Mt. Crushmore Chronicles Part 2: Ten Sleep

Note:  This blog post sucks.  Please don't read it.  Something has happened to me today and my sense of humor has been replaced with nostalgia and contemplation.  The following is full of nothing but subtle spray and arrogance.  Do yourself a favor and look at the pictures, scroll to the bottom, click on the Crushmore picture and watch the video.  The beginning is funny and you can see what the sick rock climbs in Ten Sleep look like.   

It has really been a treat climbing here at Ten Sleep.  The limestone here, especially on the harder routes, is the best I've ever touched anywhere.  And to top it off, it's exactly 'my style'.  I guess that means the 'style' of route I enjoy climbing the most coupled with the 'style' I excel at.  Endurance crimping and pockets on gently overhung face.

I put a lot of expectations on myself to perform well and despite knowing that I'm doing alright I don't think I'll ever be satisfied.  Case in point:  I sent a 5.14a first try of the day.  Now most of the time I would be happy with that result and spend the rest of the day just having fun and climbing with no expectation.  I put my draws on the 14a just to the right and started the mega-dog sesh.  It felt hard.  Harder than the last one.  I expected to put a few days of work in before sending.  Instead, at the end of the day, I found myself clipping the last bolt, on redpoint, and staring down the final crux.  That little thought crept into my brain, "How cool would it be to send two 5.14's in a day?"  I stared down the move and knew that what was about to happen would make or break a lifetime achievement.  30 years from that millisecond that was about to happen I'd be able to look back and say "I did that" or "I didn't."  I chose the latter and fell. 

I hold no allusions about the fact that I will not have that opportunity again.  5.14's are a rare breed and finding two, side by side, that suit me perfectly, in perfect condition is a once in a lifetime opportunity.  I cursed and wobbled and let my temper tantrum slowly recede from denial into anger into depression...(wait, did someone die?)  I know, I take climbing seriously.  But, after a long hike out and plenty of overanalyzing I've come to a point of acceptance. 

I've realized that I'm not going to achieve all my goals in climbing.  I don't know if anyone will, unless they set them so low as to be achievable.  My life list of routes I'd like to climb is staggeringly long.  To Bolt or not To Be has been at the top of that list since day one.  I like to think I'll move to Oregon for a year and do it but that's probably a pipe dream.  Though I might end up in Australia on a climbing trip I'll probably punt on Punks in the Gym and who knows when I'll be back in France for Le Rose et le Vampire.  I might actually not send my mega-proj at the New!  That thought is downright depressing.  But I'm slowly coming to a point where I can accept these things. 

And the funny thing is that these goals seem to be more of expectations.  I don't become overjoyed when I accomplish one, I just make the mental tick and move on, usually adding something else to the list instantly.  Another case in point:  It's been a life goal to onsight 5.13b.  I guess I did that yesterday but it felt so easy that it somehow didn't count?  I've tried much harder to onsight 5.12b's.  Does that mean the route isn't hard?  Don't ask me.  Point being, I didn't feel satisfaction afterward.  In fact, it's never been a goal to do 2 5.14's in a day!  I somehow conjured that one up in a split second just before blowing it so that I would have something to be dissappointed about!  Jeez...what a headcase. 

All I know is that climbing has been so all encompassing for me for so long now that I've lost sight of how far I've come, the places I've seen, the trips I've been on, the satisfaction I have felt.  Somehow I get lost in the moment of constantly pushing myself to do more, all the time, always better.  It's pretty lame in a sense.  But that desire, always nagging, has kept me healthy, alert, and alive.  It's kept me from getting old!  I'm still 23 bitches!

In a bizarre twist of irony, Max looks on mockingly as a bronze 1986 VW Troy look-alike gets hooked up to the tow truck in the background.

My mom likes to remind me of when I was a wee lad.  I think probably 20?  I used to talk about how someday I would send a 5.13a.  I thought that was going to be the pinnacle of my achievement.  In my eyes, everything beyond that was reserved for Chris Sharma and other super human, naturally gifted athletes.  I clearly remember that day at the Obed, TN.  I sat there beneath the Dark Half and stared at it.  I had punted a few times already and knew nothing about redpoint tactics.  I chewed on my tuna sandwich and stared at the holds.  All of a sudden the holds took on meaning, I asked myself why I fell, analyzed the answer and changed my sequence from the ground.  I tied in and sent.  That day really marked the beginning for me of understanding how to accomplish my goals.  I 'learned' how to 'learn' if that makes sense.  Here I am 200 5.13's later and now I get upset if I don't do them first try.  What the hell? 

I wrote a little piece about it that you might get in your inbox if you have a DPM account.  If not here is another 'radio friendly' version of the same thing I just said:

Opportunity Doesn't Knock

As I brought Andy up I could feel a sinking sense of failure on the route and the huge waste of opportunity. I started to wonder if the odd missed training session here and there would have made the difference? Should I not have eaten this or that? The chance to be on this route, in good conditions, with a good partner is so special. As I get older I sense more and more strongly all the time that life moves on, opportunities pass - for good. Just to have opportunity is such a gift. Wasting half chances is just not on.

Dave Macleod regarding his recent ascent of Longhope Direct (5.14a)



I follow Dave's blog fairly religiously. He usually has some words of wisdom but this quote in particular really hit home. I've been on the road again, slowly getting back into the rhythm of climbing and fully embracing the 'two on, one off' lifestyle. I've been climbing, in a committed sense, for over a decade and it always amazes me how I still learn a valuable lesson every now and then at the crag.

I worked out the moves on my next project here at Ten Sleep, Wyoming. I knew it would be a hard route for me so I rehearsed it, over and over, dialing in the key sections. Late in the day, I set off with the cliché of 'no expectations' and found myself clipping the last bolt and staring at the chains. I attempted to draw on past lessons learned and squelch the tiny nagging thought that was tickling my mind somewhere around the brainstem. "This would be a breakthrough for you. To do a hard route so fast. A once in a lifetime opportunity." I breathed deep, focused, and ignored the fatigue and blood that had seeped from my cuticles onto my fingertips making them slippery in the pockets. I set my feet deliberately for the last hard move, stared at the split-finger, Spock-pocket above and gave it everything I had. My fingers sunk not-so-perfectly into the hold and the next thing I knew I was hitting the end of the rope and screaming the F-word.

The opportunity had passed, and it didn't pass slowly. It passed in a millisecond. I lowered to the ground and just like Dave, and thousands of others before me, my mind raced with 'whys.' "Did I eat too much or too little? Should I have stayed at the rest another minute? I should have tied in with the 9.2 instead of this fatty 9.8! Did my confidence wane? Did I forget to breathe? I should have trained harder!" And on and on.

After a few hours I made peace with myself. That opportunity had passed. It was gone forever. But the opportunity to learn something was still there. I overanalyzed the millisecond when things went wrong and eventually came to the conclusion that I gave it my best. Sometimes that's all you can do.

I had a dream that night. It's kind of a recurring dream. I was doing a one-arm pull-up. I have this dream a lot and although I've never been able to do one in real life, I've cranked off hundreds in my dreams. This time I set a new record. I banged out over 30 and a crowd started to gather. My hand was latched to the bar in a split-finger Spock position. I think Dani Andrada was there with his shirt off. Hey, don't judge my dreams, OK. Sometimes it takes drastic measures to master a move, and why not do it in your sleep? I will not fall there again.

Dave's comment, and my experience, got me thinking about opportunity and decision. Most of our lives, we have plenty of time to make decisions and every day we are faced with opportunities. You could go to the gym. You could eat an apple instead of a Snickers. You could not pick up that second, or twelfth, beer. You could put away a little extra cash for your next road trip or study the guidebook and plan your next challenge. All those little choices seem frivolous and irrelevant but ultimately, they determine what will happen in that millisecond of opportunity when you don't have time to stop and think. And for us climbers, what happens in those millisecond opportunities defines who we are. It defines our success or failure and it determines if we achieve our goals or not. You can't change what happens in that millisecond opportunity and you can't change the decisions that led up to that outcome. You can set a goal now and you can decide how to approach your decisions in the future. And if you're going to do it, do it now. You never know when that opportunity will arrive.

             

Ten Sleezy

When we left off before, Max was under the knife.  His driveshaft finally got replaced and we jumped in the rig and drove straight for Ten Sleep.  We were a few days late to arrive which wouldn't have been a big deal but we were scheduled to meet my good buddy Devlin and his new family, Ana, and Chanti.  Devlin and I have been good climbing buds for many years and I was very excited to see them.  So we hustled up to the crag, met the Junker family, and got a bit of climbing in.  It was late in the day when we arrived but it stays light until 10:00 so we were good.   

    Ana, Chanti, and Devlin Junker

My first impression of Ten Sleep was this it is a lot like Smith Rock, Oregon.  Despite it being limestone, it's more like Smith Rock tuff than any other limestone I've encountered.  It turns out that the Slavery wall, our first crag, is more Smith-like then the other crags.  The first thing I saw when hiking up was Gold Member.  It is the super obvious gold streak that begs to be climbed. 

Gold Member



I damn near sent it second go, but had to come back for it.  An excellent route.  Colley picked off a 12 dogface to work on but once we saw some of the other crags we haven't been back to slavery.  Superratic and French Cattle Ranch are phenomenal.  Blue, white, and gold limestone as good as anything in Ceuse. 

Superratic

I wish I had one of my old photos to post along side this one.  I've got many pictures of Devlin's old late 70's, bright orange VW bus parked next to my 1986 bronze VW.  We've been parked like this all over the country.  Our old rigs were named Tracy and Troy.  The new rigs: Mad Max and the Tiger.

    Chanti. 



Of course, lots has happened since we've been here but I'd like to take the opportunity to catch up on the video blog.  Click the image below for Part 1 of The Mt. Crushmore Chronicles. 



The Mt. Crush-more Chronicles

Call it what you want: chance, fate, God's plan. It's all the same and nothing illustrates it more than loading up your belongings, aiming west, and leaving the comfort zone of routine behind. Which is an odd way to phrase it because nothing makes me more comfortable than the lifestyle of 'two on, one off'. 'Two' being climbing days, of course, and 'one' being a day of rest. But all that gets thrown out the window during travel and I've grown to expect it and learned to roll with it. It's part of the game and a part I thoroughly enjoy. Some would grit their teeth and curse at the traffic jam or mechanic that seems to be keeping them from staying on 'schedule.' But it's all part of the game. It's a lot more fun and a lot better for your blood pressure to submit to chance, fate, God.

Leaving West Virginia via the Silver Bridge, site of the 1967 bridge collapse that killed 46 people.  This event was prophesied by the legendary Mothman.  We looked for Richard Gere before crossing then continued.

You've gathered by now that I'm alluding to our misfortunes , or fortunes, depending on how you view things. The 'plan' was to head straight for Wyoming and set up shop there for a month or so but how much fun would it be if that all went as planned? To be honest, I've never been so excited to get back out on the road. The oppressive heat of Fayetteville was killing me and I hadn't been climbing due to it. I just laid around lazily waiting for someone else to climb something so I could write about it online. Lame. But what I was lacking in level of fitness, I made up for with PSYCH!

The drive was fairly uneventful and smooth. 24 hours of driving over 2 days and some change had us into South Dakota and seeing signs for the Badlands. Elissa and I had never seen the Badlands and thought it would be wise to check it out in case we never made it back this way. The small squeek from under the van had grown to a screech and by the time we pulled into Badlands it was starting to growl in a demand for attention. The Badlands were cool but the National Park Service is a bunch of racist commies and don't let little dogs in out of the car so we just drove on through with a few short hikes.

Badlands

Then it was on to Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills of South Dakota. We checked out Rushmore which was cool and even climbed 2 pitches behind their heads. Well, Elissa did. One pitch of slabby, insecure knob climbing was enough for me. The next day we spent a full day at Spearfish Canyon which is definitely one of America's underappreciated crags. Amazing limestone as good as any I've seen and not a soul around. We got a bunch of pitches in there at two crags under perfect blue skies and perfect temps.

Is this young hippie scum scratching the bugs in his dreadlocks or pondering what he is doing here?  Our founding fathers would be ashamed of our youth.  Note Lincoln's scowl and Jefferson's general snobbery.

Then it was back to the van. The next morning we got a diagnosis from the shop and, as I expected, the same problem I'd had before had returned. Busted carrier bearing. So we ordered the part and headed out for another climbing area. I think what's cool about all this is that none of this was planned. We didn't intend to stop at Spearfish or Mt. Rushmore and we didn't plan to check out the next crag we went to either. Sometimes you have to view these mishaps as blessings in disguise.

Eat a baguette, Frenchie! American limestone is sick.  This is the Indian Wars wall in Spearfish Canyon.

Victoria Canyon, VC as it's known, is probably my favorite sport climbing anywhere. It really is that cool. We drove 4 miles of dirt road across the open grasslands of South Dakota and parked at the edge of a meadow. A short hike through a pine forest took us to the rim of the gorge where we could peer down at the narrow canyon below. I was so excited about what I saw I could barely sleep that night. The next day we were up with the sun at 6:00 and even after a very leisurely morning were hiking in by 8:00. There is no trail through the canyon. It is so narrow that it's easiest to walk down the stream bed which was flowing with crystal clear water. The bottom of the creek is covered in multicolored water-polished rocks. A waterfall occasionally disrupts the hike through the stream and is bypassed by hiking through a lush landscape of fern, moss, wild iris and lady slipper. The rock was equally beautiful. Bullet hard, choss-free limestone that has amazing pockets interspersed with the blocky features found at Rifle. We got a ton of climbing in that day and the absolute joy of climbing got me up two 5.13a's despite my weakened physical state.

Victoria Canyon is gorgeous.  I would never joke about something this serious.

The next morning we got word from the shop that the part was in and we'd be on our way to Wyoming by noon. While waiting in the excellent lounge they offer, Bob the mechanic walked in, "I have bad news." This was the first of three times that Bob would say this but he managed to say it the same way with genuine concern for us each time. Bob is a good mechanic and the folks here at Eddie's Freightliner repair shop are the best of the best. They have gone above and beyond to make us comfortable while we wait even offering us a courtesy vehicle to run around town. Like the bumper sticker says, "I'd rather be climbing," but this isn't too bad.

Max keeps it real despite his busted driveshaft.

I won't bore you with the details of Max's surgical procedure but it has been long and arduous and he requires a transplant. A donor if you will. With no donor available Max needed a new part manufactured at the local steel mill. He will ride again soon and breathe deeply of the steady western-air breeze over his radiator. We've been here two days now and all is well.

Our current location.  Bay 8 and 9 are lower class.  High rollin' at the Oil and Lube bay.

My goal this year is to create a more interactive video blog for my devoted followers (aka. my mom). My limited skill has slowed this process but hopefully it will pick up soon. Due to our chance week-long stay in Rapid City, home of Mt. Rushmore, as well as our desire to crush rigs out here, I have dubbed this vlog " the Mt. Crush-more Chronicles" So far I've only gotten the opening title sequence done but I'm so smitten with the following image that I just have to share it prematurely. Click on the image for the video link.



The Williams Family.  Lifelong residents of Mt. Crush-more. 

Enough about me, let's talk about someone scrawnier.

If you follow sport climbing you probably know what this is.  It's Adam Ondra's top 10 hardest routes (according to 8a.nu) for the last year.  What is even more remarkable is that every ascent on here has occurred in the past 2 months and 1 week.  When I clicked on this, it finally began to settle in what has happened in climbing this year and it is simply incomprehensible. 

At the end of 2010, 5.14c had been onsighted once by Patxi Usobiaga.  5.15b was a difficulty of climbing reserved for less than a handful of people.  In just a little over two months Adam amassed a ticklist that has completely shattered what we believed was possible.  To put it clearly, 5.14c onsight and 5.15b redpoint were the absolute pinnacles of sport climbing achievement at the end of 2010.  In two months he achieved ten of those feats.  In two months!  That is more than one a week.  I don't know if you've ever been on a climbing trip but I have and generally it takes a few weeks to accomplish something difficult for you.  Sometimes years.  Which means....yup, this shit is easy for him.  5.14c onsight and 5.15b redpoint are easy.   

What has this done for climbing media?  Well, it's ruined it.  Let me explain how.  My job is to post climbing news that people are interested in such as: 

Joe Meathead redpoints new 5.14b at Choss Rocks!!!! 

Guess what....nobody cares.  He didn't onsight it and if he had it would still pale in comparison to what Adam has done recently. 

How about this headline: Magnus Meatball and Sausage Digiulian climb 5.14c at the Red!!!!  

Ehhh, who cares.  Adam would have onsighted it and then sent the Sharma Project at Drive-by in 4 tries.  

Ok, now I know what you're thinking.  I can still impress you by posting news of Adam Ondra doing something amazing.  What's you're gut reaction when you hear this slammin' headline:

Adam Ondra Redpoints World's First 5.15d in 10 tries!!!!!!!!! 

Be honest because I know what you are thinking....  "Man, when is he gonna send 5.16?  This is getting boring.  I wonder what people are talking about on Mountain Project?"  At which point you probably go back to defending the merits of belaying with an ATC and removing fixed draws (aka. booty) from sport routes. 

And to top it all off, climbing's messiah didn't swoop in on a winged horse with flowing golden hair and buddha-like insight into the most fascinating sport in the world.  He resembles Harry Potter and throws temper tantrums the likes of which have not been seen since Jim Karn fell off a 5.10 in Smith Rocks circa 1990!  Actually, the wobblers are the most fascinating thing about Ondra and the one thing I look forward to seeing more of in the world of climbing.  I have little more to say except; Thanks a lot Adam. Thanks for ruining everything and making my job impossible.       

Photo by Beat Kammerlander stolen from the internet

  

Ali Bubba

Well, it's springtime at the New and with lots of the usual rain we've been struggling to find dry rock.  Many dry days were spent at the lakebed and a handful of new routes got bolted.  I put up some real classics this year like the Honey Badger 5.12d/13a, Michael Boltin' 5.13a, and what is possibly the best 11+ in the region, Porter for Recorder.  Kirk put up a new hard 12b called Blood Trail that makes Slash and Burn look like a choss pile.  He also bolted one of the finest 13- routes around which he should have finished up soon.  For those looking for a challenge, you're welcome to get on the Movie Screen project that I finally sunk some bolts on. 
  

It overhangs about 30 degrees and has perfect pockets all the way up.  It would be about 13c if it didn't have a 6-foot dyno to a three finger on it.  I've never been more tempted to drill a hold in my life but I would never answer that demon.  Come and get it before the lake fills up!  Bring your A-game.  It's 5.14. 

Recently I've reinvested all my time back into the Beauty 'mega-proj'.  I don't want to jinx myself but I've never been as consistently close as I am now.  I've fallen at the last move about 5 times this season and excluding the now infamous punt-in-the-gramma-section debacle of Nov. 11, 2008, I've never gotten closer.  Unfortunately the finishing 5.11+ slab has been a waterfall all year and with the flooding I see outside right now, it's not going to get any better for a long time.  I climbed the wet section to make sure I could do it and I succeeded pretty easily but add in a heartrate of 230 beats a minute and a 5.14 pump....I'd rather wear a space helmet full of yellow jackets than face that nightmare.  Oddly, I hope to be facing that situation soon. 

Also odd is the fact that I've been pretty psyched to boulder this year.  I found what I believe is a new problem at Beauty Mountain and dispatched it a few days ago.  So far it's the best problem I've seen in the region and although many people would say otherwise, I think it's a classic.  The sit start and the extension still have to go down but the meat of it came together pretty quickly.  I tried posting it on youtube but those A-holes didn't like my choice of music and banned it.  I thought this was America?      





Beauty Facelift by Dr. NRAC

I was out at my favorite crag yesterday: Beauty Mountain.  Between taking burns on the mega proj, Kirk and I hiked around a bit and I was reminded just how much has gotten done in the past 5 years to make Beauty a safer place to climb.  One of the best crags in the country is almost completely reequipped with Stainless Steel (SS) hardware.  The rusty old time-bomb bolts are gone and this showpiece cliff now represents the successful efforts of the New River Rendevous (fundraiser), NRAC, and most importantly, the people that have attended the Rendevous and/or donated money to NRAC.

It would be much easier to create a short list of what still needs to be accomplished at Beauty but instead I'll give a rundown on how much has been done!

Brain: 
You want it you got it 5.9 sport:  Completely rebolted with SS

SS top anchors for all trad routes including Journey to the Center of the Brain 5.7, Out of Mind 5.10a, Hot Flash 5.10b, Brain Teasers 5.10a

SS top anchors on Mensa 11d, Dancing in the Flesh 12a, and Butta 11d

Stonger than a stainless steel bolt on Chunky Monkey?  Doubt it.  Mike Turner photo

Chunky Monkey 12b: completely rebolted with SS

Mono Loco 14a: New route!  first route bolted (SS) and sent under the new NPS climbing management plan.

Climax Control 5.13b: 3 new SS bolts and top anchors.  Remaining bolts removed and inspected.

Travisty 5.13c: 2 bolts replaced with SS

Super Whiny Bugs 5.14a:  completely rebolted with SS

Whiny Bugs: rusty pin replaced with 1/2" SS bolt

Mulatto Serpent 5.12b: completely rebolted with SS

David Gibbons on Disturbance.  Safe above new SS bolts!



Genocide Cave: Done!

Genocide 12a:  rusty pin replaced with SS bolt and SS top anchors

Green Envy 12c  and Disturbance 11d:  Two of the best in the gorge completely rebolted with SS

Blood Meridian 12d:  two rusty pins replaced with one SS bolt


Burning Buttress: Done!

Kurt Smith had a big hand in this by putting SS top anchors on the trad routes:

Happy Hands 5.9, Spider Wand 5.10b, Wham Bam Thanks for the Jam 5.10b, Burning Calves 5.10b, Rod Serling Crack 5.10b, Quick Robin to the Bat Crack 5.10a

Elaina Smith on Burning Calves.  New SS top anchors.  Mike Turner photo.

Porter Jarrard took care of the mixed classics:

Will to Power 11c R: New 12mm SS bolt at the crux before the looooong runout!  New SS top anchor
Chorus Line 12c:  4 new 12mm SS bolts in the right places this time!
Steve Martin's Face 11c:  New 12mm SS bolt to replace Andrew Barry's super dangerous expansionless carrot bolt!

Fade to Black 12b:  completely rebolted with SS
Sportster 5.13b:  4 bolts replaced with 12mm SS
Grace Note 12b:  Classic!  completely rebolted with 12mm SS
Ad Lib 12d:  rusty pin replaced with SS bolt

Gunnin' for the SS top anchors of Super Crack.  Mike Turner photo

Thunder Buttress:

Super Crack 5.9 and Gun Club 12c:  new SS top anchors
Beast in Me 12a: new SS top anchors
Screamer Crack 5.8 and Mushrooms 10a: new SS top anchors
Left 11d and Right 11c Sons of Thunder:  new SS top anchors, old bolt replaced with new SS bolt on right
Loud Noise 12b: new SS top anchor
Let's Make a Deal:  completely rebolted with SS

Ram's Head: new SS top anchors for rappell site
 

Estimated volunteer man hours required to complete this job.....?  A lot.  And that's just Beauty!  This represents just a fraction of the work completed recently.  Beauty has about 145 routes that are almost all in good shape now but that's just 145 of the 2500 routes in the gorge.  NRAC is fighting against time to replace the slowly deteriorating bolts that still lurk in the region.  Just know that merely attending the Rendevous raises money to continue this effort.  Donating money doesn't hurt either ;-)   As long as we continue to be supported by the climbers that love this region NRAC will continue to make it a safer place to climb.  See you all soon at the Rendevous! 

Max the Road Warrior version 2.0. Beyond Thunderhome

As I mentioned in my previous post, I spent a good chunk of January doing the remodel in the Sprinter rig.  Max the Road Warrior was bitchin' without a doubt but there were a few things to be improved.  For a refresher on what the finished Road Warrior looked like click here.  Our biggest gripe was the bed.  As you can see in the old pictures, we were sleeping sideways with our feet under the cabinets.  The van is 5'8" wide and I'm 5'10" with the Colinator being slightly shorter but much more sprawly in the sack.  I brainstormed ideas for a bed that would maximize space for a year.  Seriously.  Much like the naked Archimedes and Doc from Back to the Future, my best ideas often come to me in the bathroom.  Slightly less brilliant than a flux capacitor was my folding bed idea which came to me in the shower as I washed, rinsed, and repeated the flowing golden lock that covers my bald spot. 

The other big improvement is the addition of a fridge.  I researched for a long time and decided to go with electric over propane for a number of reasons.  With the addition of an electric fridge I also needed to up my battery bank.  I did have one 55 ah AGM battery mounted under the passenger seat and I chose to add in 200 more amp hours for a 255 total.  The other two batteries would have to find a home as well.

I'm not going to go into all the pain in the ass details of tearing apart everything and redoing it except to say that that is what I had to do.  The counter had to come out an inch to accomodate the fridge depth and the cabinetry beneath had to be completely redone as well.  You'll notice if you look in the old pictures that the drawer moved front and center over the fridge, food storage moved to the left, and pots and pans remained under the sink, though the door had to be cut back to 13 inches wide.  I also added a slide out dining table for the booth, which we will see momentarily, and a small table between the two front seats.  Let's give er a walk through and check the specs on:
Mad Max the Road Warrior version 2.0 Beyond Thunderhome!!!!

 One thing I learned in college is that sorority girls love pillow fights in panties.  I cannot stress enough the importance of always having an ample supply on hand.  This is the view of the back of the van with the doors open.  Water tank is on the left with a hose that runs into it, through a PVC fitting that keeps the intake near the bottom.  The pump is mounted near the wheelwell and it feeds the sink with 12v electric power.  Simple.  Propane is on the right.  Two things I added to version 2.0:  The tank used to be a bear to get in and out because it was taller than the framework.  I cut the crossbeam and added a kickstand support on a hinge.  It's secured with a wingnut on the bottom and holds the tank in place.  It folds up for tank removal.  Click the picture for detail.  I also cut a hole as big as my hand in the bed platform.  Now if a fire starts inside or we smell propane or simply want to cut it off at night for safety reasons, I can pull the mattress corner up and twist it off without having to remove the tank like I used to.

This is looking into the rig through the sliding door.  Note the curtains.  Another new addition.  We have curtains on the slider, the back windows and a two piece curtain that closes behind the front seats.  Good privacy for Walmart parking lots.  You can see the fridge in the middle now.  Also note the bench that comes out a bit further than it used to.  The bed is six feet, 1 inch long now.  It is cut in an L-shape that is hard to see in this picture.  An extension cord is stashed in the foot step.  I can pull it out, run it through a cracked window and plug in.  The cord runs to a power strip that powers a battery charger (mounted over the wheel well under the bed) and another power strip that is accessible from inside for 110 power.  No hardwiring!  Simple and effective.  The wires from the alternator run to a single 100 ah battery beneath the passenger seat then along the edge of the floor above the step in a wire hider (hard to see in this pic) to the other two batteries that are mounted just in front of the wheel well inside that box.  That box has a space heater as well which we will see. 

Looking toward the back of the van you can see our seating arrangement.  The back rest is made up of the bedding rolled up in the back and the additional bed cushion on the left. 

This view shows the little nook of floor space between the cabinetry and the bed.  Lilah's custom dog cave was improved with padded floor in addition to her carpeted walls.  She loves it and even spent time in there when I worked on the van.  Trash can and dog food on the left and some additional cubbies for stuff.  There's always something to stash in cubbies. 



This is the slide out table.  I really like the additional counter space and it's nice to eat at the same table with Elissa.  No more plates in the lap. 

The kitchen is improved.  Food on the left, drawer and fridge center, pots and pans under sink. 



The space heater is mounted on a door that folds open.  It runs off the propane tank.  It closes and locks in place with a simple gate latch bolt style closure when driving. 

 

The crux of the bed design was figuring out what the folding portion would settle on when in the open position.  Google came to the rescue and I found the perfect option: a motorcycle foot peg.  The peg folds up flush and out off the way when not in use.  You can also see in this picture the inverter, the slide out table and bolt latch to hold it in place, and the custom cut slot that perfectly accomodates a 24 pack of beer. 

Onward with the transformation into the bed.  The backrest is velcroed to the wall and the seat cushion is just sitting there.  throw those on the back and fold over the wood piece.  I am gracefully holding this up with my foot and shooting the picture at the same time to demonstrate. 

 The cushions pop in place.

And the bedroll rolls down already made up.  No need to stash blankets and remake the bed everyday as is common with other conversion designs.  That was the requirement for me is that I wouldn't have to make up the bed everyday. 



Another addition in 2.0 is a small table up front.  I used a scrap from the countertop and cut it to fit.  It's mounted on painted iron pipe and rests on the arm rest for more support though it doesn't really need it.  It just pops onto the pipe for use and I store it behind the driver seat.  The vertical pipe is fixed.

I was able to use the existing holes that were for the safety kit common in most Sprinters.  The fire extinguisher fits nicely on the driver seat mount visible in the above picture. 

This is the mount under the table.  I cut all the way through that fitting with a hacksaw.  It took a while.  The threaded nipple just slips over the iron pipe.  I'm a little bummed that the paint is going to chip away pretty quickly but...whatever.   

These pictures aren't really in any order.  Just kind of hopping around.  This is the power strip.  This is the same compartment that holds the trash can and dog food.  Not very easily accessible but the times that we'll be using shore power are few and far between.  In the rare case that we do have it we'll only be running a small electric heater.  Like I said before, once that extension cord is plugged in the batteries are charging so we can run all our 12v with no regard for power conservation anyway. 

You can see just left of the light is the battery monitor.  I'm really glad I got the good digital one.  It's really helpful in managing the 12v power.  I was a bit concerned with how much power the fridge would consume but so far I think it's going to be fine.  255 ah battery bank and the fridge pulls about 3 amps for about 40 seconds every 5 minutes or so.  Very efficient.  I left the fridge on for a few days and noticed no significant battery drain at all.  Still 12.7 volts after 3 or 4 days.  I am aware though that it's been highs of 50's and running it in the middle of the summer is going to be a different story.  We'll see.  You can also see the fan here.  I like this fan a lot.  With the back door cracked and a front window slightly open you get a nice cross breeze.  I'm a little bummed I didn't install the fantastic fan but one of my requirements for the conversion was to cut no holes in the van.  The only one I cut was for the sink drain. 

The final shot here is the clothes cabinet which remained unchanged.  The left two are for clothes.  The shelves are removable. On extended trips it's nice to have all three shelves in so you can organize but for shorter trips it's nice to pack a small backpack in the house and just throw it in with the shelves collapsed.  The right cabinet is for big stuff like dirty laundry bag.  The small portion at the bottom is a slide out shelf for a laptop so you can lay in bed and watch movies.  One space that opened up is the large storage portion below the clothes cabinet where our feet used to go when we were sideways sleepers.  It fits a crashpad perfectly (a large piece of climbing gear for those unfamiliar) or just extra blankets, jackets, dog on a cold night, or even a child for the first 7 years of their life.  The wood divider folds down and there is another piece of covered mattress that fits that spot.  I did it that way so that if I go on trips by myself I can still sleep sideways if I want to avoid the tiny hassle of having to transform the bed. 

Mad Max the Road Warrior version 2.0 Beyond Thunderhome!