On the road again

Work on Velda is progressing, with nearly all of the wires for lights, speakers, emergency exits, alarms, etc. pulled back to "the box": next step removing as much as possible so that we can make sense of what's left. One frequent poster on skoolie.net (a fantastic resource for those engaged in school bus to RV conversions) suggested that we simply weld the door shut and forget about the mess behind it.

We had Insulation Plus, a local insulation contractor, cut metal panels to replace the doors we're removing and all of the windows that will be replaced with insulated RV windows, and spent the last couple of days prepping and painting them. Of course, we ran out of paint and had to get more before we could put the final coat on, and by then the weather had turned and wasn't conducive to painting outside any more. 

I also took advantage of those 65-degree days to clean the old caulking out of seams in the roof (with special attention to the one seam which leaked every time it rained), re-caulk them, and paint the roof. I'm not really very cool about heights, but Velda is so wide, and relatively flat on top, that I didn't feel nervous at all - although I went barefoot to ensure the best possible traction.

Which brings us to the next step: getting the windows that will go in said panels. And the water tanks, refrigerator, stove, awning, seats, steps...all that fun stuff. So we're hitting the road again this afternoon, headed to Adrian and Hudson, Michigan to visit two stores that sell such things. The 800-mile (one-way) trip might seem excessive, but with shipping prices of $100-400 per item, and over twenty items on our list, it makes sense to go get everything ourselves.

Tonight we'll stay in Madison with a close friend of Jess' and her husband, the incredibly talented Michael Riverun. The next day we cross Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio before heading north into Michigan: four states I've never been in before! We managed to get the last hotel room in Adrian for tomorrow night; it's Parent's Weekend at Adrian College and there is a state-wide x-country meet this weekend twenty minutes from Adrian, so it's going to be an interesting scene at the hotel. 

I haven't heard much to make me excited about the scenery along the way (Gary, Indiana), but it will be good to be back on the road, and having all the various parts on-hand for our re-build will be a huge step forward. 

Until next time: drive safe and have fun!

Ben