Creating a Safer Camper

The first order of business back in Ottawa was again a parking space. We researched parking at Julie’s apartment building, but Cloud 9 was too tall to fit. We looked at parking lots where you could pay a monthly fee to park, and we put ads up on Kijiji and UsedOttawa, but we couldn’t find anywhere to put the van. I emailed my Aunt Kim, who used to live in Ottawa, to ask if she knew anyone with space in a driveway for a large van. I also emailed my cousins Jason and Nancy. They were the first to respond with an angelic, resounding “yes”!

With our parking issues solved, the next step was to clear out and clean the van. We drove it to an empty parking lot in the Nepean area and pulled a ton of crap out of the back. The mouse carcass was one of the first things to go. We threw out old food and drinks that were left-over from the previous owners, we tossed all the bedding and couch cushions (they were wet from a leak in the ceiling and were probably moldy as a result), and we ripped out some of the shelving we thought was dangerous to drive with. As we cleaned, we made some interesting discoveries, such as the drawer full of tape cassettes. We’ve decided that we’re probably going to get sick of Bon Jovi pretty quickly, but Brian Adams will be our anthem singer…summer of 69 baby. Lol

We cleaned the carburetor at the end of the day. It was actually in really good condition. Julie and I also got our first real lesson on how our vehicle works. I’m not sure how much of it stuck with me. This is one of those topics that makes me feel a bit like a blonde…lol. Anyway, we learned where our oil stick was, we learned about how the carburetor works, we reviewed how to jump a vehicle (this didn’t stick, but now that we’ve done it three times, I think I will remember it), and we checked out our wiring situation. The gauges don’t work at the moment, so we’re going to build a part that will hopefully fix the situation. Yay soldering!

We forgot a broom and we were running out of daylight, so we skipped the full clean. We’re going to take Cloud 9 to a gas station sometime soon to vacuum her out. Then she should be as clean as she’s gonna get! I wonder if she will fit through a car wash…

-Nicole