More drama with the Car Carrier!

So... continuing the drama with getting the carrier on top of the car:

We went to Walmart looking for longer straps and didn't find anything that would work. Then we went to Home Depot. The only straps they had with 1 inch width were only 8 feet long. The ones we currently have are 12 feet. So we found 1.25 inch racheting chords that have "S" hooks. The "S" hooks have a locking bar for extra security. We thought it would be perfect! Hook the "S" hooks onto where the old straps connected and the run it through the car. The racheting system would also allow me to be able to tighten the straps without any help.

When we get home and attempt to put the new straps on, the "S" hooks are TOO BIG to hook where the old straps were connected. After some brainstorming and another trip to Home Depot, we came up with a solution. We decided to put eyebolts throught the bars and hook the "S" hooks to the eye bolts. Then we would connect the straps and rachet them tight.

Well... IT WORKED! There is no vibration and no noise, and the carrier is strapped down tight. We took it out for a test drive and there were no issues. We also drilled a couple of holes through the carrier lid and base for padlocks. Not so much for added security.. but to keep the lid from coming off the base. The one comment we read in all the reviews of car-top carriers is that if the lid isn't fastened correctly, it could come off. Plastic can soften in heat and the built in locks could pop open. Now the lid is securely on and won't go anywhere. No Delano belonging littering the highways of the East Coast!

And we have more storage....

I mentioned in a previous post that we were going to get a car top carrier for extra storage. Well, we purchased one from Amazon.com. We had to get the mounting bars to put it on car, because "The Box" doesn't have a luggage rack. We also got extra straps to secure it on.

Kent put it together for me (in the living room). It was rather funny... he had to climb INTO the carrier to connect the hinges on the inside. I wish I had been able to get photos of THAT to put here! After it was all together, he connected it to the mounting bars. We took it out and put it on the roof of "The Box". We then tried to connect the straps to the door frame. The straps have metal hooks that connect to the ledge of the door. Guess what??? It doesn't HAVE a ledge!

So... we have put the extra straps to use, securing the bars onto the car. It worked out well except for one slight issue... the straps weren't long enough to secure without going across the roof of the car. The straps, when stretched across the roof, vibrate nicely when driving down the road. The vibration creates a VERY loud humming noise, which is then AMPLIFIED by the body of the car!!

We now need to purchase more straps (longer ones) that can secure the mounting bars by doubling back and not having to stretch across the roof. This should eliminate the lovely strap music and allow me to once again hear my radio.

Drawers?? What are they??

If I had to have a major complaint about the motorhome it would be... NO DRAWERS. There are a total of 4 drawers in the entire camper!

There are 2 tiny drawers in the kitchen area. The drawers are barely big enough to fit silverware... they don't even come close to being able to hold cooking utensils. One of the organization projects I completed was to hang the utensils on the wall. I used a small curtain rod and "S" hooks. The utensils swing wildly when we drive, but they don't fall off!

The other 2 drawers are under the clothes closet. Those will be used for the kids to store socks and undies. That is about all that will fit in those drawers.

While customizing the motorehome for this trip, we put in a 3 drawer plastic unit up in the upper bunk. It had to be secured to the wall (thank you Kent!) so that it didn't go flying around. That will be my storage for folding clothes and things.

Today I am going to try to get the clothes organized and in the motorhome. One thing that I noticed from our last trip was we took way too many clothes. I found that we all wore the same clothes (our favorites) over and over. The other clothes just sat there taking up space. Also... we were never in a place were we couldn't find a laundromat! So I really didn't need to have 3 weeks worth of underwear and socks. This time around, I am making sure we have a weeks worth, plus a couple extra in case of accidents or spillage. There will also be a few things in the car-top carrier; heavy clothes in case of cooler weather. Everything else will get donated.

We make due with what we have... and if we need something? I am sure I will be able to find a thrift store along the way!

Making my lists...

Well, our entire household has been packed up and is on a truck heading to Delaware.

I love lists... I think it has something to do with my personality (I am a virgo and can be JUST a little bit of a perfectionist). Lists keep me sane. Does anyone else make lists? I make shopping lists, to do lists, to remember lists, to call lists, for my honey to do lists, and lists of my lists!


So, here is my list of big things to complete in the next few days...

1. Connect the Blue-Ox Tow Bar to the RV.

2. Have Tow-Plate installed on car, so it can be towed.

2. Put car top carrier together and put on top of car. - As mentioned in items 1 and 2, this trip we are pulling the car behind the motorhome. I thought I would take advantage of the extra space and get a carrier. Right now the plan is storage for heavier clothes, extra home-school supplies, and things not being used on a daily basis.

3. Sort things in house that need to go IN the car top carrier. - We have WAY too much stuff to go in the motorhome. Time to sort and do another organizing purge.

4. Replace broken windshield on car. - Although I am sure it will get broken again being towed behind the RV, I need to replace it. I have had chips on my windshield for over a year now. I promised myself I would replace the windshield as soon as those chips (that turned into cracks) met in the middle... and they have. It's time.

5. Mount Bicycle rack to the car. - Yes, the bikes are coming with us.

6. Mount footlocker/storage box to the bumper - With two kids, a place is needed to store things like baseballs, balls, outside toys, etc... We are trying to utilize as much storage outside the RV as possible.

7. Renew registrations for both car and motorhome.

8. Get oil change on motorhome.

9. Replace windshield wipers on motorhome.


There is a lot more to do with the house and inside the motorhome, but these are the major things that need to get done before we head out on the road!

Getting ready to hit the road!

As we are going to be putting A LOT of miles on the motorhome, I wanted to make sure everything is in good running order. We now have 6 new tires! The best of the old tires is now the spare. It's scary how bad the old tires were. There was very little tread, and dry rot/cracking on almost all of them.

<-------- New Tire

A shout out goes out to "DISCOUNT TIRES" for a great deal on the tires. They have a replacement warrenty for their tires that I had to use two times on the car. Both times my tires had to be replaced and I only had to pay the amount needed to buy the warrenty for the new tires (about $15!). GREAT DEAL!

We also had a alignment done. The front stabilizer was bad and is now replaced. I know it's a petty thing, but the steering wheel is now centered... it was very crooked before and was driving me crazy! It was really hard to find somewhere that could do an alignment on a motorhome! They don't do alignments at any of the RV places, and most businesses that do alignments don't have the clearance to handle a motorhome.

<--------- Steering wheel straight

We finally found a place (through a couple of recommendations) that could handle an alignment on a motorhome. They deserve a shot out as well.. "ALBUQUERQUE BRAKE & ALIGNMENT". They were friendly, helpful, and reasonably priced.

Now that this work is done, I feel safer hitting the road.

Saying goodbye....

As our time here in New Mexico comes to a close, we are slowly saying goodbye to friends and acquaintances. The boys are having a hard time preparing to leave.

Liam is especially feeling sad. He has been receiving Occupational therapy (OT)and Emotional therapy from two great providers in this area... Kendra from "Explorabilities", and Jen from "All Faiths". They have helped him so much over the past year, and the family as well. They have provided much needed support to all of us. Today was his last appointment with both of them. They both had a special day planned for Liam, making him excited as well as sad.

I have been taking photos of things that have been important to both boys while they have been here... of their friends and of people who have made a difference in their lives. I am putting together a small photo album for each of them... so they can remember the good times they had here in Albuquerque.

Bless Our Motor Home

Bless our little motor home

as down the road we go.

Here and there and everywhere,

traveling to and fro.

Please guide us through the traffic

and the storms along the way.

Keep us alert when nights are long,

grant patience for each day.

Help us find a place to park

where we can have some fun.

Chase the clouds far away

send blue skies, lots of fun.

And when we reach our destination,

always thankful we will be;

For the time we spend together,

having fun and living free.

~ Judith Bullock Morse

Introductions - Meet Barkley!

Meet the newest member of our family... Barkley. He just turned 4 months old and is just a big, lovable furball. His dad was a Husky, and his mom was a Heeler/Collie. He is so goofy-looking that he is cute.

He makes us laugh, and sometimes? He makes us yell! I am sure that he is beginning to think his name is "No, Barkley, NO!" He likes to chew... on EVERYTHING! So far we have lost shoes, hats, gloves, toys, and computer parts. We are trying to keep him supplied with lots of hard bones to keep him busy.

Right now my biggest concern with Barkley is his bladder. It seems to be about the size of a dime, and he must drink a couple of gallons of water a day. I am seriously considering a revolving door in the house, as he seems to want to go back outside before the door has even swung shut. So what will this be like in the motorhome?? I have NO idea. Hopefully his bladder will start catching up with the rest of his growth.

He is a really sweet puppy who loves to curl up with us and just be loved. He has fun wrestling and romping with Rascal. He plays hard, and he crashes hard. He is also scared to death of Molson, our fat orange tabby cat. I am not sure what started the terrorizing... but all Molson has to do is walk into the room and he has Barkley quaking in his paws. I have seen Barkley go from a deep sleep on the floor, to being on my lap shivering... with just a jingle of Molson's collar!

Hopefully they will become friends in the future... as soon as Molson knows that he has put Barkley in his place.

Introductions - Meet Rascal!

I would like you to meet our big ball of energy, aptly named Rascal. Rascal is about 2 years old. He was rescued from the back of pickup truck in the heat of the New Mexican summer. He was in a mesh plastic bag amidst the garbage. He weighed 4 pounds and had HUGE ears. The person who rescued him raised and showed pitbulls. She thought that the puppy was a chihuaha and named him killer... to be a strong little dog amoung the pitbulls. HAH!

He is what we lovingly refer to as a New Mexican Dirt Dog. He is a mutt of unknown origin that now weighs about 55 pounds. He is so energetic that sometimes he drives us crazy!! He is a family dog and has so much love to go around to everyone.

The only toys Rascal is allowed to have are REAL bones, and rope bones. Anything and everything else gets EATEN! When I say anything, I mean it... plastic, fabric, rubber. Nothing stands a chance against Rascal. We have found more surprises in piles in the back yard... it is nothing to hear someone say "EWWW! You have GOT to see this!"

The biggest challenge we will have with Rascal on this trip is keeping him calm and getting him enough exercise. Rascal is going to be crated while we are on the move... for everyone's safety and sanity.

Introductions - Meet Molson!

I thought I would introduce you to all the travelers that will be going on this trip. I will start off with our feline friend Molson.

Molson is our 20 pound Orange-striped tabby cat. He is rescued, and is now about 7 years old. When we got him he was a teeny tiny little furball. He is now one big cat... with an even bigger attitude! He was raised with 2 large dogs and I think he believes himself to be a dog (shhhh... don't tell him he is actually a cat!).

He was with us when we made our trip down the west coast, and hopefully will adapt as well on this trip. He tolerates Rascal, and seems to enjoy tormenting Barkley (our puppy). Hopefully once Barkley realizes that Molson is the Alpha Male, all will be well.

My one concern with Molson on this trip is the possibility of a cat escape. With 2 boys and 2 dogs going in and out, there is a good possiblity that Molson could escape. That will be something that we will have to be very careful about. He got away once in Oregon (I left the window open in the cab) and I was so worried! We found him on the outskirts of the campground, late at night after it got quiet.

Molson is a very cuddly (when he wants to be) and is very loving toward the boys. He lets his opinion be known... very loudly. He is an important part of our family, and he claims the title of "top dog" with our furry friends.

Remodeling The Motorhome - The Bathroom

Before...



After...



One of the issues with the bathroom (besides being so small) is the only towel bars were on the door. They are nice towel bars, but if you hang a towel on both of them... the bottom towel stays wet. We also had to keep the dirty laundry basket in the tub.

In a motorhome, surface area is at a premium. The more you can hang the better. We now have 2 large towel bars and a laundry basket hanging on the wall. The towel bars on the door can now be used for washclothes and hand towels.

Remodeling The Motorhome - The Closet

Before...

After...

There are two closets in the motorhome. This closet had only hanging space. Hanging space is not very practical for little boys jeans or folded items.

Another issue we were having is that the boys can't reach the hanging bar to hang their clothes. I left some hanging space but put some cubes in for folded clothes. I used zip ties to create shelves in the cubes and reinforce the cube walls. We also used zip ties to anchor the entire shelf unit to the bar.