First Spring Trip to Burleson Recreation Area!

Well, since nearly every camp ground in the state of WI and IL are booked for the holiday weekend, I decided to reserve a site in our backyard; also known as Burleson Recreation Area.  There's always room and the showers are hot!

 

 Before I set up camp, I gave the teardrop a wash.  I also protected all the rubber gaskets with a UV protector so that they'll stay pliable and keep the moisture out.  

 Before

After

One of the things from last year's list was to replace the screws on the door and hatch handles.  The problem was that they are at a severe angle and I tried installing them with my drill; it tended to strip out the phillip's head screws causing a very painful scratch every time you opened the door.  So, thanks to the guy at the hardware store, I found these very cool angle drivers.  

 

Angled driver.

 

Stripped screws!

 

Wish I had known about this tool a long time ago!

I'm actually quite glad that I opted to stay 'at home' on this trip.  It gave me the opportunity to take care of a lot of items from last year's list and some that weren't on there that should have been.  For example:  last year I added the stone guard foam pad to the front of the teardrop.  We had lots of problems with water getting caught between it and the skin of the teardrop.  So, I added a strip of aluminum and caulked the heck out of it to ensure that the strip remained affixed to the skin of the teardrop and 'sealed' the neoprene.  (I did not put any screws in the aluminum, so the caulk/adhesive was all that was holding it on.)  Well, it worked well, but I was less than perfect about how I applied the caulk/adhesive.  The result was a less than lovely 'line' where the aluminum met the skin of the teardrop.  In addition to that, the caulk, which was clear, turned black when dirt collected on it.  So, I decided to mask off the area and use my hammered paint to 'cover it.'  It worked perfectly and looks a million times better.  

This was also my first 'trip' in which I used my CPAP machine in the teardrop.  I learned that the 'fault' I kept getting on my AC Converter was due to the fact that it requires the DC Battery to be at 12 volts or more in order to properly convert it into AC power.  I am probably going to want to add an AC 'direct' plug in the cabin so that I'm essentially going directly from the Marinco power inlet to my AC device.  I'm not sure how to deal with this when we are off the grid.  I'll need to look into this for future trips for sure.  I know that there is an available battery system for the CPAP, but it was prohibitively expensive.  I've seen some devices at Harbor Freight that would work just as well, but are much less expensive.

 

Here is one I was considering from Harbor Freight.  Could be useful for all kinds of camping trips; especially when the battery on the tow vehicle dies like it has on us several times!

I've got several more tiny items on my list that I want to try to accomplish before making the 'long' trip back to the concrete pad where the Carpe Diem rests.  In the meanwhile, here is my view this morning from the teardrop's open door.

 

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Finally Sealed Up Properly?

It's the eve of my next trip; a journey to Starved Rock State Park with my son. I think I've finally gotten the teardrop sealed up the way it should be. First, I let all the caulk we applied in Ohio dry. Then I tested it with a jet of water directed at the entire under side of the teardrop. I found two small areas where water was sneaking in. I re-sealed those areas again with more caulk and then applied another layer over the entire area where the gap was. Finally, today, I applied a rubber membrane (aka inner tube) to the edges.

I applied more adhesive to the rubber to 'seal' it in and then lastly I put the linoleum in place. The rubber, when the adhesive fully cures, will keep the moisture from penetrating the seam. We are planning on pulling out pretty early in the morning and then a full day of hiking and exploring tomorrow at the park. I'm excited!

First Trip Review

The Carpe Diem's first road trip is in the books!  We had an awesome time; we camped a total of 9 nights, traveled over 2,300 miles through five states and two countries!  In a very roundabout way, we made a loop around Lake Michigan.

We learned about how narrow the turning radius is with the basket on the front of the teardrop. Thankfully, the bumper that I damaged pretty significantly at first glance, literally popped back into place after about 45 minutes.  I don't know how it did it, but the plastic coating was all that was 'damaged' on the car.  It returned to its proper place and you would never know that it had been damaged by me turning too tightly.  Adding the 12" extension made a monumental difference.  It is now so much easier to maneuver the teardrop. We learned how important it is to check that the coupler has completely latched onto the tow ball.  Thankfully, we learned this lesson on a backcountry road away from heavy traffic.

Kenosha to Sugar Island.

Sugar Island to Agawa Bay, Ontario and then further north to Wawa, Ontario.

Back to Sugar Island and then onward to Powell and Columbus, Ohio.

From there we went back to Powell, then to Granville and finally to Athens, Ohio.

Then it was time to close the loop and head home.

Google has us at about 1,950 miles, but in fact, we put on just over 2,300 miles in all.

We had one major repair; the caulking and repairing of the area under the doors where lots and lots of rain got into the cabin.  The 'fix' never really properly set up and in fact, we had more rain on the return trip.  Not to worry, we removed everything, yet again and are currently drying out the teardrop.  When it is dry, we'll re-caulk, add a rubber barrier along the seam and try it all over again!

All in all it was a very successful road trip!  We learned a lot about what we want to add to the teardrop and tiny adjustments we will make to make the Carpe Diem even better!

Rain Day

Well, I've never had a rain day before, but today school was closed because of the torrential rains we've gotten overnight. Unfortunately, I was already at school!

So, I journeyed home and decided to tackle the windows. Six hours later I had them installed.

I have to say, I knew it would not be easy to cut the aluminum doors to fit the windows. I was EXTREMELY careful. I started by using my cardboard template.

I put the window in place and was immediately heartbroken. I had cut it too big. I couldn't understand how this could be, the template was meticulously made and I measured three times. It turns out the radius of the window was slightly larger than the piece of aluminum that sandwiches through the door. I had used the wrong part of the window as my guide.  (Notice the teeny tiny light coming through the top right corner of the frame.)

I immediately was crushed. How could I have been so dumb? I was beside myself. I thought about my options. I considered making new doors out of wood; ordering bigger windows; etc. none of those options appealed to me so I sat down and sulked. I decided to hope something at the hardware store would inspire a solution.

I went to the hardware store and looked at every type of weather stripping, Velcro, plastic I could find. Nothing would work. So I wandered the aisles trying to think outlet side the box. Defeated, I drove towards home. Then I had an idea; make a gasket, but with what?

I steered towards the bike shop. I purchased a bike inner tube.

Twenty minutes later, I had made my own gasket with the tube. Another trip to the hardware store for some adhesive. I was able to split the tube and work it over the aluminum where the window would sit. I was then able to install the window in a way that provided just that teeny bit of difference I needed from my 'mistake.'

It took a couple of hours to trim the other window. I went through seven metal scroll saw blades all together. I went to the bike store and bought another tube. I was able to quickly make another gasket and install the new window.

Now, the windows are installed and the doors are back on the teardrop. What started as a heartbreaking 'mistake' ended with a unique customization! I'm hopeful when the adhesive sets up that I can add a little more silicone sealant to the gaskets to ensure that they are watertight.

The cabin is already much lighter with the windows in place. I feel proud of my problem solving skills, for today.