The Adventure Begins: 6x12 V-Nose Conversion

[kirkupnorth]

We've also been wanting a screen door. We shopped like crazy for this since there about a million options, and some are nicer quality than others. We finally decided on this one from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LCZKRGD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This was a good choice! The width fit perfectly with no adjustments needed. We had to cut about 8 inches off the bottom. I finished the bottom with some black vinyl that was left over from making the water heater cover. My poor old Singer sewing machine did not like sewing through fiberglass screen, but it did the job. The opening/closing magnets seem to work great, and the overall quality of the whole thing is really nice.


.

Does your screen door have magnets the full length from top to bottom thereby creating a good seal? I bought a magnetic screen door that only had a few magnets with the effect that there were gaps between the magnets which allowed insects to get through.

Yours looks like it seals well.[/quote]

I just went out and counted/measured the magnets, (you made me curious!). This screen door has 2-1/2 inch magnets and 7-1/2 inch magnets. There are six of each size on both sides, and they alternate every other one. So the magnets go 2.5, 7.5, 2.5, 7.5, etc. Does that make sense?

[featherliteCT1]

Does that make sense?

Yes...thanks for the reply ... I guess my real question is do the screens stay together without gaps to keep out mosquitos? ... especially in a breeze.

[kirkupnorth]

Does that make sense?

Yes...thanks for the reply ... I guess my real question is do the screens stay together without gaps to keep out mosquitos? ... especially in a breeze.

Honestly, at this point it's hard to say for sure. Bugs aren't out yet this year up where we live.

We've been leaving the outer door open as we work on things, and it seems there are no gaps. There have been some pretty breezy days when we've been out there, and the screens seem to work so far.

I can give a more detailed review in several weeks.

[bignick]

Y'all did an amazing job! I love the “ship lap”, very creative. How is your battery holding up? I’m trying decide between 1or 2. Again awesome work!

[kirkupnorth]

Y'all did an amazing job! I love the “ship lap”, very creative. How is your battery holding up? I’m trying decide between 1or 2. Again awesome work!

Thanks for the kind words, bignick!

We're wishing we had gone with two batteries, to be honest. At the time, though, we were trying to keep costs down. Our single battery does okay for us so far, but we do bring a generator "just in case".

We're very pleased with how the shiplap turned out -- glad you like it. It was easy to do, quite inexpensive, and it's pretty lightweight.

Enjoy the project!

[kirkupnorth]

It's a red letter day -- we installed an awning!

We knew we wanted an awning from the beginning, but had to prioritize the projects--both time and money. This Spring we decided it was time to do it. We've got a trip planned in a little over a week, and we wanted it installed before then.

We did a lot of Internet research before choosing one. We wanted an eleven foot awning, which is kind of an odd ball. We also wanted black hardware, which was also a bit uncommon. We ended up finding one on eBay. It's from ShadeProInc. The link is here, if anyone is interested:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Carefree-Pioneer-Lite-RV-Awning-11-Black-and-Grey-complete-with-arms/132522760840?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

It took two weeks to get here, but I think the Memorial Day holiday slowed things down a bit. Before we could do anything, we had to purchase and install an awning rail. We bought a 16' rail so we could cut it down because we didn't want to have to piece it in the middle. We ordered it through a local RV dealer because it was fast and inexpensive. It fit perfectly in the aluminum trim piece at the top of the camper.

The awning itself was delivered yesterday, and we got right at it. We are very happy with the quality of this awning! The hardware is nice quality. We were really surprised by how nice the fabric is, and it has a good heavy weather guard. Installing it went well -- no mishaps and no marital discord!

Here are some shots of the hardware, once it was installed.





We went with a crank out awning, as you can see. It is VERY easy to deploy and roll back in.




So here's the finished project. The fabric is black, gray, and white. It doesn't show so great in my photo.




One person can easily get the awning deployed and back in again with no problem.

So next week we're going on a five-day trip to the Black Hills. We're planning to do some exploring on the enduros -- we hear there's lots of great riding out there. We're really looking forward to it -- I'll post some photos and let you all know how it goes.

[fishboat]

Nice awning. We have a similar setup. It really is easy to set up and take down.

[kirkupnorth]

Nice looking awning, fishboat!

Also, really like your sun graphic -- nice touch.

[McDave]

Sweet awning! I love mine as well. It makes for a lot more liveable area at the campsite.
I just made reservations at Custer State Park for the Sturgis Rally week. It's a bit of a ride to Sturgis but that is what I am there to do. If you can, you really should get down to Custer Park. Amazing wildlife and scenic country. It's just south of Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse. I have been riding to the park for the last 24 yrs., it's only 200 miles from here, but this is the first time I will camp there. It's a bargain at $25.00/day. I have stayed lots of places, some cost more than $1000.00/wk during the rally. I hope you are not planning to be there Aug.1-10 unless you enjoy massive crowds and traffic. Any other time it is very enjoyable but the rally is crazy unless that is what you are there for.
Enjoy your trip to the Black Hills. Oh yeah, you might want to get rainsuits if you don't already have some. I almost always get caught in the rain at some point while riding there. Rainsuits make it a lot less miserable! Also lots of sunscreen and some warm clothes, it can get COLD at night.
If you need anything, just ask. Have Fun!

McDave

Here's a shot of the trailer at Sturgis...


You might recognize this guy. He has a place near Livingston, Mt.. He rides the Black Hills every year, too.

[kirkupnorth]

Sweet awning! I love mine as well. It makes for a lot more liveable area at the campsite.
I just made reservations at Custer State Park for the Sturgis Rally week. It's a bit of a ride to Sturgis but that is what I am there to do. If you can, you really should get down to Custer Park. Amazing wildlife and scenic country. It's just south of Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse. I have been riding to the park for the last 24 yrs., it's only 200 miles from here, but this is the first time I will camp there. It's a bargain at $25.00/day. I have stayed lots of places, some cost more than $1000.00/wk during the rally. I hope you are not planning to be there Aug.1-10 unless you enjoy massive crowds and traffic. Any other time it is very enjoyable but the rally is crazy unless that is what you are there for.
Enjoy your trip to the Black Hills. Oh yeah, you might want to get rainsuits if you don't already have some. I almost always get caught in the rain at some point while riding there. Rainsuits make it a lot less miserable! Also lots of sunscreen and some warm clothes, it can get COLD at night.
If you need anything, just ask. Have Fun!

McDave

Here's a shot of the trailer at Sturgis...


You might recognize this guy. He has a place near Livingston, Mt.. He rides the Black Hills every year, too.

Holy Toledo -- that's Peter Fonda!! I knew he rides, but I did not know he lives in Montana. He's just like you, McDave!

We purposely planned our trip for mid-June so we'd avoid the Sturgis rally. I'm not up for the crowds or the expense. We have friends who go to the rally every year, though, and they love it! In fact, we've been nudging them to build a CTC of their own. It would be perfect for them, since they take lots of long trips on their Harley every year.

We've heard great things about riding the Black Hills, so we can hardly wait. We're camping up at Spearfish. I had to smile at your description of the weather -- rain, sun, heat, cold -- sounds like home! We started planning this trip as we were driving home from our camping trip out to Vegas over Christmas, so we're really looking forward to it!

[kirkupnorth]

We just got back from our first camping trip of the summer, and we had a blast!

We went out to Spearfish, SD, at the northern edge of the Black Hills to do some riding. It's about a 10 hour drive from home, but we detoured into the Twin Cities so we could have a Father's Day visit with dear old Dad. From Minneapolis/St. Paul, this was an easy drive on I-90 pretty much the whole way.

Let me tell you, the Black Hills area did not disappoint! We camped at the Spearfish KOA, which was VERY nice. Here's our campsite -- it was very roomy and private. We were at the edge of the campground and backed up to a large "green space", so we weren't surrounded by big RVs.



We were a couple of miles from the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, which was how we entered the Black Hills National Forest. The riding there was great! Here are some shots of the scenic byway.





On day one, we road from Spearfish to Deadwood, which is a charming little tourist town. On the way back to camp, though, the skies opened up and absolutely poured rain -- complete with thunder and lightning. After being soaked to the skin, it was so nice to get "home" to the CTC instead of a tent!

I hadn't been to the Black Hills since I was a kid, and then all we did was look at Mt. Rushmore. This area really has something for everyone -- we saw motorcycle riders, bicycle riders, kayakers, fishermen, hikers, etc. It's a nice destination if you want to do some camping with fun activities in beautiful surroundings.







We're really pleased with the enhancements we made to the CTC this Spring. The trailer brakes made towing so much nicer. The new step and the screen door were just the height of luxury! That inexpensive screen door really works!! We had no mosquitos or bugs of any kind get into the camper -- how well it worked really kind of surprised me.

We have a new pup in our lives, so in a week or two we'll take the camper to a state park or state forest campground close to home and teach him what camping is all about. Should be interesting.

[McDave]

Alright Mrs. and Mr. kirkupnorth,
Sounds like you had a great time in the hills. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It really is a beautiful place to be. There just never seems to be enough time to see and do everything that the area has to offer. Guess you'll just have come back again next year.... and the next year...
Those are some great pics you posted. Makes me anxious to get back there. 36 days and counting..
I'm not sure how much y'all got to see but here is a map of the Badlands and Black Hills area. And a PDF, https://www.blackhillsvacations.com/app ... ls_Map.pdf
As you can see, there is a lot to explore and it is all amazing.


If I run into Capt. America this year I'll get you a autographed 8x10 glossy. He's good people.
OK. Glad you had fun.
Remember the word of the day is ...?

Rainsuits!

McDave

[kirkupnorth]

:applause:
Alright Mrs. and Mr. kirkupnorth,
Sounds like you had a great time in the hills. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. It really is a beautiful place to be. There just never seems to be enough time to see and do everything that the area has to offer. Guess you'll just have come back again next year.... and the next year...
Those are some great pics you posted. Makes me anxious to get back there. 36 days and counting..
I'm not sure how much y'all got to see but here is a map of the Badlands and Black Hills area. And a PDF, https://www.blackhillsvacations.com/app ... ls_Map.pdf
As you can see, there is a lot to explore and it is all amazing.


If I run into Capt. America this year I'll get you a autographed 8x10 glossy. He's good people.
OK. Glad you had fun.
Remember the word of the day is ...?

Rainsuits!

McDave

Hey, McDave-

Yeah, we had a great time!! You're right, though --- rainsuits are a MUST.

We definitely hope to get back there. That area has so many great riding opportunities that three days wasn't nearly enough! We drove through the Badlands, but didn't get to do any riding there. All of our riding was in the Black Hills proper, and the town of Spearfish. Nice town!

We would like to have stayed another day or two, but we had an appointment in the Twin Cities to adopt a rescue dog. Here's the new addition to the family -- he's a real sweetie!



He's just a pup, so we'll have to teach him about camping. He's kind of big already, so maybe we should've gone bigger than 6x12.

Thanks for the map -- it will definitely come in handy next time. And there WILL be a next time!!

[McDave]

That looks like a Cow Dog right there. Maybe Border Collie/Australian Shepard/ Fence Jumper mix. That could be one of the great friends of a lifetime. Got a name? Looks like a "Don" or "Donald" to me... Maybe Smitty? I don't know, reminds me of somebody.

McDave

[kirkupnorth]

That looks like a Cow Dog right there. Maybe Border Collie/Australian Shepard/ Fence Jumper mix. That could be one of the great friends of a lifetime. Got a name? Looks like a "Don" or "Donald" to me... Maybe Smitty? I don't know, reminds me of somebody.

McDave

Yeah, I think he's going to turn into one of "the great ones". We're calling him Danny, so we came pretty close to Don!

They figure he's some mix of Australian Shepherd or Border Collie, with some long-legged breed mixed in. He is TALL, and he's all legs!
We actually had an Australian Cattle Dog, (Blue Heeler), for 20 years -- no lie!! This guy is WAY more mellow than our bluey ever was! She was a great dog, though. Living with a herding dog is an amazing experience, that's for sure.

So far this guy is pretty awesome.