tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55451247044697744312024-03-14T03:55:13.788-05:00Chasing 75Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-30535390361202343832015-08-02T09:50:00.001-05:002015-08-02T09:50:06.258-05:00A small updateAfter a few weeks of working in thousand degree workshop over at Line-X of Plano, the beast got a facelift.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpwkRSqTYLTXGNHTxxuhoXUOacLQqfGR2xSqlIt_DHezVpEn1iGFmUWCt4xGhwdtNOQUgzf3Hz4LyTZkd-gsg2KiQgGbL8NnUrTjMY34nERaI4_n1V4bBjUb7ohIp4_8gZAy9MAALtOdw/s1600/20150729_134959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinpwkRSqTYLTXGNHTxxuhoXUOacLQqfGR2xSqlIt_DHezVpEn1iGFmUWCt4xGhwdtNOQUgzf3Hz4LyTZkd-gsg2KiQgGbL8NnUrTjMY34nERaI4_n1V4bBjUb7ohIp4_8gZAy9MAALtOdw/s640/20150729_134959.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Maybe because of the time spent in New Mexico, but I decided to go for a Desert Tan color. This is the spray on truck bed-liner by Line-X. I'm hoping this will accomplish a few things. Namely: to be cooler in the sun, waterproof the roof for a long time, make the whole vehicle scratch resistant and easy to clean, and finally to add a bit of insulation to the entire vehicle. Oh, and also to blend into the sand dunes and deserts of the U.S.<br />
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In the next few days I'll be redoing the solar on top as well, building new railing systems and rewiring some of it. Trying to put as few as possible new holes in my roof covering with the new configuration.<br />
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All for now! Thoughts?<br />
<br />PlanoLeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10302514546466030562noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-45664953217959085562015-06-29T16:56:00.001-05:002015-06-29T16:56:44.947-05:00Upgrades, Repairs, and DowntimeNot much to report for the next week or three. Except to say that some big upgrades to the Beast are in the works as well as some general maintenance issues that need addressing.<br />
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Here's at least 5,000 words worth of pictures to entertain you.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwUwKd18lAZTCtmjxKo0L5Bxjbvm2Bt3TO0nVwgETekTDuhpqSiq50c7DaX9vKrMJMPHA4PjtWcS95EgVViNiNfNVgB2SavMRk3Q3EGkYV_QPP94W49BdocB0bsVDraycRnt6IeePGiGB/s1600/lastsunset2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSwUwKd18lAZTCtmjxKo0L5Bxjbvm2Bt3TO0nVwgETekTDuhpqSiq50c7DaX9vKrMJMPHA4PjtWcS95EgVViNiNfNVgB2SavMRk3Q3EGkYV_QPP94W49BdocB0bsVDraycRnt6IeePGiGB/s640/lastsunset2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset in El Malpais..on the last night there</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Totally gone bushings on my sway bar</td></tr>
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<br />PlanoLeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10302514546466030562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-27959750726475961672015-06-22T18:11:00.000-05:002015-06-22T18:13:10.884-05:00Views from El Malpais, New Mexico<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvTpCnn-31ZZhha6CJmyT2_-JiOD_Awo7WnRFoJ81zH8rkipHGsmTUMonXCUE3VLclEnNsCMr9pQ0EKDHdutoCbYEXYyR0FIjpW53KlL90KCLKF6wyjW50pwRn8B9AzklFjNoohVRCWSO/s1600/Elmalpais01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggvTpCnn-31ZZhha6CJmyT2_-JiOD_Awo7WnRFoJ81zH8rkipHGsmTUMonXCUE3VLclEnNsCMr9pQ0EKDHdutoCbYEXYyR0FIjpW53KlL90KCLKF6wyjW50pwRn8B9AzklFjNoohVRCWSO/s640/Elmalpais01.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random overlook on the way to El Malpais</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZGx0W_D3Gq9n_20a6GomQS-vMKpiCv4UJbO64cY2oExuB9Ox3uQINbsOagdUruXrUm5JYni5zWQySibH1smMuntta6vXrwWoWUuPbYZg48bJD0o8X8aoPE6GhWRM5GGjkHKfD1fqnxwB/s1600/ElMalpais1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOZGx0W_D3Gq9n_20a6GomQS-vMKpiCv4UJbO64cY2oExuB9Ox3uQINbsOagdUruXrUm5JYni5zWQySibH1smMuntta6vXrwWoWUuPbYZg48bJD0o8X8aoPE6GhWRM5GGjkHKfD1fqnxwB/s640/ElMalpais1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Sandstone Bluffs Overlook in El Malpais</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUApmsrMt2dupBK1RU7g5HpG97iDQ12JKKIzKGMPneodnEfcA-us8c1D0II5wAHQSAhyphenhyphenY-8IfNAefYdLhvebiTUJMB016Rok9oBXRdk67_HXQzVtXsv1NkxHU5iaqRhkxasqQSGfJABLFY/s1600/ElMalpais2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUApmsrMt2dupBK1RU7g5HpG97iDQ12JKKIzKGMPneodnEfcA-us8c1D0II5wAHQSAhyphenhyphenY-8IfNAefYdLhvebiTUJMB016Rok9oBXRdk67_HXQzVtXsv1NkxHU5iaqRhkxasqQSGfJABLFY/s640/ElMalpais2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main attraction in El Malpais National Monument, the Arch.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxu8v8vNV4puhp81AHdl4hzoevFy6xKUyGHZE5lDohVLWf9P49WEMoFfbtDVsvrf8dJ1fcEqx3oBYEy3C03JoP3y-eh3zUgyR4tOC4feJ-aJs721jL9wUPR8NnKPFfTqcmNMQF_L0MACz/s1600/ElMalpais3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilxu8v8vNV4puhp81AHdl4hzoevFy6xKUyGHZE5lDohVLWf9P49WEMoFfbtDVsvrf8dJ1fcEqx3oBYEy3C03JoP3y-eh3zUgyR4tOC4feJ-aJs721jL9wUPR8NnKPFfTqcmNMQF_L0MACz/s640/ElMalpais3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ancient Lava flows</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkZxB2mAH_QgtRIsEGt8b2LSmL-yWMuPzGv1IUvI1fiXOcnXOqdsoXUojYu_rYuC59qn7tenkhyphenhyphenac4p_CzXdVeIl6UuYXRY83TFL6c0_LNqUzbxzuXdv_bOwjSCf3HTfQ0F9wM7ma-1VK/s1600/Elmalpais4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXkZxB2mAH_QgtRIsEGt8b2LSmL-yWMuPzGv1IUvI1fiXOcnXOqdsoXUojYu_rYuC59qn7tenkhyphenhyphenac4p_CzXdVeIl6UuYXRY83TFL6c0_LNqUzbxzuXdv_bOwjSCf3HTfQ0F9wM7ma-1VK/s640/Elmalpais4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of our campsite from one of my hikes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMaDkb9b0UKRnfb0YfeDKcgb8shoqgPYdWdcDN-rfbcs6AIxp6VvzsBscb6dNVT9n6bE01hsU8DJkValDw8v_7aZGI96BdJpBIPFCVXdIoZvvpQ8-AuQGanlIZ88o46jrKvgqHi856zOA/s1600/ElMalpais5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMaDkb9b0UKRnfb0YfeDKcgb8shoqgPYdWdcDN-rfbcs6AIxp6VvzsBscb6dNVT9n6bE01hsU8DJkValDw8v_7aZGI96BdJpBIPFCVXdIoZvvpQ8-AuQGanlIZ88o46jrKvgqHi856zOA/s640/ElMalpais5.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little cactus man I stumbled across, about 8 inches tall</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmO-d49Qt-iQUPYrKoutjjpWHwYqGjK0q7O6Gsoqw0xnZeKiO3rU2l8-Z58UOxnDYCQulRuwuVmoBQoc3GObXi5M8YjbC1MkaDdnK2lMqNzzVIPPKqOENFBbh9Gq9z-LuEJIqllsN7piF/s1600/ElMalpais6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwmO-d49Qt-iQUPYrKoutjjpWHwYqGjK0q7O6Gsoqw0xnZeKiO3rU2l8-Z58UOxnDYCQulRuwuVmoBQoc3GObXi5M8YjbC1MkaDdnK2lMqNzzVIPPKqOENFBbh9Gq9z-LuEJIqllsN7piF/s640/ElMalpais6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from above of the 10 camping site camp we stayed in for a long time, different spot than the picture above.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwB6Mmb9QmqKx0n1yrAwlmwERSaWszjcDrcKl2YJTWNiYhmQhUJNYUwiWjOCeGzdSP_urzMZSDln93Yhd9gLg8RzhoksM8SbMUWhO7zL5Wz3pjkjixDobW580p-Lq93yo2tV__mHh1Q4Q/s1600/ElMalpais7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwB6Mmb9QmqKx0n1yrAwlmwERSaWszjcDrcKl2YJTWNiYhmQhUJNYUwiWjOCeGzdSP_urzMZSDln93Yhd9gLg8RzhoksM8SbMUWhO7zL5Wz3pjkjixDobW580p-Lq93yo2tV__mHh1Q4Q/s640/ElMalpais7.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view of the Lava Flows from the Sandstone Bluffs Overlook</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnO3yhffrq1UGC5moMflrUlX5hWMhP8Ye7xoHI1VpFLwYcwnBmDmDVqnofoo2JQU-Uea9znob8qdZGsHSyUH0tL4kuFkYx1BxuSjLHfEEAblnYvmOaSrgpqT5ndl08VwW5IHhKp7zU6zuY/s1600/ElMalpais8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnO3yhffrq1UGC5moMflrUlX5hWMhP8Ye7xoHI1VpFLwYcwnBmDmDVqnofoo2JQU-Uea9znob8qdZGsHSyUH0tL4kuFkYx1BxuSjLHfEEAblnYvmOaSrgpqT5ndl08VwW5IHhKp7zU6zuY/s640/ElMalpais8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandstone Bluffs Overlook again</td></tr>
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<br />PlanoLeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10302514546466030562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-59858871385803752372015-06-21T21:56:00.001-05:002015-06-21T22:08:42.571-05:00Sum UpCatching up is just a bit too daunting..so I'm going to use the wisdom of Inigo Montoya:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4ft92kqsuGja1ekG1s-52k-GoiaFkCOSRB3tpAjGVa5B6acrXYrbUnRs4xqxpDoHUVGeMF-nse6ISvUI1tLF40VRCOvU35eoN4VNfQvDEDJuCQ6jtklCF2SHlRVfzIg7UY0TDd82Q2XD/s1600/Montoya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4ft92kqsuGja1ekG1s-52k-GoiaFkCOSRB3tpAjGVa5B6acrXYrbUnRs4xqxpDoHUVGeMF-nse6ISvUI1tLF40VRCOvU35eoN4VNfQvDEDJuCQ6jtklCF2SHlRVfzIg7UY0TDd82Q2XD/s320/Montoya.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Quick Summary of the last month:<br />
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We left Plano, TX, and started our trip to New Mexico. After a couple days of easy traveling we got to the border, stopped at the Visitor Center in NM at the border to eat, and later that day realized that one of my tires was losing air pressure. After a little testing I determined it was actually the tire rim itself that was leaking. It had a hairline fracture that a little soap water revealed. The next morning I aired up the tire and we went about 50 miles to Tucumcari to a truck repair shop and for 30 bucks I got them to swap out my spare tire.<br />
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Back onto the highway for about 5 hours and after passing thru Edgewood a different tire started vibrating wildly. After pulling over I noticed the rear passenger side tag axle wheel was smoking good and was definitely hosed. Called Progressive roadside assistance and 5 hours later(around 11:00pm) we had the Beast on a flatbed trailer pulled by a Semi. They drove us to 'Second to None' repair shop in Moriarty, NM. This was on a Saturday night about 11:30pm when we got dropped off, a few miles outside of town inside this repair shop's yard that wasn't open until Monday morning. <br />
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All things considered, their parking lot/yard was very nice and we had a fully stocked RV, so it was actually not bad at all. The staff was very accommodating and allowed us to stay there while we waited for parts and repairs to be done. Turns out our Axle had to be repaired, which required an Axle Surgeon. We got out of the yard Wednesday around 5:30pm after repairs were completed.<br />
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After driving a couple hours west, we were getting a little hungry and decided to try to find somewhere to eat and we saw signs for Indian Fry bread. We exited I-40 and came into a small village and the Fry Bread restaurant was definitely closed and abandoned. Drove around a bit and eventually decided to turn toward I-40, and saw a casino in the distance. This is how we ended up Dancing Eagle Casino. Turns out they had full hookups in a small RV park right next to the Casino for 10 dollars a night, which is crazy cheap. I had to find my 50 amp plug to take advantage of this. Anyhow the diner in the place had really excellent food, very tasty Chili Cheese Fries. New Mexico style, so instead of like a traditional Texas chili, it had Red Chili/Green Chili sauce on them. Delicious. <br />
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We met a few RV'ers in the park from Australia that were here for a couple months traveling with some friends in a pack, hoping we catch up with Bill and Sue on their next visit to the States in a few months. A local told me about Acoma Pueblo, which was 15 miles down the road. Who knew that the oldest inhabited village in America was located right down the road and it also had the oldest European built Church in North America in it. And it was located on top of a Mesa, Sky City!<br />
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After 4 nights at the cheap RV park in Desert Eagle Casino and trying to win a Mustang and failing, we hit the road again and ended up in El Malpais National Monument. Free Campsites! Beautiful area.<br />
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Next destination was a whirlwind journey to the North Rim Grand Canyon, got a great camp spot for one night, then back down the mountain with smoking brakes.<br />
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And back to El Malpais for another week to chill out and hang out with my new buddy John, the camp host. Did a lot of hiking and relaxing. Met another full time RV'er as well, Tiffany, who we hope to catch up with one of these days.<br />
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Decided we needed some repairs on the Beast done and we needed to be back in Plano by the end of June. 'Course we had to stop at Desert Eagle Casino for a couple nights to recharge and do laundry, and eat more Chili Cheese Fries! Afterwards we hit the road and drove all the way back to Plano.<br />
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Now just waiting to do some repairs, have some leaky oil and transmission issues that I need addressed. Also may get an exhaust brake installed so the Beast can handle mountains better without the smoking brakes. Oh yeah, also a shock decided to rip itself free and was fully extended right above my rear tire. Good times. It's fun working out the kinks.<br />
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<br />PlanoLeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10302514546466030562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-91219114471282444392015-06-06T20:23:00.003-05:002015-06-06T22:39:21.389-05:00Catching Up after a Blogging HiatusAfter our trip to Padre in December, we decided to make another attempt at it this April. Again we had the beach all to ourselves, though the sand was littered with a lot of branches and refuse that had washed down from the Brazos and into the Gulf.<br />
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It amazes me how empty the beaches there are and how peaceful it is. At least until the mornings, when everything is literally dripping wet from the humidity. We managed I believe 3 nights there on the beach before a major storm woke us up early in the morning with some 40-50mph gusts that were blowing over the pet fence. So I ran out there in shorts and t-shirt trying to wrangle all the gear back onto the truck, before the combination of wind, hail, cold and rain forced me back inside to put on some jeans and my fleece jacket to continue the fight. After about 2 hours of fighting the weather I had everything loaded back onto the Beast (normally takes me about 30 minutes tops in good weather.) Of course about 10 minutes later the whole storm vanished, and it was sunny and peaceful again. By that time we were already driving off the beach and I was ready to keep on going. After a quick stop to the Padre National Seashore Visitor center parking lot to figure out a new destination, and to take a hot shower and put on some dry clothes we decided to make the journey to Big Bend National Park. Even after a very sleepless night, I managed to put about 450 miles of the 600 mile trip behind me, stopping near Ft. Stockton for the night, assuming we only had about 120 miles to go in the morning.<br />
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Anyone who has been there knows that I was a dummy for assuming that the GPS destination was our final destination. After arriving at the Park, it was another 2.5 hours of navigating the mountain roads and various Visitor Centers along the way to find a campground. We also had about a 30 minute stop along the way after we saw a Prius about 6 inches from about a 200 foot cliff. I offered my very amateur assistance to use my winch to yank the unfortunate lady's car back onto the road, but she opted to wait for a tow truck. Probably the wise decision. No pictures were taken of the lady's misfortune. Found it odd that with about 6 other 4x4 trucks that had stopped, including the park ranger, that I was the only one with a winch on my RV.<br />
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We spent about 4 nights there, and didn't see much until the day we left, when we hit a few trails, taking turns in the vehicle. Though the park allows pets, there are strict rules about them. Cannot take them on trails, cannot leave them unattended, and basically can't do anything except sit in the camp with them. Course this all became apparent after making the 700ish mile journey. So let that be a warning to all pet owners. <br />
We did have nice views from the campsite though:<br />
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And had a visit from a herd of Javolina and a pair of Great Horned Owls to keep us entertained.<br />
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On the way out of the camp we stopped into the Santa Elena Canyon. Interesting enough, I didn't see anyone crossing the border from Mexico here. (Mexico is on the left of the Rio Grande)<br />
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We then started the long journey back toward Snook with a one night and day stay at the Caverns of Sonora. My photos cannot do it justice, but I guarantee that it's worth the stop. Also the gift shop wasn't overpriced like most are, very reasonable prices and lots of neat stuff. I believe it is about 200 miles west of San Antonio.<br />
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After another full day of travel we arrived in Snook Texas to spend some time with family and recover from our travels. Then back onward to Plano, after what was a 10 or 11 day 2000 mile trip around Texas, where we stayed for a couple weeks to take care of a few things and spend Mother's day with the family. That catches us up to mid May... to be continued.PlanoLeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10302514546466030562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-87139448587768486722014-12-10T00:00:00.000-06:002014-12-10T00:00:07.979-06:00North Padre Island in PicturesSo this is my addition to the pictures galore of the North Padre Island, beautiful and peaceful location at least in December. I loved every day of it, even the one day the cold front blew in and scared us off from the waterfront. With no further words, here is my favorite boondocking so far ;) North Padre Island National Seashore.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-73902885677947757252014-12-08T20:57:00.000-06:002014-12-09T15:56:40.776-06:00Life's a Beach, Padre.A few additions to the Beast..<br />
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Most importantly of all: I finally have an inverter installed. This baby came straight from the hard working folks in China, unfortunately all American versions were well outta my price range. For the low price of $299.00 and free shipping, we now have power in the RV for all of our 120 V appliances and powered by our battery bank that powers the a/c. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2500 Pure Sine wave inverter, just roughed in and testing.</td></tr>
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To connect this inverter directly into my power, I had to fashion what is called a murder cable, basically an extension cord with 2 Male plugs on it, so you just plug it directly into a power outlet. This in turn powers all of the outlets and appliances on the same pole in the circuit box. We are setup with 2 poles, so I created 2 cords that plug into 2 different outlets, and hence power my entire RV. I tested it and it handles the load of the Washer/Dryer, Microwave, the wife's hairdryer(which takes more power than anything else), and the all important Keurig.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Murder Cables fashioned by me</td></tr>
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Also, the way my RV is wired, the 12 V charger plugs into one of the 120 volt outlets, so when I have my inverter powered on I am also providing power for all of the 12V circuits in the rig as well (this is all of the lights, pumps, stairs, and a few other things I'm surely forgetting.)</div>
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So, the inverter was really the last piece we needed in order to Boondock and be off the grid completely. I no longer need a power cord when visiting my cousins house to prevent my 12 V batteries from draining. The Solar now keeps everything charged either directly to my 48 V bank of batteries or indirectly thru the inverter, to the charger to my 12v systems.</div>
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Okay..If you are still awake after the boring electric stuff, onward to our first Boondock trip: Padre National Seashore!</div>
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It's about a 450 mile drive directly from Plano Texas to Padre, but we broke it up into 2 days and stopped at my favorite halfway point, Snook Texas. From there we finished off the remaining 250 miles the next day to Padre. At the entrance gate I went ahead and purchased my Annual National Parks Pass for 80 dollars, which will let me into all the National Parks in the country for a year for "Free". After that I pulled into the visitor center to see what the 'grocery' section had as far as necessities, picked up a couple 6 packs of Coors Light and drove to South Beach. We drove down about 5 miles, passing just a few campers and continued maybe a quarter of a mile past the sign that warns only 4x4 vehicles recommended.</div>
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This is our site, no one within miles of us either way.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View to the left</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View to the right</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our camp and fence setup</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the front door</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the dunes(Only point to get a bar or 2 of EDGE network)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ88buU66fDhsM5LGSo1Fj6wreBw-Kfo1Hgtxq2wW3mXUZSQdU88MjPPsE-PWDukJAhH5q9pN5BWLVEsdYyd8qqaSZjCoKa6MoqD_bF1nbAjyVqb8wb-whQS3uoFSS8RM9DWdc2_smfz9k/s1600/sunrise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ88buU66fDhsM5LGSo1Fj6wreBw-Kfo1Hgtxq2wW3mXUZSQdU88MjPPsE-PWDukJAhH5q9pN5BWLVEsdYyd8qqaSZjCoKa6MoqD_bF1nbAjyVqb8wb-whQS3uoFSS8RM9DWdc2_smfz9k/s1600/sunrise.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise the 2nd Day</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Neighborhood watch</td></tr>
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The 2nd night a cold front blew in FAST, and we relocated off of our beach as the Tide was coming up fast.</div>
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After a little scouting the next day I found the RV/Campgrounds. It was still primitive, just gravel parking lots with a bench, but it had grass and some protection from the winds that came constantly off the coast. Plus we enjoyed meeting many of the full timers that were enjoying the Beach. The beach was maybe 100 Yards directly in front of us, easy to access via the handicap access pier/boardwalk thing. For 8 bucks a night, it was worth the piece of mind of not waking up buried under sand. Plus some grass for the dogs to utilize(though it had a million burrs).</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our new site</td></tr>
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The experienced folks did start getting me pretty scared by the 4th day, as we had not prepped the Beast for the hardships a beach can do to a rig. Specifically they recommended an uncoat sprayed on before coming to help stop some of the rust. Having never lived in the north where they salt the roads, this was new to me and had me a bit worried. My new grill after 1 day the screws were already rusted, who knows what was going on under my rig.<br />
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Enough for now, on that note I'll give you guys the birds. Please keep in mind with the sun out in full force I could no see any of these pictures on my phone as I took them, I just pointed and shot blindly.</div>
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PlanoLeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10302514546466030562noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-15873620868702007202014-11-07T20:05:00.002-06:002014-11-07T20:10:00.934-06:00BamboozledA quick sneak peak at what we've been up to with the Beast.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35yb86sjx1re3wMDdqFKRo74yY7otLgV9L3ELPWTJE9UmdCQHUvdiR-uNJeE53I5eoonz871aL37yZ4VD5iqwz36P7z8rV3_Q9PKLQD_pg2fa8_QVTrawgDKxGVUgTOVnthhF44Oi8SmS/s1600/carpet+out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35yb86sjx1re3wMDdqFKRo74yY7otLgV9L3ELPWTJE9UmdCQHUvdiR-uNJeE53I5eoonz871aL37yZ4VD5iqwz36P7z8rV3_Q9PKLQD_pg2fa8_QVTrawgDKxGVUgTOVnthhF44Oi8SmS/s1600/carpet+out.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ripped out the carpet and foam.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKKYhjtQXVow15fvF5xYH42IaFEKM4uNMo9mQTwg28qDYUrYtd9qujRR362V-fhpWpLj27HeAoUXQY6hBIQPH8L3_vi-MHY6QiJzBpbGSRAIl0TvMllYOFUyRc4zfda_0WXBYvRpWpGYR/s1600/bambootablesaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsKKYhjtQXVow15fvF5xYH42IaFEKM4uNMo9mQTwg28qDYUrYtd9qujRR362V-fhpWpLj27HeAoUXQY6hBIQPH8L3_vi-MHY6QiJzBpbGSRAIl0TvMllYOFUyRc4zfda_0WXBYvRpWpGYR/s1600/bambootablesaw.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Built my own saw table</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkkGp_rcEiyYSHnxirdvCU3rU5E6BdaHUo6othU6cKMFVgV5a05UK5DbzqYvpMAnKftxSkhiQ20yl1yZ2WO3NSl9dEia2sLMpPLTxacRGZzJgJm35kbHSsu8XuF3xtD7fjPonroKlUOi3/s1600/tablesaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkkGp_rcEiyYSHnxirdvCU3rU5E6BdaHUo6othU6cKMFVgV5a05UK5DbzqYvpMAnKftxSkhiQ20yl1yZ2WO3NSl9dEia2sLMpPLTxacRGZzJgJm35kbHSsu8XuF3xtD7fjPonroKlUOi3/s1600/tablesaw.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My table allowed me to slide boards in and out and remain secure,<br />
so I could use the circular saw with good precision.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgot02ZtXWeGZjNtZqCEn6YGb5wAXjIaSz7jgrDkf6uT0x_7k75_fK7pBGs6sNULMpty2WkN6AK0Z7xSjg6oHbiyqNMlKCerypn0lUoI7erjmmNNGwdc-yPUbxD-zFC-aNBxiz-DcApc35H/s1600/20141107_185909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgot02ZtXWeGZjNtZqCEn6YGb5wAXjIaSz7jgrDkf6uT0x_7k75_fK7pBGs6sNULMpty2WkN6AK0Z7xSjg6oHbiyqNMlKCerypn0lUoI7erjmmNNGwdc-yPUbxD-zFC-aNBxiz-DcApc35H/s1600/20141107_185909.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roughed in flooring, still needs glue and trim.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbENCpAUFzUPhgbDHSdbTu56vID8w1pvdLKWsALkLnpkczrS3-rpf72ZFGVab9qAkd8bmeXXDDkN69w7ybJuwbKwJNio0wSu_9cy_q6b6d122S2nBqrI8kt-2EpWQeAHyHXDhNK1s93taq/s1600/20141107_185932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbENCpAUFzUPhgbDHSdbTu56vID8w1pvdLKWsALkLnpkczrS3-rpf72ZFGVab9qAkd8bmeXXDDkN69w7ybJuwbKwJNio0wSu_9cy_q6b6d122S2nBqrI8kt-2EpWQeAHyHXDhNK1s93taq/s1600/20141107_185932.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinette area. Wire still needs managing.</td></tr>
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<br />PlanoLeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10302514546466030562noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-35285963230056152912014-10-20T19:33:00.000-05:002014-10-20T23:37:50.991-05:00Snook, Solitude, and SolarSo this last week I took the Beast down to Snook, Texas to do the Solar work at my Uncle's farm. Since he was away on vacation, it was pretty much The Beast, some donkeys, a dog named Fritz, and myself.<br />
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First things first, I needed water. I didn't feel like driving the 200 miles with the extra 800 lbs of aqua in my tank.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5z6IdzZM-olS0dyaWFXKKZ8FuW3C0ut0JF9l46i5YwUlLYuqwXNGI2mmj1nVLqZvkqMrGPIeKDf7bYTHRdb3dY-rOH5Je6MWwWys4VwczX8SuTL9IrrT7T53gO1hWmYdvDO1XqbXm83-/s1600/20141014_182433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc5z6IdzZM-olS0dyaWFXKKZ8FuW3C0ut0JF9l46i5YwUlLYuqwXNGI2mmj1nVLqZvkqMrGPIeKDf7bYTHRdb3dY-rOH5Je6MWwWys4VwczX8SuTL9IrrT7T53gO1hWmYdvDO1XqbXm83-/s1600/20141014_182433.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filling the 100 gallon tank up water</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3B-TeI7OEq-ayg-iBhy8S7covTVz5JlvKCHJXyrgC-8fCRckcgAyOKdOS__ckbjsOztCvay53FDOyZ6CnLBxy6f5H02MIYQE-3TbT-cP-1KuSbsd872hIGz_3m0iC7JU-N8zqPaM7V4fw/s1600/20141014_182528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3B-TeI7OEq-ayg-iBhy8S7covTVz5JlvKCHJXyrgC-8fCRckcgAyOKdOS__ckbjsOztCvay53FDOyZ6CnLBxy6f5H02MIYQE-3TbT-cP-1KuSbsd872hIGz_3m0iC7JU-N8zqPaM7V4fw/s1600/20141014_182528.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The front yard.</td></tr>
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Since this was taking forever, I took some pictures of where I would be doing my working and sleeping the next few days.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOGXmmSyxPuJL3CxxM3x1Xd1SeQqYu7K-NyqWOeXZ_8oqKT6OgfBTQXSfmz70Cf3pRUTNGc2vZFUdLMLmMtigL9yeJOmtRl3v3RPN-jXffacvYrztfP02gKtBzL7vt4iyEp2Ds4ef-4jT/s1600/20141014_182457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmOGXmmSyxPuJL3CxxM3x1Xd1SeQqYu7K-NyqWOeXZ_8oqKT6OgfBTQXSfmz70Cf3pRUTNGc2vZFUdLMLmMtigL9yeJOmtRl3v3RPN-jXffacvYrztfP02gKtBzL7vt4iyEp2Ds4ef-4jT/s1600/20141014_182457.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty sure I'm the first one to ever sleep in the workshop</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP11Eupj7ckB5_pr3fMsEBxm8o0oXTaP-HICZrF88UvNXJBfp_4PkxMB4qsLPtQ8Fwqifc2hNPjASZ7J6mDxTfwzYsnIv7i6S66e9t-qhgTiHheWvhC9NRGmKqNGODaojlYq_PrWe4v3oG/s1600/20141015_141504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP11Eupj7ckB5_pr3fMsEBxm8o0oXTaP-HICZrF88UvNXJBfp_4PkxMB4qsLPtQ8Fwqifc2hNPjASZ7J6mDxTfwzYsnIv7i6S66e9t-qhgTiHheWvhC9NRGmKqNGODaojlYq_PrWe4v3oG/s1600/20141015_141504.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nestled in among the tractors and tools</td></tr>
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Had to unfurl this mighty satellite one more time before removing it to make room. As well as the HD antenna behind it and the fan vent to the back right.<br />
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Over the next few days, my cousin Jason and I got to work on the solar install. We managed to get most of the panels installed before the weekend hit and he had to run off to some fairs and such showing some old tractors. But we did finish the seven hardest to place ones, leaving just a few for me to finish.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU52DXdLXvZKn4ykHua6HWGJGnGQezQQl8N3UcGHGs-bKfjWYtHf5TcPSdVZ8aXYel6sFZmbT4Fa513eIZqjfL6Fy4JSyUWLtjNHSrxQZxvRnZFLOfahdeH5s7iwS5lk6xfk2snIyZGoeD/s1600/20141017_172318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU52DXdLXvZKn4ykHua6HWGJGnGQezQQl8N3UcGHGs-bKfjWYtHf5TcPSdVZ8aXYel6sFZmbT4Fa513eIZqjfL6Fy4JSyUWLtjNHSrxQZxvRnZFLOfahdeH5s7iwS5lk6xfk2snIyZGoeD/s1600/20141017_172318.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First 4 panels on front glued and screwed on</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCmREr3K5ABZ24_eagFaa0wAYrgLnAnhBaNBcIMrEcHiKRXKMW4qjDRyLHONoaqt-YLe2PUm-Btn8s3BsILsMWRCn7p3vEnVI_JVu-fHBTmMopfCS92qc87nmZPN6XrXY4YRouJCtxSMd/s1600/20141017_172330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFCmREr3K5ABZ24_eagFaa0wAYrgLnAnhBaNBcIMrEcHiKRXKMW4qjDRyLHONoaqt-YLe2PUm-Btn8s3BsILsMWRCn7p3vEnVI_JVu-fHBTmMopfCS92qc87nmZPN6XrXY4YRouJCtxSMd/s1600/20141017_172330.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Framework for 2 of the panels in the back right</td></tr>
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I took to the road back to Plano Texas early Saturday morning and subjected the build to a 80 mph wind test on I-45. Happy to report that none of the panels blew off! I stopped and checked at a couple rest areas along the way to make sure nothing was amiss as well.<br />
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This Sunday I completed the Solar install, building a platform for one panel in which the cords all connect and go down into the electronics cabinet below. I also hooked up five of the panels to test out the supply to the batteries. They were putting in about 5 amps at 95+ volts. Once I connect the second set, it should be up to about 10 amps. I may have to juggle this around a bit to optimize my amps to the batteries.<br />
The OCD among you might want to just ignore the panel in the lower left...there was just no other way.<br />
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Late today some MC4 connectors I had ordered arrived which allowed me to create the cables I needed to connect the 2nd set of five panels. Unfortunately the sun had gone down so I had no way of testing if they were working as I planned or not. I have to wait until tomorrow. Once the test is complete I'll do the wire management and secure some of the hanging wires.<br />
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In other news, the interior of the RV got a bit of an upgrade. The uncomfortable leather got replaced, though we did save the old covers. Here's the transformation:<br />
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<br />PlanoLeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10302514546466030562noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-60155534630024339302014-10-12T19:04:00.002-05:002014-10-12T19:07:46.980-05:00Fancy Electronic Do-DadsMy heartfelt apologies to those of you who don't enjoy all the technical mumbo-jumbo, but I need to get this stuff documented for my own good.<br />
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Yesterday I took about 3 hours to wire in some additional features to my new power station of 8 batteries. One is a disconnect switch which can be turned off/on to allow current to and from the batteries. Handy if I'm storing it for a while or if I just need to disconnect power going to the batteries. This will be helpful when I have the solar wired in as it will allow me to disconnect the power from the batteries and confirm that the new Kingtec air conditioner is running purely on Solar Power.<br />
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The other thing I wired into the mix was something much, much, more useful. That thing is the amazing Trimetric battery system monitor by Bogart Engineering. This is such a useful item, as it's wired into the system via a Shunt(pictured below), which will allow you to monitor how many amps the system is draining, how many amps are going to the battery when charging, and how many amps you have left (i.e. how much juice you have left in the batteries.) A few years ago I had actually bought one and was planning on putting into my last RV, <a href="http://chasing75.blogspot.com/2012/10/1998-chinook-concourse-side-entry-for.html" target="_blank">The Chinook</a>. I just never quite got around to doing the upgrades I wanted to that rig before switching to the Beast. Anyhow, so I have an older unit, though still new: mine is the Trimetric TM-2025RV. I actually got lucky that I had bought the higher end model years ago, as this particular model allows you to monitor up to a 48 volt battery systems instead of the standard 12 volt which is prevalent in most RVs.<br />
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I just have the Disconnect switch and Trimetric roughed in for now, they simply need to be screwed in place somewhere. The Disconnect Switch I have a home for right next to the Shunt picture below you will see the hole next to it. The Trimetric I believe I'll be placing inside the rack with all of the electronic equipment(dvd player, stereo, etc.)<br />
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Here's some exciting photos of the above items! <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0UKFVAB1PEd9pg0PZDcMH1vj3bLb0q9fWO-1NruF8MceKRcNwJhkbC8SDMblbwTXX04u1mJ8qRIwGRFUa_kmwQaTrXo2n_XJW4u29MJtf8mBHM4khTHV-FAhRvFZ0sVJNoDnw1g7hKJo/s1600/batterydisconnect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO0UKFVAB1PEd9pg0PZDcMH1vj3bLb0q9fWO-1NruF8MceKRcNwJhkbC8SDMblbwTXX04u1mJ8qRIwGRFUa_kmwQaTrXo2n_XJW4u29MJtf8mBHM4khTHV-FAhRvFZ0sVJNoDnw1g7hKJo/s1600/batterydisconnect.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Disconnect Switch roughed in.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutZG637crvB_-gXjeH7fpY0ysQ36Kmba2oTGVRjj8k9aWToceLXvSGi3yUtXGKbg44r1wBuol7TjkSiRmkS8zMCptZH2-e5GmjSRZH1fBX7nq4YqMGFU7vIfjP1UEPEJ9eOWqpvZHVlHZ/s1600/batterydisconnectafter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutZG637crvB_-gXjeH7fpY0ysQ36Kmba2oTGVRjj8k9aWToceLXvSGi3yUtXGKbg44r1wBuol7TjkSiRmkS8zMCptZH2-e5GmjSRZH1fBX7nq4YqMGFU7vIfjP1UEPEJ9eOWqpvZHVlHZ/s1600/batterydisconnectafter.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blurry Picture of where the switch will be. This is under the bench in the dinette, because of the overhanging wood it would be impossible to accidentally switch it on or off. Also it has to be depressed and turned at the same time.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekquU1WBARxGYzsTSOfvqrsdRS_R8bn70_0hSd7JUB9LPxmz_VTg1l41lDw2yKcisrx8qng8QsMUCsNBg_e4z7Xon-ab9Kh6K-dTioYCHTZCPo9U9XGRQSSF_IA1lFqTFymiUPABl-UQX/s1600/mounted+shunt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekquU1WBARxGYzsTSOfvqrsdRS_R8bn70_0hSd7JUB9LPxmz_VTg1l41lDw2yKcisrx8qng8QsMUCsNBg_e4z7Xon-ab9Kh6K-dTioYCHTZCPo9U9XGRQSSF_IA1lFqTFymiUPABl-UQX/s1600/mounted+shunt.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 500 Amp shunt mounted and sending valuable information to the Trimetric.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cd11tVwOfs_PWtbFP3kY_gb1KhJXrUarAVyMjH9uaGFhh1tB8kzXWQUfP5sbV24b50YQ1PyvyhrzS7MXUXDZYQ0AlzXe2s0424kbgJ2srVj4WXJcl1kgp8PON8TCpRyjdis4ToGmkQol/s1600/Trimetric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cd11tVwOfs_PWtbFP3kY_gb1KhJXrUarAVyMjH9uaGFhh1tB8kzXWQUfP5sbV24b50YQ1PyvyhrzS7MXUXDZYQ0AlzXe2s0424kbgJ2srVj4WXJcl1kgp8PON8TCpRyjdis4ToGmkQol/s1600/Trimetric.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
The Trimetric in action!</td></tr>
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This is the Trimetric showing 51.8 Volts. When the batteries were brand new, they were sitting at 52 Volts. So I've lost .2 Volts over the last month while they sat waiting for me to work on them and also they got drained a little when I ran the A/C for a good 10 minutes on just the batteries. I have yet to recharge them, that's where the Solar comes into play very soon! Also on the to-do list is some serious wire management.PlanoLeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10302514546466030562noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-86250183805091717812014-10-12T15:09:00.000-05:002014-10-12T15:10:08.900-05:00Solar Preparations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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With the temperatures cooperating for the first time in 6 months, I crawled on top of the Beast with 10 sheets of Styrofoam that are cut very close to the sizes of the 10 solar panels I bought. They were also conveniently in the solar panel boxes sent to cushion them for shipping.<br />
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Until now I only had a rough idea of where I was putting the 10 panels, I was pretty sure there was space, I just wasn't sure what all would be on the chopping block to make room for them.<br />
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So I have my before picture of the very cluttered roof:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfPAWvexdQ8lwXrWCu9t1W-e3zZrplTA8hyz1gnJ4TRoJTzgTezuEBSIYZMzCvI6GH77VPoqa8IjFOidSYkVFppqKFIaCOVw27itu_KCtXGtXaySG1dP9jyc3nVOALv1SuDu06YqjFeuz/s1600/rooftop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhfPAWvexdQ8lwXrWCu9t1W-e3zZrplTA8hyz1gnJ4TRoJTzgTezuEBSIYZMzCvI6GH77VPoqa8IjFOidSYkVFppqKFIaCOVw27itu_KCtXGtXaySG1dP9jyc3nVOALv1SuDu06YqjFeuz/s1600/rooftop.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cluttered Dirty Rooftop</td></tr>
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After placing my solar mock-ups around, I ended up with this series of looks..<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROGdSoOQ9P8MH-HNZYh5DMX20GCd8vAPUFxmHxQ8EFIAvv6B2WCgV3Wdpkxh65jd5NZgtr8oJDBPYmg6JAXa-fGbk6_JEcKM9jiV4Ms8FJBY9R5UTSIQwiuGDrK5M6jh4B-GTYUHUTGqk/s1600/solarfront.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROGdSoOQ9P8MH-HNZYh5DMX20GCd8vAPUFxmHxQ8EFIAvv6B2WCgV3Wdpkxh65jd5NZgtr8oJDBPYmg6JAXa-fGbk6_JEcKM9jiV4Ms8FJBY9R5UTSIQwiuGDrK5M6jh4B-GTYUHUTGqk/s1600/solarfront.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">7 Panels, bye bye to the HD Antenna and the wind cover for the fan.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbLZcf78kGI1vUqDtwQ8rdmCjZx8vCzNmDeqForL-ZsF63TraOtvBAQfaHVwbTUBCgBIbbYjMGPypPwCb01sI7ZBKn7L9vz3bkZOH98JuimHLtRRfY72YGBYAZx5WBMtOVl9vtIGhKgLS/s1600/solarmiddle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbLZcf78kGI1vUqDtwQ8rdmCjZx8vCzNmDeqForL-ZsF63TraOtvBAQfaHVwbTUBCgBIbbYjMGPypPwCb01sI7ZBKn7L9vz3bkZOH98JuimHLtRRfY72YGBYAZx5WBMtOVl9vtIGhKgLS/s1600/solarmiddle.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As I suspected, the Solar Dish is a goner. Middle 2 panels.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbI_G3IMZmIlJBpPhC847-saa5syUV2uO-cbOSsNk3J_MXar54Mo_8qBeNZOBtIkNg1Xn3iaOHoenPp4X_dpT1PYVJkBPR94qsQvFP6_t28NW0U6_AllR-XJmyThsOuQZVNkAusC_xicjU/s1600/solarback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbI_G3IMZmIlJBpPhC847-saa5syUV2uO-cbOSsNk3J_MXar54Mo_8qBeNZOBtIkNg1Xn3iaOHoenPp4X_dpT1PYVJkBPR94qsQvFP6_t28NW0U6_AllR-XJmyThsOuQZVNkAusC_xicjU/s1600/solarback.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final Panel in the back corner.<br />
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PlanoLeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10302514546466030562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-31536532181229323722014-10-08T16:10:00.001-05:002014-10-09T16:33:56.157-05:00Prepping the Bug-Out VehicleNothing like a death from Ebola and another potential patient being reported in the general area to give you a kick in the butt to get the Revcon ready to live off the grid and to get out of the Dallas area.<br />
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Over the last 2 months I've been doing some pretty substantial upgrades to some of the systems. Primarily upgrading to an Air conditioner that can run on Solar power, Batteries, and/or 110 v of AC power.<br />
The only one I could find after extensive searching was made by Kingtec. After exchanging emails with the company, it seemed the best solution to my dilemmas. The dilemmas you ask? Well: a) staying cool anywhere in the RV without the generator burning diesel or requiring an electrical hookup, and b) to keep the dogs alive and cool when we leave them in the Beast for extended periods of time.<br />
So within a week after ordering, my Kingtec Solar K25DZ arrived.<br />
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After getting the local RV place to install it, we discovered it wasn't cooling and was showing an error on the thermostat. A week later a replacement unit arrived, which worked like a charm. So maybe the first got damaged in shipping or something, who knows. But Kingtec quickly resolved the issue by sending a replacement. <br />
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Though I did take the precaution of hooking this one up and testing it before installing it just to be sure.<br />
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Next on the list of must haves was to have a battery bank large enough to run the a/c all night long if necessary. So after hunting around a bit I found these batteries that seemed to be up to the task:<br />
VMAX 6V AGM Battery, 225ah. Which was conveniently sold in an 8 pack on Amazon. Exactly what I needed.<br />
Another few days later after ordering them, I had 8 batteries that I needed to find a home for in the Beast. After a bit of thought, I cleaned out the 2 cabinets that are under the seats of the dinette and discovered that the batteries fit almost perfectly in them. Plus all the weight of them on that side of the Beast would probably balance out the 100 gallon tank of water that's always on the other. Maybe I won't be as lopsided going down the highway as in the past.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 on the right, I thought I had more space here<br />
until I realized that the gas tank fill-up goes<br />
through this area</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6 on the left, even a little space left<br />
over for some pantry supplies</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5sf8zS_Hvl-ng2OsfEtX_hXRNMKIt5VH-l3pDdKqPhHfSY72UsVVASf9M0qtnqawZ7O4oGvXXlxnDLU_2HvFZAH2kDeaf_OlvhCTzUhv2fOc3YdMprrgHOhlAZKI1hlTJNni1CDZaYF4/s1600/batteries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj5sf8zS_Hvl-ng2OsfEtX_hXRNMKIt5VH-l3pDdKqPhHfSY72UsVVASf9M0qtnqawZ7O4oGvXXlxnDLU_2HvFZAH2kDeaf_OlvhCTzUhv2fOc3YdMprrgHOhlAZKI1hlTJNni1CDZaYF4/s1600/batteries.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final placement before I started creating wires and putting it all together</td></tr>
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After I did the wiring, I had that moment of doubt wondering if the batteries would power the Air Conditioner. I was feeling like Clark Griswold in that moment when he was trying to get his Christmas lights to come on after checking all 10,000 bulbs. But it powered on just fine. The thermostat itself pulls about 0.1 amp. With just the fan running it pulls about 2 amps, and when the compressor kicks in, it takes about 16 amps. With 225 amp hours of battery power, could theoretically get 15 hours or so continuous cooling without any other sources of electricity.<br />
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Step 3, the Solar. I'm told the a/c will run off 1000 watts of power. After a bit of research I ordered from Renogy. They are 100 watt each, flexible and only weigh about 3 lbs each. The issue now is finding space for all 10 on top of the roof. I am pretty sure I will have to yank the huge satellite for room. I'm going to consult with my cousins and uncle and see if we can use some backwood's engineering and create some space for them. I have a few ideas on the matter, but I lack the welding or metalworking skills to accomplish them. One of the casualties of the install so far is the carpeting on the ceiling. It was stained and in already drooping in many places(Thank you Texas heat): So I made the decision to just start ripping it down and to later replace it. With the added wiring of the A/C and solar panels, the destruction was necessary in order to access the nooks and crannies where the wires can be run. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbO367aYF6I9unaAnfEH_7WNiTGR3rirPcySd-zR90qsZm3WDfx3PVbG4Jq1T3f05JWPVtmKE4Gc-unGuTEkEyQp2abtejOyS84Tsv8ILdlFwAGZW98AYPOjEzdjMcfDGX6i8DbwTol9ah/s1600/20140825_200341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbO367aYF6I9unaAnfEH_7WNiTGR3rirPcySd-zR90qsZm3WDfx3PVbG4Jq1T3f05JWPVtmKE4Gc-unGuTEkEyQp2abtejOyS84Tsv8ILdlFwAGZW98AYPOjEzdjMcfDGX6i8DbwTol9ah/s1600/20140825_200341.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The current solar that keeps my 12v battery<br />
charged, I believe it's around 80 watts</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmdrGV12OF4eAh0O7MGQS7AbNoX9iHghQHsUMGNjEwW4-DMrh1D5qTcDkAWzypQSs0Oufd-0gpDE0XMXCoy2XUmdafrlbCe04zKjxPEjn7nDNx00-pnN1E28HkrYdPnUKCCBFP_HWMhkJ8/s1600/20140825_200358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmdrGV12OF4eAh0O7MGQS7AbNoX9iHghQHsUMGNjEwW4-DMrh1D5qTcDkAWzypQSs0Oufd-0gpDE0XMXCoy2XUmdafrlbCe04zKjxPEjn7nDNx00-pnN1E28HkrYdPnUKCCBFP_HWMhkJ8/s1600/20140825_200358.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the area above the King size bed that I hope I can fit 4-6 of the panels</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SyyIJGNStKO8xIa80qciB0u4HOKg7vQCXXRWkg8meNn0-5f8YDPRN0l_JAkWloty9_Cx6tcCo1BUcZk6BW2iYp6sas2m4ieg0QIbe1nb7aWHSPIsx2U_HAoRiKsTkUMWzyWOmc7rA4Qb/s1600/20140825_200323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SyyIJGNStKO8xIa80qciB0u4HOKg7vQCXXRWkg8meNn0-5f8YDPRN0l_JAkWloty9_Cx6tcCo1BUcZk6BW2iYp6sas2m4ieg0QIbe1nb7aWHSPIsx2U_HAoRiKsTkUMWzyWOmc7rA4Qb/s1600/20140825_200323.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A partial picture of the satellite dish that I will<br />
most likely have to take down, room<br />
for 2-4 panels</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manufacturer's picture of the panel</td></tr>
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<br />PlanoLeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10302514546466030562noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-21657435342642418122014-01-13T18:06:00.000-06:002014-01-13T18:08:21.894-06:00Months of Silence and a lot of Noise to comeSorry folks for the months of Silence, but we've been crazy busy. We renovated the house for a few months and then put it on sale Mid-December. We had an offer within a week and we are now officially closing on the house the end of this January. We are now 1 step closer to being mobile. Our possessions are still being pared down and things sold off!<br />
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With all of the above going on, our money has been tight, so the upgrades on The Beast that I want to do had to go on the back-burner. The Beast did manage to get a brand new set of 6 tires somewhere in all that craziness. Little issue with my old tires: the metal caps were fused to the stems so I had no way to put air in them and they were over 10 years old so nobody would work on them. Now we have brand spanking new 35 inch off road tires with a nice Discount Tire warranty for years to come. So hopefully in the next few weeks I'll get the Solar array and batteries ordered and start rewiring the heck out of it to support long term living better. Any electricians want to help?<br />
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On another front, I may have a source of income for this new lifestyle lined up, more info to come once I secure it. It's not a lot of money, but I think it will more than pay for all the expenses of living on the road for a couple years.<br />
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One other thing we did a few months ago in preparation for the new lifestyle was invest in a New Hobby. So on my 40th Birthday we decided that we would learn how to play guitar. I bought a resonator guitar and my wife got a guitar-stringed Banjo. So maybe in a decade we'll be able to create music.<br />
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For Christmas we got each other some Learn Guitar books, so we will be trying to teach ourselves wherever we make camp. We apologize in advance if you happen to be within earshot of what will most likely be a lot of Noise.<br />
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Things are falling into place.<br />
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<br />PlanoLeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10302514546466030562noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-44146692625767202702013-09-17T18:39:00.000-05:002013-09-17T18:39:23.962-05:00FinlandCouple months ago we started to go through our belongings and packing some of it away to be saved and leaving the rest unpacked for an estate sale. We divided our clothes in two walk-in closets between keepers and get rid of's. The progress has been slow, but we started it!<br />
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Couple weeks into our organization came a day that I rushed to the airport and flew home to Finland to see my family and to attend my sister's wedding. Unfortunately I made my trip alone, Lee stayed behind to take care of the house and 3 hounds. I spent two and half wonderful weeks in Finland, eating mom's cooking and enjoying the cooler weather and peace and quiet. Well, some might think the weather was not cool, it was probably at low 90's, but coming from Texas, oh yeah, that's nice and cool! </div>
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It was so wonderful to see the family and the friends after a long time. The sad thing is that there is always less people to meet than there was the time before and being on the other side of the globe doesn't always make it easy to accept. However, that is the life for people who live thousands miles away from their family. Another thing that made it a little bitter was that Lee and our pups were back home in Texas. Well, that resulted in lots of Skype action between Scandinavia and The Republic of Texas.</div>
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My timing in Finland was perfect, the weather was nice; blueberries, raspberries and strawberries were in season, even the mushrooms were forcing me into a daily game of hide and seek. Oh, and did I mention, it is so green in Finland, GREEN!!! Hardly anyone has sprinklers for their lawns and it is not even needed, the rain will come sooner or later and make everything lush and clean and first of all, green. The laundry gets dried on the lines outside and it smells like forest. The birds are chirping through the night, since in the end of July the dark doesn't come until after midnight. And how I missed the quiet and peace by the lake, the only ones making any noise were the numerous birds, like swans and loons.</div>
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My sister's wedding was fun and relaxed and everybody had fun and soon after the life returned back to somehow normal. I was so excited that my brother who is serving in UN Peace Corp was able to come for a short vacation and I got to see him. The time always flies by really fast, though all my siblings had arranged time off to spend with me, which was wonderful. </div>
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Like always, the time comes to an end way too soon. And my trip back home started. I had a hectic layover in Chicago, where I walked forever, waited forever for customs, security and finding and dragging my 2 huge bags without the cart for re-checking. After that was all done, the run to the right terminal and gate started, I just got to my plane before they closed the gate and sat down and started the last stretch to home. I knew the layover would be really crazy, so I was ready to run out the plane as soon as I was able to and in a process forgot that I had split one of my carry on bags since it didn't fit in overhead cabby in one piece. Well, the yummy Finnish chocolates and some other candy, some souvenirs and a pair of earrings are greatly missed. It wasn't a huge financial loss, but I was so mad at myself for forgetting such a thing.</div>
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It was nice to be back home in Texas. There is a Finnish proverb that says something like: Being home is strawberry, being elsewhere blueberry, it doesn't really translate well, but you might get the idea. And if you ever have a chance to taste Finnish strawberries, their sweetness and juiciness, you will understand what it means. Though the wild blueberries are pretty darn awesome too. The difficult part is that for me, there will always be 2 homes.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-68127815810038725142013-08-18T08:29:00.002-05:002013-08-18T08:32:50.940-05:00The Best Ever Home Made French Vanilla Ice Cream<br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" />
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How to cool off on a hot summer day? Even a caveman knows that the best way is to eat some yummy ice cream.<br />
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I have had a few people request this recipe and this last time I decided it would be the easiest to just post it here, so I can just send them a link instead of writing it down. This is by far the best ice cream recipe I have come accross, not that I have made tons of them, but it is definitely one of those that makes me skip a paleo for a while. It is so worth it. And yes, it is not a diet food, so don't try this if you are trying to lose weight, cause it ain't happening.<br />
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The great thing about it is that you can add different fruits in it and keep changing it, thus never get tired of it. I have tried with fresh mango and dark sweet cherries, and it is to die for.<br />
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So here it goes:<br />
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<span style="color: magenta;">French Vanilla Ice Cream</span></h3>
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4 egg yolks</div>
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1/2 pint (2.5 dl or 1 cup) milk, preferably full milk</div>
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1/2 pint (2.5 dl or 1 cup) heavy cream</div>
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4 oz. (100g) sugar</div>
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1 vanilla pod</div>
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Pour milk to a medium pan and bring to a boil. Place lengthwise split vanilla pod into it for 20 minutes to simmer. In a mixing bowl, beat yolks and sugar until thick. Remove vanilla pod from the milk, and scrape the seeds out of it with the back of a knife or spoon. Add vanilla seeds back into the milk. Pour the milk mixture into the egg-sugar mixture while stirring, then return this mixture to the pan and heat gently while stiffing until it thickens (leaves a film on the back of a spoon). Remove from the heat and let cool down in a fridge. When cold stir in the heavy cream, I have never whipped it, but you could for extra fluffiness. Now it is ready to be churned for 25 minutes.</div>
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Add what ever your heart desires to it or eat just like it is, either way it is delicious. Can't go wrong with a slice of hot apple pie either. Enjoy!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-65767198730532106462013-06-26T15:36:00.000-05:002013-06-26T16:51:55.802-05:00Out with the Gold, In with the New!First off, I'd like to apologize to our followers for our really slow posting as of late. Doesn't make for interesting reading when all you can do is reread old posts. When the only people making comments on a blog are ANONYMOUS spam comments, it's not a good sign.<br />
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Though we've been idle on the blog, we have actually been making <strike>strides</strike> baby-steps towards getting the Revcon ready.<br />
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I believe we hinted at the replacement faucets we were putting in and after quite a bit of work I did finally get those installed.<br />
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Bear Witness: The New Kitchen and Restroom Faucets<br />
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This is what the old stuff looked like in case you needed a refresher:<br />
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Or if you look at our youtube video from when we first picked up the Revcon, you can see them in all their Golden Age Glory.<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cwSS6whI1U" target="_blank">Revcon</a><br />
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I also finally got around to ordering some wheel covers so the tires don't melt away in the Texas Heat while it awaits our departure. I also found snap-on window covers hidden away in one of the many secret compartments.<br />
Here it is waiting ever so patiently for us in the 100 degree weather.<br />
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The other big project I've been working on is negotiating on a battery bank of lithium-ion batteries. I'm aiming for a bank of about 840 amps, or 6 batteries..7 if I can get them. Then I'll be upgrading the solar panel array which is currently just one panel to hopefully 500-700 watts. Also I'll be finding the heftiest inverter I can find as I hope to be able to run the A/C, washer/dryer, and future induction cooktop when needed. <br />
Finding the space for the batteries was kinda fun, since anyone who has been in an RV knows that space is limited and usually already used. So it was behind this electronics rack/drawers that I found some space. I may have to sacrifice the bottom rack space which is currently just the BASS for the surround sound system. I think batteries take a higher priority than a bit of enhanced sound.<br />
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BTW, all the above pictures were taken by my new Samsung Galaxy S4, it has an amazing camera to my untrained eye. I thought I had some pictures of behind the rack, but apparently I forgot to take my phone spelunking with me.<br />
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We had planned to take the Beast out for a ride Memorial weekend, but that whole trip was foiled when my rear-view camera had apparently melted. Driving without rear-sight makes me feel blind, so I wasn't going to risk changing lanes on top of a motorcycle, or backing over a kid while getting filled with diesel. Ordering a replacement of the same kind has been slow. The broken one was a black and white and the replacement I ordered is color. So Fingers crossed that it works okay when I get it and hook it up. Should be arriving anyday now.<br />
<b>Update</b>: Rear Camera Arrived, I did a quick test on it, and instead of the black squiggly lines the old camera was providing, now its colorful squiggly lines. So the problems appears to be with my in-dash lcd screen. Did not think it was the lcd screen since it displays other things fine, just not the camera. So..back to the drawing board there. Might be time to get a in dash LCD with built-in Nav system.<br />
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On the home front, we had a real estate agent give us a market analysis of our home and things are looking bright on that end. Just need to do some cosmetic repairs for the most part and get it listed as soon as we can and hopefully sold quickly.<br />
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Cheers!<br />
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<br />PlanoLeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10302514546466030562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-25633444098257697892013-05-12T22:46:00.001-05:002013-05-12T22:46:17.028-05:00Photo Contest Entry And How You Can Help Us WinSo I submitted a photo of our Italian Greyhound Louie to the photo contest. The winner will get a digital painting of that image and I am of course hoping that would be my image. Please click this link to the <a href="http://www.lachri.com/photocontest/" target="_blank">photo contest</a> and vote for the number 47. On the page is a link to the voting right above the entry photos. Thanks for your help.<br />
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I do have some good news too. So, we re-homed our cat of almost 6 years yesterday. I was very nervous and heart broken, until we got to the house where he was gonna be living. He is in perfect place now. It was like a cat haven with two other cats and the whole house pretty much dedicated for them. I am so happy for him, he is gonna be much better there with tons of attention and buddies than he would be with us, dogs chasing and he would be hiding. He even sent pictures of them us to see how well they were doing. A huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders!<br />
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<iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="600" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6675004.145137;sz=300x600;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000613802463762;pid=PRPT193;usg=AFHzDLuFqEuHVp1SRDdFctXqOVTnEMmtUQ;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.unbeatablesale.com%252Fprpt193.html;pubid=581359;price=%24189.66;title=Precision+Pet+1236-12575+38+In;desc=The+perfect+kennel+for+pet+owners+looking+for+an+outdoor+dog+run+or+an+indoor+exercise+pen.+Its+unique+design+and+accessories+allow+complete+versatility+in+configuration+use+and+storage.+Each+Courtyard+Kennel+contains+six+38in+high+three-foot+wide+panel...;merc=UnbeatableSale;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fsite.unbeatablesale.com%2Fimg0003%2Fprpt193.jpg;width=116;height=250" vspace="0" width="300"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-48539624026788413482013-05-10T23:24:00.000-05:002013-05-11T20:39:48.337-05:00Struck of Luck and Some Tears TooToday was a day that we had an engineer that is specialized on foundations come here and check on the house. We were expecting a really expensive fix, since about a year and a half ago we got an estimate for the foundation repair and that estimate was a hefty 5 digit number. As it happens, that estimate was for work that we did not need. We got a report stating that the foundation is not in a need of a repair at all. However we do have some cracked mortar that needs to be fixed but our bill will be about $10 K less than we thought. I wish you could hear the screaming and hollering from here, we are so happy! This means we can either spend longer on the road, or we have a bit more money that we can put to work. Ok, in reality it just means that we don't have to come up with non-existing $10 K.<br />
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So right now it looks like we need to kick in the purge gear and get rid of the stuff. Some will be saved for later use, once we are done with our RV'ing. I am being realistic thinking that the day will come that I will have a need to settle down somewhere where I can plant a garden and herd some critters. But I might be fine for several years to come, you never know. I think tomorrow I will start going trough my clothes (once again), pack away what I want to save but not take for the road. Rest will go to some local animal shelter. Looks like the packrat in a bathroom is gonna have to get rid of a bucketful of make up and other stuff that doesn't seem to get used. It is in need of some serious overhaul as well.<br />
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My weak spot will be kitchen. I used to work in a factory outlet for a glass factory while studying glass blowing. The company sold silver ware, pots and pans, table ware and glass and most these were high end and collectible and of course I bought bunch of it for a good employee discount. The problem came to be when we got married and we combined our kitchens, so we have lots of my modern stuff and lots of Lee's retro, hand me downs that came down from his parents and has been around the world with him and of course holds a bunch of personal value. None of that stuff is really great in the RV, but I think we are going to have to avoid buying more stuff, so we are either gonna take a risk of getting something broken on the road. I think I would like the retro stuff in the RV. Even a thought of an old pyrex and stone ware makes me smile. The problem with that stuff is that it is quite heavy, which is a concern when the weight is a matter of an interest.<br />
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Today is not full of only happiness and good news, it is also a little bitter sweet. Our beloved cat Zubov will be spending his last night here before getting re-homed. We dearly love our big goofy cat but the relationship between the cat and the dogs has not been all rosy and we can not expect good outcomes if we all cram into the RV. We found him a home with couple other cats where he will not be tormented and where he can live a regular life in a center of attention, without having to worry about being out of the reach when the dogs come around. I am so heart broken about how lonely our cat has become in a house that is full of life. So sad that he feels like he can not take part on anything. It has gotten to a point where we allowed him to hang out on our dining table, just so that he can be closer to us a little more often.<br />
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I will be spending tonight with Zubov in a guest room behind the closed doors, so he can have all the attention he ever wants for the last time. Tomorrow he will meet his new buddies and we will sadly say good buy. I am happy for him for finally getting enough attention and a place where he doesn't need to run, but sad for having to make this hard decision of giving up on what I would consider a family member. It will be happier life for him and a little easier for us too, though I wish we never needed to make this decision. It will be weird not having a cat around. I will miss the headbutts and the talks with him, I so love talkative cats. Good luck Zubie, we will dearly miss you!<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-47691832992414836072013-05-01T23:59:00.002-05:002013-05-01T23:59:38.035-05:00Back to the FutureSo yesterday was the day that Marty McFly arrived to the future. It was also a day that I decided to finally get to posting my jewelry at my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/piakaven?ref=si_shop" target="_blank">Etsy</a> store. Making jewelry has been for years my goal, but they never really made onto my online store, just got either given as a present, or I sold the beads without making them into jewelry. I sold some necklaces few years ago to an art museum and couple galleries, but just now finally I have gained enough confidence to actually make them into a bit more constructed jewelry and post them on my own store. It is a small step, just have my first piece posted and I just have to keep the direction. This will be something I will be able to do on the road, if I just have a possibility to melt glass somewhere. I know of someone who has successfully done that, but I don't think I would want to set up a studio inside the RV. Something to think about.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can find this in my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/130936404/sterling-silver-and-silver-glass?ref=shop_home_active" target="_blank">Etsy</a> store, thank you for looking!</td></tr>
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<br /><br /><br /> <br /> <iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="250" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6628220.502012;sz=300x250;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000613802463511;pid=1145018;usg=AFHzDLsQ8Uy2WVKoLeZoqd2UYr8LUEhzEw;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.kohls.com%252Fproduct%252Fprd-1145018%252Freebok-zig-heel-running-shoes-women.jsp%253Fpfx%253Dpfx_shopcompare%2526cid%253Dshopping3;pubid=581359;price=%2479.98;title=Reebok+Zig+Heel+Running+Shoes+-+Women;merc=Kohl%27s;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.kohls.com.edgesuite.net%2Fis%2Fimage%2Fkohls%2F1145018_Gray_Green_Blue%3Fwid%3D500%26hei%3D500%26op_sharpen%3D1;width=135;height=135" vspace="0" width="300"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-32140464291424871512013-03-20T17:19:00.001-05:002013-03-20T17:19:47.640-05:00Learning Curve and Sneak Peak on Bead Spread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I mentioned few days ago, we did some shopping and I bought couple sets of high TC sheets to our RV. Well, yesterday we decided to try how luxurious they were and I think I learned something new. In Finland where I grew up, I never heard even a word thread count, so this was kinda grade school for buying sheets for me. I should have thought of this, it kinda makes sense now that I think about it. The sheets we have used in our bed have been 700 TC and I love how soft and smooth they are, so I thought that of course the higher the thread count, the better the quality is and it will be softer and smoother. Not so much. The tighter the threads are, the thinner they have to be (instead of 700 threads on square inch that we were used to, the sheets we bought were 1600 and 1800, so to fit two to three times as many threads into the same square inch, the threads have to be thinner, a lot thinner), so this will make the sheet also at some point to thin out. I think it is safe to say that we have reached that point a little while ago. Well, the new sheets are very smooth, but yes, you guessed it; they are also very thin. While I like them, I am not expecting them to last very long. I think I will get a bit more expensive ones in the future, just to save myself from the frustration. So it wasn't as great of the deal as I thought, but I got exactly what I paid for, I paid for a cheap stuff, and that's what i got. My theory is just a theory, but I think I will stick to my 700 TC from now on. And for the winter I would love to get a set of flannel sheets too I could not care less if there is any TC involved or not. There is a proverb in Finland: The poor man can not afford the cheap stuff. I'm telling you, the old folks know sometimes!<br />
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If you remember I took on a gigantic project of crocheting a bead spread for the Beast (I prefer Monstah or Bugout). It looks pretty masculine on the outside but there is no reason it has to look like that on the inside too, which it actually does right now. I am determined to decorate it to look a little less like the Zombie Apocalypse Vehicle. So my plan is to girly it up with some fresh colors and soft materials and the bead spread is one of those things that is going to make it look a little less aggressive. I am still a long way from finishing it, mostly because of the lack of time to work on it, but I am not too worried, once we hit the road, I should be able to work on it at least for a little while every day. And it will get done pretty soon even if it is just little at a time. I have only less than one third of the length but I am not rushing it, I am sure couple months on the road will do wonders for this project.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-27433543769227785442013-03-16T19:31:00.000-05:002013-03-16T19:35:26.180-05:00Moving AlongAs our latest progress has been slow, we are definitely still moving but the pace is almost unnoticeable. The faucets are still half installed since Lee hurt his back in a hockey game (no penalties for the assaulter either, shame on refs!). He is hopping around but sounds like me when he tries to get up from the bed. So the progress inside the RV has been MIA but we have done some shopping for the things we are going to be taking for the road.<br />
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We purchased a new Oxygenics shower head, still have to get another part for it to make using it a bit more water conservative and user friendlier. We are excited about it and we believe it will make a big difference to have a well functioning shower. We got the brushed nickel one, which is a little bit more expensive but will be more durable in the long run. I believe the price tag on it was just short of $45 and we think the shipping was free from Amazon. I also want to get a long hose for the shower head, since that will be the only place where I can wash the dogs and they generally don't care for standing in a shower, never understood why ;o)<br />
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The next thing we bought was a wire fence. We actually bought 3 sets of play pens but you can connect them together to form a fence. This is so the dogs can move around a little bit without having to be leashed all the time. The plan is to use them outside the RV like actual fence. We still need to get something to block the dogs from being able to go under the RV so we need to also buy fencing that is not as high, chicken wire would do if everything else fails. The fence is needed for the youngsters, Nelli is a good girl and stays by our side where ever we go but the two little Greyhounds can't be trusted. Louie would probably be fine and follow us but Pixie would just take off and keep going until she would end up being a dinner for a coyote. This is a Greyhound thing, they are goofy and can not be trusted with open doors or gates. Now they have room to go in an out of the RV without being leashed. Yay! I am sure it will get tiring to set it up and pull down and store while we are on the road but it definitely will be better than the alternative. The fence (that's what I call it, since that is how we are going to be using it) happened to be on 40% sale at Petco when I searched for it. I kept comparing and looking at different options but these seemed good quality and cheaper with the sale price than anywhere else. So I decided to go to see if we had them in our local store... until I realized that it was almost midnight, and it was the last day of the sale. So I had about 3 minutes to finish my order or pay about $150 more after the sale. I did not want to have to pay more, so I panicked and ordered them and ended up paying with the taxes and free shipping $188.32. It was pricey but could have been much worse. The normal price for one set was $99.99, we ordered three of them. Sale price was $57.99 per unit and the sales tax was about $15. Deal, I think! Now we just really hope they will work for us the way we visioned.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7B7SMGEvFb-8agxbDebGZTjq5ZQd1pQc2Q9lQwkfmWrve6WoAXxNI8xb7s1vcXig_7jdtWFF1pC-WbbiamCUpkpo_zwNs9KKXQowbaykoLpKOskUtKiwU10dTLohBefXFqaar2kkJc1d/s1600/146.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji7B7SMGEvFb-8agxbDebGZTjq5ZQd1pQc2Q9lQwkfmWrve6WoAXxNI8xb7s1vcXig_7jdtWFF1pC-WbbiamCUpkpo_zwNs9KKXQowbaykoLpKOskUtKiwU10dTLohBefXFqaar2kkJc1d/s400/146.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is just one of the three play pens that we purchased, we had to get the <br />
48" tall ones to prevent these greyhounds from hopping over it,<br />
now we just hope they won't.<br />
Pixie seems to think she is held captive against her will: "Help!"</td></tr>
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We also were able to put a check mark in front of the Zero Gravity chairs on our to buy list. I am so excited, I love those chairs, I feel like getting rid of our couches and just chill out on our chairs all day long. I was a little bit skeptic if they would be as good as reviews were or if I got the right ones since it sounded that the radius they moved was not very much. The radius is more than needed. Me happy! I received my chairs just a couple days after ordering them from the Overstock, fast, I am telling you! The chairs were around $90 for a pair, depending on color, we wanted the tan ones so they will not be absorbing too much heat in the sun and two chairs were $91.99. I also got off 10% in coupon savings for being their customer for the first time, that took away $9.20 and shipping was free. So I got my two chairs for $82.79. I thought that was a great deal.</div>
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I also purchased couple sets of king size sheets for our RV. One of the sets was 1600 TC and the other one was 1800 TC, both Egyptian cotton. The shipping was $2 and the sets themselves cost $29 a piece. I ordered them from www.nomorerack.com. I have never seen so high thread count sheets for that cheap. Can't believe my luck. I hope the quality is as good as I would assume for that kind of thread count. That's it for now for shopping.<br />
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We have tossed around the options of different flooring. We really would like to go with hardwood, but since we have these crazy critters that do all kinds of crazy stuff 24/7, we are starting to lean towards the vinyl flooring. They make really nice wood looking planks that are 100% water proof and looks like also idiot proof on installation, which will hopefully benefit us. So far we are waiting on Lee's back feeling better and his work to be over with, then we are going to switch the gear and go full speed ahead with everything.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-19232671739514075332013-02-18T21:48:00.000-06:002013-02-18T22:34:42.705-06:00New FaucetsWell, this was a post I was supposed to write a couple weeks ago and it was supposed to have complete story about how to change the faucets and pictures pronto and all those shenanigans. Guess what, it isn't.<br />
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We have tried for couple of weeks to change the fancy golden faucets from the 80's TV series Dynasty, I can not stand the gold, black and white interior we have, it is so outdated looking that nobody believes the RV is really from 2002. All that is cosmetic after all and we are not in huge rush to change everything but I believe once we hit the road I will be spending most of my days trying to get the RV to look like fairly modern couple lives there.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still thinking we have it done in next 5 mins. Not so much.</td></tr>
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We bought the new faucets, and were kind of limited to one hole models or to those that allow you to choose 3 or 1 hole option. The pickings were slim but we made a purchase. We are not raving about the faucets, they are not exactly what I really would wanted but considering that what I really wanted is not going to ever work where we need it to go, nor would I have money to pay for such a piece of art. So all in all we are quite happy with our non-golden choices. We are replacing both kitchen and bathroom fixtures and were first bummed that we couldn't find them with the same kind of finishings but since we aren't most likely staring at them at the same time, it will most likely be forgotten issue as soon as we figure out how to connect the new ones.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whaaaat????</td></tr>
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It took a bit of time and a degree in magic to get the old kitchen tap out. The space is really tight and the visibility is very poor. After shoving your hands through the hole in a wall, the visibility was non existing. But after all, that was the easy part. We thought we are just going to re-attach the new one and move on to the bathroom to do the same. We ran into the problems as soon as we got the new faucet to where it was supposed to be, re-attaching the water was not as easy as we thought, the piping for cold water was for some reason too short, so we needed to find an attachment that will make it a bit longer and as we became to notice, also deliver the water to the faucet and not leak under the sink. Finding the right piece has been a case of trial and so far only error. Lee has already gotten tired of driving back and fort to the Home Depot and made the decision to drive the rig over there so he can fix it close to where he can just go to exchange the parts that more than likely weren't right. The size of a piping is not standard, so getting those the faucet and pipe to connect might take some adjusting. It doesn't help that Lee works 14 hour days, not much is left of a day to work on other projects once he is done and on his days off, hockey rules our lives. Ok, hockey rules his life.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This should be the after picture, but it is just <br />
the meanwhile picture.</td></tr>
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So hopefully I will have something to report soon about our fantastic new fixtures, other than we are still working on them. We are glad we didn't decide to do this while on the road. We aren't used to doing the handy stuff ourselves but this is going to change right now. We are going to have to do it ourselves once we hit the road, so we have to start rather sooner than later.<br />
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<iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="600" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6627866.236374;sz=300x600;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000613802463918;pid=54597;usg=AFHzDLubXLJfaWN2vJcL143sDgO22v6pXQ;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.abt.com%252Fproduct%252F54597%252FBlanco-440557.html;pubid=581359;price=%24527.25;title=Blanco+Meridian+Semi+Professional+Pull+Down+Spray+Satin+Nickel+Kitchen+Faucet+-+440557;desc=Solid+Brass+Body%2F+Ceramic+Disc+Cartridge%2F+Color+Coded+Hot+%26+Cold+Supply+Lines%2F+Reversible+Mounting+Hardware%2F+2.2+GPM+Flow%2F+Satin+Nickel+Finish;merc=Abt+Electronics+%26+Appliances;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fcontent.abt.com%2Fmedia%2Fimages%2Fproducts%2Fl_440557.jpg;width=126;height=250" vspace="0" width="300"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-68162675986445568782013-01-30T01:00:00.002-06:002013-01-30T01:02:26.028-06:00Bead Soup Party - Blog Hop Event<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Some of you know that I am a glass artist. I have a degree in glass blowing but I love working also on a smaller scale. I make little glass beads and sculptures using torch, this is called lampworking. I signed up to the Bead Soup Party, which is a blog hop event where we are paired with another person and we exchange beads, one focal and coordinating beads to go with it (I make mine of glass, my partner maybe doesn't) and a special clasps. Using these provided supplies we make jewelry and post it on a set reveal date on our blogs. Then the list of blogs is published and we can hop from one blog to another to see everyone's creations. </div>
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So in the beginning of April I will be hopping from one blog to another. You should too!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-31234541716410144912013-01-28T20:31:00.003-06:002013-01-28T20:31:50.609-06:00Silence of the Lambs<br />
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Yes, we have been sheepishly quiet, there has not been much to report lately but we are hoping that this will be changing soon. The exciting news is that the last time we took our rig out for a holiday with the family; one of the critters managed to pee in it without us noticing (the ugly carpet hides stuff well, I guess it is good and bad... in this case, very bad) and we were sure there is some sort of leak in a black tank, that's how bad it smelled. Appears that we will be changing the flooring sooner than later, while it has been standing without any use for weeks, it has started to stink. No good! So bye bye carpet, we are not sad to see you go! But we are sad to have to do the work to get it changed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">I think it is one of these two who peed on the carpet... </td></tr>
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We had some resilient cold fronts here that seemed to make the winter last longer than usual, and we hadn't really winter proofed anything in the RV and it seems that we have sprung some leaks in there. Both faucets, the one in the kitchen and the one in bathroom are leaking and we were so glad we had to buy new ones to replace them. You will not believe the rig was made in 2002, it looks like from the Dynasty, everything is black and white and on top of that (like a cherry on the ice cream) the fine golden faucets and other hardware in the bathroom. Scary if you ask me. But at least the most obvious eyesores will be now replaced.<br />
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Today we did some shopping, the new water fixtures, some plumber's tape and a Payday candy bar to keep us alive until our Monday tradition (Indian buffet with our good friend). The faucets are stinking expensive, and we suffered $200 plus taxes. We also filled up the propane tank in our Beastie and did our first dump ever. It was exciting. I was just expecting a scene from the movie RV rolling in front of our eyes but our excitement was short lived and nothing happened. It wasn't even as stinky as I thought it would be. I think it was stinkier inside the rig. We also bought a new black water tank hose with some gloves and that brought us to spend another $140 and then some at the RV place. We were eyeballing the LED light bulbs, new shower head and new latches, but didn't want to spend more today, partially cause we didn't find exactly what we wanted and $350 in one day is enough, gotta do some working in between shopping sprees. We will be back to upgrade the light bulbs, shower head and the latches on our cabinets.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5545124704469774431.post-19893255698188411802012-12-30T02:16:00.001-06:002012-12-30T13:34:06.147-06:00Bugging Out And BootleggingIt has been one busy and long Christmas for us. We celebrated 4 days in a row and now we are exhausted. Though I had a chance to go to work to get a little bit of "rest". We took the Revcon for the first trip hoping that all the issues with the fridge and what ever else would have been resolved. We were pleased to notice that indeed they were. As expected the dogs were all fine, excluding Pixie, who always freaks out if we go somewhere. Just a matter of getting used to that sort of thing, or so we hope. The drive itself down to South of Texas to meet the family was uneventful, though once we had a deer run in front of a rig. That was not entirely unexpected, there are lots of deer around, but what surprised us was that it was in the middle of the day.<br />
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We arrived to our destination and camped out at Lee's cousins house, where they have repeatedly provided us with their RV hook up and this time we almost blew up their Christmas lights. They have a nice level driveway that we were allowed to use. This might not sound like anything special, but I can tell you that it felt luxurious compared to our driveway which is not level nor is it long enough for our rig. We have done some creative parking blocking the use of our garage, but let's get back to the story. We spent the first night thinking that only the greyhounds would be able to climb up to the bed above the cabin and we were right. We did not expect though that the old girl Nelli would decide that she wants her place between our pillows, but as soon as we decided to hit the hay, there she was staring up at us and making noise and we knew that there would be no end to that if we didn't give in (14 years of training us has paid out). Plus she is surprisingly easy to ignore, since she doesn't really take a space that we would use anyways. We slept our night tightly and warm despite of the close to freezing temperatures. We also came to a realization that we need to add a rail and a step to our bed to keep the dogs from hopping down to the floor from that high. All of them did jump down at some point without requiring any broken bones, but it will be just a matter of time if they keep doing it.<br />
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The next day the weather warmed up nicely and we went for a Christmas dinner with Lee's mothers side of the family. I only wish I had taken pictures there, the house and the few acres of a lot is simply amazingly beautiful, it is surrounded by the fence and cattle guard, and they usually have cattle too, but due to last two years of drought the cattle has been sold and the donkeys are claiming it as their territory. The old crooked oaks shade the lot nicely and every time we visit I dream of finding as lovely place for us. I would never even consider moving again! Oh yes, the dinner... The dinner was like usually nothing short of delicious and it fed tens of people. The dishes were beyond the drooliest dreams and we stuffed ourselves silly and drove back to our dream spot on our cousin's driveway.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How lucky do you have to be to have views like this every day<br />
from your porch?</td></tr>
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Before going to bed, the cousin's husband, Lee's sister and her husband plus we two hang outside talking and the discussion for some reason geared towards zombie apocalypse, prepping and they decided that the Revcon should be the bug out vehicle when the crap hits the fan. The plans to mount some heavy artillery and to use dry erase board as lining inside was brought up and of course nobody would take us seriously without run flat tires. This conversation pointed out the direction for days to come too and this Christmas will go into the history as Zombie Christmas. Alas, the time goes fast and soon it was the time to crawl back into our cave to sleep. The night was hot, and the dogs were restless, making our sleep a bit sporadic.<br />
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The next day we drove to the city to Lee's grandmother's house to meet the father's side of the family. We were greeted as soon as we walked in with a cold beer, of course Shiner, since we are in Texas. The cousins and aunts and uncles, nieces and nephews, boyfriends and girlfriends and what not all filled up tummies with another amazing setting of holiday foods and all kinds of appetizers and deserts. If anyone left hungry, it was their own fault, food was delicious and there was plenty of it. We also took a yearly family picture, this year being special, since we are pretty sure everyone made it, not one person was missing of the fun. The next part of the day was the high light of the year. The big bootlegging: liquor exchange, there is no better fun that it is. We do the Chinese Christmas where we either open a concealed present or steal someone else's present. And each present is available for stealing three times. And the liquor is high quality and there is plenty of it, the stealing goes on for quite a while. The plotting and planning is so fun. I left with a keg of my favorite beer Newcastle and Lee got two bottles of Texas wine with a stack of scratch offs.<br />
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Soon we had to head out to Dallas. The dogs slept most of the way home, they were too tired of all the excitement and about worrying when ever we left them into the RV alone. Next time they will know better what to expect.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louie, pretty perfect travel dog</td></tr>
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The next day would be Christmas Eve, the day Finnish people celebrate their Christmas. We have now for few years had the tradition that I make the Finnish Christmas meal and Lee's sisters family and mother will come over and we will eat all together. So we did this year too, except that it is becoming more of a tradition and we actually sat down almost till midnight talking and having fun. At least I really enjoyed it. The three kids are all old enough to be able to take a part in our conversations and we really enjoy their sense of humor. They are all really great kids, so much fun to be around them. The clean up was really easy too, we had dogs to do the dishes ;o)<br />
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The weather turned back to really cold again in the wee hours of Christmas Day and it started hailing and raining and the aluminum roof was very loud keeping us awake. We also realized that getting the greyhounds to potty outside became a serious chore. So the next morning we headed to Lee's mother's house for the actual Christmas celebration. We were hours late, since the weather kept us awake the night before and getting the dogs settled took longer. I am sure that the kids were just about to go bonkers waiting for us to come over so that they can open the presents. First we ate breakfast, which is traditionally corn beef gravy with some toast. I remember thinking it was strange food when I first ate it, now I am expecting it as a breakfast every Christmas.<br />
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We told everyone not to buy us any presents this year, but that of course didn't happen. But we really can't complain, we received some really amazing present, like a table top grill for the RV from my sister in laws family, some LED lanterns and lights and the cutest flip flops ever, just to mention some. All in all, Christmas was lots of fun and for a very long time. It remains as my favorite holiday and next time it might be very different if we get our plan in action. We shall see! For now I am happy this Christmas is over. I enjoyed it a lot, but considering all our dinners around Christmas they just all happened one after another and it can be kind of tiring. Still I wouldn't miss any of those days!<br />
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