Better camper shell! ..and too much procrastination

Ugh. I honestly don't mean to be so lazy about posting... really! The problem largely lies in the Blogger app being broken, at least on my phone. It crashes when I try to do anything, pretty much. The website is an option, but it's only the desktop site so it's a pain to use on a 6" phone screen. So I dread it and don't do it. I guess I need to try it on my tablet instead. But it's still a pain since I have to transfer photos... blah.

As of writing this, I'm in Dumas, TX with a free 24 hour RV site with electricity. I had electric and good cell service (for hotspot on my laptop, like I'm doing now) in Borger, TX but it was rather warm (mid to upper 80s) and I somehow didn't feel like dragging out my laptop and posting.

The biggest news is that I bought an RV-style camper shell for $100!! I had to just give away the old fiberglass one to the guy I bought it from, but considering he and his family helped get it put on the truck, and ran to the hardware store for me to get me longer bolts when I realized I didn't have any to mount it, I can't fuss. This one is insulated so it's leaps and bounds better. Plus it's at least a foot taller taller, several inches wider, and not sloped on the sides. This equals a lot more head and elbow room. Plus it has two cabinets that I mostly use for dry food storage.

 
It's in slightly rough shape inside from poor storage (on grassy ground) so the wood got rotten. I replaced the worst of it that made it seem unstable, which cost me all of $5. I just peeled back the corner skin and slowly hammered it into place.

Then I screwed it into place. It's rock solid now. I couldn't put the skin back as well as I want because of it being right against the cab. I'd need a few people to help me move it away and put it up on a board to give me access to it properly. It might rot again sooner than it should, but it's not hard to change nor does it cost much, so it's fine for now.

This is an inside corner view before and after:

It could stand to have new paneling, which I might do eventually, perhaps only in part. I don't require a fancy living space, after all. The roof vent also needs full replacing. I will be getting one ASAP. In the meantime, I bought the domed vent cover to help prevent/minimize rain coming in. I also replaced the door knob with a "mobile home" one which included a foam gasket for the outside.

Inside view when almost dark outside, with a 120V LED light ($20 from WM) that lights up the place very well. I could probably run it on a tiny inverter without it being too much of a strain on the battery, but I fixed the original dome light so it's coming off of  the house battery too. The inverter's inefficiency loss would probably be more than the LEDs itself. And yes, it's warm white, so it's gentle on the eyes!

While in Dumas, my vacuum pump finally died pretty much. It has almost no vacuum, leaving me with very little power braking. I knew it needed one before I left Texarkana, but I had hoped it would last 6 months more as it was functioning. I had to pay retail ($130) for the pump vs about $80 online. I also had to buy a special pulley puller kit #39000 from Napa for $75 (also sold under the Lisle name, same number) because the cheap and "free rental" ones won't fit the pulley. But, $75 is cheaper than paying a mechanic. Plus it's so easy, I changed the pulley right there on the counter at Napa. Plus I have a physical item to use again or sell later, not so much paying labor. Plus, just buying a replacement pulley at retail price is about $55... and I'd still need a tool to install it with. So it was worth the unexpected extra cost.

I guess that's all for now. I swear, I'll ry to post more soon. I have some interesting stuff to post from the past few weeks, so I'll try to get to that soon. This post took so long, I need to get out and stretch my legs now.

El Paso Museum of Art & Union Plaza

I also visited the Art Museum a couple of blocks over from the History Museum. I didn't take many photos there, however. I was in the middle of my cold and my back was starting to ache. Also, I was on parking meter time so I tried to finish up in my allocated time.

The two photos I took inside were in the "Day of the Dead" exhibit:

A quick shot of the van parked at Union Plaza:

Just ahead on the left was the visitor information center with a massive steam locomotive restored and on display inside, with a plaque explaining about it outside.

El Paso Museum of History

Some photos from the El Paso Museum of History.

Oct 4, 2013 update

I woke up sick on the morning of October 31 when stopped at Flying J in Pecos, TX. I am not quite over the cold yet but I am doing better. I made a stop over in Van Horn, TX on the 31st in an RV park so I could get a real shower and relax and get plenty of rest. I had to dip $20 out of savings to pay toward the $25 rent for one night.

I drove on to El Paso on November first and parked at a Wal-Mart for 2 nights.

The first day I got there, sick and all, I ended up putting a serpentine belt on an old 80's Chevy van for an older couple who kept having problems.. they were about out of gas so they stopped at Wal-Mart and left it. The wife was driving newer a mini van with their grandson, the husband had the beater van full of pottery they try to sell at shows, and wasn't able to sell any at the one they just left, so they were rather broke. So then when they came back, a tire was flat. They got a used tire and put on it and then the serpentine belt broke. They got one but couldn't figure out how to get it on. So I was a life saver for them really. They would have had to get it towed or had a mobile mechanic come and put it on. So anyhow, they got it back on the road and hopefully got home without anymore problems.

I left that Wal-Mart yesterday (Oct 3) and had a shower at a nearby Annytime Fitness. I didn't feel like working out any, needless to say. I stopped by a Goodwill, nothing good. There was a Big Lots next door so I got some cans of soup and crackers. There was also a McDonald's there so I had a $1 side salad and a big $1 refillable drink. I hung out there an hour or so.. then went on to a laundromat to do wash all my bedding, towels, some wash clothes, shirts, socks, jeans, etc.

Here is a photo I took out of boredom while waiting on the last bit of drying to get done. It was nice the laundromat had WIFI though since my cell data speed has been lousy again.

After finishing my laundry, I went on to a different Wal-Mart just down the road from the laundromat. It was about dark and I thought this was a cool photo to take from the driver's seat out the side window.

Today I went and dropped off a package at a nearby Post Office from an ebay sale and came over to a public library branch. I'll be staying at the same Wal-Mart again due to how close it is.

Tomorrow (Oct 5) I plan to visit a free history museum in downtown El Paso. I will probably have to pay for parking though. After that, I'll head on into the NW area of El Paso, then move on out of the area in the next few days sometime.

Pecos, TX - West of the Pecos Museum

A museum I visited on Oct 31. $5 admission and go at your own pace. It features a hotel and saloon during the final days of the wild west in Texas around the turn of the 20th century. The saloon has bullet holes in the walls from gun fights even.

Andrews, TX

Nothing really to post about. I have been staying at the Andrews, TX Chamber of Commerce free RV park with full hookups and WIFI. Three nights max per 14 days. They have a privately funded veterans memorial next do it.

This just goes to show how small my motorhome is compared to a large 5th wheel trailer and a large Class A motorhome (poking out on both ends of the 5th wheel).

Local History Museum - Seagraves, TX

I took these photos a couple days ago. I intended to go back and take more, but I didn't.