Back to the big views.......

 7:57 am - Wednesday - November 24th - Ocotillo Wells, CA - 45° F, 65% humidity, wind 3 mph out of the west by northwest.....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 77° F.....what a civilized temperature!  On this date in 2017 I hiked the Grandview Trail at the Grand Canyon (you can read about that here).....↴

We were not to be denied Tuesday.  Around 8 am I fired up the big Detroit Diesel 6v92 to be sure all was still well, and it was.  Once that was determined I proceeded to roll up the rope lights, the artificial turf (with the help of TLE), and the shore power cords (we had use two 25 footers to get to the power pedestal in the rear of the site), and within minutes had rolled the Newell over to the dump station where we proceeded to drag the artificial turf into the trailer, and then while I dumped and flushed our tanks TLE took the VW to the local fuel station to fill our tank at $4.64/gallon for premium unleaded....ouch!!!  By the time she returned I was putting away the sewer hose, and ready to help her insert the VW into the trailer for the first time in a month.  Remarkably, we were on our way east, and south to Ocotillo Wells by 9 am!

The drive out of town was hectic as we transitioned from one construction zone to another, the worst of which was on I-10 as we passed through Beaumont and Banning.  The right hand lane had a 'K Rail' on the right side, and the lane seemed barely wider than our 8 foot width (8.5' for the trailer)....white knuckle time to be sure.

At last we passed through the final construction zone near Palm Springs, and we both could be heard audibly sighing.  The rest of the drive was uneventful with us arriving at Chevron Salton City Travel Center (used to be ARCO Travel Center) where we took a brief break to buy some firewood for the Thanksgiving weekend.  By 11:45 a we had arrived at our boondocking site for the next 6 days.  We expect there to be around 10 additional rigs here by Thursday, or Friday.  Our son Chris and his wife, Rochelle, will arrive sometime Wednesday.....

....we need a lot of space for 10+ RV's so I put out a couple of our cones to reserve this space.  Then the task of setting up our environment for the next 6 days before we move up the hill to Borrego Springs.  We need solar, of course, so I tilted three of the panels to the south (we are facing west)......

.....and, of course, we need our 'lido deck' set up once again.  Based on the orientation of the Newell facing west we will always have shade on the 'lido deck', so no need to deploy the patio awning......

....by the time I was finished outside it was going on 3:30 pm.  The winds freshened mid afternoon as they always do this time of year, but it made for a beautiful sunset......

.....we spent the evening reading to the sounds of 'sand toys' racing to and fro through Octotillo Wells.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Double doh!

 7:05 am - Tuesday - November 23rd - Fontana, CA - 57° F, 32% humidity, wind 3 mph out of the east by northeast....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 75° F, but we will not be here to verify that....we roll our wheels in two hours! On this date in 2017 TLE prepared hors d'oeuvres in advance of our Thanksgiving dinner at the Grand Canyon......what a beautiful woman!.......↴

Monday began benignly enough.  Since we would be rolling our wheels out to Ocotillo Wells on Tuesday morning I would spend the better portion of Monday putting things away, and organizing the trailer for artificial turf, and VW insertion.  Around 10 am I decided it would be a good idea to fire up the big Detroit Diesel 6v92TA to air up the coach, and make sure everything was copacetic.  She fired right up, ran smoothly for 5 seconds, and then died.  Oh well, that happens sometimes when we've been sitting for a while, so I turned her over again only to hear her fire, and then die.  I repeated this scenario for several minutes, but it only got worse.  In all the years we have owned the Newell this has never happened.....time to put on my thinking cap, and figure out what has changed.

Within seconds I remembered I had changed he filters about 10 days ago, and figured that had to have something to do with my problem.  I went outside to the back of the coach and opened the driver side engine bay door to find diesel had been leaking from the secondary filter.  I immediately, and correctly surmised the filter was not on tight enough causing it to leak, and also suck in air.....air in diesel fuel lines is not a good thing.  I checked the primary filter and it was NOT leaking, so I just unscrewed the primary filter to find it about 1/2 empty, so I topped it off with diesel, and screwed it back on....this time turning it a full turn further before I could not turn it anymore.  Thinking I had solved the problem I went back into the Newell and turned her over again.  Again she fired right up, but died 5 second later.....doh!

Okay, I think I have a bigger problem so I unscrew the secondary filter again, and top it off with diesel, then unscrewed the primary filter only to find it also 1/2 empty, and topped it off.  By this time I decided to utilize the rear start switch which would enable me to visually check each filter as I cranked her over.  The same thing happened again....double doh!  There is obviously still air in the airlines.  Now I'm thinking I'm going to have to re-prime the fuel lines between the diesel tank and the primary filter, and then the line between the primary and secondary filters, which I proceeded to do.  By the time I had finished with that, and then actually changed out the two filters for another fresh set TLE arrived home from shopping.  I explained to her what was going on, and as usual she remained calm, and encouraged me.  I took a break for about 10 minutes as it was nearing Noon time now, and getting warm.  Finally, I decided it was time to see if priming those two fuel lines worked.  As I turned on the key inside the Newell she began to sputter for several seconds, and then suddenly she roared to life.....as she continued to run I uttered a loud "THANK YOU JESUS!" which filled the air around me, and startled TLE.  Once again all those YouTube videos I've been watching the last few months helped me diagnose, and solve a fuel problem with a diesel engine.

After a brief interlude to put away all the tools I had used to fix the problem, I returned to the task of organizing the trailer, and by 3 pm pronounced the trailer ready for insertion.  The only things remaining to be stowed are shore power cord, the awnings, the gray water hose, the fresh water hose, and the rope lights.  I waited until the sun was down past the apartments to the west of us before rolling up the two hoses, and then took a long, hot victory shower.  All that remains is to disconnect the shore power, and roll up the artificial turf, and we'll be ready to roll.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

The locker......

 7:11 am - Monday - November 22nd - Fontana, CA - 66° F, 16% humidity, wind 17 mph out of the north by northeast......crystal, clear, blue skies today with a forecast high of 81° F.  On this date in 2013 TLE and I were staying at Rancho Jurupa Regional Park near Riverside, CA.....it had just stopped raining as the sun was setting.....↴

I've written about utilizing the Amazon lockers to receive our orders since we arrived here in Fontana, CA.  Originally we were having things delivered to a locker in Rancho Cucamonga since we were driving over there every few days, but since then we've been using lockers located about 1.5 miles from us inside a local Carl's Jr.  One cool thing about using the Amazon lockers is your order goes directly from a local Amazon fulfillment to the locker.....no UPS, no FedEx, no USPS.  The result is things often get to us in about 24 hours, or less.

On Saturday we retrieved an Amazon order form the Carl's Jr. in the form of a shutoff valve for our Oxygenics shower head.....

.....we've had the shower head for about 13 years (as long as we have owned the Newell).  Between the shower head and the water supply hose is a valve which enables you to regulate the flow of water, or even shut it off.  That valve is a plastic twist valve, and over the years it finally wore out, so I ordered a new one, which arrived at the aforementioned Amazon locker on Saturday afternoon....

.....the new valve is stainless steel, with a much easier to use quarter turn paddle.  As I was installing it the threaded end on the Oxygenics shower head broke off.....yup, broke off.....doh.  Anyway, I immediately ordered a new one off Amazon for $20 around 4 pm on Saturday, and it was at the Amazon locker by 10 am the next morning.....just 18 hours door to door!  To me these lockers would be preferable even if you lived in a sticks and bricks house.....a much faster, more secure delivery method than leaving the package on your porch.  By using the lockers you cut out the middle man (UPS, FedEx, USPS), and potential 'porch pirates'.....lol.

It's time to refill my blood pressure prescription as it has been almost 90 days since I got the last refill in Newport, OR at the Fred Meyers Pharmacy.  I was pondering how to most effectively transfer the prescription to SoCal when it suddenly occurred to me that Fred Meyers is owned by Kroger, and so is the local Ralph's Super Market.  I drove over to the Ralph's around 10:30 am, and on the way picked up our new Oxygenics shower head from the locker at Carl's Jr.  At Ralph's it was just a matter of handing my prescription bottle to the pharmacist, who easily transferred the prescription in seconds.  Within 15 minutes I had my new 90 day prescription and was on my way home....easy peezy!

Within 30 minutes of arriving home I had the new shutoff valve attached to the new Oxygenics shower head, and that attached to the supply hose, and order was restored in our Newell household.....

.....as I wrote yesterday, we endured another Santa Ana condition Sunday with wind gusts getting up to 30 mph at times.  Finally by mid afternoon the winds had abated enough to redeploy our awnings (including the patio awning).  The forecast showed the winds decreasing hour by our the rest of the day, and into the night, but as often is the case the weather guessers were off a little. Around 9 pm the wind speed rose again, and we were forced to stow the patio awning for the balance of the night.  As I write this current post the winds have finally given way to gentle breezes.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

24/7......how do we do it? (A repost of my blog post entry from November 21st, 2016)

 7:04 am - Sunday - November 21st - Fontana, CA - 66° F, 24% humidity, wind 17 mph out of the north.....we are in the middle of a one day Santa Ana condition....the skies are blue, clear, and wind swept today with a forecast high of 77° F.  On this date in 2016 I wrote the following blog post which I believe bears repeating, so here goes:

24/7......how do we do it?

7:30 am - Tuesday - 49 F degrees, humidity 79%, wind 2 mph out of east southeast.....hmmmm, that is different.  The temp inside the bedroom got down to 58 last night with my window open.....perfect!

Monday was a hangout kind of day for us......until about 10:30 am when we decided to go 'junking' which is just another way of 'hanging out', right?  There are actually several good thrift stores within a short distance of us including one called 'Mega Thrift Store', and is it ever 'Mega'.  How it was laid out, and the variety reminded me of a well run Goodwill store.  It is located at the intersection of Foothill and Cedar.....probably a little over 1 mile from the Fontana/Rialto Elks Club.  As it turned out both of us found things we could not live without.  We next visited the local Goodwill, but did not find anything we needed, so it was off to Costco and Smart and Final to do some shopping.

When we lived in our 'sticks and bricks' home a trip to Costco meant a lot of bulk purchases, and the car was usually full upon return to our 'sticks and bricks'.  Of course, over the years of  'sticks and bricks' living we became attached to certain brands we found at Costco and we continue to shop there for those brands.  Compared to others checking out we look like pikers.......our basket is never even close to full, and it cannot be full, because where on earth would we put everything?  We have only been to this particular Costco at Sierra Lakes Shopping Center one time and that was the last time we stayed at this Elks Club......the parking lot there is a nightmare, and the layout of the interior streets in this large shopping center is pathetic.  Just getting in and out of that parking lot without being involved in a car accident each time seems miraculous to me.  By the time we arrived back home it was close to 2:30 pm......doesn't get much better when you can 'hang out' with your best friend all day long, right?  

You know, periodically I get asked how it works being with your spouse/partner essentially 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  It is a valid question, and I sometimes am in wonder at how well we get along being together 24/7.  Having been on the road for close to 5 years now, and having lived in the Newell for almost 6 years now we run into a lot of folks just like us.....husbands and wives, life partners, etc. who are also together basically 24/7 and get along quite well, so I know we are not unique, and I also know others who have left the 'fulltime' lifestyle as it was not working for them.

You might wonder if we, and others like us have some sort of secret formula which defines our success.  I'm not sure about everyone else, but our secret, as it were, is that we have always been good friends going back before the first time we dated just shy of our 19th birthdays.  When we were married back in 1971 we made it a point to never go to bed angry with each other.....over the years this policy led to some late nights as we strove to resolve our differences before going to bed.  The end result, we both believe, is that our ability to each take responsibility for our part in the dispute and apologize has built a level of trust between both of us. Knowing your partner has enough self awareness to know when they have crossed a line, or offended you, and is willing to take full responsibility creates a reservoir of trust, respect and good will that makes us always feel safe with each other.

I have said before, and I still believe that if your marriage/relationship has existing issues before you head out to live full time in a tiny space those issues will only be magnified, not diminished.   Those that successfully transition from a 'sticks and bricks' home to living in a tiny home and continue for years on end already had a good relationship, and usually see that relationship strengthened.  

When we talk with folks who want to go 'fulltime' they always ask about how we got rid of all our 'stuff', how we chose our particular tiny home, what it costs to live on the road, what you do when things break, etc.  These, of course, are all valid and important questions, but the most question.....How to you live together 24/7?......is rarely, if ever asked, and it is probably the most important question about this lifestyle one can ask their spouse/partner, and themselves.  A certain amount of relationship introspection is necessary in the months and years leading up to your launch date to be sure your relationship is solid, and that you are prepared to live 24/7 with each other in the same small space week after week, month after month, and year after year.  Ultimately, the state of your relationship before you begin your 'fulltime' life will determine to a large degree the longevity of your 'fulltime' experiment.  Many things may change about how you conduct your 'fulltime' life in a tiny home, but the one constant is you must have a strong, resilient relationship regardless of whether you live in a 5th wheel, a Class A, Class B, Class C, travel trailer, tent trailer, or tent......whether you stay in one place for weeks, or months at a time, or move a lot.

In our case when I approached TLE about traveling and living full time in our Newell after retirement she was unsure how being together 24/7 would work, and look like.  Let's face it, we were both working at the time and saw each other for an hour, or two in the morning, and in the evening......being together 24/7 is a whole other animal.  She was still over a year away from retirement, so I suggested we rent out our 'sticks and bricks', and live in the Newell in a nearby RV park for a year before we went on the road, and she agreed.  Needless to say, there were adjustments we both had to make in that context, but we figured it out, and within 6-8 months TLE agreed she could live with me in 220 square feet.  Of course, she was still working, and we were not together 24/7 yet, but ultimately her instincts were correct, and now we find ourselves just a little over 60 days from having lived in our Newell 'fulltime' for 6 years.

In closing, when you and your spouse/partner begin to think about going 'fulltime' the first question you should be asking AND answering is 'What is the state of our relationship?'.....of course, if you are a single guy, or gal the foregoing does not apply......this is strictly advice for couples, not singles, or families with minor children......there are completely different issues, and questions which must be asked and answered.

Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. - This is the first, or maybe the second time I have reposted a blog post from an earlier time.  All is well, just thought this was a well written piece on my part, and wanted to take off a day....have a great Sunday....we certainly will!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

Yes, we are grandparents.....

 7:58 am - Saturday - November 20th - Fontana, CA - 50° F, 79% humidity, wind 1 mph out of the east by northeast......a little fog this morning with clearing later, and a forecast high of 75° F.  On this date in 1978 TLE and I embarked upon our first extended RV trip to the Pacific Northwest......our son, Chris, was about 6 years old here, and our daughter, Meredith, was a little over 5 weeks old......↴

The RV was a 1978 Toyota Odyssey 'Class C'

We've never been in town for a 'Grandparents Day' for any of our grandkids until this time.  Brayden James (son of our daughter, Sharon, and Rod) began Kindergarten this year, and Friday was Grand Parents Day at Sierra Vista Elementary School.  When Sharon called to ask if we would be able to attend the answer was easy......"Yes! Of Course!".  The two hour event was scheduled to begin at 8:30 am, which would mean we would need to leave Fontana by 7:45 am to slog through rush hour traffic.  We managed to arrive at the school at 8:27 am.....whew....that was close! There are two Kindergarten classes at this school and Brayden James is in the K-2 room....

....the door opened just after 8:30 am, and we were ushered through the classroom out to the common area for the two Kindergarten classes......

There he is....Brayden James

......the event began with the combined classes singing a few songs, and then we proceeded to participate in a few crafts.  We helped Brayden assemble a construction paper turkey, then a multi colored macaroni necklace, and finally an Indian headdress....

Brayden with Grandmother Lilian (Rod's mother), and Grandmother TLE

.....he seemed to enjoy making the necklace the most.....

.....after finishing three of the four possible crafts it was time for pie and juice......Brayden and I chose the Cherry Pie......

Brayden really enjoyed that Cherry Pie!

....we ended the morning touring Brayden's classroom with Brayden as our tour guide.  Around 10:30 am we bid Lillian and Brayden adieu and headed back home.  It was nice to spend so much time with Brayden, and get to know him a little better.  He can already read thanks to his mom, who is a 5th grade teacher at another school.

In the afternoon I spent more time working on preparing the trailer tongue for painting.  I also partially disassembled the 'Trailer Valet' to scrape off some loose paint, and wire brush off a lot of rust....that salty Oregon Coast air really did a number on its appearance, but mechanically it is still very sound.  Additionally, I also lubed the two chains, and sprockets inside.

It was another lovely November day with the temp hitting 77°.....no A/C on this day, and really no A/C since Monday.  TLE and I continue to be asymptomatic to the Wuhan Flu, and continue to be in good health.  We still avoid large crowds of people, and look forward to heading out to the much less densely populated desert in a few days.  

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

The familiar......

 6:32 am - Friday - November 19th - Fontana, CA - 48° F 77% humidity, wind - CALM.....partly cloudy today with a forecast high of 75° F. On this date in 2015 TLE and I were watching our 8th Rincon Parkway sunset in succession....still one of my favorite dry camping places anywhere......↴

Another reason for moving to the Riverside Elks Lodge was to be nearer to some of our favorite places, and things to do, one of those being to hike the Mt Rubidoux loop. It's about a 25 minute drive from where we are to the base of Mt. Rubidoux from the Fontana/Rialto Elks Lodge, but less than 5 from the Riverside Elks Lodge.  Nonetheless, we decided to drive over and do the hike Thursday morning.  We left Fontana around 9:30 am, and were beginning our hike about 30 minutes later.  There are two main entrances to the Mt. Rubidoux trail....we prefer the one on the north (below)......

.....the land upon which Mt. Rubidoux sits was originally owned by Frank A. Miller, the same the same man who built the world famous Mission Inn in downtown Riverside.  The land was donated to the City of Riverside in 1955.  We have been doing this hike since we spent a year as camp hosts at Rancho Jurupa Regional Park, which sits in the shadow of Mt. Rubidoux, since 2011.  It is an amazing local resource, and whenever we are in SoCal long enough we always hike this trail at least one time.....

.....the view changes continuously as you gain altitude, and follow the spiraling road to the top.....

....the first thing you see as you round the last bend in the trail is the famous Serra Cross, which sits at the highest point of Mt. Rubidoux.  Mt. Rubidoux is also the home of the original, and oldest Easter Sunrise service in the nation.  One year there were 30,000 people in attendance for the annual event.....

.....there are several ways to the top of Mt. Rubidoux, but the loop we walk is about 3.70 miles in length.  On this day we covered the distance averaging 3.2 mph in 1 hour and 9 minutes of moving time.

From Mt. Rubidoux we drove about a mile over to the Mission Inn area to have an early lunch at another of our favorite Riverside institutions....Simple Simon's, located in the walking mall next to the Mission Inn.  We arrived just after 11:30 am just beating the lunch hour rush, and managed to snag an alfresco table in the process.  After a pleasant lunch we proceeded over to the local Trader Joe's to pick up a few things we only buy there, and were home by 1:30 pm.  

There is something about revisiting the familiar that makes us happy.  Whether it be dry camping on Rincon Parkway (where we were on this date in 2015), or walking the Mt. Rubidoux trail, or eating at Simple Simon's.....these are some of the constants in our life which ground us, and can never be repeated too often.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

To roll, or not to roll....that was the question.....

 7:41 am - Thursday - November 18th - Fontana, CA - 52° F, 52% humidity, wind 1 mph out of the east by northeast......clear, blue skies today with a forecast high of 79° F.  On this date in 2017 TLE and I were at the Grand Canyon.....it was cold, but I was getting ready to grill a filet on the Sea-B-Que.......↴

I began Wednesday by rolling up our rope lights, taking the three tool bags off the tool bag table in the trailer, and moving all the stuff at the back of the trailer to the front so we could drag the turf into the trailer when we departed later that morning.  I even wiped the overnight dew off the VW.  I had left a voice mail message on the Riverside Elks Lodge Tuesday evening to find out if they still allowed members to park their RV's in their parking lot, and if they had space for us.  Our reason for moving there for the last 6 days was they only charge $10/day for a 20 amp electric (no water, no sewer), and it is $25/day here at the Fontana/Rialto Elks Lodge....purely a cost cutting measure on our part.

We didn't want to leave for the drive over to Riverside if there was no space for us, or they were no longer allowing RV parking....they only have 3 spaces available with electricity.  The Riverside Elks Lodge opens at 9 am on Wednesdays, and when we had not heard back from them by 9:45 am I called again, and did reach someone.  The nice lady advised that, yes, they still do offer RV parking, but I would need to call another person, Gerry, to make arrangements, so I did.  Gerry advised that they had availability, and that the daily charge would be $20.....doh!  For $5 more per day we get 50 amp electric, water, and access to a dump station.  When I hung up and told TLE what I had found out she said, "Well, it doesn't make sense anymore to move to just save $5 per night", to which I replied, "Of course"....so the die was cast...we decided to stay put where we are for another 6 days.

Once we had decided not to roll our wheels I went back outside and redeployed the rope lights, and our Adirondack chairs......after all, we need a 'lido deck' if we're going to be here another 6 days.  Essentially, I put everything in the trailer back where it had been earlier in the morning so I could have easy access to the work bench, and the tools.

Since we were not moving we decided to take another 'out and back' walk on the PET in which we covered just shy of 4 miles at an average speed of 3.4 mph.....our best average in some time.

Later in the day I got out some degreaser I've had since we were in Flagstaff, AZ in May of 2020 to degrease the front of the trailer, plus the entire tongue.  I've had paint to repaint the tongue (black gloss) for a few months, so I decided to use the extra days here to check that job off my ever present 'to do' list.  Everything cleaned up nicely, and now I can get rid of one more empty 1 gallon jug (degreaser), and a few cans of spray paint.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

Ready to roll....

 7:22 am - Wednesday - November 17th - Riverside, CA - 52° F, 73% humidity, wind - CALM.....heavy fog this morning with a forecast high today of 75° F.  On this date in 2012 we were attending our farewell luncheon with our Amazon friends....we are still in contact with these people......↴

.......the view this morning....foggy.......↴

Tuesday was a busy day for me as it was the day before we roll our wheels.  Something I've been waiting to do until just before we left Fontana was to wash the coach and trailer again.  You will recall I gave them both a thorough washing when we were in John Day, OR, but on our way into Alturas, CA it rained.....not long, or hard, but just enough to completely undo everything.  It was overcast Tuesday morning, so it was the perfect time to wash the coach.....

.....as you can see the 'lido deck' has been dismantled once again, and soon we'll be rolling up the turf, and stowing it in the trailer for our drive over to the Riverside Elks Lodge.....a massive 23 miles door to door....lol.  We'll not stow the VW, however.

In the pictures below the bikes are now stowed again, and I'll be taking down the tool bag table before we roll.  So nice to see the trailer looking roomy again.....

.....before we leave the Elks Lodge 'Backyard' Wednesday we'll dump, and flush our tanks thoroughly for our 6 day stay at the Riverside Elks, and then again at the ARCO Travel Center in Salton City before we set up for the Thanksgiving weekend.  We are really looking forward to begin boondocking again, and returning to some of our favorite boondock sites over the next few months.

Thanks for stopping by!

When you shop Amazon, please use our link (below) to access their website.......we will appreciate every purchase you make using our Amazon Affiliate link, and  remember, using our link will not add one penny to your purchase, plus we will receive a small commission which over the course of a year adds up to enough to buy a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

Out of the ashes of defeat comes victory.....

 6:59 am - Tuesday - November 16th - Fontana, CA - 55° F, 51 % humidity, wind 1 mph out of the east by northeast.....overcast today with a forecast high of 75° F.  On this date in 2016 I had just had my first cataract surgery, and we were on our way home about mid morning when TLE stopped at a local In 'N Out Burger to buy me 'breakfast'......what a woman.....↴

Yesterday I wrote about our Norcold pull out refer, and the setback I had trying to diagnose/troubleshoot the problem.  I, along with the Norcold technician, had tentatively diagnosed the problem being the failure of the vent fan, and Norcold promised to send me a new fan under warranty.  Unfortunately, that new fan will not arrive for 3-4 weeks.  In the interim I decided to buy a replacement fan on Amazon, which I could have in my hands by Sunday (which I did).  Before I installed that new fan on Sunday I decided to pull the old fan and put it on my 12 volt bench tester.  When doing so I was surprised to find it was working.....well, that kind of threw me for a loop, and began a round of second guessing on my part.  If the fan was working, why won't it work in the Norcold?  Right?  In order to prove, or disprove the original diagnosis I decided to install the new fan....by the way, the new fan cost $90 on Amazon....ouch!  It turned out the new fan was about 1/4" thicker than the old fan, and the original mounting screws were about 1/4" short, so I had to head over to Home Depot (just 1/2 mile away) to buy four 2" long machine screws.

Once I got all the hardware transferred from the old fan to the new fan, I first just plugged the new fan into the control board to see if it would come on when I turned on the Norcold.....nothing.  Hmmm........as I sat there pondering what the real problem was the fan suddenly came on, along with the compressor (I found out later by reading the owners manual that Norcold builds in a 2 minute delay into the fan/compressor circuit)....victory! To be sure it was not a fluke I turned the Norcold off again, and then back on several times, and each time the fan came on after a 2 minute delay, and there was no red blinking error light anymore!

I am not an electrical engineer, and I have no idea why the old fan would not work in the Norcold, but would on my bench tester.  All I know is the new fan works, and our Norcold works once again....that's enough for me.  The new fan does have more fan blades, and actually moves more air......within 45 minutes the Norcold went from an internal temperature of 79° F, to 32° F....that is way faster than when we first installed it 18 months ago!

By the time I installed the new fan, and reattached the plastic shroud along with its 14 stainless steel screws it was early afternoon, and it was getting warm.  I put all my tools away, and headed into the air conditioned interior of the Newell to bask in the glory of my electrical victory.  I'm glad I ordered the $90 fan off Amazon, because now we don't have to wait 3-4 weeks to get the Norcold working again.  When the free fan arrives I will hang on to it as a spare in case the new fan goes south....hopefully that was a fluke, but one never knows.

Monday was also the last day of our second 'Indian Summer' in as many weeks.  The temperature began to drop pretty quickly by late afternoon, and we were able to turn off the A/C.....we should have temps in the 70's for the next two weeks, and find ourselves A/C free once again.

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Busted.....

 7:53 am - Monday - November 15th - Fontana, CA - 59° F, 29% humidity, wind 1 mph out of the east by northeast......clear, blue skies today with a forecast high of 86° F.  On this date in 2013 we had arrived back in SoCal for the first time in 21 months, and were surprised by many of our kids' friends showing up to welcome us home.......↴

Sunday was kind of a bust for us.  We had planned to have breakfast at the local Cracker Barrel, which I think is one of the first in SoCal.  It's been here in Fontana for a few years, but we have never eaten there.  Silly us for not realizing that Sunday morning would be a very popular time for breakfast at Cracker Barrel.  As we entered the parking lot we saw how full it was, and how many people were sitting on the front porch in their ubiquitous rocking chairs.  We went inside to see how long the wait might be, and were informed 1 to 1.5 hours.....doh!  I like Cracker Barrel, but there is no way I'm waiting that long for breakfast....lol.  Instead, we drove a few blocks to the local Starbucks where we received much better service than our previous experience last week at the other Starbucks out near Interstate 15.  It was not the breakfast for which I had hoped, but it was adequate.

A few days ago when I was grilling the salmon on the Sea-B-Que I noticed the fan on the Norcold pull out refer was not coming on, and the temp was higher than it should be.  The next morning I called Norcold to talk with one of their service people, and we both agreed that the fan must have gone bad.  It will take 2-3 weeks for the fan to arrive, so Sunday I determined to remove the old fan in advance of that, and test it using a 12 volt bench tester I carry with us.  To my surprise the fan worked when connected to the bench tester, which puzzled me, because when I tested the voltage at the fan the other day before calling Norcold the fan was getting power, but not coming on.  The Norcold has a safety feature that will shut everything down if the voltage is too low, or too high.  I tested the voltage at the cigarette lighter plug in the through bay and got a reading over 13 volts, so both I and the Norcold technician ruled out a voltage issue.  Now I'm wondering if there is, indeed, a voltage issue at the control board.  I didn't test the voltage at the fan the other day (used a simple 12 volt light tester....if the light comes on there is 12 volt power....I should have used my multi meter to check the voltage getting to the fan), only at the plug, so now I need to test the actual voltage at the terminals on the control board, which sends power to the fan using a multi meter.

By the time I threw in the towel on the the Norcold for the day the sun had swung around the front of the coach and was hitting the area where I was working on the Norcold, so I called it quits for all outdoor activity for the day, and headed inside to cool down in our air conditioned interior.  The temp got up to 91° F Sunday.....kind of the last gasp of the current 'heat wave'.  The temp will drop into the mid 80's Monday, and then into the mid 70's by Tuesday.  We will probably leave Fontana for Riverside on Tuesday, or Wednesday.

So, as I said, Sunday was kind of a bust for me, but that's how life is whether, or not you live in a sticks and bricks home, or are vagabonders supreme.

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A little maintenance.....

 7:04 am - Sunday - November 14th - Fontana, CA - 63° F, 29% humidity, wind 4 mph out of the north by northeast.......clear, blue skies today with a forecast high of 90° F.  On this date in 2013 we arrived back in SoCal to see our kids after being on the road for 21 months.....in this pictures from left to right: Meredith, TLE, Kate, Tim and moi......↴

I mentioned a few maintenance were all that remained to be taken care of before we roll our wheels in a few days.  I've been meaning to change out the fuel filters in the engine bay of the Newell for some time.  It can be kind of a messy job as you have to fill the filters with diesel before you install them, and sometimes they can be difficult to remove after being in place for a couple of years.  I usually change them once a year, or every 10,000 miles, which ever comes second, but we haven't traveled that many miles in the past two years.....certainly less than 10,000 miles.  Nevertheless, it was time to change them......

......there was the pre-filter (above), and then the primary filter (below).......

.....amazingly they both came out pretty easily, and filling them with diesel went off without a hitch.  I carry 2-3 sets of these filters with me all the time as you never know when you may get some bad diesel, and your filters become clogged.  Fortunately for us that has never happened.

TLE's older sister, Phyllis, is a flight attendant with American Airlines, and she was flying into John Wayne Airport in Irvine, CA Saturday, and overnighting there.....she hasn't seen her for a while, so she decided to drive down to Irvine to spend some time with her.  Phyllis was one of the original employees of American West Airlines (went to work for them back in the late 80's), which became US Air, and then was finally bought up by American Airlines a few years ago.  Phyllis lives in Texas near Tyler, so we don't see her that often.  TLE left to drive down to Irvine around 10:30, and while she was gone I decided to dive into cleaning our Fantastic Fan.  

It's been a long time since its we last cleaned the Fantastic Fan, and frankly, in Oregon we didn't use her that much, nevertheless, she's gotten a lot of use here in warm SoCal, and the screen, and fan blades were looking pretty grimy.  It took me about 30 minutes beginning to end, but now she is ready for another 6 months of use and travel......

.....TLE arrived back home around 4:30 pm having been able to spend a few good hours with her sister.  Of course, Saturday is also college football day, and I was able to watch a lot of college football.  There were a lot of one sided affairs, but several came down to the last minute.  I spent most of the afternoon in the coach as the outside temp was in the low 90's.  I'm still acclimating to warmer, dryer conditions, and when it gets over 90 I do not like to be outside.  We are so thankful both our A/C units work so well, even after almost 40 years of service.

Thanks for stopping by!

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