Crystal Beach is on the Bolivar Peninsula, which is northeast of Galveston. We actually had to take a ferry to get there, but it was really fun, and free! You just drive onto the boat, and then you can get out if you want while it’s taking you across. The seagulls know what’s up and they’re all over it.
They got really close looking for food! We ended up spending a huge chunk of time in Galveston. Most of that had to do with a deep rumbling noise coming from the Jeep, which required a repair shop, which couldn’t be found in Crystal Beach. So, as a result, the kids and I spent lots of time walking around. At one point someone thought we were homeless and invited us to get food at their church, so I figured getting some haircuts wouldn’t hurt, and it would kill some time.
All fixed up 🙂
Day 2 of “Explore Galveston by Foot Whilst the Car is Repaired”
During the evenings we either walked to the beach or fixed stuff up around the bus. One major project that needed to be done was the replacement of our converter/trickle charger. This is what converts our power and keeps our house batteries properly charged up, so that while we’re driving down the road, we can still have the refrigerator running and also the TV and a couple of outlets. Our previous charger wasn’t a great one, and we were worried about what it was doing to the batteries (after the explosion in Myrtle Beach). Have I mentioned that Billy and I are electricians and completely capable of handling such a project? Oh I haven’t? Weird.
This is the humble jumble that we had to disconnect, and that bottom part is what we had to replace
We figured we would give it a whirl, and if we reached a point where we thought things might blow up, we’d stop and call a professional.
We had to turn the main power off, and even though we started while it was light outside, it started to get dark and we had to break out the flashlights. We did a lot of googling, and we took pictures along the way so we could remember how to put everything back together. I won’t lie, it was super complicated. I felt sure we were going to blow up at least three separate times during the whole thing.
It was pitch dark outside by the time we were nearing the end!
This was the aftermath — wires everywhere! BUT… did you notice? LIGHTS!! That’s right, we did it! We rewired the electricity on the bus!
If you look under the white cabinets on the left, that’s where the whole project went down. The new box did make a slightly louder humming noise than its predecessor, which was a little concerning seeing how Billy’s recording booth is so close (it’s the giant gray box on the right!). We adjusted things slightly though and with the little door closed, it’s silent.
It was approaching Thanksgiving, so the next day we hit the Target and grabbed a couple of Christmas-y things, like a wreath for the front of the bus, some lights, and the cutest little United States pillow that says, “Home for the Holidays”.
We soaked up the last few days on the beach, and got ready to move on!
She’s a Martin, she loves the beach!