2011 Trip across the US
2012 Trip across the US
2014 Trip across the US
2015 Trip to Alaska
2015-16 Southwest Trip
2016 New England Trip
2016 - 17 Southwest Trip
2017 - 18 Trip to Pick Up a New Escape 21 Trailer & More
2018 - 19 Trip to Winnipeg & the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
2019 - 20 Trip to the Southwest
Other Trips
Friday, January 14, 2022, La Posa West LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 35 - 0 Miles, 3,765.5 Miles for the Trip
A warm night - the furnace came on twice around 7:00AM, but that was it. Heavy clouds during the walk for coffee, but it was warm enough that the sun wasn't missed. I tried to check the individual panels of my portable solar panel since it has blown over a couple of times and I wanted to make sure each of the 4 individual panels was still connected. The problem is the sunlight was so diffused by the clouds that I couldn't make a shadow on the panels. A shadow, even a small one on a panel makes a dramatic cut the output. I have to make the check in the morning while the solar controller is still in the bulk stage to be able to see the difference a shadow makes.
A sad memory for the day - it would have been my wife Carol's 77th birthday today. She died from emphysema & lung cancer 12 years ago. She came from a family where almost everyone lived to close to 100 years old - smoking is a terrible disease.
It was nice enough by the time I got back from my coffee walk that I cooked bacon & eggs outdoors. I use a cheap single burner butane stove for cooking outside. In the past I used a Coleman Grill/Stove, which I loved for the convenience of having both a grill & a stove in one package, but the low cover prevented closing it to melt cheese on a burger or covering just about anything on the grill. I traded it in on a Giantex Grill, which I liked because of the high dome & dual burners, but found was impossible to clean. Eventually, I gave it away and went with a Weber Q1200. A great grill. I should have started with the Weber - love my Weber EP310 home grill. The Q1200 takes a bit of time to warm up because the grills themselves are cast iron, but it grills well, and in a pinch, a pot can be put on the grill to cook vegetables, etc. The griddle I still have from the Coleman Grill/Stove will fit on it if you remove both cast iron grills. Weber makes a griddle that replaces one of the grills, but so far I haven't needed it. The only problem with the butane stove is the wind blows out the flame fairly easily, and the flame is almost impossible to see in the sunlight.
Around 9:30 it was clear enough to check - all panels are working! Just a few clouds in the sky - the Victron 100/50 Solar Controller went through the Absorption stage & into Float around 11:45AM, meaning the batteries are full.
I have a new neighbor that arrived yesterday. Dan is a solo (other than 2 dogs & a cat) full timer from Michigan that has been following my blog for a few years. New to Quartzsite, and he is going to have to move - a nice, flat site for his trailer, but unfortunately in a wash. While it is a small one that is barely noticeable, I've seen a foot of water in it during a storm. Fortunately, no rain predicted for a week or so. He would like to wait to move until he needs to dump his tanks in a day or two.
I guess pointing out the wash made Dan nervous - he moved this morning to a much better location on higher ground.
On the walk back from dropping off my trash I saw a Kodiak Kodiak K22+2 5th Wheel, a fiberglass trailer I haven't seen before. While not a 2 shell fiberglass trailer, it has a one piece fiberglass roof with fiberglass sides & was built in western Canada by Peak Manufacturing who went bankrupt in 2003. Current Kodiak trailers are built by Thor in the US and have nothing in common but the name.
|
|
| Kodiak K22+2 | New Neighbor - Not Dan |
Around 3:00 a new neighbor pulled in. They are retired & from from Missouri. We talked for a bit then he went back to setting up.
Dinner was the rest of the Supreme Vegetation pizza from Silly Al's.
Until Tomorrow -
This page is maintained by: vermilye@oswego.edu
Last Update:
January 14, 2022