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Old 03-30-2018, 03:43 PM   #101
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I have been looking at the same make/model water heater and so far like what I have been reading about it. The low flow action is a big deal for saving both water & propane and the few (actually, only) person I have been able to locate running one is very happy with it on their small sail boat. The oxy sensor cutoff is another plus but they did say they added some heat shielding above and behind it just as a precaution. Hope to hear more from you on its' performance.

Thanks for posting.

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Old 04-20-2018, 08:46 PM   #102
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....and were off!

Time to head north for season #6 at Glacier National Park! Woohoo! Going to be a pretty quick trip as Erica has to report to duty on the 28th.


Pretty windy 1st day!! Went from Kerrville, TX to Monahans Sandhills state park. Really strong wind blowing us all over the road!

Tomorrow we head to Bottomless lakes state park just outside Roswell! Hopefully the winds will subside a bit!
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Old 04-20-2018, 09:08 PM   #103
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sweet!!! rollin on!!

wow it was **WINDY**!! when i left san antonio on weds... my phone lkept popping up with wind advisories... must be a windy time in texas!
-Christopher
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Old 04-20-2018, 09:11 PM   #104
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
sweet!!! rollin on!!

wow it was **WINDY**!! when i left san antonio on weds... my phone lkept popping up with wind advisories... must be a windy time in texas!
-Christopher
All of those wind farms are there for a reason
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Old 04-24-2018, 09:51 PM   #105
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Snow!! Arriving to Denver today we were welcomed with a snowstorm! First real snow driving in the bus. She did great!!
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Old 06-05-2018, 11:26 PM   #106
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Holy crap!! Just realized it's been a long time since an update...
So, we made it safe and sound to our happy place in NW Montana. Click image for larger version

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ID:	22986We arrived at the St. Mary National Park Service campground, where there was still a bit of snow. Click image for larger version

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The bus performed great on the trip up. We decided to get her weighed while she was all loaded in " travel mode". Went to the Cat scale in Great Falls. Here are the results:

Steer axle:7200
Rear axle:12320
Trailertowing our Ford Escape) 4100
Total: 23620!

Pretty loaded down! Once we get unloaded, I want to weigh again to see the difference...

After a month at St. Mary, we moved down to East Glacier Park, where we will remain for the rest of the summer. My Lodge will be opening for the 105th season!!
Heres our bus in her summer home:
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Here is a drone shot of my lodge:
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A cool visitor:
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Ok. One more.... here a shot of the lobby. We open tomorrow.
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Here's to a great summer!!

John & Beeks
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Old 11-13-2018, 06:22 PM   #107
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Still Going!!

Howdy All!! Been a hot minute since we've posted anything. Finished our Summer Season in Glacier and are currently back in Texas for a bit. Going to West Virginia for the winter to work at a B-and-B that a Couple friends own near Snowshoe Ski Resort. Been able to do some work on the bus too!

Removed the Handicap lift! Finally decided it had outlived its use and the extra few bits of space were more beneficial. Took it out by myself - just started un-bolting stuff and I was able to get everything out by myself in less than a day!
In its place, we moved the deep freeze from the back and I built a storage box for tall stuff (folding chairs, outdoor rugs, brooms, etc.)



Also re-covered the entry steps! Just wanted something a little neater and more finished-looking. Here's the before:


And the after:




I used just an outdoor carpet for the sides and used an entry mat that I cut up for the stair treads. I really like how it turned out!

Since we had some leftover of the carpeting, I decided to put it on some other walls and bare ares that needed a sprucing up. I put it on the area adjacent to the countertop which was originally just a bare piece of plywood. Looks much cleaner! Also put some on the metal sides under the windows. Makes it less industrial-looking and more finished!


We also had to buy a new car over the summer (Jeep Grand Cherokee), and will be setting it up to flat tow. Not a cheap endeavor, but will be worth the cost in the long run. Glad to not have to use the tow dolly anymore - that thing was being a pain in the rear!

Have a great week - Will post some more pics as I find them!

John and Beeks
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Old 11-13-2018, 06:42 PM   #108
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Nice!

I'm thinking of ditching my lift. Its nearly new looking but it takes up space, it rattles, and it leaks.
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Old 11-13-2018, 06:51 PM   #109
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Yup!! That thing was so loud and rattled so much! Any big bumps were such loud bangs. Can't wait to get back on the road with it gone - Should be a nice difference.

John
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Old 11-15-2018, 10:58 AM   #110
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Curtains!

Finally got the front area curtains in. Made separate panels for each window on the door. Used outdoor non-fade fabric and put a blackout fabric on the inside between 2 layers of fabric. Really keeps the sun out! Some method as the other curtains throughout the bus. Have the door curtains on little hooks for easy removal when driving. So happy with how they turned out.

Now time to get the bus all cleaned up and organized in preparation for our winter jobs in West Virginia. Click image for larger version

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Old 12-09-2018, 09:55 PM   #111
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Made it to West-by-god-Virginia! (As my Mom always jokingly calls it)

Had a nice trip going from Kerrville, TX to Skatyfork, WV (just outside Snowshoe Ski Resort) saw some friends in Alabama and North Carolina. Bus was great and has really turned out to be an awesome travel rig!

Looking forward to a great winter!!Attachment 28030Attachment 28029Click image for larger version

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Old 12-10-2018, 05:41 AM   #112
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Very cool!
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Old 01-01-2019, 01:09 AM   #113
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Happy New Year to all the amazing Skoolie folks from here in Wild, Wonderful West Virginia!! Hope 2019 is amazing for everybody!!

Lots of Love!

John & Erica
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Old 01-01-2019, 08:55 AM   #114
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"Kerrville, TX to Skatyfork, WV"...


That is a pretty respectable road trip! Glad to hear the bus performed well.
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Old 04-12-2019, 07:16 PM   #115
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Well, our winter jobs ended and we made it back from West Virginia to Kerrville, TX without any issues... Yay!

Arrived in Texas on April 2, and we leave for Montana around the 1st of May... this summer will be season #7 working at Glacier National Park!

After a cold winter, we developed some plumbing leaks (broken fittings from not blowing all the water out of the lines). Had to fix and upgrade those fittings and added valves to make winterizing easier.

Tackled a few small projects this week too that I've been wanting to do for a while.

1) put on a rock guard to protect our toad. Pretty easy install - just cut to fit and was able to mount it directly to the bottom of the bumper with bolts.

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2)remove some exhaust and have it exit in front of the passenger rear tires. I was sick of scrubbing all the soot(pipe exited under the rear bumper passenger side) off the toad after long road trips!

Here's the pile of pipe that I removed. It was 4 inch pipe and lots of it!!
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Here's the newer cleaner bit
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Nice to get those things done, now I want to put in a propane box since I now have a bunch of newly opened up space underneath! We'll see if I can get it done before we head back north!

Cheers!

John
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Old 04-12-2019, 08:09 PM   #116
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Cool to see an update!

Hope to meet yall some day.
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Old 04-12-2019, 08:36 PM   #117
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
Cool to see an update!

Hope to meet yall some day.
Definitely! Would love to meet y'all to!

One of these days we'll get back to Florida... we were married in Ft. Lauderdale, so we'll be due for a trip there. Be fun to take the bus and do a "Florida tour"!

John
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Old 04-26-2019, 06:44 PM   #118
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Westward bound!

Well - Tomorrow morning we will leave Kerrville, TX and head to Glacier Park, Montana for season #7! Excited to get back on the road - hope to see some skoolies out in the wild! We'll post pics as we go along!



Cheers!!

John
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Old 04-26-2019, 08:24 PM   #119
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Hope y'all have a safe and uneventful journey.

Don't forget the pics.
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Old 04-27-2019, 06:40 PM   #120
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Day 1 down! WOOT!!

Made it (barely) in one piece to Brantley Lake State Park just north of Carlsbad, NM


Holy crap that was a rough section of road!! Damn near got my teeth rattled out!


US Highway 285 from Fort Stockton, TX to Carlsbad, NM SUCKS!! Tons of oilfield stuff there and the road is all tore up to hell! So glad when we got to the park and shut the bus down. It's also hot as all get-up! Thank goodness for the little AC unit and a cold beer!
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Going to rest our bones tonight and continue Northwest-ward in the morning.
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