Oh Yeah... Sam let me put stickers in Monty II

Not only did we Ikea-ize, but I got my hands on some decales (let's be honest) stickers. Once we parked in Cannonville, I decided to add stickers and photos to the inside of the trailer. Yeah, my trailer might look like it's owned by a fifteen-year old, but it's got BODY ODOR character...

Paper Towels front and center. And yeah, stickers. Oh and a dog.

How do you pronounce Paragonah

Seriously, is it PER-AH-GONNA? Or PEAR-AH-GO-NAH? Or doesn't it really matter? Either way, we just passed Paragonah on our way to Cannonville, and Nora and I are having a deep discussion about this...

Nora wrapped around Roland while thinking about Paragonah

So, after all the IKEA-izing, it's time we put our rig to the test. We haven't been to Utah since last October, so we thought we'd head on over to the Bryce region...

RV Remodel Part Three: The Valance Angel

Thank you, Valance Angel!

The missing part of the RV? The window valances! In Remodel Part One, I mentioned a certain curtain angel who swooped in and offered her services when our topless windows needed her coverage the most. Before I get to the specifics, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge all the bad-arse textile manipulators out there--the ones who can crochet, knit, sew, and basically turn a Whole Foods hemp sack into an evening gown. You know who you are... And, let's just get real, shall we? I know that no matter how hard I try to hand-baste my own irregular hemline, I am never going to be one of you. So when something in my life requires this kind of needlework, I must look elsewhere...

RV Remodel Part Two: Ikea-izing our Fifth-Wheel

Uh.... There's nothing to see here...?!

Late last Friday, Sam and I pulled into our spot at the RV park determined to use the last hours of daylight for some hard-core stealthy furniture removal. Unaware of our plans, our nice RV neighbors greeted us and proceeded to apologize for the bad weather in Las Vegas. *Grin*... I quickly forgave them, then prayed to the RV gods that no one would notice any strange furniture items being ejected from our fifth-wheel. I mean, this is normal, right...?

RV Remodel Part One: Removing the Darkness

OK. Yeah. So it was decided. We were going to take out all of Monty II's leather furniture and replace it with Ikea stuff.* And, like usual, the project had "scope-crept" into us removing the valances, switching out the dining room chairs, and even changing up some of the fabrics. And no, this wasn't just my idea. In fact, Sam was pretty excited, too. I think we both realized that with the proper furniture, not only would our RV be bright and cheerful, but it would also be more useful.

So I measured our space and came up with a color scheme and some inexpensive furniture items:

Most was from Overstock & Ikea

Legend of the Slippery Sofa

When Sam and I bought the new fifth-wheel, it was absolutely NOTHING like the original Monty.

The Original Monty with its low-brow look but its fabulous rear kitchen

Monty II was gleaming! We're talking black leather furniture, cherry cabinets, formal valances, and all sorts of classiness. In fact, I really didn't want to touch anything for fear of ruining the shiny interior...

A Little History of our Blog (and our Trailer Obsession)

Sam and I started camping right after we got married, but I had no idea that his determination to make us camp during thunderstorms would lead to us down the path to a fifth-wheel trailer. Here's the short version:

Our gateway drug 

In December 2010, we purchased a tiny Coachman Clipper that we named The Clippah. It was supposed to allow us to camp in Wisconsin and other places without getting attacked by falling branches, raging raccoons, or threatening thunderstorms. But mostly, it gave us the bug to go on a road trip. In September 2011, Sam, Nora, and I took our tiny trailer on a six-week trip to the Southwest, and that's when this blog was born...

And We're Back!

Larry the Truck with Monty II

It's been awhile since I posted on this blog. In fact, I thought this blog was finished. Caput. Finito. Done. Lesson=Learned. And then...we moved to Las Vegas. And we started traveling again, and yep, buying trailers again... and basically just all-around causing trouble. So I had the bright idea to re-open The Clippah blog. Let's be honest, for those of you who know me, I've had a lot of blogs in my day, and I've rarely kept them up. But this blog was different. With CGW there was no pressure to win clients or to create a professional image for myself. When I blogged here, I was basically trying to entertain my family. But most of the time, I ended up just crackin' myself up while I kept track of our journey. We've taken quite a few trips since we moved to Las Vegas, and I posted most of them on Facebook. Here are some links:

• Glamping on the Strip, August 2014. We tested out Monty II for the big-time in the Circus Circus KOA
• Fall in West Yellowstone, September 2014. We visited my brother and his wife, Alice in Montana
• Zion NP. October 2014. We love Zion!
• Joshua Tree NP. February 2015. OK, I totally dig this amazing park. My parents also were with us on this trip... but not in Monty! 
• Death Valley NP. March 2015. No trailer--just tent camping in the heat of Furnace Creek! Thanks, HEATHER HALL, for joining us!

Here's to rving, national parks, trucks, dogs, solar panels, and most of all to Las Vegas, our new home!