Projection........

7:05 am - Sunday - February 10th - Wittmann, AZ - 30º F, 83% humidity, wind 2 mph out of the north......Sunny today with a forecast high of, get this, 62º F!

Saturday was our first full day back in the land of reasonable, moderate weather including almost NO wind.  I love how quiet it is here in Wittmann.....no road noise, no Interstate noise, no wind noise.  After weeks of traveling we are ready to sit still for a while.....really ready.

Of course, when we sit still for a while I have time to dig into a few projects that need my attention.  The more immediate project was to figure out why the macerator pump on my gray tank would not run when I flipped the 12 volt switch.  While we are here at our friend's property I run a garden hose from the macerator spigot to their sewer cleanout and then pump our gray water there using the macerator pump.  This is necessary because it is uphill to the cleanout and there is no way gravity will be sufficient enough to get that gray water up the small incline, so the pump needs to work.  I tackled that project first, and within a couple of hours I had the pump running once again. The second project was quite a bit more involved, so I saved it for the afternoon.

The gray tank macerator pump

Several months ago (back in September) we were dry camping at the Cabela's in Portland, ME.  I went start our 7.5 k Kohler generator and it started as it should, but then the engine throttled up and would not settle down to idle as it always has for the 10 years we have owned our Newell. I had started the big generator to run the block heater so we could fire up the big DD 6V92.  Since I was concerned about the genset engine running at near red line I shut her down, and got out our Predator 2000 to run the block heater.....this is one of the reasons why we bought the Predator....for just such a situation as this.  Our old Honda 1000 watt generator labored to run the block heater, and sometimes would overload and shut down, so we wanted a reliable backup to the Kohler.  Since we have been moving so much since then I never had a chance to dig into what the problem was, but suspected it was a 'stuck' throttle linkage, but to get at it is a 1/2 day job.  I tried the Kohler a couple more times over the intervening months, but it still throttled up too high.  

Finally, we are where I can get down and dirty......and I mean that literally.....and fix the suspected stuck throttle linkage, and Saturday was the day.   I can check the oil, and coolant levels in the Kohler without pulling the genset out, but to work on the engine (specifically the throttle linkage) I need to unbolt the middle section of the front bumper, then remove a bolt holding the generator slide in place, then disconnect the muffler/exhaust pipe from the generator in order to pull the generator out on its slide mechanism.  This is an involved process, especially the last part....disconnecting the muffler/exhaust.  To get at the 'quick' release I have to first raise the coach to ride height (here our front end is as low as it can go to make us level), then 'block' the frame of the Newell with large 6" X 6" X 24" wooden blocks so if the air bags suddenly deflate I won't be crushed.  Next I must shimmy under the coach on my back to get to the back of the generator where I can sit up, then kneel to reach the muffler/exhaust 'quick' release.

When I finally had the genset pulled out I immediately saw that what I suspected was true.  The throttle linkage/mechanism was a little rusty at the pivot points, and it was stuck.  That, my friends, is an easy fix.  I went to the trailer and retrieved my aerosol bottle of 'Blaster' (penetrating oil) and sprayed all the pivot points, and other moving parts.  Within 60 seconds the linkage was moving freely once again.  Now for the 'acid' test....turn on the Kohler and see if it idles properly.......I did, and it did......problem fixed!  The actual fix was 60 seconds, but the entire process of pulling the genset out, and then resecuring it, and putting everything back together and/or away took several hours, and resulted in me becoming completely filthy.....BUT IT IS FIXED!!!  I'm so happy it was so simple, and I'm so proud of myself for not over complicating it in my mind......I started with the simple, and never let my mind get beyond that until I had ruled it out.  Getting the genset fixed so we can use it is very important for our summer travels.

By the time I finished putting my tools away it was after 4 pm....I was basically outside all day working on these two projects.....that would not have been possible the last few months as it has either been raining, or too cold, rainy, and windy for such endeavors.  Once I was finished showering I went outside again to setup the Sea-B-Que to grill two filets TLE has been saving for a month, or so. While the BBQ came up to temperature I smoked a cigar, and sipped some single malt watching the sun slowly slip towards the western horizon once again.  It was a good first day in Wittmann, and I feel energized to take on a few more projects!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Hot, hot, hot!

7:34 am - Thursday - June 18th - Gardiner, MT - 40° F, 100% humidity, wind 6 mph out of the south....feels CALM to me.  Still heavy cloud cover today with a forecast high of 57° F, and a 63% chance of rain later today. The view this morning......↴

 LaDuke Springs Campground

Wednesday morning was dreary, rainy and cold.....a day that we normally would have stayed put, but we had committed to moving south on US-89 closer to Yellowstone National Park to a campground called LaDuke Springs Campground whose proximity to the Yellowstone River, and Yellowstone Hot Springs is just yards in either direction.  We love soaking in the mineral waters of hot springs whether they be formal, or in the wild.  Over the years we have visited hot springs whenever we are near them (Warner Hot Springs, CA; Keough Hot Springs, CA; Fairmont Hot Springs, MT; Hot Creek.....near Mammoth Lakes, CA; Chico Hot Springs, MT; Tecopa Hot Springs, CA; Downata Hot Springs, ID).  Yellowstone Hot Springs was just about to have their grand opening when we left our job in Yellowstone back in October of 2017, so we never got to try them out, but this time around they are open....so there you go.

We rolled out of the Park County Fairgrounds just before 9 am, and met Claude and Gail at the local propane station to take on 30 gallons of propane.  We haven't added propane since we left the Anza Borrego back on March 2nd, so it's been 3.5 months.....the analog gauges which tell us how much propane we have used are not very accurate when they get below 1/2.....I thought we were down about 40 gallons.....nice to be wrong.  Once that task was done we were on our way south through the Paradise Valley.  

The distance was only 43 miles, but it began to rain just south of Livingston, and pretty much rained all the way to Yellowstone Hot Springs.  This is the first time in 18 months we have purposefully driven in rain....we really try avoid it, for obvious reasons.  The last time was in late December as we headed south from Nashville to Cedar Key, FL....it rained all the way from Chattanooga, TN, through Atlanta, GA all the way to Valdosta, GA.....no fun at all!

We arrived at LaDuke Springs Campground just before 10:30 am quickly sliding into our respective sites....#15 for TLE and I....a long 70' pull through, and #8 for Claude and Gail.....a backin side, but they pulled in front first to have a view of the mighty Yellowstone River, which is just feet from the front of their coach.....

.....I really love dry camping as there is nothing to hookup.....no city water, no sewer, no electric......you just park, level, and you are done....in a motorhome you don't even have to go outside, which is nice if it is raining, which it was when we arrived.  When I went to turn on the inverter so I could turn on my Winegard Slimline dish, and let it find the three satellites it needs to provide a signal to our DVR it did not come on.....that is really rare!  When I went outside....see, there you go....to check on the inverter which is located in a compartment just below the drivers seat I found the red 'OVERLOAD' light on....I don't think that has happened for 3 years.  I wasn't able to reset it, so I went to turn on the Kohler generator, and it would not start....it would kind of sputter, but not run....doh!  So, it fell to me to pull out our third power option, the Honda EU2000i portable generator.....it started first pull as it always does.  So, one issue solved, but two others awaited my attention....why wouldn't the inverter reset?  It turns out that during the rain storm water infiltrated the bay where the inverter is mounted, and must have affected the inverter, so I left the bay door open to let the moisture dissipate......next I opened the hatch which provides access to the Kohler generator, and found it soaked also.....I left the hatch open to let things dry out there, too.

Around 2:30 TLE and I decided to get the car out of the trailer, and as she was backing out the VW the wheels spun on the wet surface of the ramp ripping a piece of angle aluminum up, and then as she transitioned from the ramp to the grass the front air dam caught and was pulled out from the front of the car.....geeze....when it rains it pours....two more things to fix!  I had TLE park the VW right where it was and went to work reattaching the front air dam....that took about 15 minutes, but I got it back together.  Next up I removed the angle aluminum piece, straightened it out, and then reattached it with self tapping Phillips head screws....another problem fixed.  

By this time it was 3 pm and time for us to change into our bathing suits and head over to Yellowstone Hot Springs for a late afternoon soak.  The normal daily cost is $18/person, but since we are staying at LaDuke Springs Campground we get $2 off per person.....so $32.....

......Yellowstone Hot Springs is less than three years old, and, therefore, has a more modern, up to date feel than Chico Hot Springs....there is a large lagoon style pool which is kept at 101° F, a hot pool, which is kept at 106° F (where we spent our entire time), and a cold plunge where we spent NO time.....lol......

 

....the setting is spectacular, and the ambiance is as well.  The one draw back is there is no food service, or alcoholic beverages like there are at Chico Hot Springs....nevertheless, we had a wonderful time.  Around 4:40 pm it began to rain again, so we retreated to the changing rooms to dry off, and head for home.  We'll be here 4 days so there will definitely be a couple more soaks before our departure on Sunday.

It rained for another couple of hours while we sat reading, and enjoying the warm, dry comfort of our Newell Classic.....by the by....I checked the inverter when we got back and was able to reset it, and was able to start and run the Kohler successfully, so all the issues we faced upon arrival have been dealt with and resolved.....whew!

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 by a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

Full circle......

8:16 am - Friday - October 19th - Campbellsville, KY - 36º F, 91% humidity, wind 2 mph out of the north......clear blue skies this morning with a forecast high today of 69º F.  Sunrise here at the furthest end of the eastern time zone is 7:53 am and sundown is 6:59 pm.

Thursday dawned clear, but very cold.  As I am the first one up 98% of the time I turned on all three gas furnaces to take the chill off the interior.  Once that was done, and I put on some clothing I went outside to hookup the small generator so we could run the block heater to heat up the big 6v92.  I can do this with our on board Kohler 7.5 kw generator but that uses propane at a rapid rate.  One of the reasons I purchased the Predator 2000 was to be able to run the block heater without turning on the Kohler, which we really save for those rare times when we need A/C and happen to be dry camping, or boondocking.  

Once that cold task was accomplished I walked the trash over to the nearest Cabela's trash can, then finally got back inside to warm up my extremities again.  By 9:30 am it was time to turn over the big Detroit once again and run the last 95 miles into Campbellsville, KY.  It was another perfect driving day.....no wind, no rain, and mostly flat roads.  As we transitioned from one highway to another moving around the north end of Lexington we began to see why this is called the 'horse capital of the world'.....

 Mile upon mile of white fencing

 The famous Keenland Race Track

.....and then we rounded a corner to find this amazing modern day castle on a hill.....

 Castle Hill Winery

 .......in about 15 minutes we were out in the countryside floating along on a cushion of air towards our 5 week destination.......Amazon in Campbellsville, KY.....

We always prefer to arrive at a long term destination with a full diesel tank.  You will recall we just 'paid the rent' this past Sunday, but that was about 400 miles ago, so TLE went online while we were driving and found a Murphy Gas (Walmart) in Lebanon, KY selling diesel for $3.04/gallon.....that's the least we have paid since we left Southwest Harbor, ME.  We took on about 66 gallons and had just 16 miles to go to Campbellsville.  

There was, however, one more task to accomplish.....top off our 60 gallon propane tank.  I thought we probably had enough to last 2 months, but I am not one to roll the dice when it comes to having a steady, uninterrupted supply of hot water, so once again TLE went online to find a propane station between Lebanon and Campbellsville.  As it turned out there is a Tractor Supply in Campbellsville which had a propane station with propane at $2.69/gallon.  We last filled the propane tank the day we left Southwest Harbor, and we have done a lot of dry camping since then.  I was sure we would need anywhere from 25 to 30 gallons, which would still leave about 30 gallons.....better to be safe than sorry.  We arrived in Campbellsville around 12:15 pm and headed directly to Tractor Supply.  We ended up taking just 19 gallons.....love those analog gauges!  

Our preferred RV park in Campbellsville when working for Amazon is Heartland Campground which is directly across the street from Amazon.  When we were here 6 years ago we stayed at Heartland and really enjoyed being able to walk to and from work, as opposed to driving and then having to find a parking spot.  For the past 3 years Heartland has been a 'first come, first served' park for Amazon, meaning you could not reserve a site as you could in the past.  You can call about 5 days before arrival and save a site then, but there is no guaranty you will get one, so we made a reservation at another popular RV park called 'The Stables' which is about 4 miles from Amazon.....not our ideal, but still not a long drive either.

This past Monday I heard from our friends Ed and Jackie whom we met in Illinois on our trip to Maine back in late April.  They had just arrived at Amazon and got a site at Heartland, and suggested we call this past Monday to reserve one as there were still a lot of sites available, so I did and we did, indeed, get a site!   Once we had finished taking on propane we headed directly for Heartland.  

 Had to drop the trailer at the right rear of our site (not stage right)

Amazon pays for our site beginning 2 days before our start date to two days after our release date.  We are responsible for any other days before and after.  Since we have arrived 4 days early we paid for Thursday and Friday nights at $20/night, then went out and found a site (#57), then took a while to figure out how we would occupy it.  These sites about about 50' long which means we have to drop the trailer, but we can do that within our site as they are about 20' wide.  Ultimately we positioned the trailer at the right rear portion of our site, and the Newell at the left front right next to the power pedestal.  This campground obviously does not have the 'it factor'.....it is just a large gravel lot with RV sites lined out.  Since we will spend the bulk of our time here working and sleeping, the most important thing about Heartland is its proximity to Amazon.  It is a well run park with a nice community room, great, modern laundry and decent WiFi, although we will not be using it this time around.  When we were here 6 years ago I did use it, and was quite happy with it.

By the time we had our power, water and sewer connected it was after 2 pm and I was ready for my usual "I have a cold" mid afternoon nap.  We have 3 more days before we begin the Amazon grind, and we will use that time to finish configuring site #57 by deploying our turf, and a few decorative lights.....you know.....just enough to make the site 'ours'.....😊

So, I began blogging on a daily basis back on October 5, 2012 when we arrived in Campbellsville for our first workamping job at Amazon.  Since then I have written a daily blog post every single day, rain or shine, even when I have been in the hospital.  Initially I decided to blog every day to record for posterity's sake our 11 week Amazon experience.  When we finished I just kept on writing a blog every single day.  Now we have come full circle....back to the scene of the original 'crime'.  Thank you for following along  these past six years as we have slowly evolved into full time nomads.  

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 helps defray our travel expenses to a small degree.

The Jello didn't jiggle......

7:18 am - Wednesday - March 23rd - Elks Backyard, CA - 61° F, humidity 34%, wind 3 mph out of the north by northeast......crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 86° F.  On this date in 2012 we were overnighting at a Walmart near Baton Rouge, LA.....6 weeks into our nomadic odyssey......↴

Our Jello plan for Tuesday was to be up by 6 am, and on the road by 7 am.  There were no utilities from which to disconnect, the trailer was on the Newell hitch, the turf, and VW were inside the trailer....we were ready to roll our wheels on a moment's notice.  I turned on our big Kohler/Perkins 7.5 kw generator to run the block heater (it was cold), and perk some coffee whilst TLE readied the Newell interior for travel. Most of my departure work occurs in the days prior to departure, while nearly 100% of TLE's departure prep is on the day of departure.  She has a routine she follows to transform our home on wheels into a road worthy vehicle, and usually within 40 minutes she pronounces the Newell road worthy once again.

As she finished her work securing the Newell interior I turned on the Garmin Trucker GPS, and entered our destination.....Fontana/Rialto Elks Lodge.....just 132 miles from our boondock site.  Once that was done I turned the ignition key clockwise and heard the big Detroit Diesel 6v92 roar to life.  While TLE turned off the block heater I powered down the Kohler/Perkins generator and prepared for liftoff.  Zero time was 6:45 am.....I love it when a plan comes together!

After almost 3 weeks boondocking our black tank was just 50% full, but we always like to arrive at the Elks Lodge with empty waste tanks, so after a short 16 mile drive over the hump down to the Salton City Travel Center we pulled into one of their 5 dump stations to transfer our effluent to their sewer system.  Within 30 minute we were rolling again north on SR-86 along the western shore of the Salton Sea.

From the Salton Sea which sits at -131' elevation to the top of Banning Pass at 2,600' we gain almost 2,800' in elevation in around 50 miles, and most of that is gained from Palm Desert to the summit, which is about 20 miles.....it is a grinder which keeps us in 2nd, or 3rd gear most of the time.  As I've mentioned previously, Banning Pass separates the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs, Pam Desert, Indio, La Quinta, etc) from the Pomona Valley (Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Pomona, etc).

The forecast high for Tuesday in Fontana was 89° F, and we wanted to arrive at the Elks Lodge well before that.  As it turned out we arrived around 10:30 am with temps just edging into the high 70's.  By the time we had backed into site #3 (we have stayed in site #3 90% of the time we have been coming to the Fontana/Rialto Elks Lodge), hooked up our utilities, and deployed our awnings it was 11:30 am.....perfect!

As luck would have it we arrived right at the tail end of another 'Santa Ana' wind event....by 1 pm the winds had abated.  Around 3 pm we got dressed and drove over to our favorite local Mexican seafood restaurant...Mariscos Del Pacifico....for a late lunch/early dinner, and then to the home of Chris and Rochelle (oldest son, beautiful, bright, intelligent daughter-in-law) to pick up our mail.  It was nice to sit and talk with them for about an hour without interruption.  Usually when we see them it is at their office, or at a family gathering, so being able to sit with them in their home 'one on one' was a treat.

By the time we left Chris and Rochelle it was around 5:40 pm, and right smack dab in the middle of the Pomona Valley rush hour on SR-210.  Usually the freeway is stop and go at this point, but we were blessed with traffic moving along at 60+ mph all the way to the Ayala exit which takes us south to the Elks Lodge.

Tuesday could not have gone better for us....there was no 'jiggling Jello', and now we settle in for 10-14 days for the upcoming nuptials of our granddaughter Cynthia, and Daniel.  We'll be getting the Newell coolant and oil changed (the same for the VW, plus the new rear rotor and pads), and running a bunch of errands.  I know the time will fly, and before we know it we will be disconnecting our utilities again to head north on US-395 to our summer job in Likely, CA....where have the last 4 months gone?

Thank 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!

Desert View - Day 88 - Just a nice day!

(CLICK ON PIX TO MAKE THEM BIGGER!)

5:48 am - Tuesday - February 6th - Grand Canyon - 34º F, 46% humidity, wind 1 mph out of the west......forecast high for today is much cooler than yesterday at 51º F.....more sunny skies!

You just never know about Mondays.  They start out innocently enough......nice and slow.....and then, sometimes, they get busy.  Of course, busy is a relative term during the winter at the Grand Canyon, but for me Monday, when compared to other recent days, qualifies as a busy day.  I dropped just over $108, and actually had my first customer a little after 9 am.  I was consistently busy the rest of the morning.

Pretty soon it was 11:55 am and there was TLE walking through the door with her cash bag to relieve me at the register.  She always walks right up to me and gives me a kiss before she counts in her drawer for the afternoon.

I was on my way walking the trail home by 12:30 pm, and what a lovely afternoon it was.....it's been so cold that you could not even smell the smells you associate with a forest, but after several days in the 60's I could smell the forest once again.  It was a windless day and the sun felt so good on my face.  It only takes me 10 minutes to cover the 1/2 mile distance home, but when I walk through the forest it feels timeless.

I ate a quick lunch, and headed outside to spend as much time in the sun as I could before it got cold once again.  Usually there are 2-3 hours when it is quite pleasant, but on this day it was pleasant from the moment I arrived home until almost 5 pm.  I went about dumping our black tank as I do every Monday, standing in the sun as I waited for the tank to fill to the 1/2 way mark with fresh water three times.

Then I turned my attention to our large Kohler 7.5 kilowat generator.  We hadn't used or serviced it in many months, so it was time to top off the oil and coolant and then fire it up for a while.  If I haven't mentioned it in a while I will again today.....our Kohler is a propane generator, and it always starts easily, and Monday was no different.  I pushed the button to turn over the small 4 cylinder engine, and it came to life immediately......so dependable!

I spent some time fabricating a round aluminum disk to cover an old electrical outlet located in the floor near my cash register.  Right now there is no cover for it so we have to keep a small orange cone over it so no one will step in it accidentally.  It's 3" in diameter.  Once that was done it was time to ride my stationary bike for the fourth day in a row.  I finished my workout around 4 pm and headed inside to finish reading a book, and then head back out side to start another sunset fire.......

.....TLE arrived home about 5:20 pm and joined me shortly thereafter .  We enjoyed our fire until  a little after 6 pm, which is sundown.  Once the sun sets here it gets cold pretty quickly.  While she headed inside to take our dinner out of the oven I closed everything up for the night.....what a great day!

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.

Blue-green people.....

7:30 am - PST - Thursday - 49º F, humidity 54%, wind 5 mph out of northeast......very, very cloudy, and that is how is will remain if the forecast is to be believed.

Originally the weather guessers forecast that Wednesday would be partly cloudy, but it became obvious rather early in the day that we would have nothing but sunny skies all day long.  When I broke my slumber the batteries were down to 85%, and because on the prior three days at our river front location we had not gotten back to 100% with very sunny skies for the reasons I have iterated previously I opted for the nuclear option.....turn on the Kohler 7.5 kw generator for about an hour to get us at least back to 90% before the suns rays took over. I knew from prior experience that if I waited for the sun to clear the trees I would down to 82, or 83% (I had the three Suburban gas heaters rocking) and might not even get back to 90%.  It turned out to be a good plan......within the hour we reached 90% and I turned off the Kohler.  By noon we had hit 100% for the first time at our new site!

Just to clarify, we do not need to get back to 100% each day.....in fact we could go a week or more never hitting 100%, and probably not even, at some point, getting back to 90%, but eventually you need to get them back to 100%.....at least every 7-8 days.  The thing you don't want to have happen with flooded cell batteries is to let them get below 50% because then you will cause damage to your batteries, lose storage capacity, and ultimately shorten their life span considerably.

Along with the sunny skies we also got winds from the east for a few hours at around 9-10 mph.....they were cold.  Although I sat outside for a couple of hours reading and enjoying the ambiance of our site, TLE is not a fan of cold, or wind......especially with her allergies, so the the walk we had planned to take got shoved to the back burner for another day.  Eventually as the winds abated TLE did eventually come outside to join me.

We had plans to drive up to Lake Havasu City, AZ to have dinner at the local Elks Lodge.....every Wednesday they have BBQ'd ribs, and they are renowned to be exceptionally good.  Our friends, Steve and Candy, dropped by Crossroads around 3 pm (Mountain Time) to pick us up for the 40 minute drive north.......we eventually came to Parker Dam.......

.......we were pleased to see that the lake behind Parker Dam (Lake Havasu) was completely full for the first time in years, and I wish I had taken the time to snap a picture....you'll just have to take my word for that.  I was curious what 'Havasu' meant so I looked it up......it refers to an indian tribe, the Havasupai who lived in the area of the Grand Canyon for some 800 years......the tribal name literally means 'blue-green water havasu) people (pai)'.

We arrived at the Elks Lodge just before 4 pm (Mountain Time) which is when they begin to serve dinner.....this lodge serves in excess of 1300 meals on Wednesday nights and do that in approximately 3 seatings.......the interior is enormous!  Their 'Happy Hour' drink prices are amazingly low.....$1.80 for a pint of draft beer!  The ribs were served in short order and they were just as advertised.....so tender with meat literally falling off the ribs.  

Afterward Steve and Candy gave us the 25¢ tour of Lake Havasu.......this town is built almost entirely on the side of a long and wide alluvial plain.......

  A panoramic view of the city

.......any visit to Lake Havasu must include a visit to the iconic 'London Bridge'......this bridge was literally dismantled in London, England many years ago and reassembled here in Lake Havasu in 1971.......

 'London Bridge'

......after a brief stop at the local Basha's (Arizona supermarket chain) we were on our way back south........we were back home at the Newell before 7 pm (PST)........as I have often remarked, there are just some people you immediately 'click' with in this lifestyle and Steve and Candy are just such people.  We always have a great time with them, and enjoy all the new friends we have met through them.

Thanks for stopping by!

In 'N Out......

6:31 am - RCT - Saturday - 39º F, humidity 62%, wind 3 mph out of the north......(RCT = Rancho Cucamonga Time)......projected high here is only 57º F!  Very cold here this morning.......we'll be getting in the VW in a couple of hours to head back to Anza Borrego State Park.  Had a wonderful whirlwind time picking up our mail, packages, getting haircuts, having dinner with all our kids and honorary kids.

Friday I was up just before 7 am to find that our batteries were all the way down to 71% overnight!  Wait, what????  I was thinking initially that I had another battery sulfating, but my mind just would not accept that premise.  So, here we are getting ready to leave for 24 hours and I have a battery emergency.......I immediately turn on the big 7.5 kw Kohler generator and then begin going through the possibilities in my mind......there is nothing on that should not be on and yet I lost 29% of my battery capacity in just 7 hours.  

Suddenly it occurred to me to check the refrigerator......if TLE had inadvertently pressed the button putting it on 'AUTO', meaning if there is an AC electrical source it will switch from propane to electric, then that would account for the battery draw down over night......well, the 'AUTO' button was on, and that is exactly what had happened.  The entire time we had been watching TV Thursday night (5 hours) off the inverter the fridge was running off our batteries and not propane, and that was the culprit.  Of course, we still had low house batteries, so I had to get them back to at least 85% before we left so the solar panels could take over and get them back to somewhere near 100%......by 9 am we had reached 85%, and I turned off the Kohler.  At least we could leave home and not worry about coming back to discharged batteries!

We were in the Beetle just after 9:30 am heading east on S-22 to Salton City and our first stop to fuel up for the 250 mile round trip drive......we were leaving the ARCO with a full tank by 10:00 am and on our way to Rancho Cucamonga.

It was a perfect windless day for driving, and we made good time arriving in Ontario, CA around 11:45 am at the Ontario Mills Mall.....I needed to get a new battery in my Casio diver's watch, and I have a  'guy' there (Tic Time) who is fast and inexpensive......I also needed to have a new watch band installed.  We were back in the car and on our way over to my son's office in Rancho Cucamonga by 12:15 and there a few minutes later picking up a lot of mail, and 6 packages.....I forgot how many things I had ordered......:-)

By the time we finished at my son's office it was a little after 1 pm, and our next appointment (haircuts) was at 2 pm in Claremont, so we drove a couple of blocks over to Rubio's for some of their vaunted fish tacos.....as always, their service was quite fast, and we were on our way over to the Forte Salon in Claremont by 1:35, and arrived there just a few mintues after 2......

TAA***, moi and TLE

......I think our do's came out pretty nice.....thank you Amanda (TAA***)!  Amanda has been an honorary Hockwald since she was just a wee thing.

We ran by my son, Chris' home to drop off our stuff, and then headed down to my daughter Kate's home for dinner with our kids, and grandkids......we celebrated my grandson Elijah's 14th birthday.......how is that possible?  He was just 8 years old a couple of years ago.....

 Singing 'Happy Birthday' to Elijah

 All of the cupboard doors are painted and reinstalled in the kitchen now!

.....eventually my niece (brother's daughter) Danielle brought over her 6 month old Adrian for Kate and Nick to watch while she and Miguel had a date night.......so many babies in our family now!

Baby Adrian giving me the 'stink eye'

........Kate's baby, Jolene Rose, is teething big time right now and she was a little under the weather so I was getting the 'stink eye' from her, too......

.....Nick (Kate's husband), TAR* and Chris (my son) posing by the bar........

......all Hockwald gatherings are slightly chaotic, loud and boisterous and this one was no different......6 conversations in progress at all times....lots of laughing and love being exchanged......I wouldn't have it any other way........I love my family!

Present, but not all in the few pix I took (why do I always forget to take enough pictures?) were Sharon, Rod, Brayden James, AIDB**, TAA***, Meredith, Danielle, Nick, Kate, Charlie, Elijah, Jolene Rose, Adrian, Tim, and TBL****.

By 10 pm TLE and I were on fumes, and ready to head to Chris' home for the evening......we were long asleep when Chris and TAR* got home at midnight.....time to get ready for the drive home......In 'N Out of town in less than 24 hours!

Thanks for stopping by!

*TAR = The Amazing Rochelle!
**AIDB = Aly Is 'da Bomb!
***TAA = The Awesome Amanda
****TBL = The Beautiful Laila

COOOOOLD!

Each 100 miles we have moved northward the temperature has dropped about 5 degrees.  Then there is just plain cold weather that drops the temp further.  Saturday the high was around 59 degrees...when we awoke Saturday morning it was under 42.....Sunday morning promises to be even colder.....can anyone spell "frost warning"?

We had no big plans for Saturday except to hang out at the coach doing chores.  I went up on the roof and tilted the solar panels to catch the sun's rays more effectively.  Since we are completely off the grid we have to maximize our charging capabilities again, and since the sun is lower in the horizon this time of year it is necessary to tilt the panels.  It has been a long time since we have dry camped for 4 days in a row, but it's about time.  Usually first thing in the morning before the sun is high enough to hit the panels I turn on the big genset (Kohler propane 7.5 kw) to maximize the charge going into the batteries for the first hour, or so.  Once the sun get up high enough I turn off the Kohler, and then turn on the small Honda 1000 watt generator for another hour, then shut it off and let the sun do it's work.  Usually near the end of the day I'll turn the Honda back on for an hour, so to help top the batteries off.  Saturday we actually got back to 100%....we started at 84%.  Not too bad.

Tilting!

It was time to replenish our black tank deodorizer, and I noticed there was a CampingWorld about 8 miles up I-95.  Additionally, the toilet was not holding water for more than a few minutes, and it is important that it hold water, as that means the seal is tight, and no odors will enter the bathroom from the black tank.  While we were at CampingWorld we found a product called "Toilet Seal".....you pour a few ounces in the toilet and let it sit for about 8 hours so it can revitalize the rubber seal......AND it works!

A few days ago I had received a message through Facebook from Sam and Tracy Morrow, whom we met at Cedar Key back in December.  They are now just north of Daytona for a few months.  Sam is in his late 40's and still works as a programer.....he is doing some long term work for his biggest client.  He and Tracy wanted to get together Saturday evening and hang out in St. Augustine for a few hours.  We love hooking again up with people we met in Cedar Key, so we agreed immediately.  Sam and Tracy came by to pick us up around 5 pm, and we headed into St. Augustine for dinner at Gas Full Service Restaurant......do you sense a little irony here?  They even have a "Diesel Burger"....:D We met Tracy's brother, Ray, and Sam's friends from work, Tony and Marie.  Yelp gives it a 4.5, TripAdvisor a 4.5, and Urban Spoon a 5, and I would give it a solid 5......great selection of craft beer, and the food is absolutely to die for.  It is located just over the bridge to the island on the right.  Sam and I had the Chicken Fried Steak special with mashed potatoes.....YUM! 

From there we retired back to town for "dessert" at JP Henley's...a sports bar with a ginormous draft beer selection.  Tony and Marie suggested we try the Chocolate Covered Raspberry Stout.  Their beer and wine list can be seen here.

Chocolate covered Raspberry Stout

We had a great evening with good friends, and made some new friends to boot.

Thanks for stopping by!

More things off the 'to do'......

 7:22 am - Sunday - September 12th - Seal Rock, OR - 54° F, 100% humidity, wind 5 mph out of the north by northeast......heavy overcast with fog now, partly sunny later....the forecast high today is 61° F.  On this date in 2017 we were in Jackson Hole, WY.......↴

My plans for Sunday were much less ambitious than Friday.....I wanted to get the new sewer vent cap installed, run the Kohler/Perkins propane generator for a while, turn over the big Detroit Diesel 6v92 engine, and pull the wheel covers off the Newell tires to see if my experiment worked.  First up was the sewer vent cap....the old one looked pretty gnarly....

The old tin sewer vent cap...top and bottom.....really rusted out!

I think I over did the silicone seal last time....lol!

I had to use JB Weld to hold the cap together until the new one arrived....without the JB Weld it would have been dust....lol!

.....once I had the old vent cap off I cleaned the surface of the roof, then installed the new PVC vent cap sealing the bottom with outdoor silicone.  The old cap had a 5 screw pattern, while the new one has a 6 screw pattern, so I sealed the old holes with silicone, then used self tapping Phillips head screws to attach the new vent cap........

I believe the PVC material will fair much better against the elements

.....next up I topped off the generator fluids, then fired her up....she started immediately and ran like a top until I shut her down 15 minutes later.  Likewise, the big Detroit Diesel 6v92 fired up and ran for about 15 minutes until it came up to temperature.  It's been 7 weeks since I last ran the Detroit, and during that time we have stayed perfectly level, and only this week the air pressure dropped below 100 psi...that's the best our air system has ever performed while being parked for months at a time.

The final task of the day was to pull the wheel covers, then remove the shrink wrap (front wheels), and card board discs (rear wheels) to see if they had mitigated the salt air intrusion.  The results are mixed.....the wheels on the driver side faired better than the passenger side, but there was salt intrusion, and there will be a little cleanup necessary for them to shine like they did in March when I last polished them.

By the time I finished the last task it was after 4 pm, and time for a shower.  In spite of the offshore clouds we managed to get a sunset shot once again.....

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 by a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!

State lines......

7:23 am - Thursday - March 5th - Wittmann, AZ - 48° F, 84% humidity, wind 7 mph out of the north by northwest.......partly cloudy skies today with a forecast high of 80° F.  The view this morning........↴

 Wittmann, AZ 2020

I was up by 7 am Wednesday morning, turned on the Kohler 7.4 kw generator, and then the block heater.  Our goal was to be on the road headed for Wittmann, AZ by 8 am, and I only had to put away our entry step so not a lot of preparation involved prior to rolling our wheels.  While I composed my daily missive the engine was being warmed by our 10 amp block heater, so when I finished it was just a matter of lighting the fires in the big DD 6v92.  We were rolling eastward on I-8 by 8:10 am, so not too bad, and by 8:15 we had crossed a state border for the first time in almost a year.....hello Arizona!

Our first stop of the day was at a Walmart Super Center on the east side of Yuma so TLE could pick up a few items.  While she shopped I ate breakfast, and cleaned the front windshield, which had picked up a few bug splatters on our way into Winterhaven.  By the time I finished she had returned, and after putting away the groceries we were once again on our way eastward.  The terrain between Winterhaven, CA and Wittmann, AZ seems mostly flat with a couple of 1 mile climbs, but we gained almost 1,400' elevation over the distance.  At any rate, the drive was easy, and uneventful.  In Gila Bend we transitioned from I-8 to Highway 85 which connects I-8 with I-10.  We made one stop at a rest stop about 10 miles from Gila Bend.  We arrived at our Tom and Darlene's home around 12:45 pm, were quickly parked in our usual spot, and once again connected to utilities after a month of boondocking.....

 The umbilical cord is once again connected

 Newell House

Ready for month of  projects

......we are now just one month away from being joined by Glenn and Laureen, plus their 1984 Newell Classic, and beginning our epic, summer long Alaska journey.  I have a water heater to replace, a dump valve to replace/repair, I want to get our tachometer working again, as well as the gray and fresh water gauges working again, which tell us how much fluid we have in each.  A lot to do, but the perfect place in which to accomplish it all.

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 by a tank of diesel for which we thank you very much!