Residing in an apartment complex in Cincinnati OH provided ZERO outdoor space for camper renovation. There were, however, many days every square inch of our INDOOR apartment space was taken up by ongoing projects and supplies! Without a garage, or permission to store and work on the Scamp in the parking lot, we needed to figure out what to do. Of course this quandary was not considered prior to the Scamp purchase, however we worked it out.
Through the advice of dear friends, we found a temporary home for the Scamp at a local RV repair shop. Time was not of the essence and “temporary” became a two year commitment while working on the camper at this location. The owner of the shop was the perfect image of a man that had spent a lifetime around motorcycles and repairing campers of all shapes and sizes. The garage was stuffed from floor to ceiling with spare parts, refrigerators filled with beer, and colorful posters not for the prudish or faint of heart.
Since the shop was conveniently located just fifteen minutes from home we were able to easily spend weekends working on the Scamp. Most of the renovation ended up taking place outside so work time became somewhat weather dependent. We soon discovered how HOT the inside of a camper could get with any amount of sunshine blaring down on the roof. Many days felt like we were melting inside a sizzling, steamy tin can. One may ask, “Why didn’t you hook up AC at the beginning of the renovation?” Good question. Various aspects of the renovation will be addressed as I continue to document our story!
We are very thankful for all of the work completed by the guys at the RV repair shop which involved rewiring, some interior demolition, welding, and mechanical service. We spent many hours discussing RV’s, listening to travel and repair stories, taking in advice, laughing, and learning as we slowly moved towards completing the Scamp. Our new cohorts at the shop found it difficult to comprehend our plans to travel the United States together in a thirteen foot trailer camper, trying more than once to change our minds. During its residence at the garage several customers inquired to see if the Scamp was for sale. The shop owner always said, “She ain’t sellin’!” He was right about that.
Coddiwompling “To Travel in a Purposeful Manner Towards a Vague Destination”
“I can’t. I have plans. In the garage.” -JAMES ANDERSON