Selling the "Man Van" (not sure that is politically correct)

When we came back from our voyage on "What If" we had to buy a vehicle to move all our stuff from the boat to a land home.  Looked at many vehicles and finally settled on a Honda mini van.  Now neither Kris or I were big mini van people but for hauling people and things it is tough to beat the versatility of a mini van.  Since Dean was the main driver it became known as the "Man Van".  It has seen lots of miles recently with the several trips back and forth across the country and has been very comfortable to drive and sleep in.  Since it will not fit on the boat (Ha Ha) it is time for it to move to new owners - and we have listed it for sale.  We cleaned it up and took off the orange Sunbrella (not in photo)  that was on the luggage rack and it is looking good.

We hope for a fast sale, and also not, as it is very convenient to have a car to use for errands while still doing projects.   Once it sells, then it is back to long walks for groceries.   We have tried to stock up on groceries and consumables, but we have probably forgotten something heavy that we will have to haul a couple of miles back to the boat via foot power - or do without.

A spot of weather

 Good News.  The engine started right up after the starter was replaced.   Kris did a happy dance.

Bad News.  The tach and oil sensor are not working.  The oil sensor we knew, and we have parts on order.  The tachometer will take a little work to figure out.    

Kris was going to work on the tach, but, it is cold outside - 50 degrees, and a bit of wind, so inside projects took the priority.

Short video showing how lumpy it got at the dock with 20 knot winds out of the north.

Some projects just beat you down

 It has been project after project time, as our date to sell the car and move the boat draws near.

We expect a certain amount of delay for each project, waiting on parts - sometimes ordering wrong part and having to re-order, unexpected issues and so on.    

There are other projects, that just beat you down.

We have been working on installing our new VHF antenna, our new cell phone booster, our new Wifi antenna, and our new GPS antenna.  All these go on our big aluminum arch on the back of the boat, and then the wires are fed through the aluminum tubes, down into the boat, under the bed, behind the guest stateroom storage drawers, and then up into the cabinet behind the TV into the respective control units mounted with power.   It is a time consuming project, but has been going well.  A couple of wrong fittings, fed one wire wrong and had to re-do, but all in all going well.    

A little bit of contortionism to get things hooked up, but all in all, progressing nicely.

Things about cruising that you tend to forget

The cruising lifestyle sounds so appealing when you hear people talk.  Warm weather, sandy beaches, no work.    There is the other side as well though, and some things you don’t really think about.      Of course there is the boat work, constant maintenance living in a salt water environment, but there are a couple of things you forget to mention when talking about cruising – Like how to get on and off the boat !!!
	On our boat, currently tied up to the dock there is a 42” long step, which is a 12” step or step down depending if getting on or off.  (Hint: stepping down is easier)  Every morning we head off to the showers on land.  We wear flip flops as we shower in them to prevent any stray foot diseases.     Try it out, can you put on flip flops, and make a 42” “jump” up 12”?  Sure, you can, now do it over water that is cold and salty while fully dressed.
Knock on wood, so far, no mishaps.

New Faucet

 Kris's coworkers at Vanmark Equipment were very kind, and gave her a Lowes gift card upon her retirement.  We knew we wanted a new kitchen sink faucet, and with the gift card we were able to get not only one for the kitchen, but also for the bath.

Old kitchen faucet.  It was very pitted in the chrome finish due to 15 years of use in salt water environment.

2-20-2021 A walk through Morehead City, North Carolina

 It finally stopped raining.  We had 5" of rain in three days.    Nice for getting all the items unpacked and organized on the boat, but we had enough rain, and when it turned sunny, even though it was cold, it was time to get off the boat, and go for a stroll.   

Here is a bit of what we saw.

Kris's farewell tour

Kris is officially retired.  WooHoo.   

Dean made the long drive from North Carolina to Boise to pick her up, and do a farewell tour.  Left Boise on 2/6/2021 to visit family in Bend, Oregon and  then to Seeley Lake, Montana to see friends. Enjoyed the 3 feet of snow and lovely -15 degree weather.