Be Careful What You Wish For....

....You just might get it.

 

Bye-bye Lone Ranger; Hello, Clydesdale.

 

A big shout out to our sales guy: James English - he's at the Carmax off 290 in Houston/Cypress.  If you ever need a vehicle, Carmax is the way to go - and James is the absolute BEST to work with!  (We should know - this is our 3rd vehicle with him!)

 

 Um, yeah, about that....  Easy Come, Easy Go.

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words....

We stayed at McKinney Falls State Park this weekend and took a sunset-trip over to Bastrop SP, too.  This was one of those trips where there was so much good I don't even have words for it. 

 

So, if a picture's worth a thousand words, here's my $21,000 post:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more camping photos (yes, more!) go here.

That Ain't Stock #3 - More Misc Mods!

For those of you who loved the first ones, here we go with the next set of Misc Mods!!

Our version of Camp Driveway.  Gotta fight for space!



I can see you!, and you, and you...

Ok, starting with the Lone Ranger: we needed extension mirrors. A big thanks to O'Riely for having what I needed on the first stop!  They're a little clunky to put on (as to be expected, I guess) but they do the job.  WARNING: be careful when you go through the What-A-Burger drive thru with these puppies - I almost lost the driver's side one!



Battery operated, Velcro'd on.

We've done a few late-night set ups coming into camp after dark, and anticipate we'll do more as we camp on into the winter months.  I realized on our trip to Lake Livingston that the back of the truck is pretty dark - especially with the utility cap on it.  So, a trip to Wal-Mart and a $12 under counter /LED light later, and viola! Let there be light!

 



Speaking of Velcro....

Next up, we move on to a few camper mods. Now, for those of you who flip axles and re-do water pumps and all the technical stuff, I apologize! I know my way around a power drill but am totally inept when it comes to those kind of projects.  Now, give me a zip-tie or Velcro and I can rock your world!  And, hey, I'm not afraid to remove the jump seats from a truck if the need arises.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yep, more Velcro.

I've got a set of Coleman LED string lanterns (my Tacky Lights) that fit perfectly across the awning and had been using zipties to secure them every time we set them up.  Hello, Velcro! It makes it a lot easier to get them up (and down) using the quick strips - you can get them at WalMart, 6 in a pack for a few bucks.  I use them on our SHW Gizmos, too. We pull all the slack to one side and then bundle it up.  The Gizmos stay on the camper permanently, so this keeps us from having to deal with tangled cords.





./`./`./` Here we go, Steelers! Here we go! ./`./`./` What can I say? I left Dallas not knowing the difference between a 'first down' and a 'down comforter' and started dating a guy from Pittsburgh. Now Black and Gold runs through my veins (I have family that say he brainwashed me.)  I ordered the Steelers mini-pennants online and used black and yellow gold felt to make the extras.  A quick run through the sewing machine and ta-dah! I've got spirit, yes I do, I 've got spirit, how 'bout you!  The extra ribbon on the ends just ties to the SHW Gizmo straps.

 

 

So, for those of you whom I just gave a headache to with my team-enthused-mod, let me offer you a cold one.  And on the chance that it's not a twisty-top beverage, I've got a mod to suit your tastes!  I attached this vintage looking bottle opener to the outside of the camper, on the front under the bunk end.  We keep the beverage cooler outside, typically under the front bunk end, so this was the logical place to attach this little trinket.

 

 

 

Moving inside the camper for this next one - I modified a mod.  A lot of campers out on the forums (hi ya'll!) have done a hard wire shelf that hangs off the bar across the end of the bunks.  I liked that.  RDB didn't - he has to sleep on the inside.  So, I came up with a compromise (More like, I installed this when he wasn't looking and hoped he'd be ok with it)   I bought an over-the-door shoe holder and cut it down to fit (just two rows of pockets) and then used zip-ties to attach it to the bunk end support.  Now we've got a place for all the little stuff that collects on the countertops and drives me crazy.  And, since it's soft mesh, it stays attached and simply folds in with the rail and lays on the mattress.

Out to the camp kitchen - I installed a cheap (read: less than $2 at Target) paper towel holder on the stove that can be inside or out.  The front edge was the only place were I could get the screws lined up nicely, but it does get a little in the way of where you're standing while you're cooking.  It's a little thing for the ease of having the towels right at hand. NOTE: They do tend to catch the wind here (see the photo) so placing the last one on the roll under the lighter I keep in the little tray, keeps the paper towels from flying away!

Of course, now that we've got such an awesome custom camper, everybody's gonna want to take it home with them, so, we had to get a security system put in. 

Until next time - may the sun shine brightly on you, and may it only rain during the week!



That Ain't Stock #2: Removing the Jump Seats

So - remember this puppy?

Aww, he's so cute!

Well, he's 7 months old and over 65 lbs now.  So, he looks a lot more like this:

OMG, he's gonna eat me!

Needless to say, the small back seat of our 2009 Ford Ranger barely has enough room for him to stand - much less turn around, lay down, and chill out while we drive to our next camping adventures.  RDB and I  both had the thought of removing the jump seats in the back to give him a little room - and sure enough, if you Google it, some one's done it.  We followed the tutorial found here as it had great photos and pretty clear instructions.

Step #1 - Go buy new tools (we both liked this step!)



(I should point out - you don't need the deep socket set, but RDB wanted to get them - he also wanted me to point out that you don't need them... of course, that was before we realized that you do need a set of sockets that aren't deep in order to complete this project - so we ended up with a set of those too, by the time we were done.)

Step #2 - Unscrew stuff.

Step #3 - Repeat Step #2 on the other side.

Step #4 - Lather, rinse and repeat.  (There was a lot of unscrewing stuff). Until you can finally remove the jump seats on both sides.

And then realize that the jack stand is kinda in the way, but nobody talks about that in the tutorial to replace your jumps seats with ear-drum-deafening sub woofers.  We needed room for a different kind of, um, Woofer.  So, we took it a step further, unbolted the jack and relocated it to the utility camper shell we have on the back.  So, to continue....

Step #5 - Remove the bolts that hold in the jack stand (there were only two, I think - maybe three).

Step #6 - Once the unit is removed (I was impressed by how easily it came out - gotta love the Ford assembly line ingenuity!) find a place to secure it elsewhere in the vehicle - because as sure as you don't travel with it, you'll end up needing it.  We located it behind the fishing poles that live in the utility shell.

Step #7 - Securely fasten.  And I mean securely.  When RDB engineers something, he does it so that it can withstand my driving the test of time!

Notice the Leatherman!! My inspiration!

Step #8 - Step back and enjoy your handiwork!

Gotta have the fishing poles - in case we have a blow-out by a lake!



From this....

... to this!

I'm sure our not-so-little puppy is gonna love all the extra space.  Now, if we can just get the weather to cooperate....


One project always leads to another: That Ain't Stock #3: More Misc Mods!

**Update** After having the Ranger for about a year - and especially after doing this project - we were kinda wishing that we had bought our second truck first.  I mean, the Ranger is great for the set-up we have now, but we want to be able to do more as our family (and our dog) grows... I guess the old saying is true: Be Careful What You Wish For.