These are a Few of My Favorite Things

 Surprisingly the forecast was exactly as expected and it was sunny the following day.  We wanted to head back to Red Mountain to see it dressed in white.

I had to recreate the photo I took Monday - it was just too perfect.

It was purely magical.  Watching the clouds dance around the snow covered mountain tops, hearing the crunch of fresh snow under our tires and knowing we were the first ones out here.

At the point, the snow had drifted heavily in some spots, making continuing on a little dicey.  A Ram followed us up and we all collectively decided it was safest to turn back.  The couple in the Ram really wanted to head to Animas Forks but wanted company for safety purposes.  We figured, why not? It's worth a shot.

It's a Snow Day!

 We anticipated the incoming snow storms, but we've both been desert rats for so long we were pretty conservative during the active snow.  We motored slowly down 550 and it was so moody.

We pulled into Ironton Park to let the dogs out to play.  

This was JB's first time in the snow (he's only 10 months) and HE LOVED IT.  

After both human and canine stretched their legs in the snow, we continued towards Silverton.  The closer we got, the worse the snow fell.  And sure enough, there was a little Corolla who lost the battle with the mountain.  A few Arizonan's and a Kansan pulled out a Texan on a Colorado mountain road.  We got to use our newly purchased MaxTrax and a tow strap and sent the Texan back towards Ouray.  He was clearly not going to make it south during this storm.

We found a wide spot and put our recovery gear away and turned back towards Ouray.  The conditions to Silverton were just not worth the risk.  We stopped for some white tail, then played tourist in Ouray proper before turning in for the night.  Tomorrow would be sunny and full of plenty of snow adventures.

Mountains and Lakes, Oh My!

After leaving Red Mountain, we made our way to this little nameless lake (I'm sure it has a name, but no map we have lists one).  Silverton is very quiet this time of year.  And we didn't mind one bit.  

  

The altitude was really kicking my butt the last two days so we left the lake and headed back to the lower altitude of Ouray.  

Colorado Without Camping

 2021 has been extremely busy for us.  At times heartbreaking, stressful and exhausting.  It was time for a break from "life" for a week.  But we sold the teardrop trailer earlier this summer to squirrel funds away for when we get back into working on the Revcon.  Yep, that project is still waiting for us to finish it.  

We booked an AirBnB in Ouray, packed up the pups and slogged north.  We knew we were on the tail end of fall for the Colorado mountains, but at least there were some fall colors to greet us.

We got in late and settled into our little A Frame for the evening.  Tomorrow we'd start exploring our favorite haunts.

Snow already dusted the San Juans, and we knew we were in for more this week.  We started up Red Mountain -

The sun was high and bright, but the wind was kicking.  It was a no drone day.  

But we got to explore some of Mike's favorite mine structures.

This is our new boy, JB.  

We headed towards Silverton, to run up to our favorite little lake.  

Revcon Rebuild Part 12: Interior Walls

When we purchased the Revcon, we were provided with bamboo for the inner walls. We had intentions of using it and even outfitted the back wall and upper walls of the cab with it. Then the upper cab windows leaked. The bamboo wrinkled like a wood-like product would. When we purchased the Revcon, it was floor to ceiling in mold. We decided to abandon the bamboo. (Yes, the upper windows will be repaired)

We opted to use ABS for the inner walls. We decided on a textured white. It is a huge departure from our original plan but it is waterproof, mold proof and easy to maintain. It is rigid yet flexible so works with the curvature of the walls. And it is easy to cut. To balance out the white, we're planning on wood cabinetry.  

 

 

 

We still have to do the rear wall and upper cab walls. But those will wait. We needed to get the Revcon dried in so we could transition to other awaiting projects. Sadly, this giant will again go to the back burner. I have stopped setting timelines with this project because plans consistently change and other projects need attention before spring/summer.  

We're pleased with the how it turned out. The light tan exterior looks great, the white walls really make the space feel open and bright. Having new lighting and fresh paint really makes the Revcon look new.

Revcon Rebuild Part 11: When a Week Turns into a Month

We took a week off work in early November, specifically to finish painting the exterior of the Revcon. We got all 5 RV windows removed at dusk, only to realize that southern Arizona would see the first measurable amount of rain in over 100 days. I had checked the weather several times the week prior and wasn't expecting this storm. It rained all night and into the next day. Humidity was sky high and it was cool out. Three days into our vacation, it cleared up enough in the afternoon and we taped off the cab to prep it for primer. Mike primed the cab clear into dusk.  

 

We laid primer on the driver's side RV the following afternoon, followed by color on the cab that evening. The following afternoon, Mike applied color on the driver's side RV.

 

By this point, we were back to work, so got as much prep work and paint done in the evenings. Which are pretty short this time of year. So in true fashion, we got primer and color on the passenger's side...in the dark.

 

Now into December, we were able to get all the gaping holes plugged up. The Ford got brand new headlights. After our trek back from Portland with only one functional headlight, it was well worth the money. New tail lights, marker lights and a back up camera were also installed. All the trim got a fresh coat of black and the RV windows/frames were sanded and painted black as well. 

 

 

Finally after installing interior walls (I'll go into that in a follow-up post) all 5 windows were installed. And it looks like progress was made.  

 

Revcon Rebuild Part 10: Year Long Hiatus

It has been a full year since we made any progress on the Revcon. Mike returned last Thanksgiving from a 3 month work assignment. We then dove head first into two truck builds that wrapped up this summer and fall respectively. It felt like the right time to make any progress on the exterior of the Revcon.




Arizona had been unseasonably warm and dry. We took time off work, specifically to finish the exterior paint this past week. So we popped out the 5 remaining windows and did some finish sanding. Only to find out that the following day, southern Arizona would see the first measurable rain in 110 days. Of course.

 

So we taped the five gaping holes and ran errands during our rain delay. In between fits of wind, we managed to tape up and prime the cab. Desert winters just don't have enough daylight.

 

In the meantime I got to work sanding/painting the windows for the driver's side RV section.

We lost so much of this week to rain, humidity and wind. We blindly moved the Revcon to the rear of the shop yesterday to put primer on the driver's side RV and paint on the cab. It is an interesting experience driving a 31' RV blindly, with just the guidance of your spouse, be we did it.

I'm bummed we're, yet again, behind on progress but we still hope to have it dried in as soon as possible. If the afternoon desert winds will cut a break sometime this week, we may just get the driver's side completely done. Hopefully by Christmas (fingers crossed), both sides will be done. Just maybe.

 

We will both be happy to put this part of the renovation behind us. Once the walls go up, windows installed, we can plan out the interior build while we tackle a few projects in between. Sadly, this sandy beast just gets the short end of the stick when it comes to our attention, but a personal project and a paid project are creeping in after the New Year.