Home With a Bigger (Golden) Egg

[Wanderer]

Thanks for your welcome, Kootenaigirl! Yes, a rite of passage, that's what it is for CDNs. My first mods will be a jockey wheel and the under-sink shelf, because I need mobility in our parking area. We push our Trillium around a lot, and until it is sold, we look like an over-crowded RV park. My neighbour has a large shop, and presently has three trailers in it, one almost new, getting weekly mods, an old Triple E getting a new totally different interior for a cross- Canada odyssey and a 50 year old 20' Airstream getting a new life. And me on our half acre with my two trailers. Yes, I may be dropping in on you next summer, if you are home; we haven't been to Alberta via the K's since our children were infants- mid 'seventies! Where do you pack your groceries? The huge under- berth areas are lacking from the Freedom!

[Wanderer]

As the crow flies! Haaaaaaa, wouldn't it be great if we could? Even the prairies have some wiggles.

[Wanderer]

Well, Ian, about three months has gone by since I last posted. We have just returned from two delightful weeks out of country, soaking up the Dominican Republic sun, which, despite (or because of) the heat, was easy to take. We departed and returned in 0 degrees temps. Before we left, well, a week before, it was as much as ten degrees warmer, suitable for working out in the Casita, and I was able to make great progress on my closet shelves project, replacing the rubbish pine hinge support with a two piece floor to ceiling oak 3/4" X 21/2" one. I measured and cut templates in 1/8" masonite and transferred here to 3/8' ply and fitted the first three shelves and measured and cut the template for the fourth shelf but did not transfer to ply because the fourth and fifth shelves are to extend right across the closet, either as one pice or two pice shelves. At this point it was time to toss some stuff in my backpack and at 2AM we headed off in the Tacoma to our Vancouver flight departure. I had periodically imagined myself, while kicking back in the sun, banging out those final two shelves, as soon as we returned, but it was not to be, as I developed a health problem down in the tropics which continued into the flight back home, and additionally, the morning after we returned, temps plummeted somewhat, and I was rather unwell, so no further progress has been made, and I've not felt inclined/well enough to brave the cold and open up the Casita. Also, before we left, sometime after my last post, I'd done two other mods- I installed a shore power marine fitting, and cut off that snake of attached cable that had also bothered me in our Trillium and caused me to wire in a 30 amp marine fitting there. The other much bigger mod, which took at least a week, and which tells you how mild the Dec temps were, was to take off all the doors on the closets and remove the sand coloured satin finish that had been applied either by a previous owner or Casita to all the doors. I used lots of Antique Stripper and scouring pads and it looks incredibly better than the paint, despite the obvious fake Casita wood finish. My choice was to make oak doors, but my wife decreed otherwise. I have yet to do the bathroom door and wardrobe door, but they will get done in the early spring. After the completion of the doors and the shelving, I'll do a quick under sink shelf and the trap removals from the sink plumbing and the shower, and do the grey tank mod, using Larry's kits. Then it will be time to start camping!

[Wanderer]

kootenaigirl, rude of me to ignore you. Sorry about that. Ian and kpootenaigirl, I was just thinking, I will have no use for the masonite templates after I'm done. If you have not yet done the shelving, I could transfer the masonite shapes to an old marathon finish line mylar blanket of my wife's and roll up and post copies to you. Were I sure of our summer plans, I'd offer to meet one/both of you and drop off the originals. Guess i could also post, but CDN post rates are a rip off. Give me your thoughts, OK?

[Ian G.]

Originally Posted by Wanderer

kootenaigirl, rude of me to ignore you. Sorry about that. Ian and kpootenaigirl, I was just thinking, I will have no use for the masonite templates after I'm done. If you have not yet done the shelving, I could transfer the masonite shapes to an old marathon finish line mylar blanket of my wife's and roll up and post copies to you. Were I sure of our summer plans, I'd offer to meet one/both of you and drop off the originals. Guess i could also post, but CDN post rates are a rip off. Give me your thoughts, OK?

Hi Kenneth

Thank you very much for the offer, I have already installed shelves in my Casita so don't have a need for templates.

As for meeting somewhere ... lets keep letting each other know where our plans are to travel espacially when close to the others home area. On that note I will be going to the Oregon Gathering in July, my plans are to travel west and drive down the Washington Oregon coast.

[Wanderer]

Ian, our parking space is available for you for an overnight on your way, if we are home when you come through in July. We live on the north side of the Fraser, 23 kms from Sumas, WA, just off Highway 7.When we go south, we drive into USA at Sumas, then south towards Bellingham, gas up and food and wine and beer up at the Safeway just before Bellingham, get onto I -5, and it's an easy drive to Kelso, just off I-5, and the next day, whizz down to Portland and then follow the south bank o the Columbia to Astoria. If you want to do the Route 99 South section of the WA coast to Astoria, you can cut across fro Sumas to a junction. Point is, you are welcome to park in our yard the night before. You probably know the interior routes better than I do. Last time I was in Calgary, stayed in Canmore overnight, and was back in Mission well before nightfall, (last week of Oct) but was towing an empty trailer and very tired of driving from Montreal, so it was a waste no time trip. Two years ago, we stayed overnight in Canmore, overnighted in the KOA in Revelstroke, and home the next afternoon, towing the Trillium. Let me know your plans. Oh, we make superb beer and better than OK wines. . . .

[Dave and Kathie]

Congrats on your FD, one of our favorite rigs! You might want to check out Rob's most amazing mods!

Our Casita Photos - a set on Flickr

D&K

[Ian G.]

Originally Posted by Wanderer

Ian, our parking space is available for you for an overnight on your way. . . .

Awesome, I may take you up on your very generous offer, thank you. The Oregon trip I will be bringing the Boler so won't take up at much room as the Casita LOL.

[kootenaigirl]

Hi Kenneth
I would love the templates, I will pm you as I will be in the area in July so could maybe pick them up.

[Wanderer]

Kootenaigirl, you are very welcome, I'll keep the originals for you and you can check out my Casita wardrobe And I'd love to meet you. You can park in the yard also! PM me with an email address so we can talk more easily.

[Wanderer]

Ian, when you go to " that place" the next day, do you need to take the Casita? If not, you have two options: leave the Casita at my place and drive the TV back up the Freeway, or, tow the rig to the parking lot behind Tim's a km before the border, leave it there and then go back up the Freeway in the TV- the Tim's is only about two or three kms off the Freeway on Sumas Way. Great people at "that place," by the way, and they sell a great product line.

[Wanderer]

Thanks or your email and all the news and your new web page, Ian. I have yet to digest it. Earlier this past week, I began to feel more healthy and decided to steel myself and peak under the front of the Casita to see what I'd have to do with the "troublesome shower"people complain about, and to figure what I have to order from Larry. It was like winning the Lotto! Well, not quite, but pleasant! I got down on bended knee, like Raleigh looking up his queen's skirt, pulled the Casita skirt up and couldn't see anything to complain about. All I could see was a Hepva valve and a beverage hose vent already installed by a previous owner!!! Thank you, previous owner, whichever one you are. I looked at the grey line also, while I was at it. It looks to be a no fuss, simple mod, though looks can be deceiving, as I well know. With Larry's well -engineered grey kit, which I'll order in the next couple of weeks, it should be even more simple. I'll also order the kitchen sink trap replacement kit at the same time, and as this one is done inside, I'll be able to do it as soon as I pick up the kit from Sumas, without freezing my bum off lying under the trailer. Guess when I do the grey, I'll have to jack up or hook up to the Tacoma and pull up onto some ramps or blocks for the ten minutes needed to do the grey mod. Ten minutes- about how long it takes me to find the trailer keys.

[kootenaigirl]

Hi Kenneth
Just checking you got my PM's as I hadn't heard anything?

[Borrego Dave]

Hi Ken, don't know if you've done the vent mod yet but you don't really have to run the trailer up on ramps. I had plenty of room with it in the driveway but you will need an angle drill to drill into the tee so that the new fitting is pointing towards where the main frame and cross frame meet.

[Wanderer]

Borrego Dave, I looked under the trailer a few days back and discovered I already have the shower mod and the grey tank vent done! I only have to do the grey tank mod now. Thanks for your input. Surely you have to get the trailer up on the drainage side to putin the new larger plumbing line and the new knife valve?

[Borrego Dave]

Hi Ken, I don't have that mod ...yet. It looks to me that you should have plenty of room to work but you could pull your rig up on a couple 2x6's on that side for extra room. Might be a good idea anyway as it would keep any liquids away from the drain exit .

[Wanderer]

A VERY wise thought, as I don't intend to wear a SCUBA suit.

[Wanderer]

I had decided to let this thread die, but today I read my last post and decided it needed one more post to do so! I ordered Larry's kit, put the Casita up on jack stands and did the fast grey mod without incident. Larry's kit is so complete, so well documented that the entire process is made anti-climactic. The only potential upset on pulling out the old plumbing from the tank, which an old man managed with no sweat or swearing, was a threatened upset to my stomach when about half a gallon of the foulest smelling grey "water" ran out into a bucket! Do this mod, but don't try to cobble the parts together, buy the kit from Larry.

The kitchen sink Hepvo kit has been installed also- another simple, well engineered effort from Larry. This one is a piece of cake. With the mod done, I went ahead and added the shelf. What a smashing idea that shelf is. I finished the closet shelving in early spring, so we are rolling in shelving and storage, with no more mods to do Ha Ha. As Kootenai Girls says, silly man. . . .

[Marinab]

Hey Ken, are you going to the fiberglass rally in Ft Langley next week?

[Wanderer]

I didn't know it was to be on, silly man! Guess it is all booked out by now, but we could come down on our bikes and look! We sometimes ride from Taylor Park to Fort Langley for coffee and a bite.