A Swankie Roof Rack and Vent Fan

Bob Wells at the Slabs helping me to install my Fan -Tastic Vent Fan.($131 and up).  (think Bob has a fascination for ladies on the roofs of vans – see his new blog post http://cheaprvlivingblog.com/2013/05/beat-the-heat-1-add-screens-2-paint-the-roof-of-your-van-3-buy-a-fan/)

I did all the work myself, but he was right there beside me the entire time. Others got frustrated by my learning curve... but I needed to do the work myself... so I can fix things it if I have too.  With COPD issues, proper ventilation was my number one priority. Photo by Heidi Thomas (I think?)  Had I enough money at the time, I would have gone with a little more expensive model, one with a remote control, as I sometimes forget to close the vent before I drive.  Normally, it just kinda jiggles itself shut, and another thing, if it is opened until it presses against the platform, the wind can’t blow it anywhere, and the platform itself protects it somewhat. But there are times I wished I had a remote control to close it while I was driving, when I forget otherwise.

A friend commented that I'm the only person she knows who puts a hole in the roof of her van just to make a picture frame. Photo by Heidi Thomas.  Note the ceiling is already insulated, and besides the cross supports, aluminum furring strips have been added which are thin and strong.  The paneling is screw into the furring strips.

After I got the roof vent fan installed, I had this Kargo Master Pro II Van roof rack professionally installed and have been very pleased. It is heavy and it cost a lot (May 2013 price is $655), but now I have options for the roof once I build a wooden platform to go on the rack, I can attach many things, solar, TV antenna, haul stuff like kayak or other things, etc.. — in Monterey, CA.  The rack on the above link shows the rear part of the rack bending downward… mine is straight… I wish it was bent like this… would make the kayak loading easier.

I had to change my kayak loading methods - began with a Honda Odyssey... and this Chevy is much much taller... but I have now perfected a new technique for this old 60-something lady loading the 12' plus kayak on top - alone without help. From the ground, I cannot even reach the kayak. Very doable, albeit tricky.

Went to TX to have friend/vandweller Ron McDowell help me with the design and construction of the roof rack platform. Purpose was five-fold: 1) shade the vehicle, 2) mount solar panel, 3) mount t.v. antenna, 4) carry kayak, 5) opening for vent fan cover. I built and painted the platform on the ground and then a couple construction workers came by and loaded it onto the rack.

I installed the solar panel in the dark using a small LED light.  If I can do that, anyone can install these things.  (it was too hot to work in the sunlight)

Next, I had to figure out how to attach it to the rack. Ron was great in providing me with shade and ideas. TX heat was terrible and most of the time I could only work 10 min, drink a bottle of water or pour one over me... a perpetual wet-shirt show. I'll never live in TX. — in San Antonio, TX.

RIP Ron McDowell, you are loved and missed.

The opening allows me to open the vent fan lid most of the way... one unexpected result of having the platform off a couple inches, was that the lid can press against the wood... and not flap in the wind. It is usually closed while I drive. I wanted the wood platform to have rigid support so I could walk or sleep on top. I painted it several coats to prevent weathering. I used 3/4” CDX plywood. (you can see Ron’s power chair on the right)

Another view of Ron's place, Ron under the awning, and the platform in progress. A good shot of the Kargo Master roof rack too.

The Fantastic Vent Fan was placed off-center to be near the head of my bed.  I have liked this much more than it being centered in the van..

Checking to see the fit of the first section of wood.  Also, lined up the seams of the plywood to rest on the cross bars of the rack, for more support. Marked the front corners to cut them curved to match the curve of the rack.

Left: Before the Platform was built.   Right: With new platform.

The platform installed, vent open, kayak on top. About 5" of space allows plenty of room for air circulation. The roof is almost always in the shade now and you can’t imagine how much difference that makes to the inside temperature.. Keeps the van a lot cooler. It's 2:45 pm right now... I'm sitting in full sun and the inside temp of van is only 75 degrees.

The wire comes from the solar panel down through the wooden platform and into the roof to the solar controller. Have not had any leak in four years since I installed it. I first drilled a hole through the roof from the inside, so I could see where the hole should be cut from the roof.  Then I used a hole-cutter bit on my regular drill, and drilled from the outside through the skin.  I filed off the burrs and placed a rubber grommet around the metal edges.  Then I used some of the vent fan caulking (Dicor Butly Tape) to seal up the wire/grommet/hole.  You can see screws sticking through... don't have a tool to cut them off. Solar panel is held on with 8 screws. This probably should be changed to nuts and bolts, but it has not loosened at all in these four years.

The side 2x4 was laid down flat to allow more clearance for me to tie down the kayak. The bracket holding the platform to the rack is a pipe bracket (don't know the name) and it worked perfect, except I had to bend the ends. Holding tight after four years but the rubber padding has degraded and I have replaced some of it with pieces of yoga mat material.

This is the front edge of the rack (I had intended for the platform to line up with the rack, but that didn't happen). Doesn't really matter. Painted the edges of the platform black to blend in more with the cargo rack. Sometimes it's not noticeable that there is a platform on the rack.

I initially ran the t.v. antenna in the rear door but later ran it down the same hole as the solar cable. When I get a flat screen t.v. I may change this again and make a new hole in the rear left corner of the roof to shorten the length of the cable.  I have also learned there is a  flat cable made to go in doors like this, so I may get one of those.  I may put in a splitter to see if it will also run a neighbor's t.v. as well and if we can watch different channels at the same time.

Close-up of the rear bracket.

So there it is... all loaded up. Only thing different is I carry the kayak in my trailer most of the time, to protect it from the sun, and I have built a ladder rack on the side of my trailer for the ladder, as it was always in my way.  (Thank you Steven Ballee’ for your ideas and assistance on that one.).

I can't think of much I would have done differently. Note the white 2” x 4” under the kayak - that is a guide that keeps the kayak lined up straight and prevents it from sliding toward the solar panel (135 watt). It was pure stroke of genius in the hot TX sun.  Oh, and I have to be parked so the kayak does not shade the solar panel, another thing I had not thought out, but seems to be no problem.

God, I'm glad I have lost weight since this was taken a few years ago (when I kayaked Arizona, my 4th state). Yuk. Anyway this is the tie down stage of loading the kayak. I keep this ladder in the side door of my van when I carry the kayak like this and am not towing the trailer.

Final thoughts:  There are always tradeoffs.  People think my set-up is too expensive, but I have constant shade on my roof, and I can climb up there and walk on it, sleep on it or sit and watch the stars.  I can haul heavy loads on it if needed.  I think it was worth every penny.

Water was gathering in the corners of the platform.  I drilled a one-inch hole in each corner and then applied a few layers of caulk and paint.  Now, if I am in rain, it drains right off and does not damage or warp the wood.

A Swankie Desk

I lived in Prescott, AZ the winter of 2004-2005.  This was my apartment.  I marvel, looking at this now, at all the stuff in this picture that I no longer have (chair, TV, monitor, PC, books, that printer, the file cabinet, and most of the papers… gone).  But the desk, not getting rid of it… it’s a work of art.  Made by an octogenarian (well he was probably younger than that when he made it), he gave it to me in 2004 and I love it.

The desk then lived in a storage unit for some time. Then I went to stay at a friend’s home in Monterey, CA…  to get some surgery and recover.  The desk  moved into my room in her home.  Barely room for a twin bed, a desk and chair and a few other small things. But the recovery time for the surgery, had me going from the bed to the desk, a few steps to the bathroom, and I got used to having everything within arms reach… good training for becoming a vandweller.  Note here, the carving work on the end of the desk.

Finally, in 2008, I got the van I had been dreaming about for years and was at a stage where I could transition from sticks and bricks to mobile living.  The process had begun… the desk now had to move into this space one way or another.

Others had suggested building a cardboard model of the things you need to place in the van, so you can work out how they will fit, so I did that.  Note the rounded thingy cutout.  I don’t know what it is, (probably the gasoline intake) but I know I had to cut a hole in the desk to get it to go against the wall.

Taking the cardboard back into the house, I laid it up against the back of the desk… and just sawed the wood off… holding my breath.

Here the desk is standing on one end… and I have determined that the top of the desk will need to be sawed off, and shortened in order for the desk to fit in the van.  Now, how to do that?  Looking back, I’m not sure how I did it, but it worked.

I then took the top outside where I had a nice picnic table to work on… and cut the legs off about two inches.  Oh, this was scary.  Was I destroying this lovely desk?  Would I ever get it all back together again, inside the van???

I was trying to walk this bottom part out the back door, down off the porch, and across the concrete patio and realizing I bit off more than I could chew, I flagged down a couple guys and asked them it they would carry and lift it into the van, and they were happy to help.  So there it is, in place.  Note the bottom shelf on the left, also had to have a notch cut out of it to get it to fit.  But, it’s in the van.

Notice the very artistic drawer pulls, made of gnarly old desert wood, which are fastened on with copper wire.  Love it.

Here you can see why the top of the desk had to be cut off to fit under that carpeted piece at the top, and come forward to fit the curve of the van wall.  I can’t tell you how hard this was to do, but after adding a few angle brackets to reattach it to the bottom of the desk, all is securely in place and NOTHING has moved in four years. (not saying it would all stay in place if I wrecked and rolled over like another vandweller did, but I have no plans to do so)

The desk top was then secured to the walls of the van with angle bracket and washers.  That is a little frightening too, and you have to know where the ribs or studs are in the wall… wasn’t hard to find as you can see where the screws are for the paneling (covered with tan plastic caps) about 10” directly above the washers.  Also larger L-brackets attached the desk itself to the floor of the van.

Finally, with everything secure, I could begin tweaking it all and finding a place for everything, and putting everything in it’s place.  The scalloped board was found in the trash, and fit nicely there (thinking I could mount a led light behind it something).  I built a box for the solar controller in the corner so I could monitor it while working at my desk.  Oh notice too, this was an old computer desk, and it had a keyboard tray with a power strip.  The power strip has since died and been removed, but the tray is still in place and most handy.  It’s my dinner table, work space, etc.  My laptop usually sits on the desk itself, but as I type this, it is sitting on the keyboard tray.

Still tweaking.  Loose stuff on top of the shelf would not stay in place.  I added a strip of yoga mat material to the top shelf and to all the shelf and desk surfaces.  This is really a great thing, as nothing slides around.  It was glued in place with the sticky glue stick and easily peals off, and some pieces just stapled on with a paper stapler.  Nothing fancy and it works like a charm. 

To the top shelf of the desk, I added quarter-round molding to keep things from sliding off to the front or side.  This is the space that now houses my negative and slide flatbed scanner.

The spacing didn’t suit me, so I raised the shelf, so the slide scanner just fit there, I take it out when I am scanning, and that left just enough space under the shelf for my All-In-One Printer/Scanner.  (Yes, I’m in the scanning stage of my life and didn’t want to waste another year remaining in sticks and bricks and paying rent to scan all the things I need to scan (40 years of genealogy research and hundreds of historic family photos and documents).  I’ve said for years, once I could afford the technology to hit the road and have a mobile computer lab, I would hit the road (this is the prime reason this desk was so important to me… it would house it all).

Boy does it fit well in the van… and I love it.  Notice on the left end of the desk, a space between the desk and the bed… that’s where my sanitation area is now located.

Evolution is a fickle thing.  The PC did not hold up well to all the vibrations of the road, and the hard drive finally died.  So, bye bye PC, speakers, and keyboard.  The large LCD monitor was almost new, so it is well padded and remains in that space, fits right in that curve of the van wall and takes up no extra space.  It was great to have it on hand this past winter when my laptop screen finally died… and I just plugged it in to the monitor and could still work, save files, and function until my sister and her marvelous hubby gifted me with a new laptop.  Warning… electronics are not made to jiggle and bounce around on the back roads of the wilderness.  They will fail.  Ron McDowell (RIP Ron) told me to replace the hard drive in the PC with a laptop hard drive (which would fit in one of the open slots like where the DVD and CD drives are).  He said that Laptop hard drives are made more sturdy and will take more abuse.

I loved the set-up but things just keep evolving.

I added some scrapes of wood to the front of the top shelf, to hold things in place and finally came up with those freezer container which fit perfectly and hold things like sewing supplies.  My address book and misc. other things are always handy. The little top shelf could not be more handy if I had planned it that way… just a happy accident.

I had decided I wanted to have a slide out board in the desk for my stove, but it actually took me about three years to work the design out in my head.  I found these grooved pieces of wood, and knew they would work. As you can see about four photos back, it was just one open shelf so I needed to find a way to put a divider in to attach the right runner to, which was the hardest part.  I bought a finished laminated white shelf board from Home Depot, added a door handle to it, cut the extra length off the back end of the board, and just slid it into place.  Again, a piece of Yoga mat material, keeps the stove from sliding around and a bungee cord goes across the space when the shelf is pushed in, but the shelf is tight and doesn’t jiggle out.  By the way, the vent fan is right above the stove, I couldn’t have planned it that way, it was just another happy accident.

My feet were always cold so I insulated the space under the desk.  Speaking of space, it was really all wasted space, since I had the keyboard tray, I never scooted all the way under the desk. The keyboard tray pulls right out into the isle. This too took me about three years to realize, but why not build shelves under there for food and canned goods.  So this past winter, I took on that little project (thank you for dying PC).

You can’t even begin to know how much food fits on those shelves.  It is amazing.

In conclusion,  you don’t need to have things all planned out perfectly before you hit the road.  Just get the basics done and hit the road.  For me the basics were 1) to be able to afford the technology to have a mobile computer lab, 2) to ensure fresh air by installing the Fantastic Vent fan, 3) to have a comfortable bed and 4) to get the solar and last but not least… to have a desk to work at.  The desk is now my computer lab and my kitchen all wrapped in the same space.  I have almost as much space as I had when staying with my friend in Monterey, but there are wheels under my floor.  It just doesn’t get any better than that, until tomorrow.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it, again.

Agave… the Century Plant

I’ve concluded this might be my all – time favorite desert plant.  Being from the midwest, until this past month, I'd never seen such plants before... and to find these all on my own was really special. It's been a truly amazing time for me since I left Phoenix.  (Makes me almost happy my eyes didn’t meet the standards for the job driving a tour bus.)

First one I found: 

Once upon a time, while walking out in the dull brown desert, I saw this plant stalk reaching up to the sky. I'd never seen anything like it. I thought it was a Yucca plant. The closer I got, it seemed the taller it got. I had taken my big tape measure out to measure a little 2' tall yucca plant... so I was able to measure this one... and it was over 18' tall the best I could determine.

But how sad. It was dead, completely dead.

Tape measure in hand, I fed it up the said of the stalk... 18’ plus.

Beside the dead plant there were a couple of small green ones coming up.  I guess they grow for about 25 years, then grow this massive stalk, bloom, and then the whole plant dies as it took so much from the plant, it kills the plant.  Then the giant seed stalk just stands and blows in the wind, like the first one I saw, until decay and 30-50mph winds topple it.

Second plant I found:  Walking down the southeastern slope of our Spring Camp few days later I came across a live plant that looked to be the same thing. I have large hands and both my hands together would not stretch around this stalk near it's base.

A couple of weeks later it was 50% taller and beginning to put out branches, or buds or flowers. Someone said it was an Agave. Looking at Google Images... “The flowering stalk of an agave - Plant of the Century. The plant lives for decades and flowers only once, before it dies.”

Someone said, and I had also read, that the plant only blooms once and then dies. I didn't believe it as this one had a dead stalk laying beside it.

On closer inspection today (5/12/2013) I noticed the decaying remains of an older plant in the shadow of this live one... and it was clear that the old dead stalk on the ground had come from the dead plant. Notice the new plant to the right of the stalk shadow.

Today, (5/12/13) it was even taller and estimating it's height by the size of my four-foot ladder, and my shadow next to the plant, it seems to be about 18' also. The stalk is not as purple as the first day I found it, and the buds are not nearly fully opened yet. I'm sad... I wanted to get photos of the full bloom before I left the area.

Third plant I found:

I walked some more today and found the first tall dead plant that I found a few weeks ago. And leaving it, heading back toward my van, I found a third one blooming Agave plant.

Near it was another dead plant and stalk on the ground. So, maybe it is true what they said... they bloom once and die.  Then I noticed this one nearby... another tall-one-to-be in a few more years (or decades)  Google said they live 25 years. Just beautiful.

The third Agave was not as tall of the one down the southeastern slope of our camp.... still probably going to be just as pretty.

Since I won’t get to see them fully bloomed, I borrowed this photo from http://www.naturesongs.com/vvplants/centuryplant.html. The flower stalk takes so much energy from the plant and surrounding area, that the plant must die after it blooms... living a seed stalk.

While looking at Google Images to identify those three Agave plants, I saw photos of this plant... one I had found in Phoenix before I left and which was also identified as an Agave.  These had just amazed me.  So very beautiful.

Yes, I do believe, the Agave will be my all-time favorite desert plant.