Map and sticker art

To personalize our coach a bit more, we decided to replace a generic artwork in the kitchen with something a bit more meaningful to us.

Here’s the old artwork, after removing it from the wall:

Old artwork

The empty wall:

Empty wall

We got a wooden US map to feature in its place:

Wooden US map

The map comes in several pieces:

Map pieces

Map pieces

We also got a 24×36” wooden frame, an opaque white plexiglass sheet of the same size, and some foam boards to fill out the space behind it:

Frame with foam boards

Frame with foam boards

I used Command-brand double-sided strips to help adhere it to the wall:

Frame with Command strips

I also used screws through the plexiglass to secure it to the wall; the screws were later hidden behind stickers (the PostIt notes mark the map placement):

Frame mounted

The wooden map is attached with double-sided adhesive strips:

Double-sided adhesive strips

And mounted to the plexiglass:

Map mounted

It has a nice 3D relief:

Wooden map

Wooden map

Hawaii:

Hawaii

Alaska:

Alaska

Some hummingbird decorations:

Hummingbirds

We added pins (that came with the map) on states we’ve visited:

Pins

Plus stickers around the map for some places we’ve been:

Stickers

The current state:

Picture

Over time, we will add more pins and stickers, to help commemorate our travels.

Hammock

Jenn won a prize to choose an item from Amazon, and opted for another useful addition for our travels, a foldable hammock.

It folds up fairly compactly in a carry bag:

Hammock bag

The hammock frame easily unfolds:

Hammock frame

Hammock frame

The fabric is attached:

Hammock

Hammock frame

Pillow:

Pillow

Extendable poles:

Extendable poles

Support an optional shade:

Cover

The assembled hammock:

Assembled hammock

We probably won’t use it often, but it’ll be nice to have when wanted.

Anniversary of buying our motorhome

Today marks the one year anniversary of us purchasing our 2017 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40SP motorhome!

(The Allegro Bus brochure, if you’re interested in the stats and options.)

One year ago today, we drove four hours to Kennewick, Washington and met the private seller at a KOA campground, where we handed over the cashier check payment, signed the title transfer, and got the keys. We then stayed in the coach that night, marking the first night of our full-time RVing adventure.

To celebrate the occasion, I thought I’d re-publish the first pictures of the coach from a year ago. Many aspects have changed over the past 12 months, so it’s good to look back on where things started.

A couple of pictures of the coach exterior at the Kennewick KOA (the slide-out looks so naked without our stickers!):

2017 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40SP

2017 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40SP

My tour of the interior of the coach:

Here’s a floor plan (note that the living room layout is a bit different):

40SP floorplan

The entry door and steps (the exterior steps automatically slide out when the door is opened); welcome aboard:

Entry door and steps

In front of the passenger chair is a pull-out workstation surface:

Passenger workstation

Thusly:

Passenger workstation

The driver cockpit:

Driver cockpit

The living area:

Living area

The L-shaped couch and ottoman that came with the couch; we removed and stored it, and recently sold it:

Couch

Dining table (it can be pulled out to extend it a bit):

Dining table

On the right of the dining sideboard was a keyboard tray drawer, for a computer workstation; I thought I might work there, though I didn’t; I use a lap tray instead, and we actually removed this, to make room for bottles in the cupboard below:

Keyboard tray

Residential refrigerator and freezer:

Residential refrigerator

Pull-out pantry shelves:

Pull-out pantry shelves

The kitchen:

Kitchen

Pull-out counter:

Pull-out counter

Drawer dishwasher (made by NZ company Fisher & Paykel):

Drawer dishwasher

Dual sinks, with covers when more counter space is desired; we typically only use the left sink, with a draining rack over the right side:

Sinks

Induction cooktop:

Induction cooktop

Convection microwave, that can be used as a normal microwave or as a convection oven:

Convection microwave

Half bath; yes, this coach has two porcelain toilets:

Half bath

Bedroom:

Bedroom

Tiltable king bed (with way too many cushions; we’ve stored all of these):

Tiltable king bed

Bedroom TV and cabinets:

Bedroom TV and cabinets

 

Moving into the bathroom, the sink:

Bathroom sink

Washer and dryer:

Washer and dryer

Shower:

Shower

The above pictures were with the four slides out; when traveling down the road, the slides are retracted, which makes things much more cramped.

Here’s the living room with slides in; it was difficult to get past the couches, another reason why we removed them:

Living room with slides in

Dining and kitchen with slides in; not so bad. We were able to get to the fridge and half-bath pretty easily, once past the couches — great for rest stops:

Dining and kitchen with slides in

Bedroom with slides in; not very easy to get past the bed without climbing over it, but that’s fine:

Bedroom with slides in

I hope you enjoyed this flashback! Sometime I plan to do a similar tour with the current state. Stay tuned for that.

On to the next year of our full-time RVing adventure!

Marchesi Vineyards

While in the area, we visited our favorite winery, Marchesi Vineyards in Hood River:

Marchesi Vineyards

Marchesi Vineyards

Marchesi Vineyards

We did a wine tasting (alas, not free, as we are no longer members there, since we can’t easily get wine deliveries):

Wine tasting

A resident dog, Jazzy, spent some time hanging out with us:

Dog

Jazzy and Jenn:

Dog and Jenn

A charcuterie platter for lunch:

Charcuterie

Misters keeping us cool on a hot day:

Misters

Decor

Vines:

Vines

Jazzy (with a boo-boo):

Dog

Dog

Vines:

Vines

Of course, we came away with a case of wines. That’ll keep us going until we can get back again next year!

IKEA storage cabinets

One of several criteria when choosing an RV was that we needed to keep working as we travel, so we wanted a desk (or two). So soon after we bought our coach, we removed the couches, and replaced one with a desk:

Desk

From the start, I used a lap tray with my laptop, sitting in my living room chair, while Jenn used the desk. Over time, she decided that she didn’t need the second screen, and ultimately didn’t need the desk either.

So we removed the desk, while temporarily leaving its drawers:

Removed desk

We might get some custom furniture to go there in due course, but in the meantime we decided to replace the desk with IKEA KALLAX drawers and cupboards; a very flexible system that we’ve enjoyed in the past.

Here are the drawers being assembled:

IKEA KALLAX drawers

IKEA KALLAX drawers

To prevent the drawers from sliding open when the coach is in motion, I added roller catches:

Roller catch

Roller catch

The new drawers next to the old ones, while transferring the contents:

Drawers

Next I assembled IKEA KALLAX cupboards; the bottom-right cubby is a cat bed for Paladin:

IKEA KALLAX cupboards

I got brackets to connect the two units, for extra stability:

Connected

The two brackets on the back are covered in self-adhesive felt, to avoid scratching the wall:

Felt cover

I also added a bracket to mount the units to the wall:

Bracket

The drawers and cupboards:

Drawers and cupboards

Drawers and cupboards

Related, I added velcro to Jenn’s laptops and laptop stand, so they stay put while driving:

Velcro

She uses the laptop stand on the dining table when she has meetings, or uses a lap tray in her living room chair like me.

CLAM screen tent

Another useful addition to our campsites: we purchased a 9×9 CLAM pop-up screen tent, to provide shade and/or protection from bugs.

It’s pretty compact folded up in its bag:

Bag

It pops up quickly by pulling tabs in the center of each wall:

Popping up

Popped up, with wind and sun panels attached, and tie-down ropes attached, sitting on a new outdoor mat:

Popped up

With our chairs and small table inside:

With our chairs

Chairs and table

We also got a combo light and fan that can hang from the ceiling, or sit on the table:

Light and fan

On our site:

On our site

We brought Paladin outside in his harness and leash; only the second time he’s been outside, so he was a bit unsure about it:

Paladin

Paladin

Jenn and Paladin

Paladin

Paladin

Paladin

Paladin

Eating dinner in the tent:

Dinner