Kathryn and I were officially married on July 18th in Missoula, Montana, surrounded by our friends and families. Our daughter Juniper is going to turn 1 in a little over a month, and it is time for another change.
As such, I give you, the Overland!
Back in February, we were visiting the Arizona Renaissance Festival, and I made the comment to Kathryn "Wouldn't it be nice to just quit being an adult and follow the Ren faire? Buy a camper and do the gypsy thing?
Kathryn said "Yes", and took far more initiative than I did. But, it does make perfect sense. Being an Archaeologist, the majority of my work are temporary projects that rove the country. These projects can last for a week, they can last for a year. Luckily, the project I am on now is located 20 miles from our apartment. But once it is over, there are chances that I won't land another project in Phoenix, and I will have to travel. It is difficult for me to do that and leave my girls. Having grown up in a home where my father was often away for work, I have this desire to not emulate that.
So, Kathryn and I discussed it at length. In Arizona, it is easy to live in an RV. Snowbirds do it all the time. Why can't we? It is essentially a Tiny House. It would be our space, and for RV lot rent with hookups and septic is an eighth of the cost of the rent we are paying now. Seeing as financial freedom is something we want to achieve, it would be helpful to pay on debts and keep ahead of our bills and put money into savings instead of dropping easily half of one's monthly pay on a place we don't much care for. Yes, space will be at a premium, but it is good to cleanse of the debris we all seem to collect.
So, two days before we left for Montana and our wedding, Kathryn found and we checked out this..a 1985 Overland by Mallard. 33' of Class A motorhome with a Chevrolet 454 Big Block and GM drivetrain. It is in pretty fair shape, but does need some work. We purchased it free and clear, then left it parked until we returned from Montana.
Now that we have returned, we are able to go into it further. It failed emissions, which is probably because of bad gas and the "tune up in a can" that I dumped in along with 5 gals of premium octane.
It also got a little warm, and needs a complete cooling system flush and new rad cap. Plugs, wires, cap and rotor are all on the list. I can do everything save for the flush (don't have a place to do it) and the service of the Engine AC, which i am sure is out of oil and is what is causing the screaming.
We plan on taking out the folding couch bed because it, well, is gross, and replacing it with a wooden bench with under seat storage, The rotating chairs, Kathryn plans on cleaning and reupholstering,
The microwave does not work, so it will get tossed and replaced with additional shelving. The stove, fridge and water heater all run on LPG or Generator/battery/plug in. We are planing solar panels to, at very least, supplement the energy needs. At the moment, there are no deep cycle RV batteries in the Overland, and we will need to get the wiring hookups for the batteries set up.
We will call someone for that.
The stove will get pulled as well, and we hope to replace it with a range top only, opening more space within the kitchen.
Paint....for the love of the gods, we need to paint...
The crappy tile stuff on the floor will be stripped out and replaced, in my mind, with laminate flooring. Bamboo or something. We are endeavoring to do this project as sustainable as possible, using recycled or reclaimed building supplies. There is a large RV scrap yard here in PHX, and we plan on making many trips. Unfortunately, the RV's generator is long gone, and we will need to replace it. I am going to get really good with electrical, I think.
We will be getting a tow dolly or trailer for the 4Runner. Due to my job, I will need to go places that the Nissan would not be able to do. Kathryn will drive the Nissan with the baby, as there are no places in an RV to strap down a child seat.
But, as it is, We have a new House! The Family is super excited, and this new adventure is to be a good one.
