Category: Travato 59K

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Williams Creek Reservoir

We headed the Travato up the road to Teal Campground for a stay-cation!
We took the new kayaks – how beautiful is this!
We spent several days exploring the coast and the solitude.
Taking turns with the camera. Going out in the morning and the evening.
This is our favorite photo!
We went for several hikes into the nearby Weminuch Wilderness.
This is the life!
We saw lots of wildflowers…
And these black and white butterflys.
Lets take the fork to the right…
Fun! A river crossing!
Heading home with the wilderness behind us.
How many miles of fun we have had?!!
The heron is waiting for us to make sure we appreciate our home lake.
Life feels like a vacation here at home but it was great to explore some near by water as well.
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Winnebago Travato 59K Insulating Doors

We realized doors were not insulated, so we carefully removed cover panels on the back doors and sliding door.
We lined the cavities with 2″ thick batt insulation. We are happy with the results as it seems to cut down on cold air drafts as well as hot air infiltration.
We used a total 7 rolls of 16″ x 48″ unfaced fiberglass, purchased at the local Home Depot.
This is the lower portion of the sliding door. We also used some Great Stuff “Big Gap Filler” insulating foam sealant on the top and bottom 8″ of the sliding door for more efficient seal.
This is the back passenger door before insulation. There is option for a storage compartment but we wanted the insulation.
This is back driver side door which also shows an option for additional storage.
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On the road to Kansas – revisiting sights we enjoy

Looking back at Wolf Creek Pass from Del Norte – we had rainy weather but managed to miss the snow storm.
We found a nice spot to park near Penitente Canyon to enjoy the cooler weather.
The La Garita supervolcanic eruption, along with 17 other volcanic eruptions, millions of years ago left these special rock formations.
There were little details like these lichen to enjoy as well.
The Travato is in the rear view of the MINI – it is usually the other way around! The miles feel longer when we are each driving.
Our same campsite at Sand Dunes National Park – but now with fresh snow on the mountains!
And fall color! But the snow has refreshed Medano Creek so it is flowing this late in the year.
Picturesque to walk along the creek.
Especially at sunset.
Enjoying the storm clouds build from our camp spot. Here is the link to other pictures from our last visit http://tealsky.com/2016/06/12/travato-is-welcomed-to-colorful-colorado/
Revisiting Picketwire Canyon, we hiked to the Dinosaur Tracks again in Comanche National Grassland but didn’t stay at the same wonderful camp because of the threatening rain.
The site is looking more like this today than a desert, but we didn’t see any dinosaurs!
The tracks were not so visible as we saw last year. http://tealsky.com/2016/11/05/eastern-colorado-plains/
The raging river kept us from crossing to the other side.
But the tarantulas were crossing the roads. There were lots and lots of them: It is mating season!
You want to cross the road: What is the magic word?
We enjoyed a beautiful full harvest moon rise from our camp site.
We went back for a morning hike in historic Vogel Canyon.
The fog and full ponds of water made it different than last time – a real change from the dust bowl era.
On the road again across the eastern plains to Kansas, under more threatening skies.

 

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Twin Lakes, San Isabel National Forest, Colorado

Above the Twin Lakes and above the Lake View Campground we saw this fantastic view. We are among the 14er’s – La Plata, Mt Elbert and Mt Massive!
Lucky lucky us as this was an open dispersed campsite! Lets boon-dock here for a while…
We entertained our friends for an afternoon of ice cream bars and conversation while soaking up the scenery.
We popped the cork to celebrate anniversaries and birthdays and just living the life. See the Western Wagon Blog for our RV friends parallel lives.
We had quite moments of reflection and relaxation.
We watched the days progress from calm to windy to colorful.
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Winnebago Travato 59K Custom Table for Driver Seat

Henry designed an extension table that is install over the top of the pullout cutting board for the driver’s seat to have a better functioning eating/working area. It is better for using the computer and as an added bonus it provides more work area for the kitchen. It also is closer and at a better angle for the driver seat dining experience. Thanks Mark for helping in building it!
It has an L shape notch on the top so that it will not become unhooked over the cutting board. The end of the kitchen cabinet basically holds it in place. It moves in and out with the cutting board to make it easier to get into the driver’s seat.
The length was determined by the height of the cabinet under the counter so that it could store easily behind the driver’s seat. Shelf liner is loose on the floor but keeps it from scratching during travel.
A wooden latch was also crafted to secure the top edge of the table and is screwed into the cabinet end above the power outlet. It is wrapped with shelf liner so no rattling or scratching.

Download the Winnebago Travato 59K Table Extension Dimension Drawings as a PDF

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Winnebago Travato 59K Custom Box Dividers

You know we like our wine o’clocks! Boxed wines work much better in the van than bottles and we found a great way to recycle the boxes. Everything shifts in the overhead cabinets during flight. These sturdy boxes act as dividers as well as create a shelf to put other items (or worn clothes) above.
One for tights/belts, one for underwear, one for socks, open area between for pants/capris rolled, one for shorts, one for tank top/swimwuits, etc.
Other Boxes act as storage dividers in the drawers; don’t add weight and really help organize toiletries. The trick is that the entire drawer needs to be filled with boxes so that none of them can shift during movement.
This makes us feel so organized! And it feels like the drawers hold so much more.
All the shelves and drawers have plastic shelf liner under the boxes. This may not be necessary but that was installed before the boxes so it probably helps with bouncing.
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Winnebago Travato 59K Custom Shower Curtain and Medicine cabinet

The original shower curtain snapped into the top of the wall/ceiling and we had seen that Wincrasher had done a modification that looked more practical. The first curtain hook is “fixed” at the hinge side of the medicine cabinet and it crosses the back doors, the wardrobe and bath pocket doors to end up behind the shower head on the other side of the medicine cabinet. We open the toilet seat while showering to keep it drier, squeegee mirror and floor then microfleece to dry. This has also solved our problem of water flowing down the door track to deposit itself under the wardrobe.

 

The new rod is “Super More” 5 Meters Bendable Straight Curved Curtain Track Top Side Ceiling Mounting (not all was needed, 19 rollers were used) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B16BHMQ The existing snap locations were used to screw in new L brackets, needed to purchase separately at Ace Hardware. We drilled two new attachment points at Wardrobe in order to accommodate a larger curve in the curtain track.
The Shower Curtain Hangers are “Yueton” Pack of 30 Stainless Steel Clips w/ Hook for Curtain, Photos, Home Decoration (20 were used) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01851VE5K The top of the shower curtain was folded over twice before hemming. White iron on fabric stiffener tape was put on in equal locations, folded over the top so the hook doesn’t snag the fabric and gives it extra support. It has laundered several times very well.
Medicine cabinet had the one shelf installed in the middle so we lowered it to accommodate full height bottles. Wincrasher did his a bit different but this allows us to put soaps and little travel bottles on the bottom and maximize the top angle on the back wall.
The latch on the right side had two holes located perfect for hooking in the small bungee cords without any modifications.
On the hinge (left) side, two eye-hooks were screwed in to accept the other end of the bungee cord. Voila – we can now store full height bottles without them spilling!
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April in Sabino Canyon, AZ

The Brittle Bush blooms were amazing – we missed the height when we were in Florida.
One of my favorite locations with the Palo Verde in bloom. The canyon is so green!
Ocatillos in bloom as well.
The Gila Monsters are out of hibernation. How cool is this!
We got a hike in to Hutches Pools – a very hot day but still nice water in the creek.
Looking the other direction into a little canyon.
Gorgeous cactus blooms!
And a nice spot for a picnic lunch.
The hike is 8 mile roundtrip from Shuttle Stop #9.
The Cholla in bloom – there was quite a variety of colors.
This is “our” saguaro, taken from the Winnebago Travato in early morning.
A close up of a cactus wren and the flowers of the saguaro.
This one was even more prolific! What a sight to see.
We feel really lucky to have spent the winter here and to be able to appreciate all these lovely views. We trimmed some branches at this site.
An end of season pizza party – make your own and bake on the grille.
Group shot of the winter maintenance team – employees and volunteers.
We are “hot stuff” with our matching socks!
The parting shot as the neighboring 5th wheel has headed towards home a day before us…