dinosaur national monument to flaming gorge national recreation area. 9.3.14

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After waking up in Dinosaur, we enjoyed some coffee and breakfast while studying our surroundings that we'd precariously driven through in the dark the night before.

Lots of muddy rutted out road.

Lots of muddy rutted out road.

In daylight, we realized what an iffy trek it'd been to get into our camping spot.

In daylight, we realized what an iffy trek it'd been to get into our camping spot.

Getting out was a balancing act.

Getting out was a balancing act.

En route to Ashley National Forest.

En route to Ashley National Forest.

The drive was winding and gorgeous.

The drive was winding and gorgeous.

Utah is truly a very colorful area.

Utah is truly a very colorful area.

And out of nowhere, a mine.

And out of nowhere, a mine.

He told me to do something for the photo.

He told me to do something for the photo.

Loulou slacking on the job as navigator.

Loulou slacking on the job as navigator.

Ashley National Forest.

Ashley National Forest.

First view of the reservoir.

First view of the reservoir.

Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

Flaming Gorge Dam.

Flaming Gorge Dam.

The Campbulance looks good anywhere she's parked.

The Campbulance looks good anywhere she's parked.

A dumpster near the Green River put-in. 

A dumpster near the Green River put-in. 

This day was so jam-packed with adventure that we have to split it into two posts so we don't totally inundate you with photos. Next post…paddling the Green River!

bad photos of our last minute projects. 9.1.14

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A few people have said that they've been left completely unsatisfied by the recent posts because it doesn't show any of the interior progress we've made. I was able to unearth a few iPhone photos of the interior that I took on September 1, right before we left on our trip and right after our last push to finish up the major projects.

In this photo you can see the turquoise painted peg board we installed against the cab's rear wall, the basic kitchen framed out and the bed unfolded into its open position (slightly hidden underneath pressboard and a paco pad.)

In this photo you can see the turquoise painted peg board we installed against the cab's rear wall, the basic kitchen framed out and the bed unfolded into its open position (slightly hidden underneath pressboard and a paco pad.)

Here you can see the new vinyl quilted upholstery I put on the doors in place of the old grey padding that was there before.

Here you can see the new vinyl quilted upholstery I put on the doors in place of the old grey padding that was there before.

Christian cutting some more finishing wood parts out for the kitchen.

Christian cutting some more finishing wood parts out for the kitchen.

A wide view of the Campbulance right before we wrapped up the projects and took off on our road tirp.

A wide view of the Campbulance right before we wrapped up the projects and took off on our road tirp.

everything but the kitchen sink...oh, and that too!

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Two nights before the big Gore Canyon Race (a race down a Class IV-V stretch of whitewater on the upper Colorado River), Christian was planning his lines with his R2 buddy Shawn (you'll also recall he was the one that convinced us to rip up the subflooring) and then to distract from his fear, helping me install the new Rocket Pump we'd bought for our almost finished kitchen.

Shawn and Christian getting to know their race boat and talking about their lines. 

Shawn and Christian getting to know their race boat and talking about their lines. 

Christian wanted to make sure that I mentioned that he and Shawn won gold in the R2 division. They're unsure of their time, but they were definitely first (...because they were the only boat in their division to finish).

This is Shawn and Christian about to huck a 12-foot waterfall rapid called Tunnel Falls. (I was lucky enough to get taken into a the canyon by a railroad truck to photograph this spot for the race.)

This is Shawn and Christian about to huck a 12-foot waterfall rapid called Tunnel Falls. (I was lucky enough to get taken into a the canyon by a railroad truck to photograph this spot for the race.)

Kitchen counter in the foreground, Campbulance in the background.

Kitchen counter in the foreground, Campbulance in the background.

A very big drill bit.

A very big drill bit.

Making the hole for the Rocket Pump.

Making the hole for the Rocket Pump.

Prior to ordering the Rocket Pump, Christian had done some Googling to see what kind of instructions, etc he could find on the subject. There were none. Turns out, it's because you don't need any. The pump is literally installed with two screws (included) and you simply jam the water hose up onto the bottom and boom, installation complete.

Installing a Rocket Pump = drilling a hole and screwing in the two screws it comes with.

Installing a Rocket Pump = drilling a hole and screwing in the two screws it comes with.

Getting ready to test the pump for the first time.

Getting ready to test the pump for the first time.

I think I was a teeny bit annoyed that the one photo taken of me during this project was of me vacuuming up the aftermath. I promise I did more than just take photos! (I think...it's been a few months...I could be wrong.)

I think I was a teeny bit annoyed that the one photo taken of me during this project was of me vacuuming up the aftermath. I promise I did more than just take photos! (I think...it's been a few months...I could be wrong.)

bed building and [as always] getting distracted.

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It's time to finally start updating again. Sadly, these updates are going to be 4-5 months old as we slowly catch you up on our progress and post photos from our glorious fall road trip.

One of the biggest and most important projects we needed to finish before hitting the road last fall was the bed. As fun as it was to sleep on the floor and/or hang from the grab bars in a hammock, we wanted to have a proper sleeping area for what was soon to be a month+ on the road.

We'd already done a preliminary dark stain on the wood, but still had some cuts to make to allow room for it to open and fold out once hinged into place.

Christian restaining the edges of the newly cut pieces.

Christian restaining the edges of the newly cut pieces.

Putting a gloss coat on.

Putting a gloss coat on.

Not surprisingly, while escaping the heat to take some measurements, draw some diagrams and let the newest coat of sealant dry on the bed, Christian spotted another element of the interior that he decided needing some adjustment.

It's amazing what happens when you're just sitting in the Campbulance looking around. Every tiny little project seems to bare its ugly face and convince you of its immediate need for attention. In no way did the electric panel need to be addressed at this time, but alas, that's just how things go, so attend to the electric panel we did.

It turned out to be more than just a little hassle to remove it.

It turned out to be more than just a little hassle to remove it.

Meanwhile, I was measuring the back interior wall that butts up to the cab to prep for installing the peg board we had in mind.

Meanwhile, I was measuring the back interior wall that butts up to the cab to prep for installing the peg board we had in mind.

A new cubby created and a reinstalled electric panel! (Only took a few hours.)

A new cubby created and a reinstalled electric panel! (Only took a few hours.)

Our bed wasn't fully installed on this day, which probably isn't surprising given our lack of attention spans, but at least we got the bulk of the work done in prep for it.

Coming up...kitchen, counter, sink install and running water!

a big ol' update.

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Christian and I have been working around the clock at both of our jobs as well as on the massive projects we'd mapped out for the Campbulance. A typical day in our lives has us each prepping to be and then being on the river (well…I'm beside it with a camera) from around 9am to anywhere from 5-7pm. As soon as one of us is off, we're elbow deep in the unending Campbulance projects spanning before us.

Christian has had a bit of a luckier timeframe as guides typically aren't on the water for two trips in a day, so he had a few afternoons off and was able to get some massive work done without my supervision or trigger finger on a nearby camera. Luckily, I have an extra camera I keep in the Campbulance for just this occasion.

The following photos are taken by Christian of the work he was able to complete on his own. Towards the beginning of the season, I was always super bummed to miss out on any aspect of the project, but as we both got worked to the bone and saw no progress being made, I eventually got to the point that I was eager to know he'd have an hour or two to devote to it. As the season began winding down and I still found myself without spare time, I was almost insistent on him getting work done without me. Hence the massive progress that's been made in a few short weeks.

Because of the sheer quantity of photos I'm about to include, I'm adding them as a gallery. I'll write a short outline below of the work he was able to get done and what you'll see in the photos.

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The first gallery shows the progression of our bed. For months it's been one sheet of plywood. We'd cut a second piece knowing our future plans, but hadn't had time to realize them. We found a local welder that was able to do some exact cutting work for us on the aluminum box below the bed to help facilitate the arm supports we'd wanted to swing out and support the center weight once the top half of the bed was attached to fold out.

This second gallery shows the work Christian did to put together our kitchen. Since one of the contributions I can make in my spare time is shopping trips to Home Depot (it's much closer to me than him) and ordering things from Amazon.com, I enjoy buying things to facilitate progress even if I can't be present for the realization of it. A few of my most recent purchases have been a trigger clamp, a 90º clamp and a Kreg pocket hole jig. All of these tools were essential to a decently built kitchen structure, so once Christian had these in his possession, the kitchen came to life fairly quickly (though he might argue otherwise).

We received our fridge/freezer, which is a Whynter 45qt fridge/freezer that runs off of 12 volt or 110 volt. Being the crux of our kitchen, once we received the fridge, we were able to truly map out and plan the structure around it. I'd dreamt of a pull-out solution for the fridge since it is a top-loading cooler setup, so we'd already bought some heavy duty sliders from Home Depot in prep for the build. The following photos show Christian's build of the kitchen.

Months ago on our road trip, we'd bought a few beautiful enamel bowls while visiting Christian's mom in Vermont. Thinking we'd found the perfect vessel for a kitchen sink, we hadn't revisited the notion until it'd come time to drill a hole in one of them. Turns out, it's incredibly difficult and expensive to drill a hole in enamel because of the type of metal and the easily chipped coating. After doing quite a bit of research, we finally resigned ourselves to buying a cheap stainless steel bowl from Walmart to serve as our sink. It was a bummer, as the bowls we'd picked were beautiful, but sometimes you've got to go with what's most logical. The following gallery shows the process for the sink. I love it and it works well, but it's just a bit small in diameter. The next size up in the same bowl is deeper, which neither of us want, so we're currently in search of another bowl, but until then, this one works just fine.