First Birthday for our Big Blue

[Pete_Hampton]

We are just a couple of days away from the first year anniversary of taking delivery of our T6 Ocean, aka Big Blue. Back then it was an exciting (addictive) time tracking the build and the shipment right through to that first drive home and gently reversing into the driveway.

We will be celebrating with another road trip and are already on the verge of booking up a repeat of our Christmas & New Year trip to Bodmin Moor - ahhh the space, the peace and the quiet!!!

How will you be celebrating your first anniversary for everyone who took delivery in December 2017? Enjoy, whatever you do!

What other California 1st Birthday celebrations have there been?

Pete

@2020 freedom @Jason wallace @Properjob @Jans2 @LadySmiff @itguy

 

[Properjob]

Well Pete, you beat the troubles, I seem to remember! So, although our anniversary should be soon, we did get ours released from the vw prison until Easter!

 

[Pete_Hampton]

Oh cripes, yes I recall & didn't you have a loan California for you and your family, just in time for Christmas wasn't it?

 

[jts46]

Just celebrated our 12th year

 

[LadySmiff]

I almost miss those days of obsessively tracking Frida's progress from factory to ship to forecourt! Our lovely girl finally arrived in March 2018 so we're not quite to her first birthday but what a great 9 months it's been...2 festivals, 15 weekends away, 2 weeks in beautiful Dorset and planning to spend NYE in Croyde. We can't imagine life without her... Roll on 2019

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[Properjob]

Oh cripes, yes I recall & didn't you have a loan California for you and your family, just in time for Christmas wasn't it?

Yup that’s right! We were v lucky and got to test everything out on the rental one first!

 

[Jans2]

Happy Birthday Big Blue!

We had to wait for a late March delivery in the end but it’s a year since our Cali arrived in the UK so sort of a reason to celebrate. We’ve had lots of family fun so far, camping in Dorset, the New Forest, Bank Holiday camping with friends and of course (most of) Camp Bestival until weather stopped play.

Can’t wait for another year of adventures, hopefully exploring a little further from home now we know what we’re doing a bit more!




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jqp]

First birthday for my New Red Bus was beginning of November.
12,500 miles, 45 nights away. March trip to Andorra & Costa Brava, June trip to Croatia & Slovenia, September trip to Luxembourg & the Argonne forest. Nothing went wrong.

Celebrated in late October by repeating a two night trip to Mendips which in October 2017 was my final trip in the original Red Bus (the '86 T25 Westy I had owned from new).

I am beginning to bond with the Cali and am prepared to admit it is almost as good as the old Westy.

jp

 

[Pete_Hampton]

Wow! That's an adventurous year you've had @jqp We haven't got anywhere near 12.5k miles, but we have managed 51 nights away in year 1. Some trips were so good they will just have to be repeated in year 2, plus maybe adding in a trip to Yorkshire for the 2019 Cycling World Championships.

Maybe I ought to total up all the miles that we've walked along the South West and Gower coastal paths, sections of the South Downs Way, Lake District footpaths, New Forest and Forest of Dean trails, Peak District Dales, etc etc. Not forgettting, of course, all those trips to and from the pot wash, the loos and the showers!

 

[Ocean Spirit]

Hi All,
Nice to hear from you Pete, I hope you and your family are all good.


Kylie's Birthday is on the 5th December.
Named because of the bike rack dilemma and I chose the quasi rack. So I thought the 2 would compliment each other and Esmerelda (beautiful though she may be) didn't fill me with the same excitement as Kylie for a companion. Na na na I can't get her out of my head..

Like you Pete we totted up some miles in the New Forest and the Lake District as well as the west country. We want to get to the Gower in 2019 as well as venturing into Europe via the shuttle.
In the outstanding summer we've had shes been a brilliant day bus taking us off to the beach late afternoons on so many occasions when most people had been beaten by the sun and retreated to their homes. We'd sit chilled, parallel parked facing the Beach front lapping up the Ocean breeze in our very own lounge of one of these aptly named vehicles. The Solent was a very warm and welcoming mill pond most of the time which is in stark contrast to how I usually feel about it and British waters in general, I'm not a hardened water activity fan. Many occasions we'd wait for the sun to go down before setting off home. We've been spoiled this year and long may it continue. The rack has seen little use in fairness but has been used almost exclusively for one bike (mine of course) on a handful of occasions.
With some house conversion work going on she has carried large sheet materials and long runs of plumbing waste pipes etc proving very versatile at the drop of a hat. Now as nice as the weather was through September and October, a great big hole in the roof of our house and building dust from ripped down ceilings meant it wasn't conducive to a decent nights sleep so for different reasons I once more had the chance to sleep with Kylie on the drive.
Having access to a small Kia Cee'd belonging to Mrs 2020 I was able to keep the milage down on commuting a bit. I'm not to fussed as I have no insurance milage limitation but out of habit I have half an eye on the milage which is almost bang on 10,000. That should increase next year as I think there is at least a months less motoring than normal owing to being around when the building work was ongoing and not commuting. Its worked well for bringing us together as a family too it's a shame that my 12 year olds mobile still works though as she sits in the back and we shout "ohh look at that, isn't it lovely" only for her to pop up her head and reply "what??? oh wait I missed that". We'd explain the issue only for it to re-occur time and time again. First service now due I will enquire about any retrospective software setting following the emissions issue that held people up for a frustrating delay literally only a few days after parking Kylie on my drive for the first time.
Have a great Christmas all

 

[Pete_Hampton]

it's a shame that my 12 year olds mobile still works though

Have you asked Santa for a phone jammer for Christmas? I know that they are illegal, but I am sure someone on eBay flogs them!

Pleased that you too have had a great 1st year in your mobile hotel, builders van, sea front chalet, cycling team bus, commuter limo, driveway passion wagon, oh and Campervan!

Now for the retrospective questionnaire...

1. Which factory option did you include that impresses the most?
2. Which factory option did you include that you didn't really need?
3. Are you pleased with your colour choice, if not which colour would you have preferred?
4. Have you really read the whole manual(s) more that once?
5. Which accessory did you buy that has been just perfect?
6. Which accessory did you buy that has been a dud, or is still unpacked?
7. Which location that you enjoyed in year 1 will you return to in year 2?
8. Where will you avoid in year 2?
9. Do you really clean your California as often now as you did in the first few months?
10. Has your California ownership smugness factor increased during year 1?

Enjoy!

 

[Pete_Hampton]

My answers:

1. Parking sensors - great help and works very well.
2. None, parking sensor were the only option taken.
3. Oh yes!
4. Probably, especially after a learned friend on here say 'read the manual'!
5. Vango Kela III.
6. Fire blanket, it's not a dud but it's still boxed and that's not very clever is it?
7. Bodmin, Eskdale.... well most places really are worth a return, but new places need to be visited too.
8. Just one 'campsite' behind a pub that was a bit below par, but served it's purpose.
9. On the most part yes, but I do need to get the step ladders out & wax polish the roof.
10. Oh yes, goes up by at least one each time we do a trip however long or short. It goes up by two each time we pitch up next to a grumpy caravanner or great white owner!

 

[Ocean Spirit]

Have you asked Santa for a phone jammer for Christmas? I know that they are illegal, but I am sure someone on eBay flogs them!

Pleased that you too have had a great 1st year in your mobile hotel, builders van, sea front chalet, cycling team bus, commuter limo, driveway passion wagon, oh and Campervan!

Now for the retrospective questionnaire...
Enjoy!

Thats great

1. Factory Awning
2. Adaptive cruise control
3. Yes definitely especially when clean but I still like other colours so would change if there is a next time but don't know what colour.
4. No but pretty close
5. 2 Razai's (an Indian light weight quilt that take up little space but pretty warm and you're not a prisoner like in a sleeping bag.
6. Nothing I can think of but haven't bought enough yet
7. We really like Hemingford Abbots near Huntingdon. A small campsite on the edge of the river Ouse feels like a great retreat thats not too far for couple of nights away anytime of the year nice pub meals to be had in every direction, nice walks and general peace and quiet. Also hired a small motor boat for half a day and pottered around in tranquility.
8. Treyarnon Bay was a nice place but the campsite was very uncomfortable from a sanitary perspective so we'll give that one a miss.
9. No, had too much on and feeling very guilty about it.
10. Yep! it has had some very inquisitive caravaners spark up conversation

 

[Pete_Hampton]

Thanks @2020 freedom for taking part...

Glad you like #1, we don't have one, but I am planing on making my own near equivalent for when time or weather does not suit using the Kela, (Kador strip + ripstop nylon sheeting + nylon webbing + carbon fibre poles + paracord guy lines + pegs) report and photos will follow once I have bought all the bits and mastered the sewing machine!

Interesting reply to #2, care to elaborate? Is it more about it's suitability due to the (often erratic) behaviour of other roads users, rather than how the ACC actually perfoms technically?

Mrs Pete_H is checking out #7 as we speak. BTW do you have any knowledge of, or experience of staying at, Tanglewood?

#8 noted, thanks for the tip off. Hopefully it's not spoilt your view of Cornish camping.

#10 Brilliant!

 

[Ocean Spirit]

I look forward to your DIY awning @Pete_Hampton .
You have guessed right about ACC it's the behaviour of other road users. It's not intelligent so brake and accelerate are the only 2 options as people swallow the gap. My driving is smoother than that and I can account for them by coasting and on the flip side if I feel it necessary I can also discourage them via various means but I stress the later is not the preferred option. The functionality is OK when people exercise respect for other users and distances but thats a whole thread on its own...and it already exists.
I have no knowledge of Tanglewood I'm afraid so can't help you there.
There will be plenty of camping n the south west to come .
I see you have no VIP membership so........

 

[Pete_Hampton]

so........

I like your thinking. When would be good dd?/mm?/2019 once it has opened in April?