The Great Winter Boondocking Vacation, 2012-2013

[LJ-TJ]

Sweet now who's going to scan it so we can add it to our library i??

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL LJ-TJ...its already in the club store!

http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php?action=store;sa=view;id=184

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Fixed the rear shock mount on the Jeep yesterday...bolted all together with grade 8 hardware left over from my RV shock project.  The joust troop had some scrap metal laying around, and I scored a pre drilled piece of 1/2 steel bar stock already drilled with 1/2 inch holes on both sides, the perfect length.  I ground off the jagged edge of the mount where the thin metal had broken and drilled a half inch hole through the thick part (nearly 3/8 thick).  Then I bolted it all back together, torqued the heck out of it, and used red Locktite on the threads.  After that it was just a matter of bolting the shock back on to the axle, and done!  It might pivot from use, so if it does I'll just have a welding shop tack weld it at the top to keep it from pivoting...but it sure isn't going to break now!  Total cost:  Free!

Other than that, it was just a long walk with the pups.

Today its another pup walk, a bike ride, and maybe set up our display tent on site before it gets too crazy busy here this week with everyone else setting up.

Aside from setting up our booth, its going to be a relaxing last 5 days of vacation! 

Kev

[HandyDan]

Only 5 days left?!  How quick the time flies. 

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Yep...vacation will be over before we know it, and then its time to get crazy busy again!

We have opening weekend coming right up, then student days on Tuesday and Thursday, and then a 3 day weekend (We are open on President's day)!  Geesh!  Talk about breaking up the production week!  Its going to be some insane hours building catapults!

Good thing we are all rested up...lol!

I didn't get around to setting up the tent yesterday, but I'll do it this morning.  I did manage to get the tent location all marked out, but got to talking with a friend of mine and got distracted.   W%

So today we'll get all set up.

Also gotta take the pups on their long walk, and hopefully squeeze in a bike ride.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

The tent is all set up and the display tables are packed full of catapults...we are ready to open!

It actually went pretty quick with Patti helping! 

So today we get to relax, take the pups on their walk, go on a bike ride...heck, anything we want!  Its great being all set up early!

Might go into town and recon the pawn shops...gotta retool after the weekend so I'm curious to see what kind of deals I can get on tools around here.

Now we get to sit back and watch the fun as all the late comers arrive over the next few days, frantic to set up in time for the weekend.  Its always fun to chuckle at the procrastinators that took so long to get here... :)rotflmao

Kev

[LJ-TJ]

Got any pic's of your set up? Hm?

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Yep!  Just go to our website, LJ-TJ!  wwwDOTstdcatapultsDOTcom.  Lots of pictures of our setup!  Unless you mean our campsite, and the answer is no, no pictures yet, but we set up pretty similarly every time and there is a picture or two of the website, and many more on our Photobucket, screen name Clydesdalekevin.

Waited around most of the day for the honey wagon to come pump out our grey water tanks...we can go ALMOST 2 weeks with normal unrestrained water use, but not quite!  Water was backing up into the shower tub the last couple of days...and not a pleasant smell I might add!  Kept the roof vent and fan on for the last couple of days to vent out the stinky sulfur smell.

He FINALLY arrived around 3pm, so after he got here I did some grocery shopping and whatnot, and that pretty much ate up the day. 

Tomorrow we'll take the pups on their walk and I'll fit in a bike ride...vacation is almost over! 

Friday will be my last post on this thread, except to answer questions or comments.  Saturday begins the next chapter of our adventures, which will be titled Arizona, 2013!

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

About the only thing to do today is help our friends Eric and Joan set up their booth when they arrive...they had car trouble on the way here and are running very late.

Also want to clean out the Jeep and vacuum it...maybe Armor All it while I'm at it.  Might play with the touch up paint a bit as well.  We'll see how much time we have!

Kev

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

If'n you need something to do, you can come back out east ans wash all the salt and uck off vehicles here!      
Of course Mark might want some help with his gritty beach snow!      Dang stuff gets in all your bathing suit pockets.

Dave

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL Dave!  Don't worry...I'll be PLENTY busy after the weekend!

We had a very pleasant surprise when they got here and opened their booth...I left WAY more tools here than I thought I did, so I won't have to replace as many!  All I remembered leaving here last year was a band saw, a benchtop sander, 2 saw horses, and a staining rack.  Turns out I also left a table saw, a drill press, 2 work tables, and several shelf units...SWEET!  All I absolutely have to buy on Monday is an 8" Ryobi miter saw, a good 8" blade for it, and lots of pine to build small catapults for student days.  I LOVE it when a plan comes together, especially by accident!  Other tools I'll need are a thickness planer, a compressor and hose, a shop vac and hose, a router table with router, and a tent to set it all up in...and some tarps to lay down, and put over the tent as an awning of sorts for the stain table.  Those tools can wait, but the miter saw and blade are all I need right away to make kids day stock (10 dollar catapults).

Gonna be busy on Monday, but it'll get done even if the weather sucks this weekend, which it looks like its going to.

Kev

[Froggy1936]

Hey Kev you need one of those full size trailers with all the shop equipment built in  (like the race cars have) Just plug in and open the doors and your set up anywhere !!    Frank

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL Frank!  Most states frown on towing in tandem...The RV towing the trailer towing the Jeep.  Unless I got a trailer big enough to drive the Jeep up into as well...and then I'd have to heavily reenforce the rear frame of the RV, and probably have to get one of the those Toad things that take the weight off the back when towing a large trailer...and THEN my gas mileage would really sucketh with all that weight!  And more wear and tear on the engine and drive train, etc.

Believe me, we thought about it!  And weighed all our options:  Cost and weight and drivetrain wear, etc.  It ended up being cheaper for us to retool at every show...I'm pretty savy when it comes to pawn shops and Craigslist...And then just leave a complete set of tools and tentage at each show we do.  That way we don't have to carry heavy tools all over the country, already built stock and our pavilion tent go into the RV compartments when we travel without weighing all that much, and the Jeep Wrangler is light as a tow vehicle 4 wheels down, and is big enough to hold all our porch furniture.

We already have a complete set of tools in New York and North Carolina, and almost a complete set of tools here in Arizona.  Just one more place to retool...and that's Oklahoma...and we are all set on tools no matter where we go, without lugging them all over the place!  That's woodworking tools that is...we still carry all of our automotive tools with us...just in case!

So today I've got to pull our costumes out of storage...they are in bins in the under compartments, and then trim my beard and shower, then bring the marshmallows down to our booth, and that's pretty much all that is on the agenda today.  And I'll try to get to cleaning the interior of the Jeep today...didn't get to it yesterday.

Last day of vacation!

Kev

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

You could all ways move up to a 42ft diesel pusher.  Vroooom.........  with towing power to spare.  Of course the train (RV, trailer, toad) might be interesting!   

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL Dave...I love my old RV...she's a champ!  Having served on submarines, I find I have more than enough room, even without slides...and its paid for!   

Got everything done today...and that was with having to move my tent over a couple of feet to give more room to the guy on the end of our row.  Took less than an hour to shuffle it over though, so its all good. 

After moving the tent, I took the rear carpets out of the Jeep and shook them out, then used the dog hair brush on them, then vacuumed them and the front carpets, and then reinstalled the back carpets.  Some upholstery cleaner on the seats, and Scrub Free on the dirty spots on the dash, console, and interior of the hard top.  And then some Armor All on every bit of vinyl and rubber and plastic, and the interior is looking new again...SWEET!  Smells good too!

Then we dug out all our costumes from the under compartments so they are staged for the morning, and then I trimmed the beard, shaved and showered, and called it a day.

After walking around the faire, I have determined that our new spot is way better than our old spot, so we should have a very prosperous faire!

And thus endeth this chapter!  Look for the new chapter tomorrow morning, titled Arizona, 2013!

Kev