked out a couple of these campgrounds leading west into the NP and the third one we chose looked ideal.

We were parked alongside a large stream with gentle rapids. The setting sun illuminated a rugged ridge across the valley in a pallet of color. Not yet in Yellowstone, but life was good.

Dorothy noticed quickly the wild yellow roses growing all around our campsite so took many photos of them as well as other flowers we were not familiar with. This purple one starts out as the one in the lower right and then open up in a big way to become the large purple ball in full bloom.

One of the first things you will encounter in the park are buffalo. There are many.

Streams and rivers abound and of course that means rapids and water falls. We stopped often, camera in hand to capture the scene and to just relax and enjoy what we were apart of.

Since we live in Florida, powerful streams and waterfalls are unfamiliar sites and we spent quite a bit of time in silence absorbing the experience.

THE WATERFALLS WERE EVERYWHERE AND ALWAYS SPECTACULAR IN THEIR OWN WAY.

Stopping often at the offered 'pull off's' we found several wonderful thermal areas with pools of clear water, most quite hot, and some showing signs of chemical and biological action coloring the water with beauty and possible danger.

Yellowstone NP made geysers famous. Old Faithful is probably the most know. It seems to erupt about every hour to hour and a half, continuously.

Other geysers in the park do not keep such a precise schedule. They may vary their schedule by hours and spout only once or twice a day. We were lucky enough to get to Old Faithful at a fortunate time for us. Another 'bigger' geyser was going to erupt a half mile away across a field, in 15 minutes; so we walked there first.

Then a ranger told us another one half way in between, a 'rare one', was going to erupt in only a few minutes if we could get there. Off we went, with a crowd in front and behind. We got there and positioned ourselves on a boardwalk prepared for viewing this field of geysers.

Well, might I add, the wind was up and our position too close. When it spouted, it threw up a huge volume of water a hundred feet or more, then the wind brought it down on us. The stunned crowd stood in panic. No one moved and we were getting soaked. I hollered "MOVE!" several times and then the thought caught on and the mass of viewers began to escape the shower. Too late actually. We were all soaked to the bone in COLD water. No, geysers do not all contain nice warm showers.

Beyond a mountain near Old Faithful we could see a large thunderstorm heading our way. In the opposite direction we saw the smoke from a forest fire that had just started. Things were getting interesting.

Well, true to form, we got soaked by the rain before we could get back to the motor home and so did a thousand others. I stopped to help an old guy in a wheel chair struggling a bit. He laughed and said he was fine and was actually enjoying the rain! Lesson learned! Enjoy life!
We dried off inside the motor home and donned dry clothes before heading off. As we drove south, we noticed the fire increase in size and a few days later, returning to the park from Jackson Hole we came across the damage done. The fire seemed to start at a picnic area on the north side of a large lake.
A marina on the lake made for a good stop. None of the boats were particularly large but some were classic.

A few from the 50's or early 60's stood out. Real beauties, this one a TOLLYCRAFT.

Note too, the next fire off behind the mountain.... sigh.

All in all, it was an exhausting day.......................

Mt. Ranier, Washington

2010-10-05T19:10:00.000-04:00

Having marked our map in a squiggly line, traveling south to north in Washington; we decided to go to Mt. Ranier after Mt. St. Helen's.

The drive in was white knuckled some times as the roads going in were tight. No railings to save us from our mistakes and huge drop offs if we screwed up. We were blessed tho to have clear skies and low humidity and clear blue skies. The day before and the day after/actually just hours after our visit, the mountain was wrapped tightly in it's own cloud and not seen for days, even up close and personal, from it's visitor's parking lot.

Dorothy got to 'enjoy....' this portion of the drive and narrated to me, as I would not take my eyes off the road. Below: a bed of rocks, some the size of an automobile, washed down from the Glacier (I'll add a shot later that shows it the next morning in the 'mountains weather'. The mountain actually creates it's own weather and it often wraps itself in fog or snow.)

Once there, we were lucky enough to get a campsite within their park, late in the day and yet only a hundred yards from their shuttle bus that takes you around the park and up to the best views and the lodge. We have often been just plain lucky! IT help tho to travel after prime season...you know/kids 'in' school?

In 15 minutes we were at the bus stop and on our way up to see the top of the mountain.

The view was fabulous.

It was possible to walk all the way to the glacier on it as well as hike up to the top I guess... They did have guides working there. However, we walked a half hour or so UP, then enjoyed the view. 90% of tourists viewed from below at the parking lot/lodge.

The bluish ice is the actual Glacier...the white is snow.

SPIRITS of IRON, by Dan Klennert

2010-10-05T18:43:00.002-04:00

STEEL ART. The sign came up fast as we drove down a highway, but we looked quickly and decided to turn around. Pulling up to the driveway, our eyes opened wider.....THIS, was a "Find"!

We had just stumbled upon a wonderland of sculptures awaiting public view.

The Artist (and I must capitalize this) is Dan Klennert, of Elbe, Washington, 360-569-2280. This gents work is amazing.

The gate was open, allowing for public viewing, but he was not present on the property this day. A well kept field of his work lay before us and later we found there was more in his acre or two of additional work behind his premises/workshop.

From elk and moose, to biker;

tractor to guitarist, Christ to urinals etc. etc. etc. his art pieces never ceased to make us study them and smile with appreciation for his work.

Everywhere in view an artistic approach to life was evident. Classy, thoughtful, playful.

Not just an old truck, but viewed as a 'glimpse of its life'

Hope you enjoy......and thanks Dan, Hope you are well and happy. Your work is a blessing.
Dan's Website for more of this artists work!

RV Roof Leaks?

2010-09-11T16:21:00.000-04:00

Along the way, I've stopped to photograph some unusual RV's but this one was really special.

I looked it over carefully and do not think it was a 'prop' but originally built by some early traveler.

It's beside the road in Cody Wyoming, just east of Yellowstone national park.

2 Horse Power Ranch

2010-09-11T16:06:00.001-04:00

Sheridan, Wyoming:

Using just the front drive portion of a 4 wheel drive truck and severely omitting much of the back end, this cowboy can hook up 2 of his horses and lead them around the ranch...or town if he feels like it!

No loading them up, just walk 'em in, tie off and drive.

Must be somethin' to see on the Interstate!

Giddy-Up!

Sheridan, Wyoming

2010-08-09T20:19:00.000-04:00

We had to double back to Spearfish, South Dakota for a quick engine repair. Seemed something electronic decided to raise it's ugly head out in the middle of nowhere, so we drove 30 miles back into the town of Spearfish to buy the part and have it installed before we had any more problems. That done, we headed off to Wyoming.
First Stop: Devil's tower.

As some might remember, it is the unusual remains of a volcano that was used as a central part of the movie, Close Contacts of the Third Kind....with Richard Dryfus.

The rock formation was surreal but we spent only a short amount of time at the park then drove off West.

Just as unusual, for us, was a field of prairie dogs. shows how worldly we are....or are not!

They were luckily, unafraid of humans so we got a few good photos of them.

Next stop planned was Sheridan, Wyoming and we arrived later that day.

Stopped at the information desk outside of town and heard, due to a big Rodeo they were having the next evening, all trailer parks were probably full. One gal visiting the office but a local, stepped up to offer us space on her property if needed. Well, you can guess how that went. We checked out town and found things full and although there was a walmart there, we opted to see if the woman really had enough space to park an RV for the night. Suburbia is always more quiet than a Walmart...
When we pulled up in front of her home, she and her husband in short order, came out to greet us. We agreed to be back after dinner and would be quiet. After dinner at a Chinese restaurant they rated tops, we returned only to be invited in and treated as family. They were rv'ers in the past and were most hospitable to us. Lady, our dog, even got a romance going on with their poodle Mack!

I think they both fell in love in 10 seconds or less.
Rodeo day, we got tickets for the seats near the bull pens for the hot action of the night. During the day, before the rodeo, the town put on a parade.

Actually they had put it on for almost a hundred years so they were good at it.

Military marching representing days gone by and the town's history , old cars

and pretty gals, youngsters

and Indians in war paint;

the town was prepped for a good day.

Later, at the rodeo, we had to stare into the setting sun for a couple of hours before the bull riding finale. It was all exciting and never having been to a real live event before, made it great for both Dorothy and I.

We parked at our guests, Jessee and Myron's home for another night then left in the morning.

Great folks that we will keep in touch with and a great town. Sheridan! a great name, don't you think?

Canada RV Travel...............Wonderful!

2010-08-02T20:59:00.004-04:00

The Ferry Fiasco at Prince Rupert 30 July 2010

OK. You're not going to believe this one, but give it a try! It's actually true.

After an absolutely wonderful day driving from our campground further east.... to Prince Rupert, we headed straight to the BC Ferry dock to make arrangements for passage to the Queen Charlotte Island, the northern most Island group of Canada/under the Alaska border. A short wait in line and we were chatting with two very friendly and helpful ticket agents. Our rig was measured for Oversize vehicle fare and we paid for it and us to be transported aboard the ferry in the next morning. Fare for us was $39 each, but the Motorhome @ 24' was $275. one way. We would make arrangements for our return when we knew our plans. No rush! We were told to make sure we showed up in the a.m. a bit early and certainly by 9 a.m. for our 11 o'clock departure. The ferry ride would last until 6:30 p.m..

We now had time to explore the town a bit. Actually, we spotted a laundromat first and took advantage of our free time for a wash, dry, fold afternoon. Clothes put away, we took a slow drive through the small city whose downtown area was probably 3 x 10 blocks in size. A Norwegian Cruise Line NCL was docked and it's passengers were exploring the gift shops. Not wanting to be a tourist, but rather remain 'travelers', we continued on along the shoreline looking for anything old, odd or quaint to photograph. The town was similar to many we visit in that it showed much effort to revitalize one that is and has gone through economic difficulties and changes. Our explorations done sadly in short order, we decided to head to the BC Ferry dock to stage ourselves for the next mornings departure. Once there, we found a spot to park away from most everything and relaxed for the evening.

Before 5 a.m. we could hear vehicles lining up at the 2 booths for staging for the ferry boarding. I wanted to sleep more, but Dorothy was antsy so I got up to walk our dog, Lady. Flipped the switch to the coffee pot before I left and enjoyed the scent of fresh brewed java when I returned. It was heavily overcast with fog, common this time of year along the coast. The pavement, grass and autos were as wet as after a good rain, but aside from the engines, it appeared the rest of this world was quiet. One cup of coffee down and I was in the drivers seat to enter the tail end of the line. At the booth, we handed the gent our paperwork with Appropriate Numbers. We had to then show ID to confirm 'we' were the right folks and then given instructions and a red seal for shutting off our propane tank and marking it. Safety first.

Told to get into Line 7. There were 12 lines and it seemed they were filling from left to right, 1 to now 7. Up we went, and in short order, our line was creeping forward toward the Ferry. I was surprised they were boarding us so early, as the paperwork said departure at 11, but I guess they had no reason to waste time with us sitting there in the parking/staging lot. Quickly, many motorhomes and vehicles with trailers, boats and yes, just regular cars loaded on. Even a group of Hell's Angels from BC were going for the ride....their bikes parked right and left of the entry doors. Once our vehicle was secured and we had our cameras in hand we headed up the stairs to check out the rest of this vessel. It was quite bigger than I imagined it would be and newer. Everything looked spotlessly clean..........a new ship!

Up on the top deck, the view was minimal. We walked the lower lounge decks to get the feel of the layout and looked at the charts in the lobby to try to figure out where everything was. For the moment, we were satisfied to just wing it yet not loose one another. We had not had any breakfast, so we found the Canoe Cafeteria and picked out a table on the starboard side of the vessel with a wonderfully large window...........to view the fog. Fog is nice! Especially when someone else is doing the driving/someone 'else' is captain! :)

Breakfast was good. I held our table and Dorothy did the walking. She chose ham/sausage and eggs, with potato's and toast. Relaxed after eating, a bit sleepy still though, I was thinking of moving to one of the lounges to find a soft chair. Dorothy was content with the view where we ate, but I took a short walk to explore. Not a minute passed and a pleasant female voice addressed the ship via a speaker system; "The destination of this vessel is Port Hardy on the Island of Vancouver. Is there anyone aboard....a motorhome actually, that is supposed to be ferried to Queen Charlotte Islands?" "Would the owner of a motorhome, destined for the Queen Charlotte Islands, please see a crew member!"

OH SHIT!

I scrambled back to the Cafeteria. Dorothy was getting up but apparently had not heard or understood the significance of that message. In seconds,(2), she was following me down to the lower deck level; the vehicle deck. I walked quickly and there on the aft end of the ship were 6 or 7 men; vehicle loaders-awaiting the culprit. "Me".

I mentioned that we had no schedule, was not harmed by this and if it helped them, we could just be returned on another vessel or another time. We were on an open ended vacation and timing was not a problem. He quickly ran this by the ships captain and with confirmation, we agreed to just stay aboard and be returned in the morning. What might have been a difficult situation was now an inconvenience for only the BC Ferry Line and us, and did not have to involve many other families needlessly. The company was kind and generous. They comp't us a room and meals going and coming and would make arrangements for corrections to our ticket over to Queen Charlotte to coincide with our arrival back to Prince Rupert. I did ask a small favor if it might be possible. As a captain, I would love a 'tour of the bridge'. The Purser smiled and said she would relay my request to the Captain.

Awhile later, actually taking a nap in our room, I was awakened by an announcement for Mr. or Mrs. Sheridan to check with the Pursers office. I got up quickly as Dorothy was down on the main deck taking Lady for a walk. I feared something was wrong with her or the dog, so I made a Bee line for the Pursers office a deck below. There, the Captain was waiting, offering a Bridge Tour. We quickly agreed on a time, 15 minutes forward, to meet there.

After a few hastles finding the correct passages aboard etc., we found ourselves introducing ourselves and being introduced to the crew of 4 manning the bridge at the moment. The M.V. Northern Expedition was a new vessel. Built in Germany, she sailed the Atlantic and passed thru the Panama Canal in March '09 and headed north for her employment in the British Columbia Ferry Fleet. Actually, at the time of here Canal passage, we were aboard our vessel in Bocas del Toro, Panama having just arrived from our own passage from Guatemala via islands of Columbia, Provodencia and St. Andres. Coincidence.

The helmsman stayed busy aboard Northern Exposure, while a cheery female officer gave us a first class tour and explanation of the systems available to the bridge crew for navigation, ship avoidance and emergency systems. The Captain joined us a few minutes after we entered the bridge area and joined in our discussions. All crew appeared quite sharp. It was no surprise though to find them also interested in things mutual; sailing, the Panama Canal, old things nautical, history, the environment, laughter and technology. We did not want to belabor their work, so after our tour and some chat time, we departed their company.

We did discuss a possible option for us, in not returning immediately to Prince Rupert, but delaying the return for maybe a week. This would have 2 purposes; One, to be more relaxed and rested when we finally got to the Queen Charlotte port and Two, to be able to take time to visit the island of Vancouver after arriving at it's Port Hardy. It should not be any more difficult for the company to arrange this a week out and would give us some time to enjoy our leisurely travel. Will know more this afternoon, but the Purser is checking it out for us.

3 days later................NOTHING! I guess we will show up at the dock and deal with it then.....no emails from them yet after spotting some glitches in there communications................

hey...its travel time! keep smiling, all will work out/ duh,,,,yup, I brought my home with me so I can sleep anywhere reasonable. We need NOTHING. We park as any car would do. photos later................

MEMORYROADS, Sheridan, Cody, Yellowstone N.P., Montana, Glacier, Banff, Jasper, Prince Rupert, Queen Charlotte Islands

2010-07-29T23:26:00.003-04:00

Long title indicating future postings and nothing yet on this site! I know!!.... because we have not figured out how to post info and pictures under an umbrella of reasonable cost. Will figure it out or be delayed a bit. Stay tuned for more soon.
Did you Americans have any idea Regular Gas costs more than $4.50/gallon up here in Canada?
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''Beer'''''''''''''''''''''''''''$2/can, even in large quantities?
'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''MOST every day costs seem to be high up here... but then again Canadians have "FREE" Health Care.

Hey OBAMA,, Zat how ya gonna do it? (Hint Obama! Maybe Work for it and you get it..............sit on your ___ with your hand out and you will not! except of course for those that have found "loopholes"....maybe even Presidential! status.) but don't worry mr. o, the walls are tumbling down.

...............more to come when I get some kind of connectivity! Stay well ya'll!!

Spearfish, South Dakota

2010-07-20T23:25:00.000-04:00

Our motor home had a break down today!! Whoa!!

Yes, about 30 miles up in the hills of SE Wyoming. While I sat and pondered the situation on the quiet turnoff, vehicles did pass....trucks to motorcycles. One even turned in and around us to get into a tiny side road. They looked..... (new Prius) and drove by. They left an hour later...looked again and drove off.
Our cell Phone showed NO SIGNAL. (AT&T), our Verizon Stick for the data/computer, would not connect either.
I decided to roll up my sleeves and see what I could decipher. Removed engine box inside after checking the outside minimal engine view. Checked connections and looked for obvious things...but nothing evident. I got back on the computer with Verizon data plan, to see if i could find and reach a dealership or service center in one of the towns we had just passed through. No luck, no signal even with antenna booster.

OK. Everybody's "nightmare!!??"

Well, I then heard a door slam. Looked out the window and there was an older gent(80 ish I'd say but still solid) from an older Jeep, ready to knock on my window. I jumped out and greeted him. What a nice guy!
Long story a bit shorter...he drove me back up to his hilltop 40 acres
four miles into the forest so i could use his phone. He was insistent to help, believe me. Now to balance the Prius notation.....this gent's jeep had more dirt Inside than outside...and most windows did not have a crack in them. Get the picture?
This guy only, ONLY wanted to be a helping hand!

Together we got through to Dealerships and Ins. and tow company etc. etc.
Bottom line is nothing got us a tow truck as we could not receive a call to confirm location once we headed back to our motor home.

I got the rig running again and chanced a ride downhill to Spearfish S.D. about 35 miles back east/south east. Got there, got to a NAPA, then thru them, a Goodyear shop. parts will be installed at 8:30 a.m. They, led THEN, led me to a City Campground that is JUST BEAUTIFUL.
Why tell you this? Well I think it is the serendipitous nature of life and good people helping good people. We are them, even if we are not all totally in sync all the time.
So yes, bad things can happen. It is not only NOT the end of the world, but may be the beginning of yet another wonderful experience.

Last thoughts for the evening. Thanks for the comments from those who on this net have kind words for my blogs. The info is there to help anyone that has had to step into my shoes. Maybe I've been able to make the shoes fit.

The "Gent", Clarence, has called 3x to make sure we are OK or need anything.

I'd trade this for any payment connected to a New Motor home, that gives me a security "net" that might be only applicable a thousand miles from here.

Also: Drove back into Spearfish, stopped at a Car Quest parts store. They recommended a Goodyear shop within a mile to check out the rig, as I had found 2 dealerships were booked up for a week. Got the work order set up for 8:30 a.m. the next morning to replace the Ignition Control Module and at my request the fuel filter.

They then told me of a wonderful City Operated Camp Ground a half mile away. What a pleasant surprise! things were working out. Once we saw the campgrounds and park, with free attraction of an Historical Fish Hatchery, I opted for a second night.

We relaxed in the park with walks, tour and a few miles of window shopping downtown Spearfish. Lovely town, reminded me of Durango, Colorado, before it 'happened'.

We played with our dog on the grass next to our camping site and with stream adjacent, let our rat terrier "Lady" learn of the world through sites and smells. She tried to drain the water bowl....didn't understand it's a creek!

Tennessee to Wyoming

2010-07-19T17:19:00.005-04:00

We decided to travel a bit harder and faster for a couple of days to make up for a slow start from Florida. In doing so, we passed many things of interest and somewhat lost what we were after, a grasp of the world around us. We captured some in pictures which we will now reflect on and always remember...even if in a slow blur..

Artistic sculptures of horses or older men chatting.

Wonderful vegetables and fruits were found everywhere on the small roads. We tried to stay off any road with more than 2 lanes and found America the way I remembered it. Smiling faces, warm greetings were also included in the price. Of course an extra 5 minutes or so chat time could not be missed. So glad we took this path.
.

Took time to view sights and really enjoyed some of those special little things each town can offer/one of the benefits of staying off interstate highways!

Sometimes, Older RV's like this Chinook of late 60's were seen. This one was still being used by a used car lot by it's owner/salesman I think as his office/home. This model of Chinook, the 1400 built on a Dodge truck chassis, and other big ones up to the 2500 series, went belly up due to gas prices in early 70's, but the company were inovators for using fiberglass front and back sections. In later models almost everything was built of fiberglass.

Dickson Tennessee was one of my family's favorites. We passed thru to pay my respects and place flowers on their graves.. I miss them, and as the sign says....Our Country roads have many tales to tell.

You never know what you will see out there. A Studebaker Pick-Up truck!

A Hahn Motor Inc. firetruck?

Hahn was an innovator in the 30's and 40's making fire trucks and WW2 war equipment. Loved the hood ornament. Often these older vehicles were works of art, in whole or in part.

How about a pig farm with a sign at the road, warning you to STAY AWAY!! THEY WANT TO KEEP PRODUCING SAFE FOOD!! yeah right! check out the dumpster on their property!!

OK, we read the sign, yet the 2 photos attest to something probably different. Safe? Healthy? Hmmm.

Some small towns had amazing artwork. This Bank Building was done in an extraordinary manner with either etching brick or carving them.. Absolutely extraordinary!! Click to enlarge a bit.

Vintage travel trailers. were surprising still found in use

like this 1955 or so, 15 footer.

Local campgrounds run by states were magnets on the weekends for families enjoying their local marvels...in this case a waterfall and gorge leading to a stream fit for swimming or tubing.

Small towns preserved their heritage as here, with this sod roofed cabin of an older female pioneer resident's.

The Badlands of Dakota were spectacular.

The animal life unafraid of humans to a great extent. It was such a pleasure to share the land we both stood on.

Any idea what she's doing?

Well, she's cleaning the glass over a missle silo, so we citicens can see the last remaining Minuteman II missles in place. yes, look down into the silo!

Talk about the Cold War!! yikes, memories of this are still chilling.

A chill easier to take was on our way to Mt. Rushmore monument to see Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Lincoln.

We found ourselves jamming on the brakes during a thunderstorm as traffic ahead were slammed with a hail storm.. 2" of hail laid on the road 200 yds in front of us. We stopped just short of it and only got a minor pelting.

Wheeler Dam, Tennessee

2010-07-19T17:03:00.001-04:00

Back in '97 Dorothy and I took our boat, Memory Rose, up the Tennessee River during a 5000 mile river trip. Now, driving north on our motor home adventure of 2010, we had the opportunity to cross one of the dam; the Wheeler Dam.

In 97 we had to use their lock system to raise our boat up to the next level on the river at each of these dams. Now, we can just drive across.

Viewed from the top, we smiled seeing the many fishing boats just downstream from the dam. It seemed we passed a couple of thousand of them during our boat trip and it brought back good memories.

Stayed mostly on secondary roads and enjoyed the view and sense of America.

Decisions decisions....which way to go?

Stopped often to stretch our legs and give the little dog a break and in this case........ "Swim Training"! Ready? Set?

Later on we stopped on the Chattanooga River on a fine Corps of Engineers campsite. Again, watching the river traffic put us in a great mood. We sat outside till well after dark and enjoyed the setting.

This sight is common on the river. In this case the pusher tug has 8 barges, 4 long/2abreast, moving upstream.
By the way, the LOCKS are usually 800' long and 110'wide to accommodate these commercial operations plying the rivers.

Wheeler Dam, Tennessee

2010-07-19T17:00:00.000-04:00

Back in '97 Dorothy and I took our boat, Memory Rose, up the Tennessee River during a 5000 mile river trip. Now, driving north, we had the opportunity to cross one of the dams, Wheeler Dam.

In 97 we had to be locked into with the boat and floated up, in order to pass it over it.

Decisions decisions....which way to go?

Stopped often to stretch our legs and give the little dog a break and in this case, "Swim Training"!

Pensacola Shipyard...Gulf Oil Cleanup

2010-07-01T10:55:00.000-04:00

While I went to this boat yard to see if a friend of mine, still was keeping his boat there, I was amazed to find dozens of individuals walking around in ORANGE or YELLOW vests..............

Orange seemed to mean "worker" and Yellow seemed to mean Security or "Onlooker/Decision maker". Either way, too many folks stood around chatting. Maybe it was just a staging point but nothing was being done to alleviate any problem, unless we consider their personal bank accounts. I had been hearing this on the news for weeks and now see it for myself, miles from any beach.

From what I witnessed, Orange mostly sat under a big shade tree while the Yellow's sat up near the coke machines and snack bar.

From the viewpoint of a casual observer, this waste of effort and money seemed to be a major facet of this event.

You can read into this on your own.

Florida, Off the Interstate.

2010-06-28T10:41:00.003-04:00

Too often we have driven the 450 miles from St. Petersburg to Pensacola in 7-9 hrs on interstate roads. Really tired of that. For the last few years, we have been trying to slow down and just enjoy our days; seeing and stopping more often when something has perked our interest. The coastal route up the west side of Florida keeps you off the beaten central path and has plenty to see but this time we opted to go a bit further north before turning west and to drive the old Highway 90.

It was the only path years ago for those traveling east or west and it linked some of the oldest towns of Florida.

Towns everyone know such as Pensacola, Tallahassee, and St. Augustine have been existing since the time of our first Spanish explorers. Ones less recognised, like Milton, Holt, Monticello, Madison, Defuniak, Chipola, Marianna etc. started by farmers and traders before Florida was a state and still under Spanish control and even others; those further off the public's mind, like Lee-"Little but Proud", and Two Egg - a name worth Googling; are all on the historical path of Highway 90.

This trip we had our 14 yr. old nephew along with us and 'thought' we could enrich his base with some things he never saw before. Sure. How can you show a kid with an Iphone loaded with apps, whats outside his air conditioned environment? His world, his rabbit hole, lay at his command within a 3 inch screen just 2 thumbs away. The stories of Two Egg, Monticello, Madison and comments on the rivers, farms and tons of unusual visuals for us town folk, fell on deaf ears.........Ooops, I didn't notice, he is sleeping again.

Stopped a number of times to take a few photos for this blog and to stretch my legs. One of the most pleasurable was a stop at Monticello.

Highway 90 runs directly into a town circle and then leaves on the other side. In the center of the turning circle, seems to be the old county court house, the center of government a century ago. It is still kept in good repair and the traffic flow around it works well and allows pull offs for parking and us tourists to take photos and take a walk about.

Across on one corner is the Perkins Block building, designed as an Opera House.

Amazing that in such a rural area, such a fine building was erected to seat 600.

The building is in excellent condition and the details are amazing. Beautiful to see how craftsmanship and artistic design worked hand in hand. The brick work often caught my eye, even on the side and back of the building....spaces left blank and others full of detail.

Definitely built in a different time by those with different standards.

Other establishments have been retrofitted for todays purposes. A gas station refitted as a restaurant. Warehouses now storefronts, dead space now a garden and seating area beside a bakery,

display racks for cane poles of different lengths, diameters and finish.

An old tree near the road was not cut down to make way for....progress, but a special space was made for it to remain standing.

The tree remains standing and cars could go around.

That works just fine.

MemoryRoads.blogspot.com- begins on 11/15/08- ROOF REBUILD PROJECT IS FIRST PRIORITY

2010-06-04T19:37:00.008-04:00

PLEASE NOTE! DISREGARD THE 'PUBLISH DATES' SUCH AS JUNE 4, 2010 OR SIMILAR, ON THIS AND OTHER POSTS CONCERNING THE RECOVERING OF OUR ROOF. ......................(we also added more insulation)

I HAVE HAD TO ADJUST THE DATES SO THAT YOU: CAN READ THIS SECTION FROM THE BEGINNING TO END; JUST AS YOU WOULD IN A WEBSITE OR BOOKLET. (NOT, as you normally would in a blog.)

I have made a slight change to the name of our boat, Memory Rose, to name a blog for this motor home. Memory Roads is the MH and it's travels and repairs....... Memory Rose is the boat travels and projects.

Tune in, if this stuff is of interest. Our travels so far have only been the delivery home to St. Pete Beach, Florida, from the purchase point in Philadelphia. The Project list was reasonable, with the exception of roof and cab over damage not noted in the description of our Ebay purchase... a 1991 Tioga, Class C, Motor Home.

This will be a major effort and I will post ALL information I think can help. The repair/rethink/rebuild, will be available for anyone to follow.

Hang in or tune out, but stay well and keep smiling.

ron

It was easy to see, that someone had removed the corner molding on both sides of the Cab-Over before and did much caulking with clear silicone (not a recommended practice. Inside, there is evidence of water damage, and mold in this forward section/both sides.

Cab-Over water damage (11/18/08)

2010-06-03T20:21:00.013-04:00

Inside the Cab-Over, front left of front window.

After I got our new/used!/Class C Tioga Motor Home, home; I started to look carefully. Yes, I knew upon seeing what I bought, that I had been screwed, but after a plane trip from West Florida to Philly, I was not about to tell my gal that the dream was dead. We enjoyed that which was good and kept it that way all the way to our front door.
The truth was, the motorhomes cab over was rotten!

The 'total dream' will be realized, as has been so true to my life, by my efforts, not smarts. It will take a bit longer....again.

OK! Here are a few photos of the External and Internal symptoms. Inside photos were taken after I removed curtains, mattress and side framework in the Cab Over bed area.

Front drivers side(left) and front of cab over. Crack in outer fiberglass panel had been siliconed as well as the corner moldings on each side.

Not hard to see, is the evidence of a WHITE panel around the front window, instead of the Original multicolored paper. The water damage, even after the apparent-past attempt at a fix, shows the persistance of poor quality construction from the get go.

Rot in the 3/4" base to the sleeping area. this is in the aft corner of the right side of the cab over.

It's hard to make an egg a helmet. I'm going to try to make this baby better, but understand that there is only so far one can go within reason.

Right front. Evidence of water and rot.

Mold and rot is evident all around the lower section of the Cab Over. There is a slight (1" maybe) droop, to the sides overall. Half inch to each side from center.

Outside, passenger side. Evidence of prior removal and rebedding of the corner molding.. as sure sign of stuff that is not good.
This is not a critical thing and can be lived with. The window has to come out and I believe I will redo this MH without a window, as I believe it is a weak link. Side windows seem to be fine. but will see when I get deeper into this project. I'm not married to any aspect and while I want to make this MH solid for years to come, I'm not going to re-invent any wheels.

.Inside of lower front window. Note that this interior panel had already been replaced once!

Hope the initial photos show the problem and direction of future efforts.

Cab-Over Scaffolding for Work platform (11/20/08)

2010-06-02T08:40:00.002-04:00

For the time being, I could work off a ladder and keep moving it, but sooner or later I will have to move faster or almost need to be in 2 places at the same time. Therefore, I spent part of yesterday picking up wood at Home Depot and building a scaffolding system that will enable me to work on both sides of the Cab-Over section as well as the very front.

I also took a tarp and secured it to cover and somewhat protect the van's windshield and hood area.

Also, took the inside frame off the front cab-over window to disclose rot on the bottom corner of each side.

This project will move slowly at times, as I have only a few hours each day for this project.

Cab-Over Clearance Light leaks (11/23/08)

2010-05-31T11:27:00.002-04:00

Not be be forgotten, these clearance lights are 18 years old. Someone has tried in the past, maybe several times to stop leaks from them but the photos here will show the results. Outside, the silicone or other sealant is spread wide and poorly. Inside, the original gasketing or newer silicone goop is obviously not doing it's job.

Original Gasket dried, cracked and soil inside all areas-obviously from many years of leaks.

A couple of the lights had degraded original gaskets inside the orange plastic cover. Those gaskets were shrunk, torn or broken apart from age.

Silicone dam seemed to work a bit on this light evidenced by the lack of serious rusting.

A couple of the lights had dams of silicone installed by someone in an attempt to stop any water creeping in under the orange dome from getting to the electrical connections or the bolt hole causing further water leaking into the cab.

Broken gasket, some rust, some dirt.

One shot here shows how rusted the electrical bulb receptical is as well as the nuts on the attachment bolt/nuts.

Poor silicone internal dam, rust significant.

Need to find a better solution and will change these out to the new LED lights, so bulb changes will not be necessary.

Same light, different angle, rust inside and a sloppy looking silicone job inside and out.

Cab-Over Water Damage (12/03/08)

2010-05-30T09:51:00.001-04:00

Not many words necessary to show the rot involved from a neglected water leak.

Just posting a few photos here to show the problem.

I have a plan that I think will work fine to redo this whole front end, but will write when I have more time.

Attacking this problem after this weekend, until just after Christmas, then will have to put it on hold for January and continue in February on the roof.

For now? Photos taken yesterday.
--Drivers side/forward window: the window obviously had leaks and there is rot on both sides at lower corners and below.
--Inside the path of the water that leaked in is shown as delamination and stains on the forward and side parts of the cab over.
--One piece of the forward drivers side base, actually just started to fall away once the cosmetic skin was removed from the inside. Good thing some 200 pounder was not sleeping up there!
--Outside: the water damage has rusted the metal lower framing on both sides of the cab. Luckily, it looks like there is still good material that can be cleaned up and bonded to for the next go around.

Cab-Over rehab (12/14/08)

2010-05-29T18:54:00.004-04:00

Having only limited time to repair the rot within our Motor home has kept my subconscious mind working on some of the problems, rather than ONLY my conscious mind. When I approach the damaged material each day, I usually feel OK about what I'm going to do next. That's far better than being in a shop working for someone and being told, you have X amount of hours to fix it.

Rotted section of the bed area in the cab-0ver has been removed and used as a template for new wood.

The negative of this, is that I have to keep covering the cab-over up to keep it from the elements each time I leave and open things up each time I return. If I only have an hour or two, not much gets done.. Sure would be nice to have this in a garage at home!!

Anyway, after considering doing my own fiberglass work to recover the nose of the MH, my wife pressed my buttons and said, why not use whats there? I thought about it and actually,the only reason I was thinking of a new glass skin on the outside was the COST of new material from a dealer/distributor($54./ft-and I thought I needed 10' plus shipping/tax/glue etc.) Other than cost of all new materials, was that I will NOT reinstall the front window, so some body work of sorts, will have to be done. I believe the window is really a weak point causing leaks as well as the whimpy trim used on these vehicles. I believe, if they are going to use a piece of trim to cover a 90 degree edge, they need to extend the coverage at least an inch or so, not the meager 7/16" of the common aluminum trim.
So, thinking about her comment, an alternative plan that HAD popped into my mind at 3 or 4 a.m. one night was to cover the hole posed by the window by a slightly larger external piece of plywood, covered and faired with glasswork..kind of like-good old body work stuff and then make the trim myself out of fiberglass so that it extends 1.5" onto each surface. This should prohibit any future leaks.

One of the sheets of fiberglass(the skin) that was bonded to the exterior at the leading edge was cracked on the drivers side forward. This was caused I think by someone's weight in the overhead bed pressing the rotted wood beyond it's strength which was probably about ZERO!

OK, I removed the 3/4" wood surface in the bed area in the forward section. The wood was rotted along the edge/forward and slightly rotted back along the sides. There was evidence of the leaks causing the metal box tubing along the side-used to frame out he sides of the cab-0ver, to degrade from rust. I used a scrapper and high speed grinder to abrade the surface, then Ospho(phosphoric acid) to neutralize the metal in preparation for the new wood soon to go into this space.

Back in my garage, I used the old piece of 3/4" ply, from overhead, to mark out and cut a new piece of wood. Then I rolled on a coat of West System Epoxy Resin to seal the underside of the wood(that which will need to accept the old fiberglass skin.) Also made the 15" extension piece of wood that goes forward of the 4x8' sheet shown here.

Wood has been coated with Epoxy resin and cloth tape wrapped around the outside edge to help seal that edge.

To add to the 'life' of these new wood pieces, beyond the coat of Epoxy to seal the wood, I added a 4" layer of GRP(fiberglass) cloth tape on the side edges of the plywood. This will be the edge that I will have to drill out for fasteners to attach this 4'x8' plywood sheet to the metal box tubings along the side. IF, any water does get into this area in later years, there is now better protection for the wood. Cheap insurance for a long life of this repair/rebuild.

After the New Wood was resined, I then reinstalled the original Filon fiberglass material on it. The edges of this original fiberglass will need some repair, but no big deal.

Back at our house, I am now working on repairing the damaged/cracked filon grp that was the exterior skin of the front. A few cracks on the edges and MAYBE, this job will be cheaper than I anticipated. :)

Ordered 5 new LED Clearance lights to replace the old, rusty worthless garbage that was originally installed. Online, there plenty of options an paid $10/ea.--- they are hard wired but that of course will add another MOD that I will have to figure out as I work my way UP the front end towards the old lights.

Next (tomorrow) I will continue to clean up the next panel, the Tioga one shown here that wraps around the very front bottom of the cab-over, up to the center window. I will not reinstall the original window however and will cover the hole.

Cab-Over Front (12/21/08)

2010-05-28T21:08:00.003-04:00

After removing the fiberglass skin of the cab-over, it was evident that the window and edge leaks had caused the very front corners to be rotted out. This was something I had to digest.

First indication of problems were the sloppy job of silicone sealant added around the edge of the cab-over and the poor repair of a crack at the forward underpanel.

The Crack has been repaired on the inside, after this photo was taken. When this panel is reinstalled, the external crack will have to be repaired.

I looked at the very front corners each and every day I went over to the Motor Home. I'd sit and consider options.........and try to figure out what was there in the first place, as so much of it had turned almost to a black disfigured powder.

OK. I took pictures and then sat at home looking at them on my computer or in the garage, looking at some of the parts and comparing the parts, to the photos I took of them before removing them to bring home to my garage.

The Half Moon pieces are used in the front bottom section to help curve the fiberglass around from the front to the bottom of the cab-over. Much rot here, so I built a whole new section.

Finally the mess started to make sense and I cound not only understand the pieces and the order of the fitting, but the way the motor home was built at the factory. The factory must have pre assembled panels or sections. That is great when putting this together years ago, but since a type of Liquid Nails was used as an adhesive the disassembly was a bit tedious. Doable, but tedious.

The leaks in the corner of the front window caused most wood rot.

Got thru the disassembly and when I got the very front panel home, I decided not to try to repair it, but just make a new one. This, is often the way to go.

Obviously, all this black wood had to be replaced.

I improved things a little here and there, and fudged there and here.....as things went along.

Today, I installed a few components and worked out the most difficult of the replacement parts on the very corners. The old wood was really rotten, so I cut it out and spliced in new pieces. Next I will glue and screw in reinforcement blocks wherever they seem prudent.

Actually things look better than I expected, so I guess I'm over the hurdle..or at least one of them.

What "Looks New" .........is. This is the very front section of the cab over. IT took minimal time to make it out of new materials.

Cab-Over New wood (12/29/08)

2010-05-27T18:44:00.002-04:00

After weeks of working an hour or two here,.. and then an hour our two there; I finally have something to install.

Photo from underside of new stuff going in!

The 4 x 8' sheet of 3/4" ply directly over the cab, had been epoxy resin'd on both sides/taped with fiberglass cloth on edges and recovered on its underside with the original 'Filon' fiberglass outer skin.

All has been replaced on the underside and the very front/lower section/, has been completely rebuilt. Not a tough thing to do...this is all simple carpentry. When possible, I screwed and glued, using fasteners as well as Liquid Nails ..Heavy.Duty. adhesives in--10 oz tubes.

When reinstalling the lower 3/4" ply to the box tubing of the side sections, I used new self taping flat head machine screws installed in NEW holes(pre-drilled)and 3M's 5200 Adhesive Sealant to make sure everything stays as put!

Some of the wood in the very front end-near and around the window, but below it, was badly rotted away. All of this was replaced.

We are heading back to our boat in Guatemala in 2 days, so have wrapped up this project for a few weeks and will do some more in the last week of January. Brrrr.......

Till then, Tarps cover everything and we are off to
www.memoryrose.blogspot.com

Later folks! Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday.

Click on any photo to enlarge it!

Cab Over outer surface is near complete (1/30/09)

2010-05-26T18:45:00.002-04:00

Rushing to get this part of the project completed before we fly back to Guatemala. The weather has been half with us, half against and I have been down with a bad cold, but making progress. The "Filon" original fiberglass panels had been cleaned (scraped and sanded) and reapplied with Original Contact Cement (2 coats). I have used contact cement for years when working with formica and decided not to use what some suggest is the proprietary glue sold in RV stores. Tired of markups, I shop Home Depot.Front window area framed and shimmed out, awaiting outer panel to cover it side to side.

All wood construction was done with pine or fir as OEM's used, but screwed, and glued everything. Heavy Duty Liquid Nails on all wood on all surfaces that contacted something. All luan was likewise screwed and glued.

The steel rails that frame the perimeter of the forward right and left side of the cab over section was ground down to bare metal, conditioned with Ospho (phosphoric acid), painted with Rustoleum paint, the the new wood was screwed in with fine thread, self tapping 1.4" Flat Head machine screws. The wood and rails were also coated with 3M 5200, a severely strong adhesive sealant.Plywood used under bed area was epoxy resined and fiber glassed together prior to original filon skin being re-applied.

The 3/4" Plywood used for the bed section or base of the cab over, was sealed in advance of installation, with West System Epoxy resin and all edges were taped with cloth and epoxy. The 2 pieces used in this base was also fiber glassed together on the inside of the cab and the front end was glassed to the forward section. Nothing here is coming loose in the future and Nothing is going to leak!Filon skin re-applied to plywood base with contact cement. Then edges were secured with copper coated 5/8" brads and covered with Eternabond tape (1"). Later, I will cover the Eternabond with a secured molding.

The front window area was framed in, after tossing the old window into the garbage. The window area was overlapped with one full piece of 1/4" finished ply, that had also been double coated/sealed with West System Epoxy resin. The side that would face out to weather, was also covered with a layer of 8 oz. fiberglass cloth and re coated with several coats of resin to smoothing the surface, then primed with a fiberglass one part primer, by Interlux. This was sanded in preparation of a final painting.Front Panel covers the full width of Motor Home and will butt up to 'yet to be built' side moldings when complete.

The outer wood panel was then attached with 3M 42oo adhesive sealant and brads. This is a fast setting material (24 hours vs. 7 days for 5200) both are extremely strong and water proof. I also sealed the edges of this added 1/4" panel with the 3m product. Eternabond tape covers edges. An excellent sealing tape, it virtually guarantees a dry interior. Will be covered later with a custom molding overlapping each side by 1.5".

The outer corners, that originally had a cheap aluminum molding that marginally did its job, actually failing, causing leaks are being finished in a different manner. I threw the aluminum away and will not use this garbage for replacement, as it only covers the side of the motor homes surface with maximum 7/16 ths of coverage and often less. I will make a custom fiberglass molding when I return from my boat trip. This molding will extend 1.5" on the front AND the side of the MH. In advance and until, I used a 2" strip of Eternabond tape to cover the edge. When the new molding goes on, it will cover this Eternabond completely and will be bedded in another sealant.
Taken at noon, this shot does not show the paint job I did this afternoon. One coat so far of Oyster White, Awlgrip linear polyurethane paint, applied in "roll and tip" fashion. 2nd coat tomorrow, then down with the scaffold till spring.
In the spring, I will also, start the re roofing with Dicor material and new curved roof beams.

Finished! (1/31/09)

2010-05-25T23:08:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I scrambled to get a coat of paint on the front of the Cab Over section of the Motor Home. I started way too late for a good job, applying the first roll of paint at 4:45 pm. The sun was going to set in 2 hours, but I had run out of time.

CLICK ANY PHOTO FOR FULL SIZE !
Today, when I drove over to apply the second coat, it was evident that the first coat 'blushed' from moisture and cold. The Awlgrip paint should not be applied below 55 degrees and last night it dropped lower.

I prepped for the 2nd coat today at 1 pm and got the second coat on early. Today the sun was strong although the air was not 'warm', but at least the wind was gentle. I rolled on the 2nd coat, and did not tip it off with a brush, allowing for a slight stipple from the 1" x 4" foam roller, instead of the streaks from the brush. It looks fine.
Bought new bright LED clearance lights, but had no time to install them. Will do that on the return trip too.

Drove it home tonight. Feels good to be back behind the wheel and noticed no squeaks any more coming from the cab over (nice and tight now that all is new!) I'll sleep well.

Making Corner Molding in fiberglass.

2010-05-24T20:08:00.003-04:00

Preparations are key to any good job and this is no exception. I took this stage slowly, so will give details here to benefit.

To make the 2 'parts' (Left and Right), I made 2 molds/one for each side of the Cab-Over.. This is very time consuming and "Making a Mold" is usually ONLY done, if you want to make Not one, but Many/Many parts! Much easier to just go out and build what you want right on the motor home if it's a "one shot deal". Glass it up and be done with it!

.............. However, I live at a condo and have to bow down to their 'no work' rule. SO, I'm building the molding 75' away in my garage, and then I'll take my motor home somewhere to install them!

The bottom line is, I'll take a 1,000% more time to finish this job... but for the rest of you, there will be info you might like to have and can use for other things. Learning is good and if you have a better way that's
fine too.

The Mold, or Plug I made using scrap lumber.

You could actually use Foam, Cardboard, etc....you just need to get a 'replica'. What "I" made, was resined/glassed/sanded etc. to make a 'really fine/smooth' "EXACT Replica" of the object that was to receive the molding and that of course is the front end of our motor home. I did an earlier project here on Cab-Over Clearance Lights that did NOT require precision. They came out wonderfully but precision was NOT necessary. This molding, does need to be done right tho!........ and since it can be seen, it should be made with aesthetics in mind. Well, at least that is how I feel.

You can use PVA as a Mold Release agent, or car wax or Pam Cooking spray, or even packing tape/cerayn wrap etc.---- and .....many other things. Google this subject for more.

Heres the part still on the Mold and marked off for trimming.

I layed up 4 layers of Cloth 4" tape, using Surfboard Resins. I'M CAPITALIZING NOW !! USE MORE LAYERS.
WHY? .......... I was correct that 4 was all you need, but 6 or 7 would have made the moldings so SO much more RIGID at this stage.....you know this is almost a 10' part!! Yikes!!. My part is quite flexible, which is fine, but really tough to control in these final "Aesthetic" stages where I have to sand and fill to alleviate small imperfections. If the PART was more RIGID, I could manhandle it more aggressively and get the next stage done quicker...thats all. 4 works, 6 or 7 layers would be my recommendation JUST TO MAKE THE JOB EASIER/NOTHING INTENDED HERE ABOUT QUALITY!!

OK, to pop the Part off the Mold use thin little wood sticks/paint sticks etc. Shaved down on a grinder to give a Knife Blade end! Slip this between the Mold and the Part and press or lightly Tap with a hammer.

As you see from the photos, the 'white-ish' portion is where the Part has left the Mold. IF, IF, you have several coats of Mold Release, PVA or whatever, you can pop it off with you hands... no more tools necessary.

Next, mark your part for cutting with a Saber saw. Try to hold it somehow. I used a couple of pieces of wood in a vice for a 'jig'. Would be just as good if you had a friend hold that dang thing while you operated the saw!

This goes quickly. Cut OUTSIDE your lines and do the final with a belt sander or such.

I always Hand Sand using an 8-10" wood block wrapped in sandpaper/this gives a really nice straight line on the edges.

More later! :)

Roof Rebuild of Class C due to Water Intrusion (4/18/09)

2010-05-23T21:23:00.002-04:00

If you have gotten this far, you know that this site was set up to follow what will be progress or failure revamping a 1991 Tioga 24' Class C Motor Home. Right now, I'm going to address apparent leaks overhead. In November-January, I rebuilt the front Cab-Over Section.

I suggest doing any of this kind of work before there is any warping, staining, rot or rusting. Serious damage can be negated if effort is applied sooner rather than later. The effort will also cost less and be much easier.

So far, so good as I've been able to dissect the beast and satisfactorily to me, build it better and leak proof.

I had to create a scaffold system to allow me to walk completely around up there with the roof just below waist level.

Leak Proof is important. I'm not trying to postpone damage, to get another year out of it, to piece it back together to sell to someone else. I really hate those things. If I'm going to roll up my sleeves, I want to be successful. I want to FIX this; not put a bandage on it!

[Go back to Nov.-Jan. if you are interested in the Cab Over Rebuild.]

OK, here we go.

This week was spent 'Setting up'.

The storage unit needed a bit more than a 'sweep out'; electric was turned on, shelving moved, motorhome backed in, tools, materials delivered from old stock in my garage and new materials from Home Depot. After this, I had to set up the scaffolding I had built for the first go around in Nov.-Jan. to rebuild the Cab Over section. However, I now needed enough scaffolding to go completely around the 24' vehicle.. so I could work safely and somewhat efficiently on the entire roof.

Awning should have been removed first to make things easier.

Measurements were taken, materials bought, delivered and assembled. Somewhere in this proceedure, some 'think time', reorganization and then some more rethinking was necessary until I felt comfortable with what I had assembled for my safety 7' off the concrete floor. All is together and seemingly working well at this point.

Next, was the removal of most of the aluminum trim molding all around the perimeter of the roofing rubber. Everything was saved and after my wife spent hours of her patient time cleaning, she held each piece while i worked them gently with a hammer and wood scrap as dolly, to reshape them as close to new as possible. Aluminum is easy to rework.

All items on roof as well as all aluminum trip around the edges of the older rubber roof, needed to be removed.

I have yet to remove the awning on the passenger side of vehicle as I honestly do not know yet how to do it safely! Have some printed material on it that I will read before I do that, but right now, I dug into the basic stuff to just see what I was up against, in the way of water damage.

Might I say, this is the point at every project I do, that I ask myself, "What the H___ am I doing here? Why did I dig this far? Why didn't I...............etc. etc. etc. It's normal.

It was clear that in the Front and in the Rear, 'someone' had investigated deep enough to realize this rig was in need of some serious effort in order to be saved, and instead, just put it back together.

I really dislike this feeling, but know, KNOW, that everything is fixable. Yes, maybe I'm going to have to fix more than I want to, but, I'll get it done and have a better item when done.

Scraped old sealant goop off the items on the roof, then removed the items, one by one. Removed the drivers side molding on the edge of the rubber roofing.

The ROT, was evident almost anywhere there was a joint, corner or 'rounded' molding covering something. Rounded corners are suspect always as they are near impossible to seal with cheap moldings.

Then, removed the molding across the rear of the roof as well as the vertical aluminum molding in the aft end, where it wrapped forward to meet the roofing material. Had to cut this with a sabre saw, at this point, as I only wanted to go as far into this rebuild as was necessary.

Damage only, would be addressed at this point. Replacement of all aluminum corner moldings with custom fiberglass trim will occur later.

New Moldings Installed on Cab-Over

2010-05-23T13:37:00.002-04:00

Sorry again for the delay. We have been scrambling to get the new moldings finished and installed as well as it seems a thousand other things needed around the house, before we leave on this trip out west.

So to cut to the quick, please enjoy the photos here and let them do most of the talking.

One molding on the ground and the other still on the mold or form it was made from.

After making the new moldings, I used the form they were made on for support while I sanded and faired them to near perfection and then painted them. I had wanted to paint them with Awlgrip linear polyurethane 2 part paint, but found the catalyst I had in the garage had gone bad. So, at the last moment and out of time. I ran to Home Depot and got a spray can of their best Rustoleum's gloss white (when in doubt, throw money at it- :)
($5.97/can rather than $2.99). A couple of coats, an hour or so apart and then let them dry for 2 days.

Installed them with Truss Head Stainless Steel #8 x 3/4" machine screws and 3M's 101 Marine Sealant as caulking on the underside of the molding -run as a bead 1/4" from the inner edges. Also used a dollop or pea sized ball of the grey putty that is used for window caulking and Dicor's Kit, pressed out to the size and thickness of a dime maybe and layed over the inside of the screw holes. This way the screw was sealed first by the grey putty, and then next and all around by the 3M marine sealant. Not sure how the 3M sealant is compared to the Dicor, or GE's off the shelf stuff at Home Depot, but Dicor Sealant runs about $8-10/per tube.... 3M's 5200 is more of an Adhesive and runs 9-14/tube....the 3M 101 Marine Sealant ran me $17 per tube. Hope its as good as it's price reflects! Note that the new moldings and all this sealant effort was applied OVER the existing Eternabond tape on the edge. I felt there was no need to remove the Eternabond but to bury it from the elements for the rest of eternity.

Held molding up to motor home and pre-marked motor home with pencil, then taped the surface on the motor home first, so clean up was easy and precise.

..............CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE IT!

Job is done and we are off to the mountains for 4 months! Yea!!!!!

Roof/right rear (4/29/09)

2010-05-21T22:29:00.002-04:00

Clearly, the aft passanger side of the roof had been leaking. Some rot was evident then I remove the rubber roofing. The actual corner was in poor condition and had to be rebuilt before I would replace the roofing material.

I sat back and digested what I was seeing and played mentally with alternatives for the rebuild. I did consider ripping everything off and raising the roof in the center as is now done in newer models, so that any water will run off to the sides. Could not find a band saw thru my network of friends, so dropped that very labor intensive and unnecessary alternative. Most of the luan under the rubber roofing was ok. The forward 4x8'panel had been removed by someone else when this rig had an earlier roof replacement or repair, and did a poor job. The metal framework up forward was rusted, and the Blue Board Dow foam insulation was not bonded to the luan as it should have been. The 1" x 1.5" box steel tubing framework of the roof, had been bent downward slightly by some heavy bozo or 2 some time in the past. This was just forward of the A.C. and caused puddling of water on the roof.. It was slight but meaningful. I set up a very simple screw jack and wood system to press the metal framework back to original position (about .5")

Once the frame was about right, I used a high speed grinder and 24 grit disc to clean up the metal, then used Ospho (phosphoric acid) to etch the metal back to a good state.

I had to cut and pry out the center panel of insulation to get to the metal frame, but with some HD Liquid Nails, was able to rebond the under panel to the metal roof beams.

This was allowed to set for a couple of days, only one is necessary for full bonding. Now with the roof straight, material bonded together and cleaned up, I can apply a fresh sheet of luan....bonded with HD Liquid Nails of course.

The same surgery has to be done to some extent in the rear passanger side corner, but mostly wood work and luan replacement.

I am opting to square off the rear roofline instead of the early 90's round shape. I think I can get a better sealed job when done and that is probably why new rigs are done this way.

Only some of the wood had to be removed, but everything was scraped and cleaned up. Metals were scraped and ground shiney again, then treated with Ospho, before applying new wood. All wood and all work will be done with Mechanical fasteners as well as a chemical bond (HD Liquid Nails or Epoxy resins and fillers)

Nothing too strong ever broke, they say and since I only want to do this kind of work once, I'm putting all my best thoughts and energy into this project for a one time fix.

Measure twice, cut once is easier said than done working on something like this.. I can't tell you how often I needed to measure 3 or 5 times to get it right. Doable, but patience is needed.

Got the back corner squared away this afternoon and will get into the replacement of luan on a small area in rear, the front. Thats tomorrows job!

Roof/right rear/luan sheet (5/01/09)

2010-05-20T10:02:00.001-04:00

After framing out the rear of the roof for a squared off corner, I measured the area of some apparent water staining of the luan sheet on top, as well as some definite damage of the corner. Where soaked in the past, luan degrades fast as the glue is not waterproof. Thee wood will delaminate, then rot.

That damaged material was clearly evident, but I marked this section of the aft panel on the roof WAY beyond the damage, then transferred the measurements to a fresh sheet of luan down below. I then marked the fresh sheet and cut it to this new shape, to be used as a replacement.

Once cut, the new sheet was brought up on top of the MH and laid into position so I could transfer lines designating the perimeter of the outer edges of it to the Old roof. Using a circular saw set to 3/16", I cut through the old luan along the marked lines. Old damaged luan was peeled up off the Dow Blue Board insulation, with a 6" putty knife.

'Liquid Nails -Tub Surround' product, was applied to the Blue Board and all wood trim of the MH's aft corner, carefully and plentifully. [regular or Heavy Duty (HD) liquid nails is fine for most things but use the TubSurround formula for the foam] The new panel was positioned and pressed into in place. To be asured that the adhesive did not burn into the foam insualation, I then pulled the 2 materials apart and let them be subjected to air for 4 minutes (The Liquid Nails company says 3-5 minutes). Then the materials were placed together for the final set.

Weighted objects were placed around the perimeter and center of the new panel. An hour later, a nail gun was used to secure the edges where wood was underneath.

Foam Insulation Added to Roof (5/09/09)

2010-05-19T09:29:00.001-04:00

Now that the roof has been repaired, I thought adding one inch of Extruded Styrene Foam Board (Pink Board by Owens Corning) would be a long term benefit. I happened to have (6), 4x8' sheets of this material in my garage that were left over from an insulation job I did to my sailboat.

Adding an inch of this R-5 rated Foam board, increased the insulation quality of our motorhome's roof substantially. The Tioga comes with 1.5" of Dow Blue Board installed between the framing and sandwiched between the interior panels of the roof and the outer skin, under the rubber roofing material.

Besides raising the value of insulation, from R-7.5 to R-12 overall, a touch more is added with the extra layer of 1/4" (5mm)Luan 4x8' sheeting put over it. I felt this additional layer of foam and luan would also stiffen the roof substantially.

The edges of the old roof were framed out with one inch of wood material, bonded with H.D. Liquid Nails and coated deck screws.

NOTE: Heavy Duty Liquid Nails works fine on most materials but does not work with the extruded styrene foam boards; USE THE TUB SURROUND FORMULA OF THE PRODUCT!

The foam panels are cut while down on the ground, from measurements we took up on the roof.... usually correctly :) but not always.. then brought up to the roof for a final check and trimming. (As insulation there is no problem gluing in an extra piece here and there if a mistake is made at this point.)

The adhesive was applied in larger quantities than the factory used,(I'm using 4 tubes/panel). Then the foam is applied and pressed into position. It's then lifted out for 3 minutes to allow the adhesive to flash off a bit/as per directions on the tube and the customer support hotline.

Next of course is applying the foam sheet back into position and pressed down for final bonding.

Covering the Foam Board (5/25/09)

2010-05-18T19:17:00.009-04:00

Now, after adding one inch of extra foam board insulation to the roof, I need to cover it with 1/4" (5mm) of luan wood sheeting. I was lucky enough to find it at my local Home Depot for $11.50 per 4' x 8' sheet and it was at least rated moisture resistant.

Since it's under the final Rubber Roofing Dicor product yet to be applied, I feel OK with this thin but smooth sheeting, for surfacing material. WHY? Well, because what I have added, is, an addition to, not a replacement of. Adding insulation and a minimal layer of framing addes a few pounds but much, in the way of insulation and believe me... I would not do this for insulation value UNLESS I already had the old roofing off and had this opportunity!

[No original wood is any better and probably has lesser glues, so this should be perfect.] I have read on other sites of using 3/8"-1/2" wood, but from what I can decifer, they are using that on larger rigs and for Primary Roofing. (I am Doubling this roof/sandwiching an EXTRA layer of Foam Board, and not just replacing the old damaged wood sheeting.)

So far these last steps are working out really nicely.

We squared out the aft roof,

rather than deal with the old rounded edge that was certainly a culprit for leaks, as it would be difficult for a mfgr., owner or re-builder to seal the seams here with any certainty of success.

Straight corners/edges make things somewhat easier to work with and that seems to be where the newer Motor Homes have gone to within their designs...so; I will also!

Having added One Inch of material to the roof,
the Front Edge adds a bit of a challenge. I'm zero-ing in on this, with some extra effort to make a smooth flowing, extremely well sealed edge. NOTHING will leak HERE! This, I guarantee will last longer than anything on this rig. Of course, more to come, but for now, you see I'm dealing with a One Inch added height and it's squared off.. more later.

***THIS IS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

ADDED- 30 DEC. 2010:

To explain better the techniques I used to "Finish" this front edge of added Roofing Material.

Dicor Rubber Roofing material added first, then....

See "Drawing" below.

By the way....I forgot to include in the drawing that the Wood is attached to the Aluminum angle with 3M 5200 Adhesive sealant.

Dicor Roofing installation (6/05/09)

2010-05-17T10:03:00.001-04:00

We have finally reached the point where we can unroll the Dicor Rubber Roofing material on top of our rig and prepare for gluing it down.

The additional extruded styrene foam board by Owens Corning has been glued in place between 1" wood framing.

The aft corner has been squared off.

Edges of the wood, have been sanded with a disc orbital sander to add a bit of a soft curve. All screw heads have been checked to make sure there is nothing sticking up that could damage the new material.

The water based Dicor glue was rolled on to the roof with a short nap roller, then the rubber was rolled forward and then aft, one section at a time, as per directions that come with the material.

----------------------------------------------

All went smoothly, however since there is a recommended Spread Rate, I'm going to make a recommendation that I did not follow, but should have. One Gallon should cover 200 sq.ft. I estimated I had to spread the glue over 160 sq. ft. (20x8') so I should have marked the roof in say.. Five foot sections and poured a bit less than a quart of glue into 4 disposable buckets. Starting at the front, I could have Spread the Glue quite precisely. Instead, I rolled it on to what looked correct, but was less than the suggested rate. I ended up with more glue than I wanted to. Everything looks good and seemed to work and I'm sure the company allows for variances in Spread Rate, but I would have been more comfortable KNOWING, I was spot on! So for your benefit, measure and apply CAREFULLY for the best application.
----------------------------------

The outer edges of the roof had been built up by one inch of added wood; just enough to contain extruded polystyrene insulation. This was then covered with a 1/4" of luan wood and later coated with the same glue and one side at a time. A day after the flat horizontal roof surface was glued down, the edges...of the Rubber Roofing material was gently drawn down for final adhesion.

Since we were REDOING an older roof, I wanted to re-use the original screw holes in the side of the motorhome for re-installing the aluminum track/molding. To do this accurately, we had marked with a pencil, the old screw holes in the side of the motorhome from the aluminum track around the upper edges. When we lifted this rail back into position, we used duct tape to hold up one end after a tiny and thin screw driver was inserted through ONE screw hole/ on one end /for alignment. The other end was held up by my wife while i aligned the center. Once the center was held level with an ice pick, into one of the holes(Pre-marked), I inserted a #10 x 1" Pan head Stainless steel screw. Note that UNDER the Dicor roofing and on the fiberglass material of the M.H.'s side, you need to apply the butyl gummy tape in advance of installing the track. (I marked the center hole with a dimple). OK, when you start inserting the rest of the screws, everything falls neatly into place.

My wife had prepared the original molding, by carefully removing the old butyl gummy tape residue with a 1" scraper. We then tapped out the depressions made in years past when the original screws had been pulled in too tightly by others. We used a 5/8ths" piece of soft wood, to act as backing in the track as we gently hammered the backside down flat by inverting the track and using the male end of a 3/8th's" ratchet 6" extension, as the tool; and a hammer.

The Vertical Edges were actually done on a 2Nd day, not the first. On the 1 st day we concentrated on getting the Horizontal portion of the roof covered and all the bubbles brushed out.
Inside our rented 20' x 40' storage unit, the temperatures in our Florida environment up 15' off the ground and a 5' from the ceiling, would get well over 100 very humid degrees; so I could only take so much of this each day as my sweat dripped like rain and no matter how much I drank gatorade and water, I would get dehydrated by mid afternoon or a bit later!

Vent openings on top, were attended to after the sides were attached.

Those openings, were slit and the material stapled down with stainless steel staples. I applied a small piece of Eternabond tape to the inside corners, but as this should be a dry area is probably not needed, but I did it anyway.

The rolled material that comes with the Dicor Kit, is butyl putty. This gummy grey 1" tape is a gummy material that needs to be applied to ONE surface while still on the paper tape. Once applied to a surface, you can peel of the paper. The butyl tape was applied to the roof after all the holes from the small 2" PVC pipe vents were marked on the rubber roof with a pencil. This way all screw holes will be sealed. The vent was placed into position and #8 x 3/4" pan head s.s. screws used to draw it down into the butyl tape.

Dicor lap sealant(from a 10" tube) seals the screw heads from above, then all was covered with Eternabond 4" tape as an extra measure!

The Refrigeration Vent Cover, was done the same as the other vents. Always, plenty of attention to detail.

The opening for the Air Conditioner, had Extra attention and was built up with an additional layer of material to prevent any standing water from being near the seal. I found a 3.5" x .75" x 96" piece of what I'll call "Plastic wood"/white in color, in Home Depot. I chose to use this, as it will never, never be able to rot. Approximately 14" sections of this were cut and then screwed around the hole/ sealed with dicor lap sealant from tubes/ then covered with the Eternabond tape completely and well! Photos of this probably tomorrow as we prepare to reinstall the A.C. itself.

Roof Rebuild (6/09/09)

2010-05-16T19:19:00.001-04:00

Many folks have been following our effort to bring our '91 Class C's cab-over and roof "Up To Date." This doesn't surprise me as most rigs eventually leak here and there and a wise owner will look for information to protect their asset.

In our process, I'm going to stress, even such things as the final cover up of a simple vent pipe, can take time to do well, and therefore, certainly..some fore thought.

New light emitting diode (LED) lights were ordered online and installed to replace the non-working rusted originals.

After all the rebuilding and additions like,the Extra layer of foam, there is still minor yet important details to attend to. Waterproofing just One Simple 1.5" hole, took time..and thought. The hole at first, took a 2" PVC reducing bushing used as an extension to extend up to our new roof level and then sealed with Dicor Rubber roofing, and Dicor Lap Sealant, a layer of Eternabond tape around the fitting, then more lap sealant.

Now that the aft end of the roof is squared off, I will have to cover up the last bit of corner/on the sides, with a triangular or rectangular external piece; well caulked.

Next, came the placement of the Original Plastic support base,to give some support to the uppermost tube. Under the base, we used the Butyl tape to create a seal under it's circumference and the screws. Also, around the external edge, I used a cut strip of Eternabond tape to do the extreme sealant functions after a dab of Dicor lap sealant on the screw heads. Overkill, I'm sure, but why not now rather than even think of repairs later.

We've done our best on each step, and of course have learned.

Hopefully, the pro's do a great job, but I can see many areas for cutting corners. Glad to have done the work myself, and know I could not afford this job if I had to pay for labor too.

In our case, "Sweat Equity" (the use of one's own labor to move forward in life)

We did these Simple things as well as the more difficult, moving on only as fast as the project, or 'life', allowed us to. Too often for us, we were slowed down by this or that, but we wrapped up each task and moved on to the next.

So much of this kind of project is the time needed to Understand what is needed and then Get it. Purchasing items is a hassle most favorably done on the Internet for good pricing, but time is needed too for the 'understanding' of the whole project before one begins and then many runs to H.Depot or a hardware store local supply.

New forward vent installed in front of the A.C. unit should improve airflow.

Now, we have nearly completed the roofing, the 2nd task on this rig; the rebuild of the Cab-Over being the 1st. task.

We need to get this rig Out of the "rented space" in 7 days as we are heading back to our boat in Panama for another 8-10 weeks. When we return, I hope to take a break from working on this rig to taking a trip out west, hopefully to the Grand Canyon. From there, who knows.....maybe leaving it out West for 2 months or so, until we can return again.

Please note, that so far, this site has been a way for us to hopefully pass on some ideas on how to deal with the common degradation that older rigs succumb to...

We also will do some travel. Between fun and work, we will be posting here. Look on the right side of this page to find Work Labels and Fun Labels. Read what turns you on.

A friends of ours recently bought a Mercedes... 24'/Winnebago, only a couple of years old.
THEY LOVE IT!

My wife and I saw a bit of modernization inside, some glitz and visually a bit less space although maybe there were a few cubic feet of storage I could not see. What we did NOT SEE, was "the amount he wrote on his check to the dealer".

I bought our M.H. on Ebay for under 7K. I got a bit taken by a dishonest seller, but "I" knew going into this Ebay thing, that I could rebuild anything if needed. But, with high hopes... that nothing much would be needed, I ended up only half correct.

In the end, I added new tires immediately, then total brakes including drilled/dimpled High Performance after market rotors found online. Bilstein shocks were recommended by everyone so we did that too, Plus a complete tune up including everything like hoses, belts and gaskets.

Now the rebuilding of front cab over and total re-roofing.

Not sure of the all the $ involved, but we now have a clean, safe and dry M.H. at home, with only 32,000 miles on it that we can use for many years to come. We have a very functional/like new traveling home.....at a wonderfully low investment price..Very happy indeed!

(YES, certainly I would have been happier without all the work, but we are still smiling.)

YOU, might NOT be as comfortable as I am or was with this kind of work so be honest with yourself before taking on such a task.
However, IF, you already own a rig that needs work, then I hope this information can help you.

Update May 2010: Just read an interesting article in Trailer Life magazine on reroofing with PVC material rather than Dicor Rubber. Looks interesting and similar process. So maybe check out:
www.ibroof.com
www.suttonrv.com ........................for some extra info.

Stay well and keep smiling, ron