Micro-Minnie! Isn't she cute?

Meet Micro-Minnie Winnebago. Let's call her The Dandelion for short.... it suits her yellow sunshine-y demeanor.

The Dandelion is a pull-behind camper or caravan, as we say in New Zealand. She is compact and light with a staggering functionality to square foot ratio. Inside, everything has a place, a space and a reason to be there. This is the essence of freedom and adventure; but also brings a strong measure of comfort to everyday life on the road and in the woods... hot water and warm air, the ability to cook/bake and sleep in a bed in a way that mimics home.

At the end of a season going here and there, it is only right that The Dandelion is given a spa-day of sorts and tucked in securely in order to withstand the dangers of a Colorado winter while sedentary. 

This is my true (and hopefully accurate) account of winterizing The Dandelion. Fun and quite the privilege to be a part of!

Prior to this, Charles and Kris had put some clean water and a 1/4c of Dawn detergent into the TWO sewer tanks then driven around to swish it, before dumping that.

Start by opening the valve that will drain the hot water out onto the ground. There is a pressure relief valve that can assist, but equally useful is getting Kris to turn on the faucet inside so air can enter the tank and aid draining.  Charles has a special socket that fits this valve, inside his Dandelion Toolkit.

I was told that if The Dandelion had been filled with water from a source likely to contain sediment, the way to remove that from the hot water tank would be to add water using the "water-pik" type tool, swish that around and flow the sediment right outta there.

Once the flow stops, you can use a paper towel wick in the valve hole to get last of water out. (Not necessary but if you want to be particular it is good!)

There are 3 valves on the hot water tank (identified by having Styrofoam insulation around it) located inside through the garage and by peering into the compartment. 

Upper and lower go to "off" position. Middle valve goes to "on" position. 

Remember! Perpindicular is OFF; Parallel is ON.

There are 2 valves to 30 gal water tank (looking left with head poked inside the compartment).

The one that is on, turns off; the one that's off, turns on. This stops antifreeze getting into the water tank. Very important, it should go without saying!

Charles recommends the good antifreeze. Overkill for CO perhaps, but why take a risk with The Dandelion? The cost of undoing freeze injuries is higher than the cost of -100°F rated antifreeze, right? Right!

Antifreeze bottle connects to the white hose.

The water pump is then turned on with the switch on a panel just inside the caravan door.

In this order, each of the water-producing areas of The Dandelion are flooded with pink antifreeze.

1. Toilet - Pump with foot until it appears in the bowl.

2. Go outside and use the outdoor shower - hot and cold. Until it turns pink.

3. Bathroom sink - hot and cold, until you see antifreeze.

4. Kitchen sink - hot and cold, running antifreeze into both side drains.

Turn off the water pump.

Disconnect the antifreeze bottle (it likely has about 1/3 of the bottle still left) and poke that hose just into the disposable cup with papertowel inside so it doesn't sticky pink antifreeze all over The Dandelions garage floor.

Use the apparatus that looks like a bike pump to pump antifreeze into the one-way valves.

(I believe one is for filling with water. The other is maybe a shower drain? Wastewater related?)

Kris then opened the hot and cold faucets at sink to allow pressure to release there and made it easier to pump (?). Then closed them. Charles disconnected the antifreeze pump kit and allowed surplus antifreeze to run back into the bottle from the pump.

On went the water pump switch again... And the rest of the antifreeze was tipped a bit at a time into the sinks and toilet before the last was gobbled up at the outdoor shower.

Pump switch off! Disconnect from mains power (assuming you are plugged in for this of course).

Don't forget to pull out the papertowel wick and put the hot water drain cap back on.

A bit of a clean up... because that is just polite.

Now it was time to disconnect the batteries (x2) from the front of the trailer, just behind the propane tanks. The first step is turning the knob inside the garage to turn off power.

Green and horizontal = Battery power is connected.

Red and vertical indicates battery power is disconnected from the camper.

Remove and put on trickle charger with desulfurization capability for winter. 

I worried that my rudimentary notes and bunch of pics would not be sufficient to ever remember all this, should we need it... Then Kris brought out the dandelion colored manual!!! Plan B... Or Plan A if you are smarter!

This guy with a sense of humor that never quits, was happy to 'Vanna White' the manual for me and I, once again, had overflowing gratitude for him. It almost goes without saying how much I appreciate the patience and attention to detail that Charles and Kris always bring to the table too... But I'm going to say it anyway! I learned a ton today and that was only possible because these folks are who they are and dared to bring us along!

The Snowy Range camping experience

When was the last time I camped with Kris and Charles, you ask? A while... like a long while ago!

Friday, June 25th, 2010 to be specific. LOL. A good illustration of why I blog, am I right?!

On August 20th, Scott and I packed up and packed out. We were headed 3 hours away, to the Snowy Range of Wyoming, via Laramie. The car was FULL. I questioned a few of the larger choices and wondered (sometimes outloud) if we needed all of it. (Easy-Up?!)

Cruisin' through Centennial with a hankering for ice cream, we stopped at a little parlour/gift store. The Country Junction was overflowing with cutesy premature Christmas items and a large selection of ridiculously funny dish towels and whatnot. Giggles ensued. Definitely worth the pitstop.

Back on the road, we caught up with Kris and Charles at the campsite they had reserved for us - so lovely!!! 

We pitched tent, harnessed our inflatable mattresses together, unpacked the double sleeping bag and made tracks for the little river over yonder, where happy hour turned into dinner of finger foods and yummy things. And wine. Halleluyah!

The next morning we were up and out kinda early... Early for us, who needed more than a little downtime after quite the busy month. 

Coffee was made, Scott's homemade burritos were devoured, and we followed C&K to Mirror Lake for Scott's first fly fishing lesson. 

I hiked and scouted wildlife; it made my lens and my relaxed self, happy.

The afternoon was a bit quieter. Scott and I blissed out down at the river. Him with his fishing tackle; me with bare feet and tripod in the cold water, trying to capture some of the essence of nature around here. 

It's ok to take a nap...

We shared a perfectly lovely evening of BBQ'd ribs and games with Charles and Kris... then rounded out the evening at the card table inside our tent, playing Nertz! 

Mirror lake had been stunning but busy today. Lots of paddle-boarders and fishermen. I had an inkling that at day-break, the early rays of morning would light up the white mountains all pink and Mirror Lake had the best chance of being a mirror then, and only then. 

The alarm went off extra early; we set off an hour before sunrise... and were rewarded!

The perfect time to enjoy a bit of a hike too:

Life is good!

Tonight we shared brats ... I had to eat my words with said brats and sauerkraut when the showers became downpours and it became clear that Scott's Easy-Up was the right answer for keeping the entire picnic table dry. Yep... I had doubted the need for it!

Just like that, 3 days in WY had come to an end. We packed up and trekked home the next morning... Back to the exciting task at hand; Moving Scott into 285 Martin Drive!