10 Feb 2001
The local CMCA chapter had a rally at Wee Jasper just north of Canberra. It's an annual event and a really great spot.

There are a few camping spots at Wee Jasper but I think the best is Micalong Creek. There's a large grassy camping area running along the creek, plenty of shade, clean dunnies, and good swimming.

We intended staying for Saturday night but then thought we'd hang around for another day.

This is such a nice place I thought it deserved a larger than usual photo.

10 Mar 2001
Another local chapter outing, this time down near Lake Burley Griffin. Originally this was to participate in the Canberra Festival on Sunday but this was canceled. We went down anyway and parked in front of the Questacon building overlooking the lake and, as it turned out, the Centenary of Federation concert stage.

Fig 2. Overlooking the lake and concert stage.

Fig 3. Closeup of the stage with Russel offices across the lake.

We listened to sound tests all day and well into the night.

11 Mar 2001
One of the main reasons for choosing this spot to camp was that it was right next to the balloon launching area. We went to bed in an empty car park and woke surrounded by hundreds of cars. This was my cue to join the crowd and get some photos of the balloons.

Fig 4. Some of the balloons.

All morning we listened to live practice with the artists going through their paces.

By early afternoon, just as I was getting a bit sick of hearing the same thing over and over, a beaurocrat said that we were parked in what was going to be the VIP car park and that we couldn't stay over night.

I was almost relieved to pack up and go home for some peace and quite.

Well it was a lot quieter at home but also a lot messier. In November last year I took the truck to Goulburn for rego. In the week it was away the area it occupied in the workshop gradually filled with stuff.

The truck never did get back inside, I think the following photos show why.

Fig 5. The tip we call a workshop.

Yes folks, this is the dung heap we call a workshop, fortunately we now live in the motorhome but I still have to work amongst this lot. Is it any wonder I spend half my time looking for things? I console myself by reciting my mantra, "Not long now, not long now...".

15 Mar 2001
Andrew and Judy Marnie (with their daughters Pippa and Eloise) have been staying with us on-and-off for the past week while performing some repairs on their bus and doing some capital sightseeing.

On their last day we had a BBQ with hardware and cooking supplied by Jurgen (my neighbour). Most retired early but Andrew, Jurgen and myself chatted 'till late over a bottle of Tia Maria.

Fig 6. We have a BBQ outside the workshop.

20 Mar 2001
Well the truck finally has a name and, as it happens, I think that deciding on it was the hardest part of the project. So what is the name?, I'll get to that in a second but first let's go over some of the options we considered.

• The Armadillo, still a favourite of mine, after all it is armor plated and sort of 'folds up' to protect itself.
• Interesting, well it is an International, we plan to do a lot of resting and I guess it's interesting.
• Cecil, at one point I got fed up with trying to think of names.
• GrayNomad, that's grAy, not grEy.
• WinneGrayGo, clever but nobody outside the motor homing fraternity would get it. Anyway I don't want people thinking that it was built by Winnebago, come to think of it neither would they I suspect :-)

Just the other day I remembered a story about someone, who looked very unusual, and thought he was Jesus Chris because that's what everyone said when they saw him.

I followed this path and thought about what people say when they first see the truck. Then it hit me, the motor home's name would be,

wothahellizat

Of course there are variations on this theme but this is the most printable.

So after all that we didn't name the truck at all, everyone else did.

23 Mar 2001
Not long now untill we leave for the Griffith rally. I'm busy painting so the rig will look mostly finished.

Before painting the dunny/vanity I remembered that I wanted to run some extra wires, fortunately most panels in the truck are removable for this very purpose.

Fig 7. Panels removed in the dunny.

I had a visit from a couple of ambulance paramedics today. It seems they just had to have a look (I hope there was no-one in the back).

During the conversation one of them said that they were driving passed when he looked out the window and blurted "What the hell is that?" to his mate.

What I'd like to know is, how on earth did he know the rig's name??