[Tiny wood cook stove that charges cell phones]

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[Burley Travoy Bicycle trailer, Strida folding bicycle]

A new bicyle trailer design. It folds up into a small bag. Perfect for taking along in a toy home. Can be unhooked from the bike and taken right into the grocery store as a shopping cart.

Here is a you tube video showing how it is used.

[media=]http://youtu.be/Qm6reRIz3QI

The Burley web site for the trailer with the specifications

http://www.burley.co...ml#!prettyPhoto

I think my room mate is going to buy the Travoy trailer and adapt it for use with his folding bicyle made by Strida. The Strida is a really cool folding bike that folds up in about 10 seconds into a compact size. No I did not make a typo it really does fold up that fast! Very comfortable to ride too. My room mate is a liveaboard on his boat, he has owned a Strida for about 5 years now. He uses it most everyday for commuting from the boat to the office or around the neighborhood to run errands. He rides the bike out the dock to the boat, folds it up and takes right onboard. No bike rack, no locks, no stolen bike. His is a single speed, they also have a new 3 speed model now in addition to the one and two speed models.

http://www.strida.com/en/products/

[Fresh look for old paneling]

T

[Alternative air conditioner location]

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[Window weep hole cover]

One

[Tail lights - Chinooks and early model Sunraders]

M

[What type of fiberglass resin Sunrader]

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[Rolls Royce comparison]

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[2012 Kinetic Sculpture Race Port Townsend, WA]

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[Trip to the Harware Store]

Love that Americana... Not $16,000 worth of love though. The motor and tranny would have to be spanking new for that price

Why do you think the price is 16K for the Americana? The seller did not quote a reserve price on the Ebay site. The last bid on it was $8,500. I do know the motor and tranny test seemed to be Ok, a friend of mine took it on a test drive. He wanted to buy it but his wife wanted a younger motor home that was born in this century.

[Trip to the Harware Store]

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[Roof rack end plug fix]

One of the end plugs on my Sunrader roof, ie luggage or baggage, rack was partially fractured off.

It was a simple fix to rebuild the missing area by using epoxy putty. I used the epoxy repair sticks from the hardware store that you knead to mix the inner core with the outer core.

Mix up the putty and stick it to the inside edges of the tube with your finger to secure it then build it on out creating a solid plug. No need to remove the broken parts just start filling inside them and blend into that shape. Make your putty filler piece slightly over sized. A couple of hours later after the epoxy has hardened go back and bring it to final size with a file and sand paper. Spray paint for a color match, I sprayed both my end caps for a good match. Even if you are missing a plug all together you could build one up with the putty matching the size and shape of the originals. Photo below shows before paint.

Karin

[Sunrader Roof Rack]

Next week I will be working up on the roof of my 1980 Sunrader scraping off the massive amount of fibered roof sealant the previous owner slathered onto the base of the roof rack mounts as well as all around the base of the vents. It will be a job of many hours to get that mess cleaned off. I swear it must be a half inch or more thick rather than the recommended 1/8" thickness. He put it on so thick it was running down the sides of the rig from the base of the roof rack.

I was wondering what I will find under that goop? How does the roof rack attach to the roof? I am not planning to get rid of the rack so I need to figure out what supplies I need to have on hand for the job. It does not appear to be leaking but will I want to remove the rack and rebed it?

Also where did the antenna wire come out of the coach and attach to the rack? I don't see any wires up there. But there is one hole in the roof towards the back end that has fibered compound mounded over it. And also a previous owner installed a FM antenna on the roof. Not sure if they used the hole that used to be the TV antenna.

Can anyone help me out with a photo or two of what this roof rack and TV antenna stuff should look like when properly installed and weather sealed?

41 days in Seattle with no rain and no rain in sight for the next 10 days. We might well break the previous record of 51 days in a row with no rain. Could not ask for a better boost from Mother Nature to help me get my recently acquired Sunrader ready for the winter.

The toy homes are out in force in my Seattle neighborhood of Ballard this weekend. I spotted a late 1970's tiny Toyota Dolphin, 16 foot perhaps? Looks like a child's toy compared to my 18' Sunrader. They are here boon docking. The industrial part of my neighborhood attracts the boon dockers as they are allowed to stay there on the streets at night for up to 72 hours in the same spot. Unless that is the local property owner requested the no parking from 2 to 5 am signs be put in front of their business.

Thanks in advance,

Karin

[A Toyota RV, Four Aging Felines and a Hermit]

I will be taking two cats with me on motorhome trips when I can't get a cat sitter.

On my little Sunrader rig there is a baggage compartment that has an outside hatch door and that compartment is also accessible inside the coach. That could be used as a cat sized entrance hall into an outside screen room or kennel. It will also serve as the litter box space.

While under way I will put up a netting between the cab and the coach to keep the cats out from under my feet. They always want to sit on my lap and rest their heads on my arm while I am driving. It would not be bad if it was just one cat but it is tiring with two cats, one of them is a big guy and he is too much weight and body heat to handle while trying to steer.

The other reason for the divider is I don't want them to escape when I stop for gas, lunch, etc. One of the cats would not wander off but the other one will and he goes into hiding under that kind of stress. He won't come out when called until it is long after dark and no one is around. I don't know as I could get him back if we were in a strange locationsuch as at a rest stop or gas station.

When traveling in my car I crate them. Crating cats while underway is not being cruel to them, it is keeping them safe from harm. For all their life my cats' primary bed has been their traveling crate. That way they don't mind being in it and they settle down quickly even when in motion. They feel safe and protected in it. It is not a large crate it is a small dog crate and it fits both of them curled up for a cozy sleep. I can belt it into the passenger seat for their safety or put it in the back.

An upper bunk could be netted off to form a big cat corral while underway.

[Where to put a litter box]

I recently acquired a 1980 Sunrader. There might be times when I won't have a cat sitter so my boy will need to travel with me.So where to put the cat box? Turns out the rear dinette Sunrader has a perfect solution. Under the drivers side dinette seat is a door that opens into an empty compartment served by an outside storage door.

All I need to do is put in a cat flap in that cabinet door. The litter box can be emptied via the outside door. Bad smells will be vented to the outside.

It is also a good solution when staying for longer periods of timewhen and where the cat can be safely let outside. I will put a custom secondary door inside the outside compartment door. It will also have at flap door in it. Kitty has been know to sneak out before. That will allow him a way back in without me having to stay up all night calling for him.

Don't worry, this cat grew up living in the woods as well as spending time in the city too as well as living indoors for long stretches. He has "street smarts" relating to people and wildlife. He is also a good traveler while riding in cars.

KC