Poor Margarita

Our poor Motorhome.  This winter has been cold and the snow is never ending.  She doesn't complain though.  She's a trooper and sits wearing her winter jammies and warm fuzzy slippers waiting to the snow to melt.  It might be July before all of it melts.

There she is, tucked up against the shop.  I actually took this picture from inside of the house.  It's cold outside, I'm not going out there!

Yes, Zak is here, too.

I guess my son has a hard time convincing his friends at school that this way cool motorhome is his, too.

Chasing down the leak

Just in time for summer, Margarita got a new look.  We (as in my husband)  found this at the store that felt that Margarita sure would look great with her very own sticker of beachyness.

We are still trying to track down the leak that soaked the carpet.  Would be a shame to clean up that vintage shag and put it back in only to have it get soaked again now wouldn't it?  (yes, I'm snickering)

The motorhome has three of these pipes that come up.  We think it might be that black seal you see in this picture.  I'm sure 35 years of being compressed has not been kind to that seal.

This is a shot from inside right under where that pipe goes in.  It's in the top cabinet of the wardrobe unit.  That wood's not looking so hot.

So we (as in my husband) order new vent covers with new seals for all three of these style vents.


We discussed the replacement of the counter top today.   Just discussed.

An answer and the Hula Girl

Big News for Margarita. We finally got her a Dashboard Hula Girl!
She showed up at our church's annual rummage sale. She's perfect don't ya think?


There was a question asked in the comment section of a previous post. Sorry, I'm just now getting to answer it. The question was what kind of paint did we use on the inside for the plastic trim pieces. We used Krylon Fusion for Plastic. My husband washed all of the parts first with regular soapy water and then followed that up with an ammonia based cleaner. The ammonia based cleaner is recommended by Krylon.

Krylon also makes a Textured Simmer product for plastic that we also used. It's great for camouflaging repairs to cracked plastic. We (as in my husband) used it for the band at the front of the large plastic ceiling piece. He repaired a crack above the rear view mirror. He used that texture product for the 6 or 8 inch band that runs along the edge. The texture product does not come in the same color so this band got repainted after it was dry.

UNFORTUNATELY...the repair did not survive the winter. We (as in my husband) will try something different and will repaint with the Krylon again. I'll try to remember to get pictures and post the repair.


I've been FABRIC shopping. After the trip out west last year and having to sit on towels because that upholstery is "vintage" and uncomfortable, I've been itching to reupholster the seats. Here's what I've been thinking of.

and


Both of these fabrics are available through JoAnn Fabrics.

I'm thinking that the seats will get done in the solid and the seat backs will get done in the print. I will also use the solid for the back of the dinette and for the trim panel that goes on the wall under the dinette.


I'm still working on getting new front seats but the guys in this house STILL have not forgiven me for ripping out the oh so vintage green shag carpet and are very unwilling update Margarita's front seats. What am I to do???

Sweater for Margarita

Margarita sits through the winter snug as a bug under her protective cover next to the garage to await the first warm days of spring when the cover will come off and work will resume.

I saw this picture of a bus over at the Granny Forums at Digital Scrapbook Place. One of the members posted it after finding it in the Lion Yarn Newsletter. It's got me wondering what Margarita would look like in a sweater of her own?

And just what kind of pattern and what kind of color combination would befit our vintage motorhome?

Fall Carlisle Swap Meet

Poor Margarita...she sits in the rain next to the garage we couldn't fit her into without removing the AC unit from the roof. Meanwhile, Dan is off at Carlisle again. He been going to this Fall Carlisle swap meet with a fellow GMC owner for years now. I always believed it was just GMC motorhomes but he called me the other day to let me know about this "sweet" little station wagon that he saw. It was from the late 80's and very likely had the faux wood siding. The only thing that was shocking about this particular car was the size. It was smaller than he normally gravitates toward. The man is sick I tell you! There has got to be a support group for men who like big, ugly cars. Not that Margarita is ugly, because she's not. But you have to admit that she's big. A car doesn't get much bigger than that.

So here is the description for Carlisle straight from their website (see link above). "The Fall Carlisle Collector Car Swap Meet and Corral marks the end of the swap meet season each year and is an absolute must-attend event for thousands of enthusiasts who travel to Carlisle from all points of the globe to buy, sell and celebrate all things automotive. This is a fun-filled weekend the entire family will enjoy. While exploring the 102 acres and 8,100 vending spaces, you will marvel at one of the largest automotive swap meets in the world. Carlisle is the place to purchase any of the 2,000 vehicles at the car corral where you can slip behind the wheel and get a feel for the vehicle. Even better, you can deal directly with the car owner to work out the best price. This is where you can buy, sell and trade with total confidence. All roads lead to Carlisle, PA where you’ll find a community of passionate motorheads and a commitment to superb service that can only be achieved through more than three decades of know-how."

I used bold font to highlight the reasons I stay home. Not that I don't have a great fondness for Margarita, I just can't see myself as part of all of that CELEBRATION.

They took his buddy's motorhome as they always do. I really hope they will NOT be towing a "Sweet little station wagon" home behind them.

Big Yellowstone Trip

Margarita made it!! She shuttled our butts all the way to Yellowstone and back. We kind of had to wonder just how many times she had made the trip with various previous owners.

Yup, spent the first night in a Walmart parking lot. Why not??

Our first "real" camping location was Jellystone in Sioux Falls South Dakota.



Our first issue was the alternater. Unfortunately that lead to a hole in the radiator. Spent the night in another Walmart parking lot but with the radiator repaired and the alternate replaced we were on our way the next day. Rapid City, South Dakota.

Yup, we had to back track an hour to get to Wall Drug but what trip out west would be complete without Wall Drug????



The Badlands. It was HOT!!! We did Mt Rushmore that day too.


KOA in Deadwood, South Dakota.


Deadwood, SD

Devil's Tower. Way cool!!


Camping at Lost Cabin Campground in Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming. Delightful campground hosts here!!



Next night was at Wapiti Campground in Shoshone National Forest WITH power!!



This is the first picture from Yellowstone. We spent 5 WONDERFUL days in Yellowstone.

Having a Motorhome in Yellowstone is THE way to go. There is LOTS to see and do but restaurants are not cheap and the wait for a table can be long. It sure is nice to come back after a hike and grab something cold to drink out of the refrigerator.


I love this shot of Margarita and the Yellowstone bus.

This was hands down the COOLEST campsite. One day we popped out the north end of Yellowstone for the night and camped in the Canyon Campground of the Gallatin National Forest. These huge rocks were scattered everywhere. Even the dog had fun climbing up on them.

We just had to get a shot like this. This is at the North Entrance of Yellowstone just past the stone entry arch.




Grand Tetons


Wyoming is really a neat state. I LOVE these rocks!

The shot from above and below is from Guernsey State Park in Wyoming.

Mary the Dog. The driver's seat was HER spot as long as the coach was not moving.

Car Hinge in Alliance Nebraska. That was a little out of the way but a MUST SEE!! We had also done Fort Laramie and the Oregon Trail museum in Scottsbluff on this day. Made for a history filled day. Yes, the old cars of Car Hinge were history.

We tried to find a campground that night but must have missed it in the dark. Found out that the windshield can withstand an encounter with a rather big bird that night. We finally ended up in a Pamida parking lot.


GMC dealership in Kearney Nebraska. Killion Motors is a GMC motorhome friendly shop. The owner has one of his own. They happened to see us across the street at the auto parts store. Needed a belt. They invited us over.

We did stay at a State Park in Nebraska but it was pricey and NOT very well cared for.


This was the big breakdown and yes, tears were shed. This time it was the waterpump. Lots of parts come off for the water pump. The sign said 77 miles to DesMoines. Luckily we pulled into the end of a driveway of a super nice family who lived just off of the freeway. We could not have survived this breakdown without them. And yes, that is an Iowa cornfield. I just knew we would end up stuck next to a cornfield at some point. We ended up in Anita State Park that night. It was about 20 minutes from this spot.


Last campground stay was at Illinois State Park right on the Illinois River. That was neat.

It was a great trip and traveling in a VINTAGE motorhome was rather fun. We got a lot of thumbs up, smiles, and nods from people on the road. Not sure what the next trip will be.