It's the Final Countdown!

I've only got 1 week left before our maiden voyage to Redfish Lake (near Stanley, ID). I've still got a lot to do- final painting, headliner, flooring, to name a few. The good thing is I have all the seating installed and could technically use it today if I had to, but nobody wants that. I will not however be doing anything in the bathroom for this trip. I'll get to that later, but that's okay- Redfish has shower's and bathroom with flushing toilets- YES!

I got all the cabinets repainted and new hardware installed. Spencer did a good job sanding for me.

All the windows were removed and replaced with new putty tape. I decided to apply clear silicone along the top of the windows as well, but I'm not sure if it's really necessary. I figure it's a little added insurance.

I got the new captain's chairs installed. They work great. I found them at a junkyard- they were out of a mini-van. They swivel and slide forward and backwards. They are really comfortable and it will be fun to sit and watch TV while we drive down the road- that's right, I got the TV installed. It is awesome!

The cab is coming along as well. I installed the carpet and the seats. The new seat covers from stockinteriors.com are really nice. I highly recommend them.

The couch went in after a little fabrication/modification work. It was difficult to position it and get it exactly where it needed to go, so I was thrilled when I finally got that done.





I need to take a few more pictures before this post is ready, but since I have only 1 follower (thanks Sherry), I think I'll go live now and not worry too much about it.

Seating, Paneling, and Vents

 I've been busy. Here's the Reader's Digest version:

The sofa has been reupholstered....sort of- more like gift wrapped, but I think it's going to work. The bed cushion, well....the whole gift wrapped thing again, but it looks like a 3 year old did it. It will have to do. My trick was to add 3/8" plywood to the back of the sofa frame and cushion. The staple gun pretty much took care of the rest.

My captains chair bases have been cut, modified, and are ready to be installed. I had a good time over at Bob C's shop getting them welded up. I'm telling you- before  you start any kind of renovation project- you need a few people that really know what their doing to help you out. Thanks again Bob.

I also got busy putting my walls back together. Good bye rotten wood and leaks. I'm really like the look of the over the cab bed area without the big window. The added insulation should be really nice too.

New roof vents were a must. I love Vulkem. It's the best sealant. Thank you Curtis.

The Crew

I have to say that I really like my family. I love being a dad and I have the best wife in the whole world. They are the biggest reason why I wanted to start this project, so we can all go on family trips regardless if we have a newborn, are expecting, or any other excuses. I just want to hang out with this crew!

So here's the rundown of my team.

Christy: Today is her birthday and I know she can't wait for next year when I take her in her beautifully restored camper out into the middle of  nowhere. She is my number Client, but my goals aren't too high- I don't need her to fall in love with the camper, I just need her to be able sit and sleep in it without bringing along gallons and gallons of disinfectant gel. She has been a good sport about letting me get out there and get work done on our remodel. Although she would never admit it, she actually walked into the RV last week and couldn't hide that she was starting to catch my vision and was secretly a little excited to see this baby to the finish. Anyways- Happy Birthday Sweetheart, I'll only spend a few hours working this weekend just for you!
Brigitte: She is so funny. She loves to come inside the camper and give me a full rundown of where everyone will be sleeping and sitting and also what furniture needs to be reinstalled and where it all needs to go. She is officially the Interior Designer on this project, although she is on a short leash- the rest of us don't think that pink walls, chairs, bedding, curtains, flooring, etc. would look quite as well as she does. She of course is also the Safety Manager and loves to climb the ladder- hopefully she doesn't ever realize that there is a ladder on the back of the camper. I fear that one day I'll go in the back yard and she and Spencer will be on top of the camper having a tea party.

Spencer: He is my best little helper. Every time I bring him into the camper, my tool bags get emptied and no matter how many tools are available, he almost always finds the sharpest tool that will  most likely impale himself or someone else.You better watch your back too, he loves nothing more than to give his old dad a backhand to the head.



Sweet Benett: I just love having this chubby chubs with me at all times. I like to think he's my little QC Manager (I can't have anyone else who might know better give me an opinion of the quality work that I'm doing- sometimes you just have to make things work). He's quite the trooper- he'll sit in that baby bjorn for hours and just be completely entertained. He does try to grab and scratch everything in reach, but he's a good time- even though most times I end up bleeding from his razor sharp nails.

Well that's the rundown. What a great bunch I get to go home to everyday. I love them so much. Gabe

Front Window Gone

The front window had to go. It leaked and the thought of direct afternoon sunshine baking my kids during naps just way outweighed the fun of laying up on the bed while your driving (not to mention it's probably not the safest way to travel). So it was as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1. Remove Window.

2. Add Putty Tape. 

3. Beg a piece of sheetmetal from your local HVAC company, and voila it's gone (truthfully I had written "walla", it's true, I'm a novice writer).

I also started replacing the putty tape and caulking at the exterior molding. It was starting to look pretty sad. I still haven't caulked, but the new putty is in place and I got it done just in time for  El Nino to hit on Wednesday. It's been 3 days or on and off rain, and still no signs of any leaks. I'll hopefully get it caulked this weekend.

Getting Started

Well, I've finally gotten around to uploading some video's. This first video is footage of all the existing conditions. Who knows, maybe we should have just dusted and started using it....what do you think?

Here is the first 2 weeks of demolition. I can't wait to get the rest of it gutted so I can start to put it all back together.

Brigitte's Prayer

Brigitte has been getting better and better at saying family prayer. The other night I was quite pleased with her progress when she was inspired to say "Please bless that Gus-Gus will stop pooping in the camper". Amen.

My '85 Dolphin

I've started a blog to document our fun little wreck of a motorhome that we just bought- that's right bought. Most people would walk away from this little gem, but for me it was love at first sight. I first saw it a few years ago when we stopped in a Christy's great-aunt Barbara's house on a trip to SLC. Aunt Barbara lives in very rural Paul, ID. and I found it back behind her house next to her shed. I put it away in the back of my head and slowly introduced the idea to Christy that we needed it. Well, the first conversation went a little like this:

Gabe- "Honey, we need to renovate Aunt Barbara's motorhome."
Christy- "Darling, you need your head examined."

Well, time passed and believe it or not, Christy surprised me with it as my birthday gift last year. I finally managed to pick it up about 2 weeks ago and I'm already elbow deep into trickin' this baby out. Here's a picture of it last summer in Aunt Barbara's pasture.
Sorry, don't be jealous!


Here's a picture of me, Alex, and Dad the day we loaded it on Dad's trailer (Chase took the picture).








Here's a picture of us hauling it down the freeway.