The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter has arrived!

Hello everyone:

We just wanted you to know about a major addition to our life and lifestyle.

Meet “The Mercury” … “light of the morning, looking for shelter in this thunder and this rain”… Jimmie Spheeris (RIP)

Our 2012 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Van has arrived in Austin Texas.

For those who inquire this is the 2500 model (single rear wheels), 170 inch wheelbase.  We ordered it early this year and it has now been paid for and is on its way to Sportsmobile (www.sportsmobile.com) in Austin.  It is 22 ft, 8 inches long and we can stand up inside!

We have been working with Paul Meyer of SMB-Texas with their “Design your Own” program to configure our van.  It will be built with a rear platform that will give us a full time queen sized bed and enough room underneath to store 4 bicycles and all of our camping and backpacking gear.  Here is a picture of a similar van that others have built giving you some idea of what we are building:

The van was ordered without windows. SMB will add 4 windows for us, 2 large windows will be located directly behind the “cab” (our living room) section; in the sliding door and directly opposite.  They are “awning” type windows so the bottom 1/3 cranks open for ventilation.  The other 2 windows are located as far back and as high up as possible.  They are small “slider” windows which should give us rear ventilation and allow us to look out when lying in bed.  There will be a ventilation fan midway over the galley and in front of the shower enclosure.

Overall the exterior should look something like this (without the running boards):

As far as mechanical equipment, we have elected to go with a propane system, a full fresh water system, a grey water system, but no black water system.  This means that we will have hot water, a sink, a shower, but will use a porta-potti which will normally reside in the shower stall.

We have elected to make this a full 12 volt DC van as most of our use will not be in campgrounds and we will have no AC generator.  We will have solar panels and large AGM batteries.  We will have no Microwave, all of the lights are LED’s and all appliances will be 12v.  When we travel into cities during the summer or where we plan on staying in campgrounds we will carry a portable AC air conditioner which will sit between the swivel seats and exhaust through the passenger window.

We have converted our home phone  to a Verizon At Home system and will be taking it with us when we travel (powered by 12v DC).

So as currently planned, we are driving to Austin to work out the final build configuration on May 8.  SMB says that the build should take 6 to 8 weeks so this should allow us to pick it up late June to early July.  We will then fly into Austin and drive it home!

For our maiden voyage we will travel north through Oklahoma to Wichita then west through Dodge City and Jetmore.  From there we will head south through Clayton, Las Vegas, Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Grants then home.  This trip will be leisurely, we will find places to camp out, visit family and friends and show off The Mercury to fellow campground owners.   

And yes, we are still campground owners.  Our quest for retirement has been delayed by the economy; so therefore, the van.  We will be leaving our campground in the hands of our capable staff and traveling as we can.  Future plans have us attending the USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado in August and an extended trip through the four corners states in September.  Our unit has propane heat so we may also take short trips this winter.

Who knows, you could find us in a driveway near you!