FRESH WATER TANK INSTALL ...

Why RMax insulation you ask? Tim has previously used RMax under the floor of our 2004 Airstream International when the last 22” of the floor had to be cut out due to floor rot from the usual leak at the rear bumper. Attached is a picture in the belly of the ‘04 of the only fiberglass insulation left in the belly pan outside of the frame rail.  There was even less between the frame rail area. After seeing how poorly it performed he couldn’t force himself to ever put fiberglass insulation back under the subfloor of any Airstream.

Tim had another productive day today and was able to complete the final install of the fresh water tank.

BACK TO WORK . . .

After taking a break for the TCT 100th Winter Convention and making a trip to California for the Vintage Camper Trailer Boot Camp, Tim has been able to get back to work on the Liner. After much thought on the subject and having a bad experience with fiberglass insulation on our 2004 International, He decided to proceed with using closed cell foam under the subfloor. Over the weekend Tim was able to complete the ends.

CRISSY FIELD

The morning flew! We tried getting coffee at the Shasta in the courtyard of the hotel but they were busy and we needed to get moving. Tim and I had only a very short period of time to make one tourist stop before boarding a plane for our flight home. We decided on  making a visit to a National Park. 

Crissy Field you will recognize for its iconic backdrop The Golden Gate Bridge. Crissy Field was a former U. S. Army airfield. It is now a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation area. The sky was clear now. What a spectacular view we had of the bridge with the fog having just lifted. 

The Warming Hut there gave us a quick place for shelter not only to get warm but to also get a quick coffee, a souvenir and a glance at Alcatraz. With our departure nearing and not being sure of traffic we took what we thought to be our last glance of the Golden Gate Bridge to begin our journey home. 

The check in at SFO was a breeze. Our flight took off slightly early and with a big surprise as the pilot took a slight right bank over the Golden Gate Bridge. 

Tim and I have made it safely home. Now to unpack and get some sleep. Jett will be happy to come home in the morning! 

I HUGGED A TREE!

More on that in a bit. 

The morning came with rain. Tim and I drove back to Hollister for the last session of Boot Camp ... Insurance. Boring as it sounds it was worth the effort to attend. Long story short if you have a vintage coach it needs to be insured for its value and it must be appraised by a certified appraiser to get that value prior to an insurance company being able to insure it. You don’t want to find out when it’s too late that the insurance company will only pay you $500 if your trailer is totaled. Demand verses supply has been one of the factors increasing value. We have just realized we even need to do this with our 2004 Airstream. 

Boot  Camp was so well worth the money we invested into the trip getting out here to the west coast. We are already talking about how and when will we return. Will we fly back out? Do we tow a vintage coach here? 

After we said our goodbyes and had a quick breakfast near downtown Hollister we began our coastal drive north toward San Francisco. Sort of?! 

When more than one person tells you about the same ‘must do’ stop we decided we should go. Not much farther south of Monterey lays Point Lobos State Natural Reserve it wasn’t much farther than our first planned stop and it did not disappoint. We took a short hike to the cliffs. Gorgeous! 

Then Tim really wanted to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row so we be headed that way. As it turns out, it was a big mistake. We should have known better to hit a big tourist attraction on a Sunday. First we figured out that admission was $50 each, parking in their garage was $15 and the garage was full. Next best option we found was public parking for $30 ... we passed and only drove through town. 

As it turned out it was the best thing that could have happened. Instead of hanging there we headed off in search of Plan B ... Big Basin Redwoods State Park. WOW! AMAZING! I checked an item off my bucket list ... hugging a redwood!!! This detour put the disappointment of the aquarium in the rear view mirror. 

Next we continued our drive up the coast. Every turn was breath taking. Half Moon Bay leant for some of the most spectacular coastal views we have ever seen. Not the best pictures but best we could do without stopping. 

Sunset brought us to our hotel in San Francisco. We’ve not seen much here other than a little of Fisherman’s Wharf since we are right here. I think I saw a light over at Alcatraz! We heard some sea lions in the dark. We are exhausted from today’s travels. I feel as though we took a weeks vacation and squeezed it into a day. 

Tomorrow will come early. We will only have a few short hours before needing to arrive at the airport to head home tomorrow. 

BOOT CAMP 2019 - DAY 2

Time is flying! So much so that I neglected to tell you that Tim and I made our first ever visit to an IN-N-OUT BURGER. It was good! But not a ‘I have to write home’about it good. It’s definitely better than McDonalds and other similar fast food establishments. However what I was most impressed with was the volume of people served, volume of employees working, speed of service and hospitality considering. It was a great place to people watch. 

With another full day of sessions we had a lot of ground to cover. In order to catch everything it meant we would need to split up. While I hit Design Concepts and Project Planning then Cabinet Making, Tim sat in on Plumbing Repair and Replacing and then 12 Volt Electrical, Lighting and Charging. I went into my sessions focused on what can I learn to apply to our 1948 Airstream Liner and came out with ideas and changes for all three of our caravans. 

Once lunch came around we were able to meet-up to compare notes and see how we would proceed for the afternoon. We decided to split up again with me attending Exterior Paint and Prep while Tim attended Add or Update a Bathroom. The last session of the day ended with us both meeting up together for Appliance Restoration. During the last session we were able to get a few ideas and connections to hopefully resolve our range knob issue. 

Again we are on information overload. I can’t get home quick enough to begin research and to make progress on what I can. The next 36 hours will fly quicker than we can blink an eye. We only have tomorrow morning to wrap up Boot Camp and move on with the last half of this amazing journey. 

BOOT CAMP 2019 - DAY 1

California here we are!!! Tim and I have traveled all the way to the west coast to attend Boot Camp 2019. This is the fourth year that Vintage Camper Trailer Magazine has held this event and it covers all different brands of rigs. Located in Hollister, California Casa de Fruta lends the perfect venue to hold this event. There is a campground, restaurant, fruit trees, gas station and the biggest roadside fruit stand I have ever seen! 

Since we flew out we are here trailer less but there are no lack of vintage rigs on hand. It was everything I could do to keep from running through the campground here. This event focuses on the restoration of these vintage coaches. So far we have attended sessions on Wood Finishing Interiors, Aluminum Panel Replacement, Soft Metal Shaping and Optional Finishes on Countertops. My brain is on overload. I can’t wait to get home to strip some wood cabinets, buck some rivets, stretch and shrink some metal and clear pour a countertop with some vintage postcards and maybe add some stickers and glitter in it. 

There is so much to absorb here at Boot Camp. Tim and I are blown away by this informative and educational event. It’s great to get into a different circle of knowledge here on the west coast. We have met some amazing people and believe it or not we have seen a few folks here we know. 

 

The next few days will hold many more sessions for us to absorb as much information as we can and make connections. This area south of San Francisco is beautiful this time of year. Since we are in sessions all day it does not allow for much touring of the country side. We hope to have a few hours on our last day here so fingers crossed the weather will be good that day.