so quick mid-trip update...
Skyline dr/Blue Ridge parkway is beautiful and is now on my list of ultimate driving roads. Great experience, "I'll be back". Finding out i cant stop at every overlook was interfering with the itinerary. Had a few encounters with deer, elk, bear, rabbits, birds of prey, and many humans as well. Stayed in park camp grounds $14-$16 a night, usually meet a few interesting people there. I would try and leave early then take bfast and lunch at an picturesque overlook.
breakfast spot
lunch spot
lunch next day
sorry to bore you with pictures
went 10+ miles down a unmaintained dirt road to follow the river but never found it. had to bail out. Here you can kinda see where i have cut off the rear dually overhang/light covers. I like it alot better and have some more plans for easy storage access, a hinged panel left of the door. there is a small kitchen door inside to access it but being able to pull out the camping chairs and table with out going inside would be nice. came out pretty darn well, minus using old chalking that never cured. ill have to go back and do it again :/.....'too bad you didnt have a nicer chalk'
the truck has been getting a spanking with my heavy right foot. 6+ mile uphill inclines and declines average 400*-1150* EGT ~20-35psi..... alot of 4-5 min 4th gear deceleration, with almost no need for breaking. VERY happy about having a 5 speed. i have been adding about a 1/3QT of oil each fill up :/
Video of Grandfather MT
(not environmentally friendly)
went around ATL and quickly realized that the rig nor me belong there, so we moved on south and now are taking a take a break in Sanibel Island, FL with the rest of my family. Pretty damn hot down here with no AC. 12V fans help but luckily i have a bed in a condo for the majority of the week. Plan to head on to Key West for this weekend, then spend a week or so making my way back to NH. Key west, Sugarloaf key, Key Largo, party night in Miami, take the rig out on Daytona Beach, weekend in Myrtle Beach then head home.
the camper has been holding up for the most part. being on my first big trip it took about 3 days to finally get settled in. i kept moving things in and out, and finally realized every thing has a home. i can set up/take down camp in ~3 min now.
the dual fans for the fridge i put in were too noisy so i ran 2 separate wires so i could use 1 or 2 at a time. (10:00pm modification) It will stay around 32*-34* when running propane or 120v. i turn it off while driving and it warms up to 50* or so in the 6-8 hours. at night i turn it back on and only takes hour or so to start to get cool. not sure what to do to keep it from rising so much during the day. from what i have herd and tried a few times, running on 12v isnt worth the loss of battery power. didnt really help maintain any temp.
ive been messing around with the led lighting and placement, had some duct tape holding one temporary in place and noticed it fell off one side. on further investigation the thing must have been 150*+ and melted the 3M sticky tape on the other side i was trying to save. I dont believe it is a fire hazard being in an all plastic fixture. thought about using computer processor heat sinks behind it but its a pretty small area between the lens cover.
i was trying to raise the roof to get stuff out from under the bed last night and was having difficulty, partly due to intoxication, but after getting it up and locked in place i was frustrated enough to finally yank out the gosh darn, back stabbing crank handle to find this...
the teeth are all twisted and starting to chunk apart. that is why it is so sketchy cranking it up because the twist naturally wants to walk out of the track. not sure what to do for handle replacements, going to look around on the forums, call a few local rv shops, and really hope to find some answer before the end of the week. not sure if i can go the remainder of the trip with out poping the top, cant cook, cant sleep that well, kind of a major issue...
other then the crank handle, all as been going well. now im going to go lather myself in SPF 1000 and still turn into a lobster by the end of the day.
KCCO
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. Some how over the years I've fallen into helping run, organize, coordinate, consult the rally with a friend Tim O'neil. This year went really well, all things considered. 
Originally Posted by freeskier125
) Here is the link that got me going on the gas strut pop up lift assist thing. 