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Old 12-23-2014, 08:47 PM   #61
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way too much snow for me;) looks good tho'

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Old 01-07-2015, 09:45 PM   #62
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I took more pictures of the solar panel set up after dusting them off:

IMG_20150107_144819

IMG_20150107_144829
Ummm.. hold on.. I just wiped this panel clean!!

IMG_20150107_144907
I could do without that tree out front.

IMG_20150107_145006
Ass shot

IMG_20150107_145037
... and one more
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Old 01-07-2015, 09:59 PM   #63
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You will notice that in the last post
A) the green painters tape is still on from painting the roof
B) there is a rear left panel that could desperately use some primer

..and it's a sore subject. The frigid cold came sooner than I had anticipated. I honestly plan on driving further south to reach +0°C average temperatures to get that
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Old 01-08-2015, 08:39 AM   #64
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Ecuador is nice this time of year.
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Old 01-08-2015, 09:53 AM   #65
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Oh, I'm sure it is! I'm not up to the task of driving between Panama and Columbia, though

On a similar note, has anyone out there RVed through Mexico? Me and the lady are planning a trip south-west to Houston, TX to visit her grandparents, then looking at weather maps and going to the warmest location within 1000kms of there. Mexico falls within that range. Any thoughts?
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Old 01-08-2015, 10:06 AM   #66
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Well, Tampico, Mexico is out of the question. Turns out it's one of Mexico's most dangerous cities, plagued with drug cartel "ultra-violence".. http://www.theguardian.com/cities/20...d-to-the-trees

Just read a related travel advisory: http://www.tripadvisor.ca/TravelAdvi..._security.html. Turns out the entire state of Tamaulipas should be avoided! Dang..
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Old 01-08-2015, 10:52 AM   #67
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Ya...sadly, Mexico has become a No Man's Land for most visitors. Between the Cartels and local corruption it is pretty hazardous these days. Hell...the cruise lines have even stopped going to Acapulco.

Meanwhile, here in Houston...we are experiencing our coldest weather this year. Right about freezing overnight. But, you can count on it going back up into the 70's within a few days, so, "Come ON Down!". Plenty of great Tex-Mex here to quell your appetite.
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Old 01-09-2015, 10:24 AM   #68
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Ah yes. The western shore of Mexico seems like a safer region to travel, but I don't feel like driving all the way to Arizona/California to scoot south. Too much driving for the amount of time we have. The southern states will do us just fine! I am looking forward to tex-mex for breakfast, lunch and supper

Tango, what's the weather generally like in February? That's when we're thinking of travelling, since by then we're good and tired of the snow. Do you know if there are many decent spots for boondocking around the state? I don't expect the weather to be prime beach weather, but we'd still like to have some time enjoying the sand on the beaches. Even if while wearing a sweater. Would you recommend any locations along the gulf?
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Old 01-09-2015, 11:21 PM   #69
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Traditionally, February is our coldest month here. That said..."coldest" is typically maybe a day or two of freezing then back to 60 - 70 degrees.

There are tons of places to park here but you need to examine the details. Some are great, others not so much depending on your expectations. Most are outside "the City" but easily accessible. Plenty of freebie state campgrounds too. Of course..there is always Wally World.

There is even free, on street parking right in my neighborhood. An old "warehouse district" three blocks from downtown.
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Old 01-10-2015, 08:09 AM   #70
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jazty View Post
Ah yes. The western shore of Mexico seems like a safer region to travel, but I don't feel like driving all the way to Arizona/California to scoot south. Too much driving for the amount of time we have. The southern states will do us just fine! I am looking forward to tex-mex for breakfast, lunch and supper

Tango, what's the weather generally like in February? That's when we're thinking of travelling, since by then we're good and tired of the snow. Do you know if there are many decent spots for boondocking around the state? I don't expect the weather to be prime beach weather, but we'd still like to have some time enjoying the sand on the beaches. Even if while wearing a sweater. Would you recommend any locations along the gulf?
If you make it to Fl in the future hit me up. We have some great weather, especially this year.
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Old 01-10-2015, 09:23 AM   #71
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Will you be heading south thru Michigan or west thru the UP and down thru Wisc? I35 makes a nice trip south across Iowa. If ya head this way we'd enjoy meeting you and can put ya up for a spell and help ya sort out any annoying bus problems along the way. I have a shop with every tool you could wish to borrow.

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Old 01-14-2015, 08:55 PM   #72
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Hi Mike
We'll be heading down through Michigan. The lady has family in Lansing, so we'll be making that a stop going down to show off our sweet wheels and back up to tell tales (although a shop which could fit the bus would be mighty appealing).
Thanks for the invite, though!
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Old 01-14-2015, 08:58 PM   #73
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
If you make it to Fl in the future hit me up. We have some great weather, especially this year.
A week ago we almost just said "feck it. let's head to Florida" to cut down on driving distance, but then we went back to the original plan of Texas + New Mexico. Who knows though.. depending on weather predictions we could still see ourselves on that warm part of the east coast.
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Old 01-14-2015, 09:12 PM   #74
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Got more work done the past couple days. I've been pushing forwards to get some cabinet work done. I want the cabinets to have doors so dishes and such aren't falling from the heavens while traversing bumpy roads. I've also been making some headway with the wood stove installation.

Here's a shot of the cement board heat shield around the wood stove. There will also be a stainless steel heat shield 2 inches out from the cement board.



Here you can see the side vents. The intent is for the metal and cement board heat shields to warm up, thus creating an upward draft which will pull air from the floor. I will install a couple 12v computer fans down by the intake if the draft doesn't move enough air.



The lower hole is the air intake vent. The upper hole is a compartment for firewood. This is all over top of the wheel well.
IMG_20150114_175236 by kahtavajesse, on Flickr


And this is why I need an additional heat source! This little dinky guy just ain't cutting it, though with enough time it was able to raise the ambient temperature from -9°C to 9°C (15°F to 48°F). Enough to take the chill off, anyhow.
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Old 01-15-2015, 02:39 PM   #75
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Got some work done on the cabinets above the front seats. The clamps are holding everything in place as the PL Premium sets. I sure do love that stuff. It's messy, but stupid strong and easily sanded. Also, the colour matches the wood well. I've been using it in place of wood filler here and there.
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Old 01-15-2015, 08:43 PM   #76
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looking good, lots of fun building in the cold and snow, I really like your solar set up, I will keep eye on it, someday I will be putting solar in my bus.
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Old 02-01-2015, 07:28 PM   #77
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Made more headway with the cabinets.







Also, me lady hung some curtains!





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Old 02-01-2015, 07:43 PM   #78
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For the cam-locks on the cabinet doors I used Compx MFWTT078 cam-locks. I got them for $4.43 each on ebay with free shipping because I ordered 10. The finish is sort of a rough texture, but they are chromed and look pretty good. More importantly, though, they are well built and sturdy. And configurable. The description says they are 7/8" long, but that measurement is the entire body length. The threads don't go out that far. I had to router into the 3/4" thick wood to get the nut on. Nonetheless a good product!

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Old 02-05-2015, 09:56 PM   #79
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Test drove the wood stove today! cozy.




Chimney isn't secured. Just sitting in there. I'm going to put the insulated chimney pipe on top of 1 or 2 feet of black double or triple walled stove pipe.






I also put the original tank back on the bus, but with the new mounts. Everything was cleaned and Por15ed.


A shot of the mounts and straps I made. Damn proud of 'em!


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Old 02-10-2015, 08:15 PM   #80
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My and my partner had a couple drinks and thought I should describe the electrical system to her. I'm not even going to attempt to decipher this





This is the current state of the back of the bus. The lady had a swell idea of turning the one wall into a chalk board! It really spruces the place up.




An attempt at swapping out a window. I wanted an emergency window back there since they open entirely, but I was having trouble fitting it and didn't feel like dealing with it. Did I mention we're planning on leaving tomorrow for a month or two? We could only get so much finished.
The painters tape is only coming off once we hit warmer climates. Maybe we can even do a paint job? Oh how amazing that would be. It'd be nice to get rid of the mobile meth-lab look.




Solar panels down:



Here's a video mash-up of us getting the bus out of the snow bank. Nothing too exciting. A bit of rocking and some sand tossed on the ice did the job!

http://youtu.be/PCBs9fXO0xw



And the remaining hole:
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