Solar, Weighed, and On The Road
On The Road Again
Hey, that sounds like a good title for a song! Oh YEAH... too late on that one.
Solar System
The solar system installation was completed late in the day on May 1st. So at 6 AM the next morning I pulled out into the rising morning sun to test everything. Very amazing! I'm thrilled with how much the technology has evolved since my Airstream days. Today we have smaller and lighter panels, bluetooth technology, lithium batteries... FANTASTIC! I have close to double the capacity I had with the solar system on the Airstream. D & R Family RV in Glendale AZ did the installation with lithium batteries from Battle Born and (3) 190W solar panels, 2000W inverter, and the MPPT controller from RV Solar Electric.
SKP North Ranch Park (Thursday - May 6, 2019)
Weigh Me -
A short 60 mile trip to Congress, AZ where I decided to stop for a few days to get weighed and pick up mail at the Post Office. It's my first opportunity to really test the solar system and get back into boondocking. Although my preference is to dry camp in the wild rather than sitting in this RV park, the primary purpose is to get weighed. WOW... that opened up a can of worms. Messy, messy stuff. Although the total numbers show that I'm under weight, I had a problem with weight distribution and that was solely due to the poor installation of the weight distribution hitch by the dealer in Tucson. I spent 3 hours this morning working on it, following the instructions exactly. Obviously, the dealer did something else, as there were numerous issues with the original installation. So, I've raised the ball hitch, shortened the chain (cutting off one link of the chain was a feat of strength using a special cutter by a young man at Johnson Lumber), and I think it's going to be level and balanced properly now. The folks here at the park - SmartWeigh - have been wonderful with offering a re-weigh to be sure it is correct.
Jam Session -
On Thursday afternoon I joined their weekly jam session. That was a fun 2 hours of song sharing and playing along.
White Spar Campground (Monday - May 6, 2019)
Two Night Stay - Then On My Way -
Cold, raining... cold, raining... cold raining!!! I am SO spoiled after living in Tucson for the last 5 years and loving the clear blue skies and the constant warmth of the sun... most every single day. Climbing to 6,000 feet here in the Prescott National Forest, I'm suffering with this cold and damp and chilling and wet and freakin' unpleasant weather. Well... somewhat... I have to acclimate to the very dramatic changes from Tucson climate. In the back of my mind was the idea that I would someday return to Tucson to (again) settle down. That idea is pretty much a definite plan now!
I'm looking at the weather online, eliminating some of the overnight stops I was going to make and looking at Page, AZ for my next stop.
North to Page (Wednesday - May 8, 2019)
Six plus hours on the road... hitting some serious downpours of that wet stuff like a waterfall. (Oh, Tucson... I miss you!)
Landed at Beehive Campground, a National Park campground right off of SR-89 just north of the Glen Canyon Dam. A picnic table at each of 6 campsites, fairly level gravel area.
Bike Ride
On Sunday, I took a bike ride through the area and found some rare relics, possibly from hundreds of thousand of years ago...
Signing Off
This may be more than anyone cares to read about (this blah, blah, blah). And I'm not sure I'll be writing on like this all the time. So... I'm considering publishing every 2 weeks. I'll try to keep taking photos - I like to do that. And if people following this blog... I'm not sure how I would know unless someone makes a comment... anyway, we'll see what happens from here.
I'm looking forward to getting to Utah and seeing some awesome places. More later! Thanks for reading. Now, say something - leave a comment.
Hey, that sounds like a good title for a song! Oh YEAH... too late on that one.
Solar System
The solar system installation was completed late in the day on May 1st. So at 6 AM the next morning I pulled out into the rising morning sun to test everything. Very amazing! I'm thrilled with how much the technology has evolved since my Airstream days. Today we have smaller and lighter panels, bluetooth technology, lithium batteries... FANTASTIC! I have close to double the capacity I had with the solar system on the Airstream. D & R Family RV in Glendale AZ did the installation with lithium batteries from Battle Born and (3) 190W solar panels, 2000W inverter, and the MPPT controller from RV Solar Electric.
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| (3) 190 Watt Solar Panels |
SKP North Ranch Park (Thursday - May 6, 2019)
Weigh Me -
A short 60 mile trip to Congress, AZ where I decided to stop for a few days to get weighed and pick up mail at the Post Office. It's my first opportunity to really test the solar system and get back into boondocking. Although my preference is to dry camp in the wild rather than sitting in this RV park, the primary purpose is to get weighed. WOW... that opened up a can of worms. Messy, messy stuff. Although the total numbers show that I'm under weight, I had a problem with weight distribution and that was solely due to the poor installation of the weight distribution hitch by the dealer in Tucson. I spent 3 hours this morning working on it, following the instructions exactly. Obviously, the dealer did something else, as there were numerous issues with the original installation. So, I've raised the ball hitch, shortened the chain (cutting off one link of the chain was a feat of strength using a special cutter by a young man at Johnson Lumber), and I think it's going to be level and balanced properly now. The folks here at the park - SmartWeigh - have been wonderful with offering a re-weigh to be sure it is correct.
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| Sitting at the Scales to be Weighed |
Jam Session -
On Thursday afternoon I joined their weekly jam session. That was a fun 2 hours of song sharing and playing along.
White Spar Campground (Monday - May 6, 2019)
Two Night Stay - Then On My Way -
Cold, raining... cold, raining... cold raining!!! I am SO spoiled after living in Tucson for the last 5 years and loving the clear blue skies and the constant warmth of the sun... most every single day. Climbing to 6,000 feet here in the Prescott National Forest, I'm suffering with this cold and damp and chilling and wet and freakin' unpleasant weather. Well... somewhat... I have to acclimate to the very dramatic changes from Tucson climate. In the back of my mind was the idea that I would someday return to Tucson to (again) settle down. That idea is pretty much a definite plan now!
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| Site 31 - nice and level |
North to Page (Wednesday - May 8, 2019)
Six plus hours on the road... hitting some serious downpours of that wet stuff like a waterfall. (Oh, Tucson... I miss you!)
Landed at Beehive Campground, a National Park campground right off of SR-89 just north of the Glen Canyon Dam. A picnic table at each of 6 campsites, fairly level gravel area.
It rained a lot over the last couple days here and grey overcast skies have been constant, so my solar system is really being tested... trying to syphon every bit of sunlight possible. I did get out between showers to walk a little and take some photos. The above photos are enhanced to be brighter and more colorful than the grey skies allowed. The semi-miserable weather has kept me inside so I've been singing and playing guitar and adding a few new songs to my repertoire. It feels like this "unusual weather" (for me) is testing my resolve and decision to return to this full time RVing life. Between that and my recovering from foot surgery, I'm not getting outside as much as I want and feeling a little alone. But better weather is coming and I'll be meeting up with the WIN group next week traveling to really interesting places.
Tomorrow (Saturday) is forecast to be much sunnier with no rain, so I'm altering my travel plans and staying here in Page, AZ to see some of the sights in warmer weather.
Furnace Failed
Well... Friday night the furnace failed again! Fifth time! A little frustrating and a little more cold at night... and in the morning. At least the temperatures are getting into the upper 70's and 80's during the day. YEAH! So, it looks like I'm staying in Page until I can get this repaired. Otherwise, I'll be at 5,000 and 8,000 ft elevations in Utah with temperatures at night going into the mid 30's. Not for me! Don't like the cold. Have I mentioned that I MISS TUCSON!!!
Glen Canyon Dam
So, Saturday I went to the dam. Oh... thrills! Okay... it was very impressive and I spent a lot of time in the visitor center reading the history of the dam.
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| Glen Canyon Dam |
So Many Ways to Camp
There are many ways to travel and "camp" and here at the Beehive Campground, it's interesting to see the varied methods... |
| Custom Built in Germany and brought over by a family traveling through the States for 6 months (the tires are almost as tall as I am) |
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| Now this is a BIG Rig! |
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| A lot of young people are tenting - these folks leave every day cycling and hiking all day |
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| There are many people traveling and living in their vans |
On Sunday, I took a bike ride through the area and found some rare relics, possibly from hundreds of thousand of years ago...
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| Dinosaur bones everywhere |
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| Rare find from the Galvanized Trash Can Era |
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| How about these relics from the Iron & Tin Can Age! WOW! |
This may be more than anyone cares to read about (this blah, blah, blah). And I'm not sure I'll be writing on like this all the time. So... I'm considering publishing every 2 weeks. I'll try to keep taking photos - I like to do that. And if people following this blog... I'm not sure how I would know unless someone makes a comment... anyway, we'll see what happens from here.
I'm looking forward to getting to Utah and seeing some awesome places. More later! Thanks for reading. Now, say something - leave a comment.
Hey! Now I know where your blog is. All your friends back here in Tucson will get the hang of it eventually, don't worry! You can post us the new song you've written about life as a roadie too! I call myself a "vagablonde", but... Well, hair, as the rest of ones life, is an ephemeral thing, no?
ReplyDeleteHope your furnace behaves and the sun follows you. Till next post, take care ...
Chris Kohler
PS: those other rigs in your photos are pretty doggone impressive! Do you have RV envy? Apparently there are different levels of determination out there on the road!!
ReplyDeleteLove the relic photos and Finally Sold the House. You might notice my email is not my yahoo, but that's okay. This is my secondary. I'll be watching you! Love, Lil Sis
ReplyDelete