Matt's New Mexico (Formerly Airstream) Adventure
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We covered a lot of ground yesterday. I needed a fitting for the trailer hitch hook up and the masked folks at Auto Zone were nice enough to meet me in the parking lot to sell me one for $20.
We got the 50 Amp "shore power" hooked up to my father in law's excessively equipped "wood shop" so we spent most of the day testing out the various electrical components of the truck.
The 3 flat screen LED Samsung televisions work great. (#roughingit) We hooked up the Amazon Fire Stick to the HDMI splitter so all 3 can run Netflix (Tiger King), Disney Plus (Mandalorian), Amazon Prime (The Boys), Hulu (The Magicians), and CBS All Access (Picard).
We figured out the difference between things that will work when hooked up to shore power and things that will work when we are using only the batteries when we're out in the middle of nowhere, or what RV people call "Boondocking."
I figured out what each of the 5 included keys is for, instead of a sixth one that remains a mystery. I'm excited to figure that out. We also figured out how the automatic roof vents work. They're pretty cool, they will turn off and close automatically as soon as it starts to rain. It's the little things with me.
We also found that the deadbolt is broken and since it takes an Airstream employee a full working day to construct a single door it's not likely we'll be getting that fixed anytime soon. Fortunately the deadbolt is a secondary lock and campgrounds tend to be pretty safe so I'm not sweating that one too much. Also, the Airstream forums had loads of complaints about the deadbolts failing which also makes me feel a little better.
We spent the night Friday in the trailer and it was really comfortable. Until I woke up the next morning with a splitting headache, the source of which I was unable to identify until about 6 hours later when my wife discovered some surface mold on the floor of one of the bedroom's storage compartments. Well, headaches are the main symptom of my mold allergy so we discussed our options. Hooking it up for our first trip to a dealer for service didn't seem too attractive so we consulted my father in law who just happened to have a negative air machine in his "den." If it weren't totally trashed from the kids being here for just one day and from his general Howard Hughes quarantine lifestyle I'd include a photo for you. But on a good day imagine people meeting here to listen to the detective illuminate the house guests as to who murdered the eccentric millionaire. We blasted the trailer with O2 all night so we'll see today how it feels. Hopefully there's no hidden framing damage under that floor? It seemed pretty solid, probably someone just threw a wet towel or shoes in there and closed the door. Fingers crossed.
Today we may try to install the composting toilet we bought. This will hopefully prevent us from having to deal with the dreaded black water tank that holds the regular toilet waste and needs to be emptied at the end of each trip before disembarking. Instead all we need to do is remove the container filled with magical unicorn dust and sprinkle it lovingly in the woods behind our site. At least that's how they advertise it. I'll try to get some photos to post before day's end. Of the install process, not of me using the toilet. Unless there's a thread hidden around here for that sort of thing.
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Het @Matt .. really enjoying this adventure of yours… Im way too insecure to ever think of giving this a try myself..
Just thinking about the headache.. does the Airstream have a CO detector? . a headache is a symptom of elevated CO levels .. and being your living inside a vehicle and all.. just thought Id mention it. Stay safe and have fun! -
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Here’s the “wood shop”…
Dear god, those pictures cause such intense envy…
He's a great guy and works hard so he deserves every bit of it. I don't know anyone else who I could call and say "Hey would you mind helping me pull a macerating toilet half full of a stranger's shit then make me dinner and let me drink all your booze?" It's a take and take relationship for sure and he's perfectly content with being provided with grandchildren.
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Toilet Update:
The old toilet's out and the black tank drain line has been converted into a venting line for the new composting toilet. The photos would not be interesting. After a quick trip to the hardware store tomorrow we should be able to finish the job. I'll post the final product for you (again, the installed toilet not the poop).
I'm going to start drinking soon then build a fire (in that order). I'll get you guys some pictures of that.
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Great start @Matt ! I’m already enjoying the prep steps for your trip. Never even thought about doing something like that but happy to enjoy it vicariously. Maybe if I had an in-law like yours
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The toilet install was a success. It's not very interesting to look at so I'll spare you the pic for pic's sake. I've decided The Tin Palace needs to make a trip to an Airstream dealer for a 45 point inspection. I've done most of the things on the standard pre purchase inspection list so this one will included all the electrical and appliances, thins I can't really check on my own. I'm also going to have them do a leak test and look into the extent of the closet mold. It's supposed to be really windy on Friday and I'll have to make a 2 hour trip to the nearest dealer in Virginia. My first towing trip, we'll see.
We built a campfire in my father in law's herb harden, next to his greenhouse, last night but neither my wife nor I remembered to take any photos. The kids are up our asses 24/7 now thanks to COVID so we spend most of our time deciding if it's too early to start drinking and forgetting to do the things we want to.
That reminds me…
