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

/

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.

/

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!

flooring = laid.

/

Christian and I finally buckled down and spent a rare afternoon off together laying the wood laminate flooring that's been sitting in my garage just begging to beautify the Campbulance.

I promise I did a lot more work than this one photo portrays.

After some preliminary sanding of the seams created by the new sub flooring, we busted open the first box to gaze upon our new floor. Christian was impressed, but still not convinced that gravity alone would hold it down. (The flooring we used sticks together, but not to the subfloor itself.)

One of the many reasons I love him…

The beautiful "Rosewood Ebony" flooring.

The flooring we chose was the same flooring I'd used when redoing my 1979 Ford Econoline camper van three years ago. The simplicity and flexibility of the planks made it easy to install and no tools beyond a straight edge and box cutter were needed to cut the pieces to size.

I'd ordered two boxes. According to the square footage, it was just barely enough to completely cover the floor. Sadly, when we opened the second box, nearly half the planks were either cracked or completely broken. Discouraged, but backed into a corner by a half-finished floor, we knew we couldn't leave the job unfinished long enough to special order an entire new box. We decided to find a way to make it work and removed the sections that were broken and used a few of the cracked pieces with hopes that it wouldn't compromise the overall project.

Broken and cracked pieces of flooring greeted us from the second box.

When all was said and done, we used every last inch of usable flooring to cover the subfloor. Christian and I both have had a blast showing it off to the folks who have been around to see the project from the beginning. It's amazing what a difference flooring can make.

With the flooring project done and the hardware for building out the second half of the bed recently acquired, we're both itching to continue working on her. Rafting season is in full gear, however, so we'll have to be satisfied with having accomplished this one project for now.

a visit with the rents.

/

The rafting season has officially taken off, so our time with the Campbulance has been limited to brainstorming ideas for future improvements that will have to happen when our days get a bit less crazy.

My parents and grandparents visited a few weeks ago, so they finally got to meet Campbulance in person. Christian and I were both excited to pick my grandpa's brain about the electrical system (he's a seasoned RVer).

I think everyone was excited to see it in person, especially given the fact that the last house on wheels they saw me purchase was a 1979 Ford Econoline conversion van that had seen much better days.

Tell us again why this is a good idea?

Tell us again why this is a good idea?

Describing our plans for the kitchen area.

Describing our plans for the kitchen area.

Grandpa dropping some serious electrical panel knowledge on Christian.

Grandpa dropping some serious electrical panel knowledge on Christian.

I'm going on working eight days in a row that doesn't look like it will end anytime soon (which is a welcome issue after having gone a month without work between the seasons). Christian has been busy qualifying as a Class IV river guide, so between the two of us, we're not too hopeful much work will be happening on Campbulance until the season starts winding down in August.

Until then, hopefully we'll be able to order some much needed parts so they're ready when we finally do find the time to work on it.

subflooring in.

/

As our summer jobs finally start to pick up (Christian guides rafts and I photograph them), we're finding ourselves with less and less time to dedicate to Campbulance. We knew this would happen, but it's made progress slow.

We were finally able to finish cutting and installing the new subflooring during our last afternoon off together.

Laying glue down.

Pounding the new flooring into place.

Custom glue-job. We spared no expense.

We decided we'd lay down glue AND screws into the new flooring as to give ourselves ample reason to never again remove the flooring. If some poor schmucks decide that 22 years from now, it needs removal, well, good luck, because we didn't make it easy on them.

Given the less than regular cuts we had to make to remove the old flooring, we had some gaps and cracks to fill before calling it good. We'll probably do a once-over with a hand sander before laying down the laminate flooring, but for now, we're calling it good.