Coffee is a very important part of our life – here is a shot of our coffee “bar” (still under construction, as it needs tiles, etc):
When travelling, we HATED trying to find good coffee – stumbling upon good coffee is one thing, but stopping for lunch in the middle of nowhere and NOT having a good cup o’ joe after the meal is UNTHINKABLE! So we have perfected what we think is the best method for making coffee on the road (easy prep, easy clean up, great coffee).
- You need to use the best coffee – Cafe Mam – great people, great coffee, get the “Mocho” blend.
- You need a “Moka” stovetop espresso pot – don’t worry, if you get a good one, they do not leak, spatter, etc. (I’ll get a link later for ya!)
- You need to get a “Dosacaffee” – this makes filling your Moka mess-free
Here is an image of the Dosacaffee:
Grind up your beans before you leave (I know, fresh grind is better, but you do have to make SOME compromises on the road) – fill your Dosacaffee up, as well as a 1lb empty coffee bag (just pick one up at the local supermarket coffee grinding area). A full Dosacaffee and a 1 lb bag will last 2 people 2 weeks (2 pots per day).
When you are done with the Moka, just lay it in the sink for clean up later (if you in a hurry), or just wait a bit and empty the grounds out when the pot is cool enough to handle. The grounds will be VERY dry, and just a little water is all it takes to clean up. Way easier than using a French Press.
One of the things that Winnebago should have done is create a rear hatch for the coach battery compartment. Many others have done this (where do you think I found out the model of hatch to use?), but I wanted to show how really easy it is, as well as the specific approach I used.
Here is where it will go:
I created a cardboard template from the hatch I used – a BOMAR G7711-11 from Pompanette – they are listed in their online catalog under “access hatches”. I chose a black one – they also come in white. I made sure that the hatch would fit in the space – the hatch has quite a large “lip” (flange), and takes up almost the entire space – which I wanted (for easy access). I traced out the area to cut.
I then used blue masking tape to further outline the area, and provide a surface to tape the “painters plastic” to (to keep any plastic bits out of the van).
I used a Dremel tool with a plastic cutting attachment (on my drill this is a coarse spiral drill) to cut the plastic. You need to move the Dremel tool back and forth in the cut so that the hot plastic does not “stick”. You might be able to use a hand tool (like a small hacksaw), but the plastic get VERY thin near the bottom – and it is VERY flexible, so that may be a real pain to do – that is why I chose the Demel. Here is what you get when you cut the hole out:
Now you need to add something to stiffen the opening, and provide a strong surface to screw the hatch down on. I used aluminum flat stock.
Then you just bolt up the hatch – I uses Stainless Steel bolts, as I am a sucker for spending $ at the hardware store….
That really is all there is to it! Now I can easily get to my wheel chocks, hand tools, etc. Here is the hatch closed:
Hey, it’s not just OUR van – it is Flea’s, as well. Every cat needs a scratching post, but since we don’t have a post in the van, how about a “pad”? Held in place by a modified wooden fish book marker, of course!
Since there are just two humans and one cat that travel in this van, and since the built-in bed leaves much to be desired, we decided to remove the back seat (that folds into a bed), and build a platform bed that can still turn into a seat for eating, etc.
Since I did not take any photos during the construction, I will try my best to explain this:
- Removed the back seat and subframe – this left a gaping hole in the flooring, as well as 4 very large holes in the floor.
- Cut a piece of 3/4 inch birch plywood to fit this gaping hole, countersunk the “stock” bolts into this piece of wood, bolted in to the floor (using silicone around the bolt holes) then sunk 4 brass inserts into this piece of wood – the “new” seat uses these inserts to bolt to, so it COULD be removed if needed.
- Made a box out of 3/4 inch birch plywood, held together with aluminum angle – this will be what the “platform” rests on in the front.
- Cut sections of 3/4 inch birch plywood to form the “platform” – sections are held together with brass piano hinges, allowing the sections to be folded “up” into a bench seat.
- The seat is held in the “up” position with some cool pins.
- The “front” of the bed needs a support – I made one out of scrap plywood – it folds up to fit under the seat.
Ah heck, how about some photos, OK?
