The Parker Travels

Updated: 04/21/17 We really got the run around from the storage place on base, and since the HOA wants the PUP gone ASAP we had to act quickly. The spot on base was supposed to open up April 1st. So we brought the trailer home over the weekend, thinking that we would be able to move it in to the storage spot by Monday or Tuesday. Well I called over there both days and finally the woman told me that she won't know until Friday if they have spots available or not. But reassured me for the umpteenth time that we are first on the wait list… Not wanting to get the landlord of our home in trouble, we looked elsewhere for the time being. Luckily we found a storage center close by that after explaining our situation, is giving us a super cheap rate for one month. So now here is the new (temporary) home for our PUP until we can figure out what is going on with the on base storage.  (UPDATE: It is now Saturday, one day after the woman from base said she would call to let me ...

Updated: 4/29/17 Love is what this outdoor stove needs for sure! Lots and lots of love! By ripping out the stove from inside the PUP we now have spare parts to use to replace some of the more rusty and worn down parts on this outdoor version. The rest of it just needs a good scouring with a wire brush and some paint. We bought this High Heat paint by Rust-oleum  which can withstand up to 1200˚F. We also bought a wire brush set  with different types of tips to put into our cordless drill. Kyle already used some of them on the trailer tongue and they worked great! The latch is working well, just needs a good scrub. This hinge needs to be replaced. We might try and use the hinge from the indoor stove here and cut it down to size. If that doesn't work we can just replace it.  Hinge from the inside. This track looks good, this is where the outdoor stove will slide onto the side of the PUP. There is also a stand under the stove that props up a...

Update Below: 04/30/17 We have no use for an indoor stove, so we ripped it out! It took some persuasion to unscrew the gas line so we could take the stove out, but once we got it undone the stove came out in one piece. Easy peasy.  Now we need to cap this off, so we don't get gassed out every time we turn the propane on.  So much room for activities! Our vision is to possibly buy a larger sink, then use the rest of the space as extra countertop space. You find quick in a PUP that everything you do is to either make more room or storage space for everything that you plan on bringing! We plan on doing most of our cooking and cleaning outdoors, but its always nice to have a sink inside for brushing teeth, washing hands, quick tasks, etc. A larger one would be nice so we could wash dishes inside too but its not a requirement. The next step for us with this area is to build a new countertop to replace this one, cut a hole in it for the sink and t...

Update Below: 05/05/2017 This is what is underneath the 3" of foam that is the trailer bed…ouch! The good thing is that the wood in both bunk ends are in great condition. Nice! The point of buying a PUP was so we didn't have to sleep on the hard ground anymore. But that also means we don't want to sleep on a piece of wood either. I remember my parents telling me that before kids, they would just take the second mattress in their trailer and put it on their bed for extra padding. That will work perfectly, until we invite someone else to come camping along with us, or kids happen (whichever comes first). So we bought some anti fatigue foam mats  and laid them out on the bed. We need one more square but so far they fit pretty nicely. They fit 3 across and 3 plus a little strip down. We just used the left over pieces for the extra space for now. We will end up cutting the edge squares so they fit perfectly in the bed frame. Toby is inspecting ...

Updated: 05/27/17  Taking the wire brush to the trailer tongue. Looks much better now! We bought a can of Rust Reformer spray paint to help prevent rust in the future.  Update 05/27/17 Kyle sprayed the tongue with the  Rust-Oleum Rust Rust Reformer Spray  to help keep the rust from coming back. Looks a lot better!