Here is the report. I will address new tech questions as I have time to lay them out.

Thursday:

Well, We just spent our first night in the Scamp 5.

I awoke refreshed and amazing relaxed. We arrived last night at the Matagorda Madness Rally too late to meet any one. I managed to get set up in a pull through. This is good for a rookie. There are two other 5’ers here and 2 or three Escape 5’ers.

The temp was mild and the wind was nice so we slept with the windows open.  Yeah!

The morning was a mild 72. I showered in the bath house because I am working my way through the systems.  Also, in cleaning the bath, I noticed the caulk seal is compromised so I will need to caulk first. Arggg!

Also the bath window knob is striped and well have to be replaced and the bath knob. Scamp shipped that Friday.  Everything else is good. Except, I too the advise of the Scamp video on driving with a cool fridge and no need to run during travel and lost a bit of food.  Arggg!

I have not turned on the hot water yet. Maybe tomorrow..

Oh!  I showered and got on my shorts, tee and flips this lasted until about 10:30 when a cold north wind blew in and in and in.  Long pants back on dropped quickly to 52 degrees. 

Met a couple of other owners today who have been around for a while. They were very nice.

We went to the sip and dip and met some new friends. Too windy and cold for the bonfire on the beach. That is for us. They had it anyway!

Now Theresa, Patti Cake (our 5lb. Chihuahua) and I are all buttoned in the rig and just enjoyed a couple of my wives special hot apple cider and whip cream! Yum!  Watching a movie!

Mean while a storm is hitting Fort Worth and ice is falling. Good time to not be at home!

There is a christmas wreath decorating function in the morning. PASS!

The internet does not reach my rig so I will post all this later.  Keep you posted.

Friday: 

Still Cold and the wind is amazing!

We stay hunkered down and at home it is really frozen in.

This morning I lit the hot water heater. This was done with the help of our neighbor who blocked the wind while I attempted the lighting. It took a little while and a few attempts. I was concerned that it might not work at all as when we were driven it home, after purchase, a chalky residue released from the water heater and ran down the side of the Scamp.  No worries however, I had to turn it down it turns out.

I also tackled the furnace. Thank God we had the foresight to bring a ceramic heater along for the second night after the temps had dropped.  Furnace works fine except we had to work the thermostat by hand as we discovered it was broken.

I dumped the tanks for the first time and make a discovery.  I do not like the configuration of the black water dump opening.  On the Vixen 21, the vehicle is so low to the ground that they utilize a rotating elbow after the blade. The benefit of this is no surprises when you open the cap to connect the hose.  I have an extra in my Vixen stuff and will be replacing after I return home.

The net result is that we shower the first time in the Scamp. Success! But we will have to drill a bit to get it down to a manageable time.

I met one of the Escaper 5’ers today. He is the host of this event. He asked about my rig since I am only the 3rd Scamp here and the other two owners are old timers to Matagorda Madness.  I explain how I came to be here and that I bought it 3 weeks ago.  I left feeling great about the purchase after we discussed what I had paid for the unit and watched, surprised I might add, his eyes get as big as saucers when I told him what I paid for it.

Friday night we all go to the same restaurant. I arrange for Little House Customs to com by in the morning to do a couple of things.  We sit with a nice couple from Bandara, TX and have a nice meal.

Saturday:

The day starts with two modifications. One, we replace the thermostat with a digital one. I will later visit Larry at his shop in east Texas and he will connect the AC to the thermostat as well.

He also added a toilet water shut off valve. This allow one to keep using water elsewhere should an event occur with the toilet. The benefit I was interested in is that now I can close it part way and reduce the amount of water per flush and reduce dump frequency.

I also used a dry cleaning shirt bag over the toilet while showering to prevent the collection of soapy water in the bowl while we shower.

I went into an Escape 5.0 today. Very nice!  Expensive! Liking the Scamp price point better and better!  

I also take a photo of a hitch modification which I will likely do early next year.  It involves adding a air shock to the goose neck to reduce the bumpiness of the trailer. See photo attached.

Some participants are starting for home.  Saturday night there is a pot luck dinner and we meet more very nice people who ask about the Scamp.

Sunday:

Masses are leaving but not us. We cannot get home. We meet two other couples from the Dallas metroplex who are also staying here until the thaw happens.  We all end up at the same restaurant as Friday night for dinner and have an enjoyable time together.

Monday:

We still cannot leave for home as the thaw is not sufficient that we can get into the driveway.

We will get our daughter to report on this later in the day and will try for a Tuesday arrival.  Meanwhile, here it is supposed to reach 50 so we plan a walk on the beach.  

Tuesday: Last to leave but....

Home!

P