Our Excellent Adventures

The underside of our Sprinter looks clean. Looking closer reveals some added components. (Click image for larger size.)

This is the drain for the black water tank which is inside the Sprinter. It is the only component you can see looking at the Sprinter from a normal view. All others are hidden.

The grey water goes into this tank has an 8 gallon capacity. If we are going for several days we carry a wheeled portable tank we can drain this into as it is a little small. We were limited by space so this is the only size that would fit.

Hidden away the hose for draining the black water tank. It is a little hard to get to but we don’t use it much and would rather it be hidden than easy to get to. The gray water tank can also drained with this hose but is normally drained with just a garden hose.

The propane tank has an 8 gallon capacity and runs the heater and stove. This should last quite a while and is much larger than we had previously.

Outside access is through this door. Also in this compartment is city water (used also to fill the water tank), shore power, cable TV (just in case we end up in a fancy place) and our extend-a-stay connection.

Here is the 4D-AGM battery and the fuel tank. Fuel capacity is 25 gallons.

The battery would have to be lowered with a hydraulic jack if we need access. It weighs 132 pounds and is 20.5″ x 8.13″ x 10″

Here are some great events and excuses for camping (as if you need one!) happening this summer.

• The California Rodeo, Salinas, California, July 17-20, http://www.carodeo.com/index.php
• The California State Fair, Sacramento, California, August 15-September 1, http://www.bigfun.org/fair/GeneralInfo/index.asp
• The Hood to Coast Relay, Mount Hood to Seaside, Washington, August 22-23, http://www.hoodtocoast.com/index.php
• Gilroy Garlic Festival, Gilroy, California, July 25-27, http://solsticeparade.com/
• Summer Solstice Celebration, Santa Barbara, California, June 20-22, http://solsticeparade.com/
• Washington State International Kite Festival, Long Beach, Washington, August 18-24, http://www.kitefestival.com/index-wsikf.html

We headed out Saturday afternoon to ovenight at near by Del Valle, a regional park. The only way to see how things work and what you forgot is to do small outings like this.

Del Valle is about 20 miles away and has a small lake, fishing (but I no direct knowledge of that), and at this time of year a small stream flowing into the lake. Lots of campers, canoers and kayakers. The only bad thing is the price - $26 for a reservation.

All worked and we started getting used to where things are and how they worked.

• We used the inverter for a computer with an outside connection that worked fine. I turned the water heater on briefly (electric) and the inverter went way down. Not that it won’t work but we’ll save the water heater for shore power or special occasions.
• The microwave came on also and passed the smoke test. We had forgotten the popcorn (of course) so the actual cooking on the mw will have to come later.
• The leveling process was slightly hampered as I really didn’t know what surface to level. Counter top, floor, step, refrig top - no two were alike. We settled on the floor and that seemed to work out. If you are camping in some of the National Forest parks you might want to carry two sets of levelers - some of their sites are quite challenging.
• Cooking on the new flush mounted stove was great. One caveat, light the fire (just pushing a spark button while holding down the knob) before putting a pan on. Having the pan on will cause the fire to expand to the edges of the pan and you will burn the hair off your hand - and that’s all we’ll say about that.
• Poured the spaghetti water down the drain and did a few dishes but surprise, the grey water tank was full. I have to find out what size that is - apparently quite small.
• We didn’t have the ventilation we had in the Eurovan with the top up - the Sprinter is much “tighter” than our Eurovan was. We will have to get some screens for the front windows. Confirmed the window on the galley side will only open 1 or 2 inches without becoming a big problem with the sliding door. The fantastic fan does move a lot of air but is a bit noisy.
• Seats swiveled easily and had lots of room behind them (between the seat and the firewall) for storing cameras, make-up kits, small bags, etc. We utilize that area to move things from the cabin forward when we camp.
• We were used to hanging a trash bag off the passenger mirror but that won’t work anymore. SMB provided a small trash can which works quite well and is more classy than a plastic bag hanging from the mirror.
• The electric fridge is awesome. A 12v that is super efficient, it cools quickly and looks like the days of frozen vegetables and left-overs are gone. It does make a little noise, something you will get used to very quickly.
• The awning is also something you really need. A great shade provider that guarantees some heat relief.

All in all it was a great over-nighter. Everything worked and there was no head hitting or bumping into things. As we were pulling out, I asked, “Do you think we can stay in this for 30 days?” My wife just looked and smiled. I think that will be part of the adventure in Alaska.

I have only used this once and it was for my wife’s car. It was a great service (Mazda) with no problems even though I had caused the break down (confirm twice that the positive and negative are correct - and that’s all I’ll say about that).

I’m not sure when road side assistance started. I seem to remember it in “days of yore” but then it was unreliable and usually considered a rip-off.

The question here is do you, like me, have several choices in assistance? Somehow I have ended up with road side assistance from my insurance company, my manufacturer and from the Good Sam Club.

I guess I can blame at least part of this on my apprehension in driving a B or van or camper down the road. Years ago, (before road side assistance) in a tandem axle, 33′ Holiday Rambler, I broke down on the way home from Disneyland. We were in a convoy of several other cars and about 20 boy scouts. I had to rent 3 cars to get them home. This same coach broke down in New Mexico and I had to fly my wife (x), her mother and two kids home while I waited in Albuquerque for repairs.

A Ford powered Class C stopped several times on the road before I finally found out about a “hidden recall” (do you know about those?) and had the fuel pump replaced.

So, back to the question of several different programs. I guess since the first two are free, I should use the one I am paying for . . . twisted logic? Is Good Sam better than Dodge? Maybe deep in the Yukon it is - I don’t know.

I hope I never have to find out.

After loading almost all of our gear and full of water and propane, I decided to see how much room for weight (which means “stuff”) we had.

I remember The Long, Long Trailer with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez. For anyone into RVs and especially for those who are thinking a getting a travel trailer, this movie is a must see. In the movie Lucy collects rocks. Not pebbles or stones but the size of bowling balls and larger. Desi asks her to throw them away before they have to go over the steep mountain and of course, she doesn’t.

I don’t want us to end up like Desi and Lucy - I think they went down the mountain backwards for a ways - so weight considerations were always part of the design. It is also a popular opinion shared by many RVers that most RVs are over-loaded. This is because some never do the math or don’t want to as they know, deep down in the gray water system, they are over loaded.

I filled up with diesel (for the first time) and headed for the scales. The GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) on the 2008 Sprinter 2500 is 8,550 pounds. The bus weighed in at 7,100 pounds. Front and rear axles also came in well below gross weight. So, “hmmmm, carry the one, times refrigerator’s weight squared, minus temperature compensation . . . “  We have room for 1450 pounds of rocks, food, clothes and ourselves.

Looks like we’ll make it over that steep mountain pass.