The Mobile Adventure Continues

Yes, since I’ve been windowshopping for motorhomes and found some great prices on motorhomes, I finally bought and moved into an RV — a very modest 30 year old C-class! My intention is to not have it look like much from the outside…

 

RV-1

My old RV is in good condition but doesn’t look too posh from the outside.

RV from passenger side

Seen from the right side – my break apart chair is at the front wheel – the RV seems like a fairly low rent item – a non-target for break ins.

I purchased this cheap but ended up spending quite a bit more than I had anticipated getting it roadworthy. This little adventure started off with a break down on the freeway on my way back from the purchase:

RV on Freeway

Here is my RV, broken down on the freeway because the alternator didn’t work and I drained the battery.

I had it towed to the tune of $200 and dropped off at Reseda Automotive where extensive repairs were made. Now it runs like new!

I am slowly learning how to live in this mobile home and I have been building out the interior for my computer installation—my live-in mobile digital lab:

Steampunk Monitor

My rather steampunk setup is very road worthy!

I am not finished yet, but I am at least very functional with working conditions, and I’m ready for my next tutorial project. My goal is to upgrade all of the appliances with modern energy efficient versions, and ultimately install solar panels so I can operate off-grid for extended periods. At the moment I am situated in an RV park with access to the Los Angeles areas where I teach workshops and on-going classes in digital photography. My goal is to develop more online training materials which will give me more flexibility for a more mobile lifestyle.

Computer back

Looking towards the back corner of the RV – proper Feng Shui has me facing towards the front of the RV so nobody can be behind me.

The monitor, shown in its “stowed” position, pivots out of the way. Here you can see my hard drive enclosures used for my backup & image archive and the large UPS which isolates the computer from the electrical supply.

Keyboard

My favorite keyboard fits with the steampunk theme.

The refrigerator in the RV is defunct and that will have to be my first upgrade – at the moment you can see my temporary ice chest solution in the background above! Part of the challenge is deciding what I need in the RV and finding an appropriate place to store it. Minimalism is the key here – I already found out that I have too much clothing! There is a certain beauty to “everything in its place” and I am slowly creeping up on that goal.

So… the adventure continues! I am now investigating mobile connectivity solutions and making plans for a few test runs to national parks. I will be posting updates on my RV Technopod adventures from time to time here in the blog so stay tuned. In the mean time, may you all find your own true adventures and have the good fortune to follow them!