T R I P   P R E P A R A T I O N

All systems are a go! Today is my departure day. Heading north to Mt St Helens in Washington State.

Monday, June 28th, 2004

Some time has passed since my last entry. The van is almost done (all that's left are completing the drapes, new tires, and an alarm system). Been working on my OmniStats application but that's been slow going. Currently I'm in Seattle with the van on a "shake down" cruise. Will be here until Tuesday afternoon. I lucked out, I parked in a residential neighborhood and was able to jump on someone's wireless access. I suspect I'll be able to do this from time to time, it's nice being connected from the van!

Saturday, June 19th, 2004

Since my last entry, the van has been in shop for a tune-up and other misc work. I've installed the carpet and padding, all that's left is to put curtains up around the storage units and sink. This weekend I'll be working hard on my website to get it all ready for my departure. Also have to work on converting my Omnistats application from Cold Fusion to PHP.

Sunday, June 13th, 2004

Completed plumbing the sink and made good progress on the exhaust vent fan. Did a lot of running around shopping for supplies, actually went to Home Depot three times throughout the day, yikes!

Saturday, June 12th, 2004

Mostly shopped for remaining supplies needed for the camper conversion. I tested the electric water pump and it seemed to pump water as advertised!

Friday, June 11th, 2004

Got a late start today, just worked on putting the formica on the sink surround and countertop.

Thursday, June 10th, 2004

Started work on the kitchen area, including sink, water storage and cooler stowage.

Wednesday, June 9th, 2004

Started and finished work on a desk that swings out of the way to allow rear entry when desired.

Tuesday, June 8th, 2004

Registered the van and got new license plates. Dad and I made good progress today on the van conversion. We completed construction of the bed and storage units.

Monday, June 7th, 2004

Went to Oregon DEQ to get the van pollution tested but the stupid testing station was closed, seems they just changed their hours of operation, no longer open on Monday. Swung by Fred Meyers and bought plastic storage units (2 and 3 drawer units), then went to Lowes to buy some lumber and supplies for the van camper build. It's been raining on and off all day, it was getting late so we bagged it, will start on the sawing, screwing and gluing tomorrow. We've got the bed, sink, storage and table design all figured out. All that is left is power and ventilation design.

Sunday, June 6th, 2004

Finished cleaning the floor then used Armor-All to polish the surfaces.

Saturday, June 5th, 2004

Started to clean the floor, it's pretty dirty.

Friday, June 4th, 2004

Drove to Salem Oregon to pick up my van. Removed all 4 bench seats and stowed them in my storage unit. Drove the van to my parents house where we'll convert it into a camper.

Thursday, June 3rd, 2004

Won eBay bid on 1999 Ford E350 XL Super Duty Van.