Strolling Amok

Pops goes on tour.

Archive for the category “Daily Life”

04 May 2013

It’s an iMac Day

Originally posted 11/8/2012

I like the look of the app that The Weather Channel offers for the iPhone, iPad, etc. It has a very rich appearance, and exudes a confidence that gives one the ability to plan with confidence. If only they could work on the data, though. I’ve noticed that the numbers have been consistently off for Quartzsite. Way off. Example: it says that right now, Quartzsite has an overcast temperature of 72 with a 10 MPH breeze and zero chance of rain. What made me wake from my beauty rest and notice was the howling of the wind through the windows, and the rocking of the trailer. And that’s with the stabilizing jacks down. I was watching through the windows how the big solar panels were reacting, since they are facing the wind on about a 45 degree angle and their behavior in high wind is completely unknown so far. They seemed to be staying put very nicely at this point. Seems more like a 25 MPH-plus wind, but the sprinkle of rainwater on the windows also got my attention. Both my indoor and outdoor temp readings are 80. High winds make the roof drum, sounding like somebody unable to hold a big metal panel tightly in place. I assume it’s really air doors in the A/C unit up there. The roof itself is one continuous piece of aluminum, so the sound can’t match the reality.

I left at about 6:20 AM this morning for Phoenix, giving myself an extra hour for the 2-1/2-hour trip. I’d like to say that this was all planned out, but it was an oopsie on my part, an oopsie that turned out  Read more…

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04 May 2013

Spending My Days How?

This "deer tooth box" and sign were at the entrance to the bad road to Queen Canyon. What's up with that????

This “deer tooth box” and sign were at the entrance to the bad road to Queen Canyon. What’s up with that????

Originally posted 11/7/2012

I was asked a fair question, as in: “What’re you doing right now? How do you spend your days?”

The answer to what I’m doing these days is quite a bit different than it will be a couple of weeks from now. Basically, I’m getting the travel trailer’s basic systems up and running, and checking on how well they’re doing. I’m merely continuing the modification process that I started in September and didn’t have the good fortune to complete by the time I left Algonquin, Illinois for Quartzsite, Arizona. This is doing it the hard way.

My day is spent poring over installation manuals, calling vendors with questions, doing Internet research, and making to-do lists as well as shopping lists for bits and pieces of hardware. Making a mistake now in selection or installation out here costs significant time and money. You pay more for problems.

Today specifically? I checked out the feasibility of Read more…

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04 May 2013

Getting Lucky… This Time

Whew! Lucked out on that one! After I looked over the manual and looked for dreaded water leaks under and inside the trailer, the water pump suddenly started working normally and holding pressure, indicating “a valve held open by a foreign particle” or in other words, water that I should have run through my filter set when filling the fresh water tank. Didn’t think that’d be necessary. So far, I haven’t seen anyone sporting water filters out here. Including the filters each time I refill will complicate and slow down the process of setting up to take on fresh water, but hey, I’d just as soon deal with a slower fill rate than replace a $150 water pump because of sand in the water screwing up its valves. Learning curve adjusted! As the Grinch says in the movie The Grinch Who Stole Christmas says, “That’s what these tests are for!”

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04 May 2013

Paper or Plastic?

Originally Posted 11/2/2012

In my case, the conundrum is paper & plastic, or water? RVers who boondock in remote areas typically need to minimize their use of water because using up fresh water and filling their waste tanks means packing up and hauling the RV to a dump station many miles away. They usually then have to pay for the privilege, too. To avoid this, they typically use considerable amounts of paper towels, plates, and drinking cups that need to be disposed of somewhere, which becomes a different problem.

I’ve been trying this for awhile and will likely continue at least until I can get the primary solar panel up and charging. Why? The onboard water pump uses a fair amount of electrical energy, so washing dishes and yes, taking full showers can run me into an electrical dead end. At the moment, the only way I have to recharge the house (or any other) batteries is to hook up to the truck and run its engine to slowly recharge them. It’s not like a jump start, as if the trailer can then take over battery charging on its own. It’s a leisurely and expensive way to Read more…

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04 May 2013

Forced Laziness

Houston, we have a problem. The hub won't slide off.

Houston, we have a problem. The hub won’t slide off.

Originally posted 10/28/2012

Today, Sunday, is the kind of day that’s good for relaxing in the shade. That’s because everything around here is closed on Sunday, and nothing worked out for either the solar controllers or the blown wheel bearing.

The solar controller issue was short and sweet. BatteryMinder’s tech guy suggested a tweak to potentiometer R13. The pot is now maxed out and unless there’s a miracle tomorrow morning at sunup, I’ll be adding yet more minutes to my calling plan tally.

I was able to remove the trailer wheel and some bearing bits. The stub axle nut was frozen in place, and only some careful bashing with a hammer and screwdriver rotated it off. Lots of it had been worn from a hex nut to a round one, and I think the ground metal powder was what gummed things up. The bearing outer ring fell out, so worn thin that there is no part number left on it. Many of the little rollers, worn and deformed, tumbled Read more…

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