Nasty day outside now.
I closed up most of the containers today and moved them down to the Defender, and then loaded up the rear with the things that will ride there. I cannot load the roof rack items until I am ready to leave as I do not have enough clearance in my garage. But I save myself an hour for Wednesday.
Here are some photos.
The gear for the roof rack waiting to be loaded. Missing are my Clothes Bag, Linen Bag (I really do not take linens, just towels and emergency blankets), and Donner’s Cot (makes him feel like he’s home).
Donner in rear of loaded rear of Defender, before the cage is put in place. The container with the yellow tape is my Stuff Box, and the one with the red tape Donner’s.
Here he is with the rear cage in place. (The rear sides are also caged in with panels from a dog crate.) I spent hours several months ago devising this new rear caging system to prevent Donner from escaping the Defender. (He had a knack at finding weaknesses in my former system.) Unfortunately, I just had the chance to try it today with all the gear loaded in back on the side seats and it did not work as planned. I was short about an inch with the gear loaded. So, I changed around the configuration of the boxes and stuff on the rear side seats and it works. Donner’s bed is behind him.
Donner’s front seat in what used to be my passenger’s seat. I kept the seatback, but will leave the seat behind. If need be, I can jerry-rig a seat cushion. All of my emergency recovery equipment is in the passenger well beneath the left side of Donner’s bed. Under the right side of the bed is a compartment with an air compressor in it.
Donner’s rear bed. He, like Leben and Erde before him, alternates between the front and rear beds using some rule I do not understand. (I had to move Sonntag -and then Leben when he became paralyzed- myself, not an easy chore.) With Leben and Erde, when one showed an inclination to switch seats, the other complied and they crossed paths simultaneously. During real hot days, both would ride in the front bed to get the AC. The AC vent on the driver’s side is closed so the dogs get the full benefit of the AC in the two vents on the passenger’s side.
