Solar solution to pack rats chewing on vehicle wiring

27 Feb, 2018; Tucson AZ

Not sure this works, but it makes me feel better!!

Many people in the SW report damage to their car's wiring from hungry little rodents.  Apparently, these little guys hate light - so most folks leave their hoods up and/or put a flashlight on the engine at night.  I don't worry too much about the trailer as it's sealed underneath - not much for rodents to get into.

I have some solar light strings.

Lately, I've been laying out a line of solar lights and then parking the car over it.  That way, after dark I have lights under the SUV.  Sometimes, I put a couple of cheap solar light sticks on the engine block and raise the hood a bit.  The lights seem to last a whole night.

I like the solar light strings that can be unplugged from the solar panel - that way I can put the solar panel in the sun if the car happens to be in the shade.  Then, after dark, I just plug it back in to the light string.

Lessons to learn . . . .and, apparently, re-learn

26 Feb, 2018;  Tucson AZ

Green slime in my fresh water tank . . .  again!!

I turned on my kitchen sink and even though the pump was working mightily - only a small trickle of water came out.  I checked the filter on the water pump and YUCK - it was filled with green gunk.  I emptied it 3 times!

I realized that I had forgotten the most important difference between city water and well water.  City water is chemically treated; well water is not.  I had only been thinking of the extra minerals and salts and had forgotten to take into account that well water is OK as long as you're using it up - but left in a hot, stagnant water tank, it will grow stuff.  I had been buying water for drinking and just ignoring the water in my tanks (only using it for showers, dishes and toilet).  For a week in Apache Junction I was hooked up to city water and so not using my fresh tank water at all.  That's all it took to create an abundant growth of gunk.

Time to sanitize my tanks!  I had just enough bleach left to pour into the tank and run through all my faucets.  I let it soak overnight and then emptied my tanks on the way to Tucson.  I'll  have to drain my hot water heater too - this will give my an opportunity to clean it and replace the anode.

Now, I just need to do a couple of rinses to get the bleach and any remaining gunk out of the tank and lines.

It'll probably be awhile before I trust the fresh water to drink!

It's all good in the desert.  Having camped in many degrees of sophistication - from backpacking to kayak camping to my little trailer, adversity is rarely a big problem.  In web development, we used to call this 'graceful degradation' - meaning if your high-tech environment wasn't working, you could gracefully back up and get the job done with a more primitive mode of technology.

Loat Dutchman State Park

18 Feb, 2018; Apache Junction, AZ

Lovely park just minutes from Apache Junction

I stayed at this park a couple of years ago for a few days (in an overflow area; reservations for the campground need to be made a year in advance!!).  It's nestled at the base of the Superstition Mountains and just 5 miles from Apache Junction.  

I think this was called the Needle - just a few miles from the Superstition Mtns.

The Superstitions with some cholla lurking about waiting to jump on some unwary person.

There are a number of hikes, mountain bike trails and even a short interpretive walk with a lot of information on the geology, plants and animals.  Lots and lots of cholla of different varieties: teddy bear, staghorn and, my favorite, chainfruit - shown below!

I saw this great wounded saguaro - clearly showing the rib structure.

And, this piece of dead saguaro (would you call this the skin or the bark??)

A really nice place to go for a not-too-strenuous day hike.  And a great place to camp if you think really, really far ahead!

Sun and exposure to the weather–everything deteriorates!

16 Feb, 2018; Apache Junction, AZ

Canvass rots, plastic either gets gooey or brittle, things leak . . . .

This summer while I was in Portland I took my poor bicycle into the shop for some work.  The plastic handgrips had gone gooey, the brakes were sticking and everything squeaked.  New cables all around and new grips put the bike back in repair.  I had a small map bag on the handlebars that I had to toss – the velcro had totally deteriorated.  Same with the small under seat bag – the zipper had ripped out and the whole thing was dangling by a thread.  The canvass on my pannier, even though I mostly store it in the car between uses was also deteriorating along with all the metal parts rusting out.  My red blinky on the back was also only good for the trash.

This got me thinking about how quickly stuff wears out when exposed to the sun and the weather 24/7.  It made me appreciate my fiberglass trailers so much – after 10 years, my last trailer (the Greyt Escape) still looked and worked great!  En Plein Aire, even after full-timing for 18 months also still works and looks great!


But, I’m aware that I need to keep up on all the maintenance and keep an eye out to notice problems early.  Putting my awning out the other day, I notice that the velcro safety straps are just about rotted thru – time to shop for some new ones!

And eventually, on a bike ride, a tire will self destruct . . . 

I had been biking around the RV Park with my friend Karen, when she noticed something wrong with my back tire.  I couldn't feel anything and, when I checked, it still had air and was tight on the axle.  But, about a half hour later as I rode back to my trailer, I could feel a distinct wobble in the back.  The whole sidewall was crumbling!

Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior AZ

15 Feb, 2018; Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Superior AZ

Visiting the Arboretum with my friend, Karen

I'm visiting a Portland friend who just bought into a winter property in Apache Junction, AZ.  She's quite the gardener so we planned a trip to the Arboretum.  WOW!!  What an amazing place.  Cactus and other plants from the Sonoran, Chihuahuan desert, plus sections dedicated to Australian and South American plants.  

Huge Eucalyptus!!

Me and Karen

Aren't these lovely!!

Lots of agave and barrel cactus were in bloom

This saguaro had to be several stories tall!!

A South American variety of Palo Verde

Very narrow path along a creek

Karen - enjoying all the variety!  

Cloudy - but only sprinkled a couple of times

So Lush!

After walking around the Arboretum, we decided to drive thru nearby Superior, AZ in search of a cute diner - we found a sports bar (not really) full of nostalgic history from the area - old hotel signs, newspaper articles on mining and other local history.

As a bonus, the food was amazingly good!!

North Ranch Escapee RV Park - Smart Weigh!

13 Feb, 2018; North Ranch RV Park, Congress AZ

Time to weigh in!

One year ago, I had my SUV and trailer weighed to make sure that I wasn't over-weight or unbalanced.  The Escapees RV Club Smart Weigh ($55) does a really comprehensive job.  First, they record the weight on each tire of your tow vehicle without the trailer.  Then, you go hook up and they re-weigh each tire on the tow vehicle and each tire on the trailer.  They compare this to the load-bearing weight for your tires, the overall weight for tow vehicle, trailer and combined weight allowances.  

They even measure the height of your trailer too - great info when you're going under trees or low bridges.

Anyway, last year, even though I was overall under-weight - I was not balanced!  Too much weight on the back end of the SUV was not safe.  So, I added weight distribution bars and was anxious to see how my numbers looked this year.

Success!!  The numbers came out near perfect!!  very balanced all the way around and well beneath max wgt for SUV and trailer.

I don't have any pictures of the process - because, of course, my weight counts too and I was in the car.  But, North Ranch is a great place and they have a lovely, if confusing cactus garden.

Cactus cup dispensers?

or sun screening for sensitive plants

"You can't see me; I'm hidden"

Quaartzite 11th Annual Fiberglass Rally

Feb 12, 2018; Dome Rock, Quartzite AZ

"It's like those big motorhomes all had babies!"

It's hard to describe or get good photos of 200 little fiberglass trailers (13'-21') popping up all over the Dome Rock camping area. Twice a day, I wander around (getting my steps in!) to greet old friends and meet some new folks.  Friends from Calgary (Jim and Lisa, with Jasper), Grand Jan, Lynne and David, from the Southeast, Jon Vermilye from New York - we come from everywhere to form this community for a week or so.  

Folks help each other with trailer problems, share tips and ideas (thanks Jill and Randy for the sunshade tips), the ladderball tournament, the yummy desert potluck (why have dinner - just skip straight to the good stuff!), great campfires, music jams, and on and on.  All under clear, sunny skies!

So much desert!!

Firewood galore!

Everyone gives trailer tours - you can see most manufacturers represented and most models offered and usually in a variety of years.  Oliver trailers had about a dozen trailers here - one was a model brought just to show folks!

I gave a trailer tour to Pam, who is considering an Escape 19 (just that little bit bigger than her Casita).  She had made a bunch of really cute potholder gifts to give away.   She even had orange!!

Lots of good dog-walks and short hikes

I always love to walk in the desert.  Old abandoned mines are covered for safety; the discarded piles of rock are a good place to look for especially bright or unusually colored rock.

Teddy Bear Cholla - waiting to snag a ride on an unwary hiker

Desert sculpture

Last evening serenades

Kamala, Jaimie, Lanson, and Clete

My propane firepit is sweet - but no match for the fire in the sky!

Rock Solid Awning

7 Feb, 2018; Dome Rock BLM, Quartzite AZ

Losing the Paha Que shade tent to wind was traumatic

After losing my cute Paha Que a couple years ago in a wind storm, I've been even more cautious about deploying my (much more expensive) awning. 

But, a few weeks ago, I met Duke and Beverly and admired their awning set-up with their Escape 19.  Duke told me that he has had the awning out in 35 mph winds!  Probably too much for me - but maybe I'd feel safer with his setup.

awning de-flapper

More things to shop for in Tyson Wells and the big RV tent!

I found some great awning straps and awning de-flappers.  The stakes that came with the straps weren't going to work in the hard desert sand/rock, so I looked around until I found some perfect rebar stakes with welded-on loops.  Then, I got a couple buckle carabiners to hook the straps to the stakes.  Along with the sturdy awning arms, I  felt the awning was rock-solid!

With gusts at 23 mph, I took down the sunblock shades (and then the awning).

The awning and shade set up worked great in breezy winds, but as it got more gusty, the trailer was rocking.  Luckily, everything is easy to put up and just as fast and easy to take down.  

I love having some shade - makes the trailer cooler and is a nice place to sit without having to move a chair every couple hours as the shade moves around the trailer.  I have to admit that I use it more when I'm alone - with friends, we usually like to spread out more.

After 4 winter visits, I still find new places to explore

29 Jan, 2018; Quartzite AZ

Hi Jolly Cemetery

A few days ago, I had some time on my hands between appointments in Quartzite.  So, I decided to visit this local attraction.

Hadji Ali is a famous character here – he was a camel driver from Syria who was brought over by the US military in an experiment using camels as transport animals in the area.  He had a successful career and is memorialized in the Hi Jolly (locals had a hard time with his name and this corruption is commonly used) cemetery.

No grass and shady trees in this cemetery!

There’s a lot of rock around here – lots and lots of rock.  The white quartz can be very pretty.  I’m told that quartz is often often near gold – which makes sense considering the gold, silver and other mining that was done in the area.

While the grave sites seem very plain; at least the sky overhead is spectacular at dawn and sunset!

Desert Denizens

28 Jan, 2018; Quartzite AZ

I have been enjoying my hummingbirds

I have one very small hummer who hangs out in the Ocotillo right behind my feeder.  This one makes a clicking sound periodically.  I usually enjoy a second cup of tea and read outside in the sun and enjoy the company of this little guy. 

A few days ago, a larger hummingbird appeared.  This one had a drink (with no complaint from the perching smaller one. But, after feeding, the larger hummingbird (might be a Rufous) flew straight up and executed 3 screaming (yah, I know the sound is made by the tail feathers – but it sounds like a high pitched whistle or scream) dewive bombs at the perching hummingbird before the to of them fly off in a chase.  This pattern is repeated several times a day.

And yes, that does mean that I spend an inordinate amount of time just sitting in the sun.

Today, I have new visitors

Today, while enjoying the morning,  I notice a bunch (half a dozen or so) of little chipmunks or ground squirrels, or something like that , all chasing and scurrying about in the wash just next to my campsite.  I moved, heard a warning cry from several of them and they disappeared into small burrows.  Took about 10 minutes before they were brave enough to come back out.  Now wary, I only got one picture today (but I’ll be watching again this afternoon).


For the first time today, I also noticed a hawk flying over – coincidence?  I think not.  Clearly, the little rodents have more to fear than just me.

This is a little guy, but the bigger ones have stripes down their backs.