So now we begin a whole new boondocking adventure!
We are starting this chapter at a rest stop in Wickenburg, AZ, headed to Ogden, Utah, at the northern tip of the state...about a 700 mile drive.
Today's drive is only going to be about 120 miles to a Flying J in Kingman, AZ. We are exhausted! It is supposed to be in the 90s here and there today, and we only have enough propane in the tank to run the fridge until we get to the Flying J, where we can top off the propane and run the generator to run the AC.
After our morning coffee, I'll perform all of our road checks, and then we'll hit the road before it gets too hot. It is currently 8:40am here in Wickenburg, AZ.
:) :) :) :) :)
Kev
How well does the engine A/C work? Does it keep the coach cool at all?
Quote from: Rickf1985 on April 08, 2019, 07:01 PM
How well does the engine A/C work? Does it keep the coach cool at all?
It works, but needs a charge I think. It blows cool air, not cold.
Kev
Safe touchdown in Kingman, AZ! We filled the propane tank, added the biocide and DieselKleen to the fuel tank and topped it off with diesel...had to call Chase because they flagged our debit card...and then pulled off to the side of the Flying J parking lot and we both took a nap (after starting the generator and turning on the AC).
The rig is driving great! We hit some climbing out of the valley, and we were passing semi trucks no problem.
Some angry Canadian lady gave me a hard time for "taking so long" getting diesel and propane. I told her she shouldn't be an RVer if she was in such a hurry...lol! I thought her head was going to explode when I guessed she was a Canadian... :)rotflmao :)rotflmao :)rotflmao :)rotflmao :)rotflmao
I also checked my solar panels, and they are rock solid on the roof.
We are going to stay the night here, and hit the road very early tomorrow morning to beat the heat. We'll see how far north we get before we decide to pull over again.
Kev
Canadian Eh? You might have to explain that one to me. Why don't you come this far north and we can chat. :P Have a safe trip and I will try to forgive you.
Quote from: joanfenn on April 08, 2019, 08:14 PM
Canadian Eh? You might have to explain that one to me. Why don't you come this far north and we can chat. :P Have a safe trip and I will try to forgive you.
LOL Joan! She was just nasty and irate and extremely impatient. It takes a while to fill an 80 gallon diesel tank and a 30 gallon propane tank...and we even moved the RV before going in and paying for the propane, and taking the pups out. The only time I ever experienced that kind of rudeness from fellow RVers were from Canadians in Florida (many times)...although granted those were all French Canadians with Quebec plates.
:angel: :angel: :angel: :angel: :angel:
Kev
I understand. I was down in Quebec for a course in '88 and found that in ST Foy, just out of Quebec City once they find out that you are not french they don't even want to talk to you. It might have changed since then but it is too bad because Quebec city is beautiful with a hell of a lot of history but who wants to stick around when you are not welcome.
Hey Kev, don't judge all Canadians by Qubecer's. That would be like Canadian judging all Americans to be like Trump. D:oH! :)rotflmao :)rotflmao :)rotflmao
Quote from: LJ-TJ on April 08, 2019, 08:57 PM
Hey Kev, don't judge all Canadians by Qubecer's. That would be like Canadian judging all Americans to be like Trump. D:oH! :)rotflmao :)rotflmao :)rotflmao
LOL! Or Trudeau. ;)
Kev
Well, Kevin, seem to recall you posting somewhat recently that this site/forum had nothing to do with politics, nationality, religion, etc., but was for the enjoyment and assistance to all members.
Your remarks above are extremely derogatory as well as disrespectful to all members here who are "unfortunate" enough to not share living where you do.
I am very proud to be Canadian and quite glad to be a member of this RV community.
Until I read remarks such as yours above.
I am also proud that I would never personally post such disparaging comments regarding any nationality.
Suggestion - take a look at the 'flag band' on the home page. Consider what it represents.
Quote from: TerryH on April 09, 2019, 01:10 AM
Well, Kevin, seem to recall you posting somewhat recently that this site/forum had nothing to do with politics, nationality, religion, etc., but was for the enjoyment and assistance to all members.
Your remarks above are extremely derogatory as well as disrespectful to all members here who are "unfortunate" enough to not share living where you do.
I am very proud to be Canadian and quite glad to be a member of this RV community.
Until I read remarks such as yours above.
I am also proud that I would never personally post such disparaging comments regarding any nationality.
Suggestion - take a look at the 'flag band' on the home page. Consider what it represents.
Yikes! I simply made a joke about a very rude lady that happened to be Canadian, and then some friendly banter with Joan and TJ. I didn't bring up politics, as I only discuss politics on Gab.
My apologies for any offense. None was intended.
Kev
It is a beautiful and blessedly cool morning here in Kingman, AZ, and we are having our morning coffee...about to hit the road after my usual road checks.
We should easily make it to Vegas today to pick up I-15 North, and our target stop for the day is the Flying J in Beaver, UT. Which is about a 300 mile trip.
Kev
??? ??? ??? ??? ???
Well...karma is a charmer! See what happens when I make a joke about Canada? We made it to the Flying J in Beaver, Utah...just in time to be stuck in a winter storm advisory. It is insanely windy and snowing! We will be stuck here at least through tomorrow, and maybe until Saturday. Karma gave me a nice Canadian style winter snow storm to keep me humble...lol!
:-[ :-[ :-[ :-[ :-[
The trip here was uneventful, as the storm didn't come up until we were already fueled up and parked.
On the way here though, there was a HUGE tractor trailer accident on Route 93 that blocked all the traffic at the Nevada border, and all the traffic except tractor trailers was detoured on side roads...and ACROSS THE HOOVER DAM! That's right! We drove the RV across the Hoover Dam! It was so cool! What a marvel of engineering...and it was built in the 30s! Unfortunately the park was closed to visitors because of the accident on the highway...but next year we are going to take the tour. So neat!!!
Fuel economy for us was amazing on this leg of the journey. We drove 325.9 miles today, and it took 24.13 gallons of diesel to top us off when we got here. That comes out to 13.5 MPG! SWEET!!! And that was with a lot of climbing! Kingman, AZ has an elevation of around 3000 feet, and where we are right now in Beaver, UT the elevation is around 6000 feet. Not bad! Not bad at all!
:)clap :)clap :)clap :)clap :)clap
Kev
Guys,guys it was a joke. Remember what that is a joke. Funny. No offence intended. Brother teasing sister. Canadian teasing American. WOW! Man I guess it just doesn't translate as well in print. D:oH!
:P :)rotflmao :)rotflmao Poor Kevin :)rotflmao :)rotflmao :P
LOL! It is all good. Although I do have to unhook the Jeep and drive to Walmart to get another Buddy Heater. Ours died completely, and it will cost us a fortune to run the propane generator just to run a ceramic heater (furnace doesn't work...not getting 12 volts, and there is no way I'm going to try to troubleshoot and fix it in THIS weather. Its windy, snowing wet snow, and its COLD! Feels like 20 degrees with the wind chill! But at least we are safe at the Flying J in Beaver, UT.
All the state parks and national forests around here are closed until MAY! So there goes our boondocking plans. The only affordable campground in Ogden, UT doesn't allow German Shepherds (dang breedists!!!), and all the rest are 40 bucks a night and up! The owners of the Faire are looking into finding us someplace to park, but in the meantime we are stuck in Beaver, cold and wet. (There is a joke somewhere in there, but this is a family website...lol).
:angel: :angel: :angel: :angel: :angel:
Kev
Make sure you keep plenty of ventilation with that heater. Not so much to do about the CO as it has to do with propane creating a LOT of moisture. You will have cabinets swelling and all kinds of nasty moisture related things going on after a few days of couped up with two people and the dogs and that heater. You will have water pouring off of the windows.
Quote from: Rickf1985 on April 10, 2019, 04:35 PM
Make sure you keep plenty of ventilation with that heater. Not so much to do about the CO as it has to do with propane creating a LOT of moisture. You will have cabinets swelling and all kinds of nasty moisture related things going on after a few days of couped up with two people and the dogs and that heater. You will have water pouring off of the windows.
Yep. We experienced that with our last RV and the Olympian Wave 8 catalytic heater I installed. I always left the window next to the heater cracked open, and the same thing with the Buddy heater to mitigate the moisture, and to make sure they didn't use up too much oxygen.
Kev
So I disconnected the Jeep and drove it over to the Flying J store...and MAN was it cold this morning! Finger hurting skin aching COLD!
I asked the nice young man behind the counter where the nearest Walmart was, and he said there wasn't any in this town...lol! VERY small town. He did point me in the direction of the local Ace Hardware though, and they had a Buddy heater in stock, so I bought it.
Right next door to the Ace Hardware was a KOA campground. So I took the initiative and paid the KOA for a week (this Flying J doesn't have propane or even a dump station...but the KOA has propane AND full hook ups). I'm going to need the Buddy heater later, so I was glad they had one at Ace and that I bought it.
So back to the Flying J I drove, hooked the Jeep back up, and drove us over to the KOA, about a mile or so away. SWEET! And they have a really REALLY nice dog park! I took the pups to the park for a while, and they LOVED playing in the snow!
It is supposed to snow for the next few days, so we are just going to wait it out here in style and rest for a week. Maybe I'll even try to fix the furnace.
:)clap :)clap :)clap :)clap :)clap
Kev
Hi Kev How are you doing with the diesel on those very cold start ups ? Also time to watch for fuel jelling if untreated, Possibly already treated by seller ? Once jelled only warm weather will return to normal , or in a heated building . Good luck Frank & Louie
You won't have any gelling issues with winter grade diesel unless it gets down to 10-15 below zero. And the additive I had him use has some anti gel in it although the other Power Service has more and is made for the extra low temps. BUT, It is not really for the low sulfur fuels since it does not have the lubricants of the stuff he is using. so since it is not that cold he will not have any issues. I am going to guess that the fuel filter in that unit probably also has a fuel heater in it.
Buddy heater? Like with a 1lb propane tank? I'm confused, doesn't that rig have a furnace?
Sounds like you should have stayed where you were. It's looking like your going to get hammered for the next few days. D:oH!
Quote from: Froggy1936 on April 10, 2019, 06:37 PM
Hi Kev How are you doing with the diesel on those very cold start ups ? Also time to watch for fuel jelling if untreated, Possibly already treated by seller ? Once jelled only warm weather will return to normal , or in a heated building . Good luck Frank & Louie
It didn't want to start easily this morning, but it did start. There is a plug in a side compartment near the engine, which I would guess is an engine block heater. If it is cold when we leave on the next leg of our journey, I'll plug it into park power the night before we leave.
Kev
Quote from: tmsnyder on April 10, 2019, 08:53 PM
Buddy heater? Like with a 1lb propane tank? I'm confused, doesn't that rig have a furnace?
I'm using it with an adapter hose off a regular BBQ grill tank, but yeah, that kind of Buddy heater. The rig has a furnace, but currently isn't getting 12 volts. The fuse is good, but no voltage going from the thermostat to the furnace. I think I've narrowed it down to a bad wall thermostat, but haven't had the time to replace it.
That said, on our last rig we had a working furnace, and never used it. We used a Buddy heater instead, and then upgraded to a built in catalytic heater. The reason? They use WAY less propane, heat the rig just as well (although not as quickly), and don't use any battery power.
Kev
Quote from: LJ-TJ on April 10, 2019, 10:34 PM
Sounds like you should have stayed where you were. It's looking like your going to get hammered for the next few days. D:oH!
Which is why we decided to stay the week at the local KOA with full hookups. I'm actually enjoying the snow, since we rarely see it. And the pups are LOVING playing in the snow! This KOA has a really nice fenced in doggo park, and there are hardly any other campers here. Its going to be a nice relaxing week!
Kev
Kev,
Did you attach a propane filter to your Buddy Heater? I saw a couple YouTube videos that say this is important when running those heaters off 20 lb tanks or refilled canisters. Also some hoses cause problems if not made of the correct material. The filter also has to be changed occasionally.
We use a small electric heater in ours whenever there's electricity available. Nice dry heat and no carbon monoxide.
Our old 1959 canned ham camper has a nice furnace in it, with a chimney out the roof and a crude box heat exchanger inside. No blower or fan so it doesn't use 12V. Just convection of hot air rising off the furnace. Works great and takes no power, just a little propane.
Quote from: Shawn62 on April 11, 2019, 08:22 AM
Kev,
Did you attach a propane filter to your Buddy Heater? I saw a couple YouTube videos that say this is important when running those heaters off 20 lb tanks or refilled canisters. Also some hoses cause problems if not made of the correct material. The filter also has to be changed occasionally.
I saw that too, but they didn't have any of the filters at the Ace hardware where I bought this thing. I'll get one as soon as I can, but for now this is working. Worst case scenario is that the pilot orifice might start getting clogged, but it is easily cleaned out with a q-tip and rubbing alcohol.
Kev
Quote from: tmsnyder on April 11, 2019, 08:27 AM
We use a small electric heater in ours whenever there's electricity available. Nice dry heat and no carbon monoxide.
Our old 1959 canned ham camper has a nice furnace in it, with a chimney out the roof and a crude box heat exchanger inside. No blower or fan so it doesn't use 12V. Just convection of hot air rising off the furnace. Works great and takes no power, just a little propane.
It is so cold here at night, we use an electric ceramic heater in the bedroom, and the Buddy heater to heat the front of the rig. I'm going to troubleshoot and repair the furnace when I can (pretty sure the problem is the wall thermostat) because it instantly heats the entire RV...and then you can switch over to the Buddy heater to KEEP the RV warm. As fulltimers that do a lot of boondocking, doing things the most efficient way possible (propane, battery, and water wise) is our main goal.
Kev
Don't you mind the smells from the catalytic or buddy heaters? As for your furnace, the most likely problem is high resistance connections due to light corrosion. Easy to fix.
Quote from: Aaarrghh on April 11, 2019, 05:27 PM
Don't you mind the smells from the catalytic or buddy heaters? As for your furnace, the most likely problem is high resistance connections due to light corrosion. Easy to fix.
We never got or get any odors from the Buddy heaters or the Olympian Wave catalytic heaters. I checked all the wiring at the furnace and all seems clean and good...just no 12 volts getting from the wall mounted thermostat to the furnace (it worked when we first got this RV, but not for long, and it was finicky). I also checked the fuse (all of the fuses actually) with my volt meter, and they are all good. That leaves the thermostat or a broken wire from the thermostat to the furnace.
Kev
I don't get any smell from my buddy heater. On the thermostat, the down and dirty quickest way to check it is to take it off the wall and cross the two wire and see if the heater comes on. If it does then thermostat is bad. All the thermostat is is a switch that closes the circuit, if you cross the wires you just became the thermostat. Needless to say you have to uncross them to turn it off. W% :)rotflmao You KNOW if I did not add that in SOMEONE would have pointed it out. W%
Quote from: Rickf1985 on April 11, 2019, 07:56 PM
I don't get any smell from my buddy heater. On the thermostat, the down and dirty quickest way to check it is to take it off the wall and cross the two wire and see if the heater comes on. If it does then thermostat is bad. All the thermostat is is a switch that closes the circuit, if you cross the wires you just became the thermostat. Needless to say you have to uncross them to turn it off. W% :)rotflmao You KNOW if I did not add that in SOMEONE would have pointed it out. W%
LOL! It is a six wire analog Colman Mach wall thermostat that also runs the ducted roof AC.
Edited: You got me thinking, Rick! Which wires would I cross to check? So I found this video on YouTube of my exact furnace and its wiring. If I take off the outer cover and cross the two BLUE wires at the furnace wire harness plug, it should mimic the thermostat telling the furnace to come on. So I'm going to try that tomorrow! Thanks for the idea Rick!
https://youtu.be/cLDUrkL19Fw (https://youtu.be/cLDUrkL19Fw)
Kev
Because the furnace is in place, and not on a bench like the YouTube video, I ended up making a little test wiring harness to bridge across the time delay relay where the red/blue wire meets the blue/white wire (this white wire isn't the same one the goes to the thermostat...it goes to the control board, which fires the ignitor)...and the furnace works! So it isn't the furnace, control board, or any of the switches.
Also, the thermostat makes no "click" when you move the temperature slider up and down. So the thermostat is definitely bad.
I scored a brand new Coleman Mach analog 6 wire wall thermostat on Amazon, with free 2 day shipping...for 20 bucks! It was the last one at that price. All the others, on Amazon and eBay, were 50 bucks and up. It will be here on Monday.
DANG is it pretty here in Beaver, UT! I could live here for the rest of my life and die a happy man! It is a very small town on rolling green hills, surrounded by snow capped mountains. I feel like dancing around singing Edelweiss (Sound Of Music reference)...but I think the very friendly locals might think me a bit mad and lock me up...lol!
Kev
You would have to wear your kilt while you are singing. ohhhh ohhhhh now I can't get that picture out of my mind :)rotflmao
Quote from: joanfenn on April 12, 2019, 07:21 PM
You would have to wear your kilt while you are singing. ohhhh ohhhhh now I can't get that picture out of my mind :)rotflmao
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1928815512?profile=RESIZE_710x)
LOL!!!
Kev
N:(
That's going to be hard to forget!
On both sides of the picture! :D :D
Brrrr! Just checked the forecast for Beaver - it's cold there - 28 degrees this April morning! Hope you get your furnace back online soon. I worry about anyone exposing themselves to CO poisoning or oxygen deprivation from portable heaters.
https://campertrailers.org/heater_dangers.htm (https://campertrailers.org/heater_dangers.htm)
Have fun, but be safe!
Quote from: Aaarrghh on April 13, 2019, 09:02 AM
Brrrr! Just checked the forecast for Beaver - it's cold there - 28 degrees this April morning! Hope you get your furnace back online soon. I worry about anyone exposing themselves to CO poisoning or oxygen deprivation from portable heaters.
https://campertrailers.org/heater_dangers.htm (https://campertrailers.org/heater_dangers.htm)
Have fun, but be safe!
Yep...it is pretty chilly here! 25 degrees right now. It is supposed to get up to a balmy 55 degree today...and 65 tomorrow. A tropical heat wave!
6000 feet in elevation...but for how beautiful it is here, I could definitely deal with the cold season if I lived here full time.
Kev
It is going to be 65 degrees here for the next two days, and nice! Pretty much everything in town is closed today, being Sunday and all...so I'm going to drive the Jeep down to the local outdoor free shooting range today and FINALLY get around to shooting my Ruger Super Redhawk .44 Magnum! It came with a Nikon scope, and I've owned it for a year and haven't even shot it yet...lol! I'm going to shoot it with and without the scope to see which configuration I like best.
Tomorrow Patti and I are going to explore the town some more and take advantage of this beautiful weather.
Kev
Lots of fun at the range today! Those clay pigeons didn't have a chance! I shot the Ruger Super Redhawk with and without the scope...and to be honest, I like it better without the scope and shoot it a lot better. The Walther PPKs, also pictured, is my EDC (every day carry)...it didn't get shot today, but is shown to contrast just how big the Ruger is. I only brought 50 rounds with me because I thought the .44 Magnum rounds were going to be harsh to shoot and kick like a mule...NOPE! It was easy to shoot, and lots of fun! The weight of the gun absorbed most of the recoil. The last picture is my target at 50 feet, the last six rounds of the day...no scope, two handed, standing. Not bad!
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1980712188?profile=RESIZE_710x)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1980725745?profile=RESIZE_710x)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1980743581?profile=RESIZE_710x)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1980761737?profile=RESIZE_710x)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1980773008?profile=RESIZE_710x)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1980789045?profile=RESIZE_710x)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1980803553?profile=RESIZE_710x)
Now its time to clean it!
Kev
While I was taking pictures today, I decided to take pictures of our solar panels and the inverter system I installed recently.
Here are the panels on the roof:
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987464912?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987464912?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987476128?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987476128?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987487565?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987487565?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987496994?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987496994?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987509831?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987509831?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987519441?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987519441?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987530183?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987530183?profile=original)(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987545808?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987545808?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987554631?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987554631?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987563709?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987563709?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987572774?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987572774?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987583622?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987583622?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987593191?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987593191?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987603524?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987603524?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987612505?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1987612505?profile=original)
As you can see from the pictures, I have room to add at least two more (possibly three more) panels to the roof in the front...and still have room to walk around and maintain the roof. The battery compartment is what it is, and I can only fit the two new Trojan batteries depicted. If I want to add more batteries, I'll have to add them to the compartment to the left of the entry door, box them in, and ventilate them to the outside (under the coach). Those aluminum brackets you see in front of the charge controller are for tilting the panels at the sun when stationary. I added the white outlet in the power compartment to plug the coach into when on inverter power. And under the fridge you can see the control/monitor panel I installed for the Tristar charge controller, and a simple digital volt meter to keep an eye on battery charge.
Kev
And just for fun, you have to see this to believe it! Paladin, our male German Shepherd, loves to help Daddy drive the RV on our journeys. If he's not laying on the sofa right behind us, this is where he likes to be...lol!
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1988075197?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1988075197?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1988086173?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1988086173?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1988101195?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/1988101195?profile=original)
He's pretty darn cute...LOL!
Kev
Big goof, oh and Paladin is cute too. :D
Got to love a dog that thinks it's human.
LOL
Dan
So Amazon decided to send my new wall thermostat via USPS...and this KOA doesn't have a mail box, just a PO Box. The tracking numbers say it arrived at the local post office and is available for pickup. They open up at 9am, so I'll be driving down there very soon to see if I can pick it up.
Kev
YAY!!! The Post Office had my package! So today I'll be installing the new wall thermostat. Hopefully that will get my furnace going to get the morning chill out of the RV. If not, I'll be tracking down a loose wire or bad connection somewhere.
Kev
While still in Arizona, I installed a new propane regulator, an Extend-A-Stay, and a longer propane hose.
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2034723348?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2034723348?profile=original)
(https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2034772978?profile=RESIZE_710x) (https://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2034772978?profile=original)
Kev
Since you were showing off your Redhawk I figured I would pop in a pic of my Blackhawk.
(https://i.postimg.cc/HxRJkS9d/IMG-20190416-130927.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/qhcBmxF5)
(https://i.postimg.cc/tJ6sZhBP/IMG-20190416-130953.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/LgH9GZK6)
Quote from: Rickf1985 on April 16, 2019, 01:18 PM
Since you were showing off your Redhawk I figured I would pop in a pic of my Blackhawk.
(https://i.postimg.cc/HxRJkS9d/IMG-20190416-130927.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/qhcBmxF5)
(https://i.postimg.cc/tJ6sZhBP/IMG-20190416-130953.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/LgH9GZK6)
Nice! .30 Carbine in a pistol is a good cartridge...although they are on the expensive side now to shoot. I have a Blackhawk in .357 Magnum as well, blued with a polished brass grip frame. Great guns, and fun to shoot!
Kev
I was able to pick up the thermostat from the Post Office, and installed it when I got home. The furnace now works!
:)clap :)clap :)clap :)clap :)clap
Kev
Quote from: ClydesdaleKevin on April 16, 2019, 03:10 PM
I was able to pick up the thermostat from the Post Office, and installed it when I got home. The furnace now works!
:)clap :)clap :)clap :)clap :)clap
Kev
Yay!
That's hot!
I decided to run the furnace for a couple of hours this morning...partly because it is cold outside, but mostly to get that old burning dust smell out of the ducts...lol! The smell is gone now, but years of dust doesn't smell all that good.
It works great! There is even a small duct in the bathroom...which was nice. :D
Kev
In 30 carbine? That's fantastic. Great round to reload.
We took the pups on an 18 mile Jeep ride through the Fishlake National Forest today, in Beaver, UT. WOW was it beautiful! We stopped often and let the pups play in the streams...which are overflowing from the snow melt. We all had an amazing time!
We are going to go again before we leave here...and THIS time we'll bring the camera! Astounding beauty!
Kev
Are you staying at an RV resort there?
Quote from: Aaarrghh on April 19, 2019, 07:18 PM
Are you staying at an RV resort there?
KOA...Only because it is cheap in the off season. But now that I know about all the cheap/free places to camp here, that will be our plan for next year.
Kev
Some RVers are weird...lol! So the dog walk area at this KOA is over by the main building, right next to the entry doors for the men's and lady's rooms. And SO many RVers, with big new or almost new RVs, that are paying for full hook ups...don't use the bathrooms in their RVs! I personally think that is one of the best things about camping in an RV...the ability to use your own shower and toilet. I don't get it.
Hm?
Kev
I stopped at an "RV park" one time in my truck camper back when I still had my German Shepherd. I was traveling so I was only staying one day, I went out for a walk with the dog and I was amazed. It was a full park but it was a ghost town. This is summer in Western Pa. and it was a beautiful evening in in the low 80's. As I am walking the dog I can see all these people looking out of their air conditioned RV's sort of hiding behind the curtains as I go by with their little toy poodles and Chihuahuas yapping away in there. I ran into ONE other person walking his dog, ironically a big Doberman and another truck camper and he was at the other end of the campground and he told me the same thing as he came through. These people "Say" they are camping but they are just driving their million dollar homes around. They do the same thing at home I am sure.
This is why the campgrounds can charge so much money and exclude older campers. They LOVE those types of RV people because the campground owners do not have to do anything at all besides provide power and a dump station. No cleaning up after campers and no maintenance on the facilities since they are never used anyway.
Places like that might be mortified to hear you call it a 'campground.' It's an 'RV Resort,' don't ya know?
There is an old campground near my home base that changed its' name to 'Something RV Resort' and the prices went up astronomical. Well, they probably probably get the business, or they wouldn't charge the prices. Don't look at me though, I'll never be caught there. It's primitive national forest campgrounds, I like. They're the best.
I like the Arizona BLM lands. It's a mix of people & RVs and their friendly visitors.Les
I also prefer the BLM lands and national forests...but the problem with being up here in Utah so early is that none of them open until May. I did find a few free places near here that folks are already camping in with their RVs...so that will more than likely be our plan for next year.
Kev
So we got word last night from the small fair in Ogden, UT that we will be vending at for three weekends in May (the last three weekends) and they informed us that the camping area at the fair is pretty darn muddy from all the rain they got. So we decided to pay for one more week here at the Beaver, UT KOA, and we'll be leaving here on May 1st.
I did manage to acquire an oval call sign sticker for the back of the Jeep that says "I Love Beaver." Great little town! Careful with the jokes though...this is a family website. ;)
Kev
We took the pups on another Jeep excursion through Fishlake National Forest today. They had a blast, as we pulled over often into picnic areas and let them run around and chase sticks. The roads to all the lakes are still closed, but they were still able to play in a lot of mountain run-off streams. It is gorgeous here in this part of Utah!
Kev
We decided to stay 2 more days here in Beaver, UT, since it rained like crazy the last two days. Today we got all of the laundry done...and tomorrow will be one last trip to the shooting range.
And then Friday we'll top off the propane (which they sell here at the KOA), and drive the last 200 miles or so to Ogden, UT to set up camp and start setting up for the Renaissance Faire.
Kev
Don't forget sand and metal leaf covers to use for traction in the mud! :D
Today is our last morning here in Beaver, UT. So after our morning coffee, I'll load up and hook up the Jeep, batten down everything inside the RV, check all the fluids and tires pressures, and then drive over to the propane station at this KOA and top off the propane.
And then we have a short 200 mile trip to Ogden, UT, where we'll stay the night at the Flying J, and then roll into camp at the Faire and start setting up for our next show, which starts next weekend.
Kev
Safe touchdown at the Flying J in Ogden, UT! The Faire is only 2 exits away from us, so we'll pull in tomorrow and start setting up for next weekend.
I'm not going to bother starting a new thread until we leave Utah on our way back East...so I'm just going to leave this one as is. If I can figure out how to change the title of the thread, it will be just Utah, 2019.
Kev
I dont reply often but check in every day. Loving your trip.
Glad you made it. I guess you are starting to love that diesel. Good luck with the faire.
Dan
We are all set up in camp! It is going to be a month of boondocking, so we'll see if just two batteries are up to the task. We have great southern exposure sunlight, so the 400 watts of panels don't seem to have any problems keeping up with demand...so far.
We also sprang a brake fluid leak that I noticed when we pulled in...up near the master cylinder. It is dripping down onto the front leaf spring, and the reservoir was low. I'm going to have to troubleshoot and fix that before we leave, and then figure out how to bleed the system. Fun!
Kev
So far the 2 battery setup seems to be working perfectly! By the time the sun goes down and the voltage stabilizes, the batteries are reading fully charged at 12.7 volts. After using the batteries at night watching TV and whatnot, even with leaving the inverter on all night, we are still reading 12.3 volts in the morning, well within the safe zone.
Who knows! Maybe 2 Trojan batteries will be enough!
Kev
You won't know for sure until you get a couple days of rain and heavy cloud cover where you are also drawing on the batteries during the day and pulling them down a ways and then see how well they catch up once the sun comes out. Might take a couple days for the batteries to fully recharge.
Quote from: Rickf1985 on May 06, 2019, 08:23 AM
You won't know for sure until you get a couple days of rain and heavy cloud cover where you are also drawing on the batteries during the day and pulling them down a ways and then see how well they catch up once the sun comes out. Might take a couple days for the batteries to fully recharge.
Yeah, that is what we are expecting Thursday and Friday...mostly cloudy and rain. So we'll see how they hold up. With the 400 watts on the roof and only 2 batteries, it SHOULD charge a lot better on cloudy days than our old setup, with 730 watts but SIX batteries. We parked ideally, with the starboard side of the rig facing due south...and with the curve of our roof, the solar panels are already tilted at a good angle toward the sun (without using the tilt setup I installed).
We are trying not to use the AC power during the day that much aside from just keeping the laptops charged...and the morning news for Patti.
Kev
Everything is set up for this little Faire, which opens tomorrow! And the weather is supposed to be perfect. So hopefully we'll make some money...lol!
So I have determined that the way we use our power, the two Trojan T-105 batteries are more than enough for boondocking. As long as they fully charge during the day, they last all night and have plenty of power left the next morning until the solar starts charging them up again (I've been turning off the inverter at Midnight every night, and turning it back in the morning). Even with partly cloudy days, the 400 watts of solar is adequate to charge them up...but with dark cloudy days, it isn't quite enough. So when we can afford it, I will indeed be adding 300 more watts to the roof...which should be more than enough even with a few dark cloudy days in a row.
I think that having the two Trojan batteries is actually better for us than our old system with six batteries. This way the battery bank ends up being FULLY charged during the day, whereas the old system, with 705 watts, would only fully charge after a few very sunny days in a row.
Kev
We did pretty well on opening day at the Utah Renaissance and Fantasy Faire...especially for being such a small venue. Excellent!
After this faire is over, we decided that on our way north to I-90, we are going to stop by Yellowstone and see Old Faithful...and stay there for about a week before heading east. I can't wait!
Kev
We just had an awesome second weekend at the Utah Renaissance and Fantasy Faire...better numbers so far than we got from Muskogee, Oklahoma. Excellent!!! :)clap :)clap :)clap :)clap :)clap
Utah folks are awesome people! And this state is so beautiful!
This coming week I'll be troubleshooting and fixing and bleeding the brakes on the RV.
One more weekend to go!
Kev
Well...our German Shepherd Paladin is sick. Poor little guy. He's coughing a bit, has eye and nose boogies, and a fever of 103 (101-102.5 is normal for dogs). He has all the classic symptoms of Bordatella (kennel cough), so we will be bringing him to the vet at 2pm this afternoon to get looked at and to get some antibiotics. We want to make sure we catch this early so it doesn't develop into pneumonia and cost us a fortune like it did a year and a half ago in Arizona.
Please keep my little buddy in your thoughts and prayers.
Kev
Paladin is going to be fine! The vet said it did indeed seem to be Bordatella or one of the other causes of "kennel cough"...and he probably contracted it playing every day at the dog park at the Beaver KOA a couple of weeks ago.
His heart and lungs sound great though, and all the swimming put him closer to his ideal weight of 95 lbs (he weighed in at 100 lbs today).
So they put him on 2 weeks of Doxycycline and he should be right as rain in no time.
And the vet bill was VERY reasonable! 115.00 bucks, and that included the 2 weeks of antibiotics. SWEET!!!
Kev
Great to hear :)ThmbUp
Today is the last day of this little Utah fair, and it has been fun and we made some money! I don't expect today to be very busy, as it looks like it is going to rain most of the day, but you have to just roll with the weather with a business like this.
Kev
Today I borrowed (with a 95.00 deposit) a hand pump brake bleeder from Napa, and then loaded up on Dot 3 brake fluid from Walmart. 4.5 quarts later, I got ALL the air out of the lines on the Itasca, and the pedal feels perfect again. Then I returned the bleeder to Napa and got my money back.
Dang my forearms got a workout...lol! That was a lot of pumping to move four and a half quarts through the lines.
Tomorrow I'll be checking the rest of the my safety checks on the RV and Jeep, and then Monday morning we hit the road north.
First stop along the way to upstate New York? Yellowstone! Gotta see Old Faithful and the Park since we'll be driving right by it.
Kev
I hint for those types of bleeders, keep the vacuum pressure very light or you will pull air around the seals in the calipers and master cylinder. Those seals are only designed to keep pressure at bay and not designed to hold vacuum at all. 5 inches or less of vacuum or you risk pulling air into the system and you will be bleeding for hours and wondering where all that air is coming from. It is not fast that way but it is efficient.
Quote from: Rickf1985 on June 02, 2019, 08:45 AM
I hint for those types of bleeders, keep the vacuum pressure very light or you will pull air around the seals in the calipers and master cylinder. Those seals are only designed to keep pressure at bay and not designed to hold vacuum at all. 5 inches or less of vacuum or you risk pulling air into the system and you will be bleeding for hours and wondering where all that air is coming from. It is not fast that way but it is efficient.
That might be why it took me 4.5 quarts before I was satisfied I got all the air bubbles out of the line. Although that crappy little pump I borrow only pulled at about 5 inches.
I went with the vacuum route because of Patti's severe RA. I didn't want her to have to keep pumping the pedal inside the rig.
Kev
Thus ends our Utah adventure for this year!
I am about to load up the Jeep, get the RV out to the main parking area, hook up the Jeep, and head south on I-15 2 exits to top off the diesel and propane at the Flying J, dump the tanks and fill the freshwater, and check and top off the tires.
Then we'll be on the road toward Yellowstone National Park on our way to our next show in Sterling, NY.
We are going to be taking I-15 to Butte, MT, and then cut across on I-90 to Gardiner, MT, which is right near the north entrance to Yellowstone. We are hoping to stay a week at Mammoth camping area, since a lot of the campgrounds at Yellowstone aren't open yet, and the ones where you can make reservations for are full! Mammoth looks like we can get into it no problem at this time of year, as long as it isn't a weekend. I can't imagine how busy the park must get when school gets out!
So thus endeth this chapter!
Look for my new chapter, "Utah to New York, 2019"...coming soon!
Kev