WalterGustafson
USA
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Joined: 08/25/2021
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Thanks for sharing
https://mobileconcretecontractors.com
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Black95
South Dakota
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Joined: 12/18/2014
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As I and my wife are getting up there in age, we grew tired of the small 4 inch screen of our GPS unit in the van. Recently I upgraded to a Garmin RV 890 model with an 8 inch screen. We both can see it much better and love all the extra features that our little one did not have. I made a larger DIY mounting for the slot in the van's dash and it works very well.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/nBUFh0jl.jpg)
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/A3XpIPLl.jpg)
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J herb
So. Oregon
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Joined: 03/07/2003
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HI Mike
nice to see that you are getting a lot of use out of your van, and a few new mods too.I just bought a new Garmin 6" GPS and mounted it like you have yours ( thanks for the idea )
WE have not been out a lot do to fires and smoke, hot weather a lot 95 +
days,and the Oregon Coast has to many people camping during the summer and early Fall, made 4 trips with the van this year so far.
I may have to have a high top installed on the van or sell it and buy a Ford high top van do to a bad back.
J herb
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ronbiel
AL
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Joined: 05/17/2021
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Nice upgrade! I also prefer a larger screen so that I can easily see the maps.
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Black95
South Dakota
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Joined: 12/18/2014
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I have not done any camping since back in August. Not that the weather wasn't nice, it has been great for this time of year. Today, in northern South Dakota we had temps in the 60's which is really great for this time of year. What has taken me away from camping was selling our big house in the small town of Roscoe and moving to our smaller house near the campus of Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD. It was my wife's winter house when she worked for the University and now that we have been retired we decided it was time to downsize and rid ourselves of 40 years of accumulated "stuff." We went from a four bedroom house with a four car garage down to a two bedroom home with a one car garage. That meant that a lot of the "stuff" had to go. Good turnout at our rummage sales and good response from local online rummage sales helped a lot. Naturally I had to get a storage space big enough to put the Corvette and the camper conversion van in for the winter. We are really enjoying our retirement in a larger town and, especially, with the University so close we can attend a lot of free music recitals. But today with such nice weather I decided it was time to upgrade the conversion van camper with an Maxi-Trac 8 foot awning from NAPA. Installation was a breeze. I just drilled four holes in my roof rack mount and bolted it up. Now I am going to plan a camping trip in the near future and try it out. I am sure it will work slicker than our old 9x9 Gander Mountain one. We will keep it and maybe use it as a free standing one for a picnic table. I will update this post with a picture of the awning extended in use on our next camping adventure.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/4vzznrwl.jpg)
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drsolo
Milwaukee
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Joined: 12/05/2011
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Black'95 wrote:
... now that we have been retired we decided it was time to downsize and rid ourselves of 40 years of accumulated "stuff."
,,,,storage space big enough to put the Corvette and the camper conversion van in for the winter.
... upgrade the conversion van camper with an Maxi-Trac 8 foot awning from NAPA.
When DH retired from teaching in spring 2018 we did a whole house clean out, round 1. It is VERY liberating altho I had to watch several episodes of "Hoarders" to prime myself to really get into selling, giving, Goodwill and just throwing away.
We got an awning on our TT which is such a pain with the wind down here in FL that we just stick big umbrellas in metal tubes we pounded into the ground.
I would LOVE to see a CCvan pulling a Corvette. The most outrageous thing I saw was a big MH with a motorcycle mounted on the back and ON the motorcycle was a skeleton. I got one lousy shot thru a dirty windscreen but I hope you can see the outline of the white skeleton. The MH was also pulling a white SUV?![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/KKCqmlMl.jpg )
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/m3zZPvb.png) Click For Full-Size Image.
Ingrid and Dan Retired teachers from Milwaukee, WI
1992 GMC Vandura conversion
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Black95
South Dakota
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This is my first camping trip since about 9 months ago in August of 2021. Went camping over Mothers Day at Oahe Campground #1 is our favorite site #42. It was a beautiful weekend. We have not been camping since last August because we decided to downsize from our four bedroom house with 2 1/2 baths, a sauna, and a four car heated garage to a smaller house in the big city of Aberdeen, SD which is a 2 bedroom with 2 baths and a single car garage. It involved a lot of rummage sales and online selling to get rid of much that we had accumulated in 40 years in the same place. We decided to retire to a larger city and downsize a lot of our possessions to save the kids some headache when we get too old to care for it all. We do love it living in a larger city instead of the smaller town of about 350 that we had lived in almost all of our lives. It helped that a found a heated storage shed for my camper van, Corvette, and wood shop tools. About the only upgrade I have made to my DIY camper van was an improvement to the overhead water storage system. I used 6" PVC tubing for the tank and had it connected to an air compressor quick disconnect line to the water valve located on the side of my van. I changed it to a garden hose quick disconnect which allows a lot more water to flow through the tubing. I did have to add a shut off valve to it as the garden hose quick connect does not shut off the flow when disconnected like the air compressor disconnect did. Everything works better now. The water tap is connected to one of those magnetic tool trays for easy access. I did not get a chance to open my new awning from NAPA as the weather was a little too breezy. Maybe next trip I will post a picture of it in use.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/7FWRGcbl.jpg) ![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/a0vRZhdl.jpg)
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J herb
So. Oregon
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Joined: 03/07/2003
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HI Mike,
good to see you posting again and I know that you have moved and that is a lot of work. We have lived in this house for almost 42 years and I
have started to get rid of things too.
It was nice to take your wife out for Mother's Day camping.
I got a high top put on my van and just getting the rebuild about done,
love that we can stand up in it and the extra storage that we got with it.
Go over and check out my postings from yesterday to see the pictures
of the new top and rebuild.
Hope that you get to do some more camping this spring. Jay
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Black95
South Dakota
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Planning on heading out again for our 2nd camping trip of the year. We are going to a local campground at Richmond Lake Recreation Area. Another equipment testing camp night. We love to hike when we camp and, being a woodworker, l like to make my own things if possible. One of the things i have made for myself and most members of our family is a walking or hiking stick. I make mine out of walnut most of the time, although I have made them out of oak and bamboo. I usually put a 1/4" threaded stud on top to act as a camera monopod, then I put a threaded adapter into a wood ball to top it off. On the bottom I usually add a pointed end with a rubber removable cover on it. I get these from websites that cater to walking stick DIY'ers. When we visit different national parks I am always on the lookout for medallions to add to my stick. A few times when I could not find any, the place may have a penny press machine that turns your penny into a souvenir that I can drill small holes in and attach to my walking stick. My wife likes to keep her stick lighter so she chooses not to adorn hers. Over the many years I have been collecting hiking medallions I have filled up two hiking sticks and am now working on my third, which will probably be my last as I am in my late 70's.. I also add a hand strap on the top of each stick sort of like they use on ski poles. We give our hiking sticks a workout on every camping trip.
![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/WNktZdYl.jpg)
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pasusan
Northernmost PA
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Joined: 05/13/2009
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^^
Those are really neat -I've got a hiking stick/monopod with a strap just like those - only not handmade. Just got a mount for my phone for Christmas which I use to take panoramic videos...
Great job!
"I'm out here to enjoy nature -- don't talk to me about the environment!" ~Denny Crane
Susan & Ben
2004 Roadtrek 170 for quick getaways
84 Bronco & 90 Award Classic 23 joined with a Hensley Cub for longer trips
Trip Pics
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![[image]](https://i.imgur.com/KKCqmlM.jpg )
