Archives for 2010

Apr 13 2010

Goin’ campin’

There really is a difference between “traveling” by RV or trailer, and “camping”. When we are in the big thirty-foot Airstream Safari, we travel. We stay in campgrounds fairly often but we don’t make camp fires, or cook outside, or lounge around in hammocks. Instead, we go exploring the local area, do our grocery shopping, work, school, have business meetings, and get together with friends in the area. This can go on for months at a time, even years. It’s a great lifestyle, but it’s not camping.

Things are different in the Caravel. We’re forced into camping mode just by the diminutive nature of the trailer. We can’t carry much stuff, and the tiny size of the trailer encourages one to sit, nap, eat, and socialize in the great outdoors.

I find this to be a refreshing change from the full-time travel experience. “Think Small,” was the slogan of Volkswagen in the 1960s, and it could as easy be the slogan for tiny travel trailers. By thinking small, we are forced to focus on the under-appreciated little things, like the sweet smell of blooming flowers on a spring day as you sit outside with a book. Suddenly, without many distractions indoors, you start to notice the bees pollinating nearby, the songs of birds in the morning, and the sensation of tensions easing as your subconscious accepts that today you have “nothing” pressing to do except relax.

Two weeks ago when we were at Picacho Peak I was reflecting on our neighbors, who were camping in teardrop trailers. Except for motorcycle trailers, teardrops are the smallest camping units on wheels you can find. The interior is usually just large enough for two people to lie down, or sit with a book. Cooking is done, by design and necessity, outdoors from a “chuck wagon” built into the rear of the trailer. If you want further shelter, you’ll have to pitch a tent. This minimalist lifestyle strikes me as a great system when you really want to disconnect for a few days. Only by stripping away all the accoutrements that we gather around ourselves, can you really get back to yourself. I get the same feeling when we tent camp — it’s much less comfortable than either of the Airstreams, but it’s fun.

This weekend we are heading to Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona. We’ll take the little Caravel and spend the weekend hiking the great trails. There will be no TV, no cell phones, no water slides. But there will be a “wonderland of rocks” and splendid vistas from the peaks, plus plenty of quality family time of a type we don’t get when we are at home. If you are in the area and interested in joining us, just drop by Bonita Canyon Campground (max trailer length 28 feet). It’s first-come, first-served and the campground fills up most nights at this time of year, so get there early!

Apr 08 2010

Ingo Vision backup camera

If you’re not already sweating with anticipation, just from the title of this blog post, you may wish to tune out. This is a geek session.

I got my IngoVision backup camera installed yesterday, along with the Mid-City Engineering interface module for the Mercedes COMAND unit (that’s the factory-supplied “all in one” box for the radio/CD/DVD/nav/Bluetooth/iPod etc.). The result has been exactly what I was hoping for — a good, clear, full-color rear view while towing.

Here’s how it attaches to the car. The Ingo “PremiumCam” kit includes a very tough external connector which we mounted on a gusset attached to the receiver hitch. It looks just like a miniature version of the 7-way connector for the Airstream.

The rest of the kit (left, click for larger view) includes a coiled cable that runs between the Airstream and the Mercedes, a second plug to mount on the tongue of the Airstream, and a long run of cable that will go to the back of the Airstream. The camera will mount on the bumper compartment lid at the back of the Airstream.

Inside the car, the Mid-City VIM164p interface box was attached to the back of the COMAND unit, and the camera cable was connected to the COMAND’s backup camera input. That part of the installation is completely invisible, since it is all hidden inside the dashboard.

In the picture above at left, you can see all the cables and camera plugged into the Mercedes for a test, since I haven’t yet put it on the Airstream. Ingo mounted the Airstream plug on his propane tank cover, which is very slick and looks like a factory design. I’m mounting mine on the flagpole holder, which is bolted to the electric jack. The cable will run in a protected loom under the bellypan, so it should be a quick installation with some ties and rivets.

Up front, the interface module allows the camera to be tied into the COMAND system as if it were OEM equipment. I just press one button on the steering wheel and there’s the picture from behind the Airstream. It’s a little stretched, probably due to the difference in aspect ratio between the Ingo-supplied screen and the Mercedes screen, but it looks good.

The camera also automatically activates when in reverse. The nagging text you see at the top of the screen is superimposed by the Mercedes COMAND unit, not the Ingo system.

If you have a truck or SUV with more interior space, and don’t go for the fancy integrated nav screen deal that I did, you can get the same camera system for a pretty reasonable price. The IngoVision PremiumCam (two-camera) system runs $599. The BaseCam (one camera) system is $399. That gets you everything you need including the screen. Installation can be DIY, or you can bring it to a local automotive electronics store and have them do it in a couple of hours.

I think this will qualify as a legitimate safety improvement. I’ve seen a lot of Airstreams with backup cameras (usually older models and Classic motorhomes), which suggests to me that at one time it was probably a factory option. Well, those cameras have come a long way since then — they’re smaller, cheaper, and have color, “night vision,” and better resolution. I think it’s time Airstream consider bringing back this option as a way to improve safety for owners.

I can’t wait to get try this out on the road. My first chance will probably be in May when we shove off for the big summer/fall trip. I’ll report on our experiences with it once we get moving.

Apr 06 2010

Readying for summer 2010

As always, we are looking six to eight months into the future to plan our travels this season. This year the plan is fairly ambitious for a family that is supposedly not full-timing anymore. We will leave Tucson in early May and likely not return until mid-November.

I’m not entirely sure about this amount of time on the road this year. Life in Arizona has been pleasant and easy, and I like to be here for at least a little of the hot weather. Last year we stayed until mid-June and got a solid month of 100-degree days, which I actually like except for the air conditioning bill. And usually we get back in October, just in time to catch the last week or two of hot days and warm nights. So I find myself reviewing the tentative travel plan and wondering, “Do we really need to be out that long?”

But when I flip over my Magic 8-Ball, the answer keeps coming up “Yes.” We have a lot to do this year. I am launching a new magazine (first issue due out in October 2010, topic to be announced later) and that means double-duty on the road. We’ll be doing both Airstream stuff, like Alumapalooza, and prep work for the new magazine all over the country. Plus, we are expecting to attend a wedding on the east coast, and visit family. So Eleanor and I have been playing “connect the dots” with the US map, and we’ve strung together a route that basically goes like this: AZ-CO-OH-NY-VT-MA-CT-VA-NC-GA-FL-LA-TX-NM-AZ. I figure we’ll log about 14,000 miles all inclusive, over six months.

(Flags on the map are only the stops we know of at this time. We’ll make others …)

This may be the last year we can pull off this sort of mega-trip. Our daughter is reaching an age where she has responsibilities and long-term projects that can only be completed at home base. I am gradually accumulating projects that may require a little more air travel, too. We’re going to have to face some tough decisions in 2011. So as always, we need to look at this trip as if it might be our last, and try to make the most of it.

Part of our pre-expedition prep is to get the tow vehicle and Airstream in shape. The Airstream is already set to go, in fine running condition thanks to work done on our California trip in January. (I can’t wait to log some real miles on those new Michelin LTX tires and see if they live up to the promise! Finally, a trip without multiple tire failures? Wouldn’t that be nice?)

The Mercedes is also set to go, but I’m going to make a few improvements. One item to be installed will be a clear paint protector on the hood, mirrors, and forward part of the fenders. Here in Arizona you can tell the mileage of a car just by counting the chips in the hood and grill paint, thanks to our sandy/gravelly environment. The Mercedes is less than a year old, but already has two chips in the paint on the hood and a few more on the mirrors. Since I plan to keep it for a long time, I guess I’ll spend the money on the paint shield. Bah. We didn’t have to do this on the Armada, because its hood was much higher off the ground. I’ve noticed that the lower the hood on a car, the more quickly it gets dinged.

Another upgrade will be to install Ingo’s camera. Last January when we were camping in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, a fellow named Ingo Werk happened to be camping nearby. Ingo and I “knew” each other only via the Internet (a couple of years ago he contributed a small article to Airstream Life magazine), so it was nice to finally meet in person. He’s an Airstream owner of course, but it turns out that he also has a company that makes automotive upgrades — and his latest product is “INGO VISION,” a very cool backup camera system with “night vision” and two cameras. One camera goes on your tow vehicle, and the other goes on your Airstream.

I saw this in operation on Ingo’s rig and was very impressed. There’s a 7-inch LCD screen that mounts in your truck and operates the cameras. At the push of a button you can see the view from either camera. The system is wired rather than wireless (so you can get a reliable and extremely clear view in color). With his “premium cam” Ingo supplies wiring and connectors so you can hook up the Airstream camera from the truck using a quick-disconnect plug. When you are towing, you can constantly monitor the traffic behind your Airstream on the LCD screen. When you’re not towing, the backup cam on the truck still works, which is handy for hitching up.

There was only one problem for us. The interior space of the GL320 is pretty limited, and I could not find a place to mount the 7″ screen where it would not crowd us. In a typical truck or larger SUV there would be no problem, but we are already struggling with a GPS and tire pressure monitor in a fairly tight cockpit. Fortunately, I discovered the wizards at Mid-City Engineering, who make OEM-quality upgrade modules for various cars. They have a little magic interface box that will make the Ingo Vision camera image appear right on the built-in nav screen in the car. Very cool.

So I’ve gotten that box and arranged for the local car electronics place to install it tomorrow, along with the plug on the back of the Merc for the Airstream’s camera. I’ll still need to mount the Ingo Vision camera on the back of the Airstream, and string the camera wire from front to back of the Airstream, but that should be a reasonable DIY job. Once it is all running, I’ll be able to watch the view behind the Airstream while towing, which should be a huge help to my overall situation awareness. (Normally I’m all about looking forward and not backward, but in this case I’ll make an exception.) I’ll post pictures of the setup in a separate blog post, later.

Finishing up house projects is the other major task before we go. We have begun to take our house a little more seriously, so we are very slowly fixing the things that we have ignored over the past three years. None of the projects are huge, but it’s important to tie up all the loose ends before we take off. Mostly that means planting a few trees and getting them established, fixing some drainage issues, finalizing some painting projects, zapping the weeds, and other such homebody tasks.

Doing these things helps motivate me to leave. I don’t like doing house maintenance. Once we are on the road, we can forget we have a house and just live in the moment. It’s always briefly disorienting, then freeing, and finally comforting to know that don’t need to a house and all the stuff that goes with it. When we are in the house, that perspective is hard to maintain.

We’ve got one more camping trip planned locally before we take off. Sometime in the next two weeks we’ll go to southeastern Arizona to explore the wonderful Chiricahua National Monument and some great national forest campsites nearby. This will be a Caravel trip, since the big Safari won’t fit in those campsites. The mountains run about 5,000-7,000 feet, which is why we’ve waited as late as possible in the season to visit them. Even in mid-April we’ll probably have freezing nights. But this area has been on our “to do” list for three years and if we don’t go in April we won’t be able to go again until sometime in 2011. There won’t be nightly blog reports since I don’t expect any cellular service, but I’ll post a full report upon our return.

Mar 28 2010

Desert bloom at Picacho Peak

As we had hoped, the rainfall this winter is turning the desert into a virtual carpet of green. Little yellow flowers are lining the hillside with long yellow streaks punctuated by tall saguaro cactus. Once your eye focuses on the details, you can see blue lupine (?) everywhere, and tiny white flowers just now budding in the shadows beneath taller plants.

After a morning of pancakes out by the Fabers’ Bambi, I collected all the excuses for why nobody wanted to do the full hike to the top of Picacho Peak. No matter—there is a shorter, easy hike (0.7 miles) up to a low saddle with an excellent view that almost everyone was able to do. Eleanor stayed behind to do battle with that virus, but Emma, Craig, Ken, Petey, Rick, and Mike all came along. Even for folks over 70 years of age, and those with questionable knees, the hike was easy thanks to plenty of photo stops along the way.

I mentioned yesterday that this was an official Tin Can Tourists event. We were surprised to get visits from other TCT members who had read about it in the newsletter and decided to drop in on Saturday afternoon, just to see what was up.

Three guys with a 1960s Silver Streak motorhome swung by, and another guy came by with a custom hot rod. We also had a visit from a nice couple who left their converted GMC bus at home. If we organize more TCT events in the future I’m sure we’ll get a chance to see that bus. That’s motivation for me right there—I love to see the buses.

The TCT crowd is an exceptionally nice and diverse group of people, which makes camping with them a really great experience. There’s always something to talk about and stories to hear. That probably explains why we never did get away from the campground for that Dairy Queen Blizzard … but in the evening there was the traditional campfire (courtesy of Rick and Judy’s wood) and birthday pie in honor of Eleanor. Too bad she was back in the trailer snoozing again. We’ll do her birthday again later this week when she can properly enjoy it.

The Caravel test has been a success. Yes, it’s very small and we have to work around each other to function in the trailer. But it still works as well as it did the last time we camped in it five years ago. Better, actually, since it no longer leaks or smells funny. The larger refrigerator is more usable, the beds are more comfortable, and we’ve learned in the intervening years how to pack it properly so we can actually fit what we need. I was really wondering if we’d come out of this weekend planning to sell it. Instead, we’ve got a plan to go camping again in two weeks up in the Chiricahua Mountains, where the national forest campgrounds are too small for our 30-foot Airstream.

Mar 27 2010

A Blizzard at Picacho Peak State Park

The phenomenon that passes for winter in southern Arizona has ended, and that means it is prime camping season down here in the desert southwest.

This spring is expected to be particularly fine. A Pacific El Nino effect brought us storm after storm (amounting to a few inches of rain here), which is inspiring the colorful desert flowers to bloom with vigor. Plus, the special funds that pay for state parks were raided by our state politicians so that two-thirds of the meager Arizona state park system will be closing this year. So time is running out for everyone to visit the state parks. After that, you can just keep driving on I-10 to California, if they have any parks left…

So, a few weeks ago I extended an invitation to the Tin Can Tourists to join us at Picacho Peak State Park for this weekend. Besides the flowers and the imminent doom of the parks, I wanted to climb the dizzying Picacho Peak one more time and hopefully bring Eleanor and Emma up too. We also wanted to camp in the Caravel for the first time as a family since 2005.

Alas, reality stepped in, in the form of a virus. Two weeks ago we went to a karate tournament, where Emma picked up two 3rd place medals and both she and I picked up a souvenir case of food poisoning (we think) and a cold virus. We spent the next two days unpleasantly — I’ll spare you the details — and the following week going through what turned out to be a particularly tough cold. A week later we were both entering the final grim stage of borderline sinusitis and then of course Eleanor got it and the routine started over again. So we arrived at Picacho Peak yesterday afternoon with Eleanor in a fairly limp and weakened state, and me with a distinct lack of breath that made it clear I would not be leading a hike up the mountain.

Well, despite all that the park is looking fine. There are little yellow flowers everywhere, as well as a blue flower that looks sort of like a cross between a bluebonnet or lupine. I’m not strong on flower identification, but it’s all pretty, so who cares? The bloom is definitely not at peak yet, and it would be well worth anyone’s time to come visit the park over the next couple of months. By June, the flowers will be in decline and the park itself will be closed.

We have six rigs here: ourselves in the 17 foot 1968 Airstream Caravel; our friends Ken & Petey Faber in their latest project (a 1961 Airstream Bambi, 16 feet of cuteness); Betty in her kit-build teardrop; Craig in his 1969 Newell motorhome; Judy & Rick in their late 80’s Airstream Sovereign 23; and Mike & Rosemary in their late-model Airstream. Some friends of Betty’s are also here in another teardrop trailer.

Nobody seems to be planning to hike to the summit. We are the youngest in the crowd, and everyone else has an excuse involving knees, lungs, viruses, or a strong commitment to a sedentary lifestyle. I think if I went today I would be quite alone.

So instead we brought two cans of Batter Blaster and a pair of griddles, and we will be making pancakes for all at 8:30. After that, we shall let the day unfold as it will. There is “nothing” to do here except hike, take pictures, socialize, explore the new visitor center, picnic, make campfires, paint (as Petey is doing in her Bambi in the photo at right), read trashy novels, take tours of each other’s trailers, nap, and make pancakes. Oh, and there’s a Dairy Queen at the rest area a mile away … can you say “Blizzard”?

So don’t feel badly for us. Life is good in the desert these days, despite bacterial and virus infections, and we are all pleased to get to try out our baby trailer again. Although I have to admit it doesn’t seem all that small compared to the 16-foot Bambi next door, and the tiny teardrops parked just up the hill. I’ll report further on life in 17 feet later this weekend.