SilverGate's Safari is Home at Last!

[SilverGate]

Ol’ SilverGate has been spinning his wheels on that Equal-i-zer Question:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f464/equalizer-question-32805-4.html

So he’s asked me, Diego Flamingo, to tell you about the trailer’s first wash & wax project after coming home from the beach...

[SilverGate]

Besides the salt deposits, the trailer is now 6 months old and SilverGate got to thinking about protecting that new beauty.

So, as usual, he searched the forums here on the best way to proceed.

It didn’t take him long to find out that 2air’ & others have had really good experience with the Meguiar’s product line:
SilverGate found 2air’s post #5 on the thread below to be most helpful:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f441/order-walbernize-31480.html

And being a history buff, SilverGate also appreciated the Meguiar family legacy of making the best polish ever since 1901:
http://www.meguiars.com/legacy/

After a few phone calls to body shops, SilverGate found Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze – The Professional Polymer Sealant #20, M2016, 16 oz. for $18.99 and M2064, 64 oz. for $42.

Meguiar’s states that this is a blend of polymers, silicones and imported waxes that creates a high gloss finish that outlasts the others… and is safe on all paint finishes, including clear coats.

SilverGate also heeded 2air’s advice that a good wax job begins with a good cleaning, and consult your Owner’s Manual which gives detailed cleaning & waxing instructions!

[SilverGate]

So SilverGate returned from Wal-Mart and the Body Shop with an armload of Meguiar’s products including their Deep Crystal Car Wash, wash mop, mitt, sponge, wheel brush, wax, wax applicator and a bundle of terry cloths.

He had his job cut out for him… see that dirt on the bow top:

[SilverGate]

He remembered the warning to thoroughly hose off the dirt, debris & aluminum particles from the top down:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f441/warning-washing-new-airstream-32221.html

[SilverGate]

Then he scrubbed, washed, & sponged (but not too hard according to Owner’s Manual),
Followed by drying with chamois to avoid water spots:

[SilverGate]

The stainless steel segment protectors (rock guards) were the most challenging to clean as others have noted:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f381/panel-corrosion-33058.html

SilverGate found the above thread helpful along with 2air’s advice (post #21) on the following thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f441/order-walbernize-31480-2.html

[SilverGate]

Well, after an afternoon of cleaning, washing and drying…

And the following afternoon of waxing and polishing...
(he only used ½ of the 16-oz. bottle of wax/polymer sealant)...

Ol’ SilverGate did a pretty good job…

And I was proud again to be seen next to this gleaming beauty!

[SilverGate]

So I brought him out a Bud!

Cheers!

-- Diego Flamingo

[yukionna]

Originally Posted by SilverGate

So I brought him out a Bud!

Cool!

Him?
Interesting choice.
That is the first time I have heard of an A/S referred to as a "male"... when talking A/S gender, I have noticed that many folks refer to their A/S as a "female".
Just an observation!

[SilverGate]

Thanks yukionna for the "cool" comment…

But you seem a bit confused (understandable posting so early this morning).

You see I, Diego Flamingo, SilverGate’s talking avatar and shining mascot…
Was standing in (on one leg) for SilverGate and reported on his wax project.

He did good, so I brought him (SilverGate) a Bud!

But thank you for the opportunity to re-introduce myself…

And invite you to take the first tour that I conducted of SilverGate’s Safari (post #18, page 2) at:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f396/silvergates-safari-home-last-29471-2.html

Cheers,

Diego Flamingo (still standing-in on one leg for SilverGate as he preps for next trip)

[yukionna]

Originally Posted by SilverGate

You see I, Diego Flamingo, SilverGate’s talking avatar and shining mascot…

Too funny! I guess I did miss that part as I was still working on my first cup of coffee!

Where did you find your mascot friend?

[SilverGate]

Thanks, yukionna, for your latest post.

Sorry for the initial confusion…

Sometimes it’s more fun to let Diego Flamingo do the talking.

He was a birthday present last November at the start of the Christmas shopping season.
I was told he came from Mervyn’s and is a seasonal item.

SilverGate

P.S. I wouldn't offer a Bud to my Safari... it's underage and prefers water!

[SilverGate]

Originally Posted by 5cats

You're killin' me with all these great trips!

Gotta ask: what's that favorite mountain site you're headin to next?

Cheers,
-jd.

Thanks, -jd for your post and question here.

As you know, I sent you the answer by private message.
But others might like to know also:

Our favorite local mountain camping site is Wm. Heise County Park near Julian, CA.

It’s wooded, quiet, with lots of wildlife.

Last week we returned to our favorite, secluded non-hookup site:

[SilverGate]

This site has nearby shade, but also full sun to enable our 2 Solar Panels to recharge the 2 AGM batteries to 100% by mid-morning each day.
Last week this site was quite warm resulting in an inside trailer temperature of 88 degrees by mid-day (but cool enough at night to need blankets).

So during the summer months, we need to find out the ideal partial shade conditions for trailer comfort and still be able to adequately recharge the batteries. (We don’t want to use generators).

We really appreciated the benefit of having 3 awnings and 2 Fantastic Fans.

[SilverGate]

Earlier here this spring, the Rio Grande Turkeys were having quite a frolic as they courted each other: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f396/silvergates-safari-home-last-29471-11.html,
Page 11, post #145.

Last week we saw the outcome: hens with their chicks:

[SilverGate]

(BTW, did you click on the last photos to enlarge them to see the chicks?)

On this outing, we re-discovered the benefits of the Hibachi:
Compact, easy to store, and provides a hot fire with an efficient use of coals.

[SilverGate]

Earlier this year, when we were camping with the Luhr’s, (see posts starting with #89, page 7 at:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f396/silvergates-safari-home-last-29471-7.html),
we were all appreciating the array of bright, twinkling stars in the clear, black desert sky.
Suddenly Emma said, "Daddy, tells us a ghost story, please." Rich came up with one so good that Emma jumped into his lap and held on tight!

Well, until Rich returns this way, we now have a surrogate ghost-story teller, S.E. Schlosser, via her wonderful new book, "Spooky Campfire Tales – Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and Supernatural Lore". This is a delightful collection of short stories just perfect to read out loud around a campfire. According to Schlosser, they are "safe" and not too scary, so that even she can sleep after telling them! These are stories re-told by Schlosser, illustrated by G. Hoffman, and published by Insider’s Guide, Cuilford, Connecticut, 2007. Schlosser is a graduate of Houghton College, the Institute of Children’s Literature, & Rutgers University (my alma mater).

She created and maintains: http://www.americanfolklore.net/, featuring stories from all 50 states.

We enjoyed taking turns re-telling Spooky Campfire Tales as we roasted marshmallows!

[SilverGate]

Now for the Trailer Improvements:

We had previously removed the thin board in the back of the storage area under the Vanity Sink to make it easier to check and tighten loose plumbing connections (page 13, post # 177):
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f396/silvergates-safari-home-last-29471-13.html

Larry made a replacement for that backboard in the form of a removable net made with leather-reinforced laundry bag netting with grommets and locking cup-hooks on the corners:

[SilverGate]

At the beach, we enjoyed having both doors open, but wanted a way to keep the dogs in the trailer at times.
So Larry made a dog net for the door that can be adjusted to various heights.
He used laundry bag netting held up by a tension shower rod and weighted at the bottom with a PVC pipe with rubber chair-leg tips (caps) on the ends.

[SilverGate]

Larry has been changing out the standard exterior lights to LED lights which look nicer, are more effective, last longer, use less electricity, and are not as harsh (especially the patio & step lights).

See his link for detailed info on the LED lamp sizes, post # 14 at:
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f447/led-running-lights-maybe-31959.html

We eventually plan to change out the interior lights to LED’s for the same reasons.

The photo below shows a close-up view of the top rear running lights. Only the center light has been changed to LED at this point to show that is it more effective than the regular light bulbs on each side of it: