WE GOT A NEW VAN!!!...well, kind of!!

I have been putting this post together for quite some time, and for this reason or that, it wasn't ready to post...but now I feel like it's ready to be turned loose!

So...with no more hesitation

I introduce...

Joon van Spirit 2014 Edition

[caption id="attachment_5292" align="aligncenter" width="502"] made ya look...[/caption]

C'mon...you think I'd give up all this hard work that easily? I think not...right away...  tee hee

Pressing the refresh button on Joon, had much involved, with James doing about 98.9% of the work. For those of you that might have missed the post I did about some of the updates to Joon, here is a snippet of that post:

• New Radiator

• New Water Pump

• New Rancho shocks (front)


• Suspension Belt


• AC Pump (done in the shop)


• Power Steering Pump (done in the shop)


• Put “pucks” in front, lifting it about 5 inches

•  New shackles in back

[caption id="attachment_5240" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Before & After Shackles[/caption]

•  New Leaf Springs (5 instead of 3)

[caption id="attachment_5241" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Before & After Leaf Springs[/caption]

•  New Rancho shocks (back)

[caption id="attachment_5243" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Before & After Shocks[/caption]

•  All three components together on back of van

[caption id="attachment_5242" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Shocks, Springs, Shackles[/caption]

The last 2 1/2 months of our upgrade were dedicated more to working, saving, buying, then waiting for our purchase. Those items included:

• FRIDGE ~ 33 qt. Dometic by Waeco

Fridge link~ http://www.amazon.com/Dometic-CF-035AC110-Coolmatic-Control-Refrigerator/dp/B0017YFDGO

We got a fridge!!!

• All NEW bedding: 4 inch, 4 lb. density memory foam, that sits on top of two (side by side) self-inflating, sleeping pads. We bought a pump that can inflate and deflate the bed much better and faster than we can, and everything rolls up together now!! (see picture below)

Air Pad Link ~ http://www.amazon.com/ALPS-Mountaineering-Comfort-Series-Air/dp/B000MQ80DG

[caption id="attachment_5262" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Rollin' in my dream[/caption]

• Replaced the windshield

[caption id="attachment_5264" align="aligncenter" width="245"] Merry Christmas to my face![/caption]

• Motorcycle hitch that fits the van perfectly with a 600 lb. tow capacity, and will carry the dirt bike & bicycles...oh did I mention we also got a dirt bike!?!

[caption id="attachment_5271" align="aligncenter" width="573"] vroom...vroom[/caption]

and last but not least...

• TIRES!!!!

[caption id="attachment_5283" align="aligncenter" width="574"] Joon gets new treads[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5287" align="aligncenter" width="224"] Our Big O ![/caption]

 In between the buying and the receiving of the big items, James tightened up a few last things:

New back brake pads and drums

[caption id="attachment_5295" align="aligncenter" width="474"] No more popping![/caption]

 Applied square U-bolts to back doors; 4 on driver side for chairs & 2 on passenger side for gas can

[caption id="attachment_5301" align="aligncenter" width="586"] Square U-bolts in action![/caption]

 And other than a couple of other small changes, that we've made since getting back on the road, that's about it!

Joon's "junk in her trunk" (the big hump on top of the van) has lost some of her height, but her curves remain! Once we were back on the road, we did even more rearranging, reorganizing and even tossing some more things out... just these little things have made our journey much more manageable.

So, NOW...

I introduce to you

the NEW

Mack Daddy version

of our Joon van Spirit

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

[caption id="attachment_5305" align="aligncenter" width="384"] Joon van Spirit[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5306" align="aligncenter" width="384"] 2014 Joon van[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5307" align="aligncenter" width="384"] Joon van Spirit[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_5308" align="aligncenter" width="384"] Joon van Spirit[/caption]

My tribe is pretty stoked on what we shall conquer in 2014 with Joon van Spirit.

The van, The Man and the girls are all pretty happy campers....can't ask for too much more than that!

[caption id="attachment_5315" align="aligncenter" width="384"] Happy Campers[/caption]

Peacefully wishing you blue skies & clear windshields!

[caption id="attachment_5314" align="aligncenter" width="567"] Enjoy the view, it goes by fast[/caption]

 peace ✦ tribe

A Little "Help" Goes a Long Way

J' got some super good shots of the "hotties" this morning...I guess I'm getting used to the sounds they make, I didn't even budge when he got up.

[gallery ids="4815,4816,4817"]

Over the last couple of days we have acquired some good stuff. Our friend, Mikey, did some spring cleaning in his rig and asked us if we wanted his cooler...reflectix and all! He will be leaving us and going East for about a month and during that time will buy himself an actual fridge, he will not have room for both and rarely uses the cooler for cooling, more so for storage, so we happily accepted the offer and now have a sweet set-up for cooling. The cooler we were using and this cooler are actually the same size (50 Quart), but the new cooler is an extreme 6 day, it locks down, it's thicker and with the already fitted reflectix it's like another barrier, the ice actually does stay ice much longer. We've had to get used to the length of it just a bit: we have to use a long funnel now to put water into our water bottles and it sticks out a little bit more to use the potty in the middle of the night...but nothing we can't get used to and overcome. There are some advantages as well. The top of it is all flat, it doesn't dip in the middle so I can use it as a table now...couldn't do that before. The outside also has two handles so it's easier to get it out of its hole, PLUS, the wheels are in the back...easier for sliding it out and in (yep, that's what she said). It's made a huge difference and we are very happy with the decision. The other cooler, for now, is storage...great more stuff! haha

[gallery ids="4805,4804,4801,4803,4802"]

Remember when J' got me those awesome clips at O'Reilly? We were there getting leaf spring helpers for Joon. In case some of you don't know what leaf spring helpers are, (I didn't), here's a little run down...**copied right out of Wikipedia:

**Leaf springs are a simple form of spring, commonly used for suspension. The leaf spring acts as a linkage for holding the axle in position and thus separate linkage are not necessary. It makes the construction of the suspension simple and strong.** The leaf spring helper attaches to the bottom of the leaf spring providing more support. Our helpers will provide 1,500+ lbs. of support to the back leaf springs.

It was great to find some wood in the cactus and bushes around here when we set-up camp because they were a great help to the jack stands, keeping them on more firm ground than the soft sand here. J' got under the van and put the leaf spring helpers on by himself...how handy is he!!?

Now we have more support in the back! Woo hoo...we've wanted and needed that for a 'minute'. Also, having the tires off and being able to see underneath Joon was a good thing due to us being able to see our muffler hanger had broken. A quick trip into a good auto body shop in town, ABC Auto Body, to weld it back together was all we needed and we were back in business. We may have a few tweaks here and there with the helpers but, so far, so good!

We've been busy little bees, haven't we?

Not as busy as this little guy though...he was partying hard in the pollen!

[caption id="attachment_4820" align="aligncenter" width="350"] Bee Butt[/caption]

PEACE

3 Mechanics: 2 Babes: 1 Rig

Woke up this morning to a big Hallelujah!! The torsion bar is in. Everybody scream....ahhhhhh!!!!! Very excited, J' was off to get it before I even had the bed made. It's going to be a big day! J' walked down to Wayne's to chatty Cathy it up before going to the mail place. The two boys went down to get the part but it wasn't in yet, so they came back to our rig for a bit, taking parts of the van off to get it ready for the big day.

[caption id="attachment_1912" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Getting Joon ready[/caption]

Since it is Saturday, we only had about an hour and a half window before they closed, so we had all our fingers & toes crossed hoping it would get there before that happened. About 25 minutes later, the boys were back in Gigi (Wayne's truck) to get the torsion bar...it will be there this time!

And...it was!

[caption id="attachment_1913" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Longer & Better than the old one![/caption]

J' had a lot of work cut out for him for the day...I try to help but always just end up getting in the way so he lets me sit and take pictures and keep an eye on the 'Bug! Hooray, haha.

[caption id="attachment_1915" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Working Hard & Hardly Working...what a pair![/caption]

J' decided to put the shackles on today too, since we had the rig pulled apart. Also very helpful, was Wayne with his 20 different kinds of jacks...it would have been hell trying to do all of this without those things.

[caption id="attachment_1914" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Jacked up![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1916" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Rusty Shackleford[/caption]

Around 3 p.m. or so, J' started back working on the torsion bar...the shackles took a bit of time, just then we had another visitor approach camp! Looked like we were having a Pit Crew Party! haha Our newest friend, Jim, was coming to say good-bye....little did he know he was about to get down, dirty and closer to the action than he probably wanted!

[caption id="attachment_1917" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Pit Crew Partay[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1918" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Next time, he'll call before coming over, haha[/caption]

Jim was pretty handy with giving J' a big hand under and on top of the van, along with having some wooden boards for the jacks. We were very fortunate today...not only for the part coming in on time, but for good friends that stop everything they are doing to help a couple of "crazy kids" out, like ourselves! A HUGE THANK YOU TO WAYNE & JIM for being selfless, thoughtful and so very helpful today. We really couldn't have done half of what we did today without you.

[caption id="attachment_1926" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Daddy's little helper[/caption]

 We finished up with everything right around sunset! Woo Hoo!! After everyone left, we loaded everything up into Joon...only took an astonishing 20 minutes, instead of the hours and days in Shaver Lake, and headed out to see how she rolled and get a bite to eat...for celebration of course! You really don't know how great it feels to have wheels rolling underneath you until you're immobile for 10 days...it's quite the feeling! We went straight to Little Caesar's Pizza for a $5.00 Pepperoni Pizza and chowed down right there in the parking lot. It was definitely the best pizza we had all day! What a great day, a great feeling and great friends! Our bellies are full now and we can go anywhere we want...it feels good to be free again!

Have you freed yourself today?

PEACE

Cleaning, Grinding & Digging

I know you are just dying for an update and I apologize for being a few days behind. First things first, the torsion bar... J' ended up walking over to Home Depot a couple of days ago and got an angle grinder to take it out. The darn thing just would not come out or off any way ya sliced it...so he sliced it in half and finally got the darn thing off!

[caption id="attachment_1674" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Grinding away[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1675" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Only half of it![/caption]

Our new friend, Wayne, offered us a couple of jack stands that he isn't using.  He came to check in on us after reading about the torsion bar problems from the blog, how cool is that!? He then whisked J' away to get some fresh water...FREE Water!! He's a super nice guy with a heart of gold.

Thanks Wayne! 

During the day, while J' was walking, grinding, refreshing, grinding, etc. I started feeling not so well throughout the day but figured J' already had a lot on his plate for the day, so I thought I would help with some things. I did my first potty dump ever, probably not the cleanest of all things I could have done but it needed to be done. ..so now it's done! I spent a good hour or so spraying, wiping, rinsing, filling...all of the fun stuff! 

[caption id="attachment_1676" align="aligncenter" width="225"] So fresh & so clean, clean[/caption]

The next morning I would find out that I did a few things wrong:

1&2- I twisted off the wrong cap to pour deodorizer & water into the wrong area! 3- When I twisted the cap back on, it actually didn't twist back on but crossed the threads, so it leaked a little (good thing we have the mats like we do, they got taken out and washed). 4- I didn't put any water into the top of it. Well, all I can say is, at least I tried to help. It did get a very thorough cleaning AND all the gummed up T.P. was taken out, so I did do some good! I also cleaned the inside of the van up, it looks so purty!

 I hung curtains on the outside of Joon to make it cooler on the inside...it sure heats up in here during the day. A big thank you out to SoulRaven for the curtains!

The rest of the day, when J' wasn't gone or grinding, he was working or reading on the torsion bar. I moved from one spot to another moanin' & groanin' and Savannah dug herself into a frenzy trying to get a hold of one of those Kangaroo Mice...poor things! She sure is a good digger though...she's bound to strike oil out here!

[caption id="attachment_1679" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Digging to China[/caption]

 We all know what she would do with those little mice too...exactly what she does with everything of hers... saves it for later!

[caption id="attachment_1683" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Sha-Sha's all locked up![/caption]

Let's just hope for everyone's sake she never catches up with those scared little mice but it is good exercise for her! haha

PEACE

 

Things that go BAM in the night

So...we're laying in bed last night. I had been tossing and turning and staring at the stars through the window. J' was in sleepy land.

BAM!

It shook us both up and alert. It felt like we were just rammed by, a, well... Ram! We both looked out the windows, watching for movement. We put on the headlights...nothing. We laid back down after a while and going through different scenarios. We figured maybe we fell off of the rocks we were leveled on...went back to sleep.

A sleeplessness night later...

We got out of the van to investigate what had happened last night, as we came around the driver side we saw something that didn't look so right. The frame looked like it was sitting right on top of the tire.

[caption id="attachment_1599" align="aligncenter" width="300"] What's wrong Joon?[/caption]

Running through what might have been the problem, nothing looked broken, ripped, cracked, popped... nothing. J' opened the hood to make sure nothing popped up and through something in the engine compartment. Everything looked fine.

After some research and talking to some peeps on a forum about it, J' found out it was most likely the torsion bar. For those of you that don't know what a torsion bar is or what it does, here's a quick lesson:

The torsion bar is a suspension component.

It twists ever so slightly to adjust ride height. 

[caption id="attachment_1600" align="aligncenter" width="300"] That's not right![/caption]

We spent the rest of the afternoon trying to break it free. It's just too wide one way and too long another way (yeah, yeah...that's what she said).

We needed a contortion bar! haha ka-dink-shh...Get it?

Anyway, we're not too worried about it. We are close to town so that's a plus, for walking or short trips if we decided to go that way. It's nothing we can't handle, we're in a good place. I'll let you know how it goes and how it goes down!

Catch ya' on the flip side, yo'!

Snuggle Bums, Saws & Snow

Wow, what a day we had yesterday, huh!? While we were sleeping we got the storm we had waited for all day and J' wasn't even awake to enjoy it...boooo. I woke up by the van violently shaking back and forth, the wind was blowing super strong and the rain was slapping against every surface pretty loudly, it was crazy! I was up for about three hours after that, due to not being able to fall back asleep. I told J' this morning I was afraid to look out the window for I thought there might be 6 tornadoes sitting there waiting for us, haha. We were lucky enough to wake up to sunshine though...that makes the solar happy!

[caption id="attachment_1414" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Tired baby[/caption]

We stayed in bed and snuggled a bit longer than usual, due to how chilly it was. We turned the tube on and watched bits and pieces of different morning shows, hearing about the crazy storm last night. There was major flooding all over the city, up to peoples' car doors, into their houses...what a storm! When we finally got out of bed, it was a rush to get dressed. It's going to be a chilly day today! I think we were maybe up, dressed and an hour or so into the day and we already had the heater out and turned on with the doors closed...brrzies & freezies!

[caption id="attachment_1415" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Toastin' our tootsies[/caption]

Even though it was cold today, it was nice. A different kind of day...again. I tell you this desert thing is something else! I took Savannah on a very small walk, really only down to the main road and back which isn't more than 25 yards or so, but she's off-leash so she can roam a bit and get her exercise. I still can't walk on my foot 100%, I can tippy toe and walk a little on the side of my foot, but then I start to get a large charlie horse in my calf so I have to stop and stretch it out. What a pain in the ass!

[caption id="attachment_1416" align="aligncenter" width="300"] This is what I stepped on[/caption]

I love the different views we get here.

 As I was coming back, J' came out of the van and wanted to go on a short walk. I told him I'd come but didn't know how long I could make it, so we walked. J' and Savannah were a little ahead of me so I started walking where I could see more flat stone than the small hills and big rock I was on. I then came upon what could have been three things: 1- A grave for a person or animal 2- X marks the spot for treasure or 3- A sun or decoration of some sort. We did no further investigating but it makes you wonder...

[caption id="attachment_1418" align="aligncenter" width="225"] What is it?[/caption]

I called J' over and we sat and made up stories of what it could be, that was funny. Oh and as we were walking back to the van we saw one of the biggest holes we've ever seen in the ground, as of yet...I hope they don't get any bigger. I wonder what lives in there?

[caption id="attachment_1419" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Who goes there?[/caption]

When we got back to the van J' decided to make things a little easier on us and split one of the boards from one big board to two smaller boards, to be able to access things a little easier. Since our bed rolls up to the back of the van, it sits on a majority of this board, so when we need something out of that cupboard we have to move the bed to one side which usually unrolls it a bit, making it a pest to get back in its spot. We then either have to get out of the van, open up the back doors and get what we need out of this cupboard (which isn't practical sometimes) or rummage through it inside of the van with the bed unrolling onto you the whole time making a huge mess. So Mister Smarty Pants put on his thinking cap and sawed it in half...ta da. No more stinkin' thinkin' here folks!

[caption id="attachment_1420" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Put the line on the cabinet...♪ ♫[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1421" align="aligncenter" width="300"] You know I slapped that ass![/caption]

There was nothing I could really help him with (and I just saw a post from our new friends, Jim & Colette, that there was snow on the top of Mt. Charleston, which is right in front of us. Since there was cloud coverage all day, I hadn't noticed it) so I went outside to have a look. Yep, there it was, snow all over the damn thing!

[caption id="attachment_1422" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Mt. Charleston[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1423" align="aligncenter" width="300"] So many different hues[/caption]

 The day started sinking to night pretty fast and getting exceptionally cold, so Nana and I hopped back in the van to see how Daddy was doing. He was working hard for his honey..bum bum, bum bum (you have to sing that part, I'm not a bum!)

[caption id="attachment_1424" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Workin' hard[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1425" align="aligncenter" width="300"] She's shivering here[/caption]

J' had sawed that piece of wood into two, just like he had set out to do with a lot of elbow grease and maybe a God'damnit or two! haha Now thanks to him we have much easier access to things and won't have to play musical chairs to open it up for a second! Woo hoo, thanks babaa'!!

And I made sure that the baby was warm and snuggled as much as possible...poor baby! What would she do without me...well she probably wouldn't be this warm, that's for sure!

[caption id="attachment_1426" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Looking at daddy to save her[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1427" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Where'd Savannah go?[/caption]

Another desert day in the books my friends. I'm still very much contemplating choppin' the afro. It's only been like,what two days, since I washed my hair and it feels more like 9. That is ultimately disgusting to me and I just don't know if I can take one more day of feeling like this. I'm going to sleep on it and decide in the morning. I just don't think long(er) hair is for this lifestyle unless you have unlimited amounts of water, lots of free water or you just don't wash your hair to begin with. For me, I loved my long hair but cut it about 7-8 inches shorter to start this adventure, now I just don't think with our amount of water and now having to pay for it that I can deal with it anymore. If we lived in a house, I never would have cut it to begin with...but we don't, we live in a van.....it's starting to sound like a superb idea, isn't it!?

Have a warm and peaceful night.

PEACE