This is a local biodiesel station near my house. They sell B5 from the pumps which is 5% biodiesel and 95% petro diesel. It apparently still makes a significant difference in the carbon output of the engine and I will be filling up my next tank here and see how things go with the Duramax in the van.
Back in November 30th I drove to Arizona with my friend Jeremy to pick up the T@B Trailer. I didn’t bring my camera but I did remember to snap a couple of pics with my camera phone. Here’s a quick recount of the trip.
When we got to Phoenix, we decided to go to Scottsdale since Jeremy was familiar with this area. We found a Restaurant Bar Jeremy has been to called Sugar Daddy’s and got ourselves some burgers and beers.
Couple of Guinesses is good for your health 
We had a few drinks at this bar that was pretty deserted. Jeremy claims to have been there when you can not even walk through the room. Sugar Daddy’s is a pretty big place with multiple rooms, stage and gigantic outdoor patio. By the end of the night we basically had this place to ourselves. I guess Scottsdale is not a place to by on a Thursday night in the winter.
We got out of there and got back to where the van was parked with a couple more beers we bought through the gas station cashier’s window. We set up the laptop and crashed in the back of the cargo van instead of getting a room at the Holiday Inn parking lot we were at since it was already late and we didn’t want to spend the extra money. After all, We had this huge cargo van with all this space in the back. It was probably more roomy than most studio apartments in Manhattan or Tokyo but we still were pretty much roughing it without running water and bathrooms.
We got up the next day and headed to Sun City to pick up the T@B. Set up was a zip and after we transfer the cash and title at the bank, we were off on our way back to California. At this point it had been raining for quite awhile. It hasn’t rained this much in the West Coast for probably over a year and it was interesting driving a new vehicle while towing a trailer for this first time in it. We drove through on storm and caught up to another on the way back and in no time we were closing in on the California border.
Here we are at the last stop out of Arizona while towing the T@B back home. The van got the job done effortlessly.
Another quick bathroom stop at a McDonald’s shortly after entering California.
Dinner break at Jack In the Box.
After towing the T@B for nearly 500 miles I got pretty good at maneuvering in tight quarters. With the van and the trailer, I was moving along with nearly 35 feet worth of vehicles. We got back into town early Friday evening and had covered over 1,000 miles in 36 hours.
The van did well with towing the trailer and the weight was pretty much unnoticeable behind the hitch. With the trailer and the conversion close to being done in the van, we are getting close to hitting the road and seeing what this country has to offer.
Finally the van is at the shop as I speak (write?) getting its transformation. I brought it in last Friday before a weekend trip that was originally planned for the mountains but ended up in the desert. That’s a long story for another day. The van should be done by Friday of next week at the latest and I can’t wait to pick it up and see how it looks. I have been thinking about what to do for the electronics I wanted to have in the vehicle. GPS, music player, DVD player and anything else I might add in the future. With a bluetooth stereo I recently installed 2 weeks ago, it would be nice for it to interface with it all. What I decided is to install a laptop stand so I can use a standard computer for it all.
Ram Mount is the company that makes various mounting platforms for all kinds of electronics. I ordered the kit that is designed for the GMC Savana van with 2 articulating joints and adjustable height. It seems very sturdy and well made and installs directly to the base of the front seat with no drilling. I will install it myself next weekend when I get the van back and report to you how the process went and hopefully have photos for it.
Last weekend I picked up the T@B trailer from Phoenix with a friend of mine . We made the trip there and back to Phoenix from Ventura in 36 hours. That’s about a 1,000-mile trip and it was much easier than I thought. The very next day the family and I took it out for a quick overnight camping trip at El Capitan State Beach just north of Santa Barbara.
Since the van wasn’t ready yet we had to take out the other family car. It did okay towing the trailer but it definitely consumed a significant amount of gas at speeds higher than 60 mph. It almost seemed like I could see the gauge dip as I drove along the freeway.
We hadn’t figured out how everything works yet and the campsite did not have any hook ups. We slept without any heating and it got pretty cold at night. Overall, it was pretty good and the campsite was practically empty because it is the weekend after Thanksgiving.
The next step now is to get everything tuned and to figure out what we will need for future trips. I brought the van into the conversion shop last weekend and it will be done the Friday before Christmas. Can’t wait. I will be posting some more photos of our complete setup once it is ready.