More of this and that...

The old blogger has been down with a cold this week.  No zip, so I haven't done much.  Today, however, I feel a lot better... and the USB outlets arrived.  I couldn't let that pass by. So, I installed one. It turns out that the box I wanted to install the outlet in was not deep enough to accommodate the new outlet. Consequently, it was necessary to replace the box, which required taking the door off one of the closets to get to it.

Isn't it funny how a little project can turn into a major hassle? After a bit of effort and some concern about being in the cabover while the camper is off the truck, I managed to get the job done.  When I came in the house, I realized that I was wringing wet! It is hot in that garage!

Tomorrow, I will install the remaining two USB outlets.  They should be easier, because I know the boxes are deep enough, and one of them is near the floor, which means it will be cooler and more accessible.

I must confess that, even though I wasn't feeling very well, I installed the new TV/DVD combo that arrived on Wednesday. It was a 10 minute job, and I am very pleased with the result.  I can plug an FM repeater in the headphone jack and send the sound to our stereo system, giving us virtual surround sound.  Jill was impressed!

We have a post-Labor Day outing planned, so we will be able to try out all of our little tweaks to Topper. We are excited. Stay tuned. 

A little of this and a little of that

Never one to let well enough alone, I decided that Topper needed some more places to plug things in.  So, yesterday and today, I added four outlets. I have ordered some special 120 VAC outlets that also have USB ports for charging various electronic devices.  Most notably, these will be used for charging our two iPhones, Jill's iPad, and her iPod. 

Oddly, the manufacturer didn't put an outlet in the dinette area.  So, one of the new outlets is situated under the dinette table, so we can plug in laptops, etc. I also added an outlet (one of the ones with USB output will go there, when it arrives) to Jill's side of the bed, where there was no outlet before.  I also added an outlet for the TV that we have ordered.  It should be here tomorrow.

My activity got Jill inspired, and she took down the hideous wallpaper border that was peeling off the wall above our bed.  It looks so much nicer without that mess. I mounted a paper towel rack in the galley, as well as a spice rack. So, little by little, we are personalizing Topper.  We have a few more little odds and ends that we want to do this week. 

Next week, we hope to make our annual September getaway. Last year's outing was cut short, because our motor home was in the shop, but we sold her last weekend, and now we have Topper.  Topper is ready to go, even if we don't get all the little projects done that we have on our list.

So, stand by for further reports. Until then, happy trails to you (with apologies to Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.)

The Maiden Voyage of Topper

Having driven Topper home from the dealership, I quickly realized that the pickup was going to need some rear axle spring assistance. I had great luck with AirLift spring helpers on the front of our motor home, so I got online and found the proper match for our pickup and ordered a set of AirLift 5000 air bags.

It took me most of a day to install the air bags, because I don't own a lift or even jackstands. I spent several hours rolling around under the unraised truck on a creeper. This is not as easy as you might think for a 67 year old man. In the end, however, it was well worth it. The air bags lifted the rear end of the truck back to a normal, level ride.

Jill had emptied everything out of the motor home in order to get it cleaned up and ready for sale. We piled it all on a table in the garage. When the airbags were installed and we had tested the ride in the new configuration, we sorted through the pile on the table. Obviously, some things had to go. You can't fit a 31 foot motorhome worth of stuff into a 10 foot camper!

Once the decisions had been made about must-haves and wanna-haves, Jill did a magnificent job of stowing things aboard Topper. Best of all, she reported that we (meaning she) would be fine with what we had kept. All the necessities of life were accounted for. We began looking for an opportunity to go camping. We can legally call it that now, since we will be doing it in a “camper.”

I found a website for Linn County parks, and the more I read, the more intriguing the parks sounded. I chose to make a reservation for two nights at River Bend County Park. Although we had had three vehicles listed on Craigslist for sale, God smiled on us and gave us buyers for two of them the very night before we were scheduled to take Topper out for a trial run. Hallelujah!

We took off from home yesterday afternoon. I was a little bit nervous, a lot excited, and anxious to see how everything went. To my delight, the truck performed very well. The water temperature stayed steady at about 200 degrees no matter what terrain we encountered. The transmission temperature varied between about 175 and 190, depending on how much shifting was going on. Interestingly, it seemed to heat up at slower speeds, as in going through towns, probably because the changes in speed and acceleration required more shifting. Suffice to say, I was very pleased with the overall performance of the truck.

We arrived at our campsite about 3:30 PM. It is gorgeous. We are nestled in among a stand of Douglas fir trees. Our site is level with a nice big concrete patio and a fire pit. There is water and electricity, and plenty of privacy. We took the dogs for a hike along the South Santiam river, which gives the park its name. The river is low, so the water is crystal clear, and there are some beautiful swimming holes and fishing holes. 

The dogs were pretty confused about why we are staying in this little-bitty, foreign house, instead of that spacious motor home. But as the afternoon and evening progressed, they began to settle in. At bedtime, Lulu was pretty concerned about being way up in the air on the cab-over bed. Eventually, she settled down and we all got a good night's sleep. 

As people our ages will do, we each had occasion to get up in the night to use the bathroom. On my visit, I noted that upon flushing, a little water came out from under the toilet and ran down the floor into the shower drain. I hadn't worn my glasses, so I couldn't tell for sure what was going on. I made a mental note that the toilet would need to be repaired and went back to bed.

In the morning, we got up and had coffee. I walked the dogs, and then Jill used the bathroom again. She let out an exclamation, “The black tank is full!” Why had that not occurred to me? I instantly went to the dark place, thinking a repair was called for. I guess wearing my glasses would have helped.

Jill stowed everything, and we put the dogs in the backseat of the truck. Off we went to the dump station. At least at this time of the morning, there is no competition to get to the dump! Upon dumping, I noticed that the contents of the black tank were mostly clear, blue-green fluid. “Aha,” I thought, “the dealership must have filled the tank with cleaner/disinfectant and forgotten to empty it before delivery.” I was relieved that the rest of the camping trip would not have to be spent doing toilet repair!

So, now the sun is out. We have had breakfast. The dogs are snoozing on the sofa between us. I am writing this post, and Jill is writing letters to her brother and our daughter. The day is full of promise. Let's see, I think another walk along the river is in order. Perhaps, I will start that new novel Jill brought home for me. Life is good. Topper is going to be a great addition to the family. 

 My beautiful bride as we sat down for our first meal in Topper. 

Notice the lovely tableware we chose! We were concerned about 

Conserving water.  Topper's holding tanks are smaller than Sadie's.