2013 US National Parks Tour Overview

2013 US National Parks Tour Overview

Saturday, May 4, 2013

More preparedness...

As we near the start date of our big trip, it's time to check of those last few things that need to get done.

Below, my wife is sewing a strap that we will be using to put a thin folding plastic table under the piece of wood located under the bedding on the backside of the van above the storage area.







Essentially, we are making a prep table we can use at the campsite.  Here you can see the plastic table strapped on, hardly taking up much space in the storage area.







I also added some lovely imitation fur seat covers I bought on clearance. They did require taking the armrests off with an allen wrench and cutting holes for the armrests and headrests.  They look pretty sharp and are very comfortable.



Next, I've gone ahead and attached velcro straps around the galley area of the van.  They can be used to hold lightweight items.  We've also setup a cargo net to help keep things off the ground while we are driving. Nothing is more frustrating then clutter on the ground when working in a small space.



On our last big trip, we had the check engine light come on.  It became frustrating because we couldn't just take it to an Auto parts store as they have stopped giving the free service of reading the faults with their OBD scanner.  In fact, they told me I had to either buy their $200 scanner or go to a mechanic who will charge at least $40.




After talking with a friend of ours, he told us about a how check you can get a tool on the internet that can read the ECU and give you the fault codes, and other data that the ECU collects and display it on an Android smart phone.  I ended up ordering the hardware which is a cheap OBD bluetooth scanner which ranges from $15 to $25 and the software is free in the Google Play market and called "Torque."  It works like a charm.  This particular one I picked up from Amazon.com because of it's very good reviews and build quality.  It is from a company called BAFX.

Finally, my wife has been working on a roof top vent screen that we can velcro on and allow us to get ventilation without the mosquitos.  We'll be making some for driver and passenger side windows next which should allow plenty of ventilation without getting eaten up.





Here the felt heart is to let us know the vent is open.

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