One of our stories just came out in the Summer issue of National Parks Magazine. Hats off to the publishers, the folks at the National Parks Conservation Association who work tirelessly to preserve our open spaces — as well as to the hundreds of thousands of refugees and immigrants who have risked and are currently risking their lives to try to fill basic human needs and find a safe place to live with their loved ones. Read on to find out secrets about Dry Tortugas National Park as well.
Sincere apologies for going ghost for a few months. I know that I had written in previous posts that we were shooting for some time windows to be finished with the RV. As you know, if you have read our blog from the beginning, we live in the Florida Keys and we had a massive and devastating hurricane hit us barely 9 months ago. Hurricane Irma was the first, and hopefully the last, major storm I have ever experienced in my life. We evacuated from the Keys and returned to a nearly alien landscape from when we departed. It has been a long and difficult recovery that is still in progress. There are still several hundred families displaced that lost their homes, as well as several hundred families living in trailers in their yards as they try to figure out how to repair their homes. Luckily for us, we rent our home and it happens to be a solid concrete wall and floors elevated construction. The house made it through the storm with minimal in comparison damage; new roof, some water intrusion but mostly cosmetic. During the clean up, we worked very long hours cutting down trees, moving heavy things all over the place, and our business work became unmanageably busy. All of the extra activity has severely agitated an arm injury that I have had for a couple of years. Severe tendonitis of my elbow, with a minor case of tendonitis in my shoulder as a result of the elbow strain. Through my own ignorance and stupidity of refusing to listen to my body, I had agitated my elbow to the point that I could not eat with my right hand. The pain was too extreme to bend it enough to reach my mouth. Sleeping was a ton of fun too, as every time I move incorrectly I am awakened by a sharp and stabbing pain in my arm and elbow. My darling Karuna also gets to enjoy me waking up when I roll incorrectly on my arm. I have researched this injury, (“tennis elbow”), and what I have found is discouraging. Most websites describe this injury as a chronic condition that can be made better through the reduction of pain and inflammation chemically; and sometimes may be improved upon with surgery and pills. I did not find these solutions anything that I was interested in pursuing, and after being told more than a couple of times to consider acupuncture; I finally did.
I have been receiving treatment from an acupuncturist that is amazing, and her methods have given me more pain relief and mobility than I have experienced in six months time. She is a Doctor and she went through many years of education to earn her degree. I have received four treatments thus far and I cannot believe the improvement that I have had in these four short weeks. I am approaching 50% recovery, and to let you know the contrast, it was only four weeks ago that I still could not even eat with my right hand. This is very inconvenient when you injure your dominant hand and it forces you to realize how helpful it would have been to become ambidextrous when I was young. Currently, I can feed myself, brush my teeth, do some labor for short periods, and very light duty for almost a whole day with only minor discomfort. My doctor says that I will recover completely with a disciplined regiment of stretching and strength training of my arm muscles. Secondarily, the lesson(s) that I have learned and am learning about maintenance and patience are invaluable. Don’t overdue it, stretch properly and thoroughly prior to rigorous activity, get plenty of rest and relaxation, and nourish your body well. With age comes wisdom, experience, and knowledge; but it also comes with aches, pains, and our bodies’ refusal to continue to allow us to abuse it!!! I want to share this information for anyone with tendonitis or any other muscular or tendon injuries that you are told cannot be fixed without surgery and drugs. Some things require these drastic measures but acupuncture performed by a licensed doctor is for me, and can be for anyone, just as if not more effective than conventional medical treatment; I am living proof. Look for our soon to come posts as we dive back into our wonderful project, and we apologize for the delay!
In the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, they decorate their cargo trucks with bright colors, and often paint wild faces on the differentials. I am not sure all of the symbolism behind that, but certainly warding off ill-meaning spirits and keeping the driver safe are part of it. Yesterday I got the fun job of painting the gas tank, axle and differential with a protective bright orange paint Steve had picked out. We won’t be able to see much of it once it’s back together, which is good, since my painting skills are lacking, but I do hope the festive color will serve a similar purpose. I may just need to sneak back in there and add a couple of eyes.
Yesterday we also passed a milestone on the motorhome — instead of taking it apart, we finally put the first few pieces back together. The amazing Calvin nestled the engine back where it goes under the hood. It has a lot of shiny new parts on it, and no longer are there mystery hoses and wires flapping in the breeze. Meanwhile, the intrepid Steve welded a new bracket to hold the gray water tank, which we moved from the very back to a bit farther forward for better weight distribution. He also welded much needed aluminum bracing to reinforce the floor.
Just a little while back, we dove into this adventure of gutting and remodeling a 1984 Dolphin motor home that had served as a temporary house for hurricane Irma victims. We spotted her in the parking lot of one of our local grocery stores, where one of the over one thousand families that lost their home were living. They had received a FEMA trailer, and were selling their dolphin to recoup their purchase monies.
Gutting became rebuilding, and we undertook the task of fabricating a new body; upgraded to lightweight and waterproof aluminum with a 2″ wall thickness. We also purchased nearly every engine part needed to perform a complete and “deep” tune up to awake our Toy power plant. (haha) We knew it would be a while until we could address the mechanical maintenance due mostly to the fact that we need to get the interior dried in to prevent water damage to the cab. The framework for the body is coming along well and is teaching me first hand that this undertaking is quite a bit more complicated than initially meets the eye. Windows, openings, weight distribution, roof vent placement and arrangement along with wiring considerations are all part of the fun. It is coming along well, and the learning aspect of this process has been fantastic. As you read in our previous post, (if you haven’t then you should read it), we have been incredibly fortunate and are immensely thankful for our luck in meeting our new friends, Erica and Calvin Rowley. Calvin is a Toyota 22R wizard in my opinion and with his knowledge and love for these die hard power plants; ours is getting a new lease on life. (check out Erica and Calvin’s blog: http://chasingbootyadventures.com/
After asking Calvin and Erica if they would be interested in helping us out with the engine work; we took a look at the condition. Well, more accurately, Calvin took a pretty deep look. The doctors’ findings were not great, or even good for that matter. Coolant in the oil, several of the systems under the hood were incorrectly connected, or not properly operating at the least. He gave it to us straight and pretty much informed us that this project would require a top to bottom renovation as well. Out came the engine, and apart came most everything else under the hood. The engine has been inspected internally, and any questionable parts are being replaced.
Engine work and engine bay upgrades:
All new gaskets, including the head gasket; new oil and water pumps; upgrade to double row timing chain; Weber 34/36 with jet kit for economy/ power fine tuning; fuel regulator; new fuel pump; valve job; complete and proper de-smog; upgrade to heavy duty gm brake master cylinder, upgrade to 160 amp heavy duty Gm alternator, upgrade to electric fan kit with thermostat control; eliminate smog air pump; eliminate in cab air conditioner and compressor; ceramic coated equal length headers; stainless steel low restriction muffler and aluminum exhaust pipe; (2.25 inches diameter).
Suspension work and upgrades:
New front and rear shocks; new rear inner and outer bearings; change rear dif oil, new rear brakes, inspect and repack front bearings, new upper and lower ball joints, new steering stabilizer, new air lift rear system with in cab air controls, inspect and check front brakes.
Frame work and upgrades:
We have completely removed the camper from the frame. We also removed the floor from the frame chassis. There were spots in the floor that were “spongy” and since we were faced with the choice of replacing the floor we chose to take advantage of the extra work space. (the space to install the air bags, reinforce the floor support, and re-wire the vehicle tail light wiring.)
This past weekend we have painted the frame and we are in the process of installing floor supports. Calvin is in the assembly phase of the engine and is preparing to re-install the engine in the coming days. For the floor frame system, we are using aluminum for weight savings to fabricate the bracing. We are also going to try a composite floor to save weight and increase interior comfort. We are fabricating the floor using a 1/2″ sheet of marine plywood, 3/4″ thick rigid foam insulation with 3/4″ x 3/4″ aluminum support stiffeners, and sandwiched with another 1/2″ sheet of marine plywood on top. We plan on gluing the floor panels together. The exterior bottom of the floor panels will have .040 aluminum sheeting to protect the floor from water and deterioration. Hopefully the result will be a well insulated, strong and light floor system.
It was with some nostalgia that we waved farewell to Steve’s 2004 WRX wagon this afternoon. Even before the hurricane, we knew she was a goner. Her name was Trinity, and her frame was nearly rotted through. Since being partially submerged in the storm surge, she was now even worse for wear. It took a good deal of hammering and a small bit of cursing to get her onto the tow dolly, then break the e-brake free so the back wheel would spin, but she finally agreed to disembark on her final voyage up to the scrap yard on the mainland. It’s always hard to say goodbye to an old friend. After all, the first time I saw Steve was when he pulled up to our date driving Trin. And, well, since we both drove Subarus in a land where they are scarce, we had a feeling we might just get along pretty well. She went to a good cause, though, a hardworking local who can use some spare cash. Her parting also made room for a new set of friends, who showed up just an hour later.
Enter Calvin, Erica and Booty the cat, a trinity from Utah who happened to be visiting the Keys in their ’86 Dolphin. Calvin is an intrepid Toyota mechanic, among many other talents, and Erica an inspiring writer, filmmaker and photographer. They arrived with impeccable timing, and will be camping out for a bit to help us get everything under our Toyota’s the hood working well. Steve and Calvin didn’t waste any time opening the new parts, like kids at Christmas. I’ll let Steve detail the plethora of fixes and upgrades that are being made under the hood. And check out our new friends’ blog www.chasingbootyadventures.com. They’ve been living on the road for almost a year; happy and lucky souls.
The big flatbed came to a halt in front of our house amidst some chaos. Steve’s son had been visiting and we were saying our goodbyes as the landlord wandered over to discuss a few things. He had been out of town, so had not yet been informed about our new project, and looked at it with a hint of confusion. To top it off, the road is clogged with hurricane debris and construction trucks. Right at that moment the garbage truck was also trying to squeeze by.
It was all hands on deck to move the long pieces off of the truck so it could clear the road. Our roommate Fritz jumped in to help. It took a bit for the driver to turn around by backing into the empty lot next door, especially because we had placed the guts of the Toyota in the precise location that was easiest for him to occupy. But he is a skilled driver, and the truck had very tough tires that were able to roll over the old cabinetry, ripped up carpet, and part of the refrigerator without fear of puncture. Luckily, our landlord also did not puncture. He seems tentatively supportive, or at least not terribly irritated. He lives in Ohio most of the time, so he’s pretty easy going about what happens here as long as we pay the bills.
Now Steve and I are staring at the shiny lengths that will soon become our new frame, and counting the hours until the day-job quitting-time whistle blows and we can start phase two of the build and see what we’ve really gotten ourselves into.
After stuffing ourselves with a delicious meal enjoyed with Fritz and Jayson, (our roommate and his son), we were pretty docile until yesterday and today. Our goal prior to the end of the holiday weekend was to get the remaining obstacles gutted out of the RV to facilitate our removal of the walls and roof. These items mostly consisted of some remaining carpet near the cab over area, and a few windows and vents. The largest obstacle was the rotted out floor over the cab area, and discovering how the fiberglass molded piece that attaches the motor home to the cab was fastened. It was not terribly complicated; it was just screwed into the 1″ x 1″ wood pieces bordering the wall connection. We did not know it was fiberglass until today when we removed the rotted wood concealing it. This is great news, as fiberglass is very strong and flexible, especially compared to plastic. Karuna and I made quick work of the remaining parts of the gut project and now we anxiously await our aluminum for the framework.
We will begin welding our aluminum frames together as soon as we have the materials. We would like to get the sides and roof frame complete and installed prior to our upcoming holiday road trip. Our goal may be a little aggressive, but we will see. We only have a couple of weeks until we take off, but we will be eager to get back into the project upon our return. The pictures below are of the cab over section, and will show you how it is put together, where the rot typically occurs, and how everything is attached. Enjoy!
We were pushing a shopping cart full of Thanksgiving ingredients through the Winn-Dixie shopping center on Big Pine Key last night when we noticed something had changed. The ’84 Toyota Dolphin motor home that had been parked there for a month was suddenly sporting a brand new “for sale” sign. Its owner agreed to meet us at the uncomfortable hour of 8:30 this morning. This is a time of day most people do not enjoy in the Keys.
He and his wife had been living in the Dolphin since they lost their house to hurricane Irma. They had bought it up in the bizarre failed-development community of Lehigh Acres on the mainland. A few days ago FEMA finally came through with a brand new trailer for them. They decided to ditch the Dolphin to pay for a new roof. Despite a number of people eyeing it from afar while we examined it, he gave us a few days to decide. We only needed an hour.
It has just 81,000 miles and measures about 18 feet. It mostly fits in a standard parking space, and set us back $3,600. The frame is solid. It needs a little TLC under the hood, but it runs well. We had considered a bigger model, but the simplicity of the Toyota and the much smaller price tag won. Steve will surely want to add more on the technical side of the blog. Signing off to go begin the renovation. Woohoo!
We have decided that this summer is the time for an amazing road trip adventure! An adventure that we plan on documenting, from the beginning of the journey; motor home search and purchase, until the end; our arrival and time in Homer. We are not certain of the exact parameters of this project yet; maybe a travel book, maybe some sort of destination guide, or perhaps just a project that we enjoy while in Homer or on the way. I guess we will see, and we invite you to join us if you like.
Motor home search and purchase:
When we started to discuss our adventure, we were back and forth between our mode of primary travel and lodging. After having several lengthy discussions, debates, and agreements; we think that for us and our destination it will be best to drive a motor home. A motor home will afford us the comfort and stability of our own space, (won’t have to pack and unpack again and again as we would if we were car camping/ hotel staying), and we can centralize all of our asset’s and be mobile or static in a moment if necessary. (Unlike a travel trailer that we would have to “dock” and mobilize). Our mobility while staying at destinations will be an off road/ on road enduro motorcycle that will probably be in the 250-400cc range. Easy to carry on a hitch platform, very fast and easy deployment, and decent accessibility. This of course is in addition to our bicycles and long boards. Now that we have established that we want to acquire a motor home; we have been back and forth between a mini motor home, and a larger class c. We were looking at the Toyota models from the late 80’s into the early 90’s, but then we found out that my parent’s friend is selling a pretty sweet class c with two slide outs. As we mulled over the pro’s and con’s, it seems that the fuel economy is not a large difference so it really comes down to comfort and usefulness. The toyota models, although very attractive with their nostalgic and mini allure; are older vehicles with marginally powered engines that are most certainly going to need love to get them in top shape for a 6000 mile each way journey. Unfortunately; our day job work is extremely busy after the hurricane and I am a bit short on extra time to take on a project like this. (We have a “WRX wagon bugeye project happening as well as a “camper Boat” project so we need to slim down the roster. 😉 All of this taken into account, we are looking for a sweet class c that we can set up in for the long haul, comfortably, and carry our local transportation easily. We are looking for a class c with slides and we really need to find one for 15k or less. We will keep you posted on the friend of my parents, as it is a beautiful 30′ class c with two slides that is worth an easy 25k. The owner is selling it for 19k; still a little out of our range but we will see what happens….. (we emailed him asking for his best deal – we’ll let you know as soon as we know)
An update for our award-winning Quixotic Key West & the Lower Keys Travel Guide is now available for download. It includes changes to attractions, hotels and businesses as a result of Irma. If you are planning on visiting the Keys, this is a great time to do it as lodging rates are at an all-time low, plus all visitors help immensely in the economic recovery here. Download the update at: http://www.quixotictravelguides.com/update—irma.html 
If you have not yet purchased our guide, we think now would be an especially good time to do so. Any sales will help us put our home back together. Available on amazon. https://www.amazon.com/West-Lower-Keys-Travel-Guide/dp/0998858900/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1505761777&sr=8-9&keywords=key+west+travel+guide
Photo: the Jamaican dogwood and shefflera trees are greening up again after Hurricane Irma — as are the rest of the Keys.
Quixotic Travel Blog 