Today would be one of those days we would be camped out inside the rig, it looks like the PNW has arrived in southern Indiana today....dark, light constant rain. The coffee is hot, the hounds are back to sleep wrapped up in sleeping bags and a full schedule of college football is planned.
I feel myself slowly migrating to my own winterizing, by hibernating in the house preparing for a winter that is a month to two months away. Another words nothing is going on to blog about, besides a normal daily life. It's the job during the week, a daily dog walk in the afternoon, some reading at night, time on the internet and then to bed with the windows open in mid 40's temps.
This time of year I find perfect in Indiana. The days are sunny, clear and temps in the mid 70's. Can't feel the humidity if there is any. The leaves are turning colors slowly but this year they are a dull color, nothing vibrant, that makes people drive a lot of miles to observe the bright colors.
Last weekend was out of the ordinary for my schedule as I was helping a friend out that had a family emergency. Still besides the rig repair a few weekends ago I find myself having just enough time to finish the odds and ends around the house. It's those typical weekends when you have a job during the week and are a homeowner. There is always something that has to be done, like errands, recycling runs, dog vet trips, yard work, and maybe some preventive maintenance on the house.
The camping urge has seemed to disappeared. Is it time to winterize the rig?
After backing out of buying the Lil Snoozy trailer in September, I mentioned I had no plans to buy a trailer or any rig until I was getting ready to leave in the spring of 2014. I said and thought that because why would I buy a rig in the fall and then have to park it all winter for lack of use? I can only justify my earlier than planned purchase with a few reasons. The rig condition was the best I had seen in the used rigs I had looked at over the past couple of years. It had everything I needed, plenty of room for the hounds and I. It was local (not planned) so that saved me a lot of money in gas driving it home or shipping charges if I were to have bought it out of state. I was able to look through the rig before purchase and make a decision instead of traveling many miles to see it in person.
Those are some of the reasons that keep me from second guessing an earlier than planned purchase.
I must admit, at times I do wonder if I made the right decision in making the purchase earlier than I had planned. At times I feel like selling it. Then I sit inside the rig and think about my plans for the spring of 2014. I have re-inspected every nook and corner inside and out. It always feels good spending time in the rig. The hounds love being inside it, each of them have their own spots now. It feels good when I picture the rig moving down the back highways heading west. When I think of the places I am going to go, pictures of places of the people I follow on the sidebar and some old places I have been to in previous travels ... It's during the times I spend inside the rig that I know I have made the right decision in making a purchase earlier than I had planned.
The rig is in great shape. More than enough storage for just one person, plenty of room for two or three 40# bags of dog food, good size tanks, a TempurPedic mattress to sleep on and enough windows to enjoy the scenery when having to camp inside like we would be doing today.
Even with conflicting urges of hibernation like usual this time of year in the midwest and a slight urge of "hitch itch" .... all is good. Patience is required right now and that's always a hard thing for me. Next spring can't get here soon enough.
It's great to see all of the movement from the travelers I follow, each going somewhere different based on their needs/urges. I just need to get out there and join them because I would feel a lot better.
Have a great weekend.
October 19, 2013
October 13, 2013
Coach Battery Switch & Thoughts
Answers to my questions came fast today as I checked the charge to my coach battery. The battery was fully charged. I changed the path of the extension cord that runs from my house outlet to the rig electrical power cable. Before I had it running out my door while home and would unhook power during the times I was at work or away from the house. With the fridge running all the time, thinking that would switch automatically to gas when the power was unhooked, could that have been the culprit to running down the charge of the house battery? So yesterday afternoon I moved the extension cord to the back of the house to the rig power cable, where I can leave it plugged in all the time.
This morning I unplugged my house electric from the rig, went inside the rig and checked what would or wouldn't turn on using the coach battery. Everything came on using the coach battery including the generator, which started right up.
So I am not sure what the draw was to run down my coach battery but with the overnight charge, it's up to speed, fully charged. Maybe it was the broken pin on the 15A-30A adapter that I found last week and replaced or the time I unplugged it while I was away from the house.
I did not find any interior battery switch to turn the coach battery on or off. What I believe the seller called the switch is the green knob pictured below. The pictures below are what the seller showed me when he described of turning off the coach battery.
This morning I unplugged my house electric from the rig, went inside the rig and checked what would or wouldn't turn on using the coach battery. Everything came on using the coach battery including the generator, which started right up.
So I am not sure what the draw was to run down my coach battery but with the overnight charge, it's up to speed, fully charged. Maybe it was the broken pin on the 15A-30A adapter that I found last week and replaced or the time I unplugged it while I was away from the house.
I did not find any interior battery switch to turn the coach battery on or off. What I believe the seller called the switch is the green knob pictured below. The pictures below are what the seller showed me when he described of turning off the coach battery.
 |
| Switch Turned On |
 |
| Switch Turned Off |
The knob was tightly screwed down to the "on" position. So I am thinking there was something drawing against that battery while I had the house power unplugged during the 9-10 hours per day I was at work. Today I shut off the fridge, leaving the doors open and will only turn that back on a day before I hit the road for any weekend trips this fall and winter. I also have the tv unplugged while I am parked.
The more I look at the rig, the more I like it and realize I have plenty of storage even if I were to full-time travel. Also the hounds love it, if the coach door is open, all three run inside without saying a word. The overhead bed will be used as more storage with a possibility of mounting my 46" tv from home in that area and strapped down during travel....that is way down the road though if that happens.
The oil level in the generator looks good, propane tank is 1/2 full, the Chevy fuel tank is 1/2 full and the convection stove/microwave combo, the 3 spot range all look like they have never been used.
After a lot of thinking recently, I believe I have downsized about as far as I want to go. A few weeks ago I posted that I was moving everything into the rig as if I were leaving and selling or getting rid of everything left in the house.....but I haven't had the urge to get rid of the things left in the house which there isn't much left. Yes, for someone single, some might think I have too many vehicles (my weakness) but they each have a purpose, low mileage, fairly cheap to license and insure them. So until I decide differently I am going to keep all the vehicles I have whether if I am on the road or not. They are pictured on "The Toys" page, linked at the top of the blog.
The house? Many readers will remember I went back and forth on selling or keeping it all summer. In fact co-workers that drive by my house to and from work said they could not keep up with the number of times I took the "for sale by owner" sign down, then would put it up. LOL I haven't thought much about it lately, so that tells me this paid off small home will stay as my base camp, one that is about 1,500 - 2,000 miles from where I will be traveling. At least if I am sitting out west somewhere and become am tired of traveling I have a place I can return to.
I don't think I will be leaving before November 2013 like I would like. Financially it's best if I leave as I planned in October 2011....leave in April/May 2014. By leaving at that time my first year traveling may be a full year simply because I do not want to come back and live in the winter's cold, snowy and icy weather in Indiana. So I might return home in the spring of 2015. That year would give me a pretty good idea if I want to be a part timer or a full time traveler. After that, I'd leave October/November time frame for warmer temps and return in April....unless I want to eliminate the humidity, then westward I would go.
After the past couple weeks that were a little frustrating I think things will calm down a little now that I know more how this "thing" operates, plus the plans seems to be falling into place.
October 12, 2013
Learning More About the Rig
Today is a pretty lazy Saturday. I had plans to meet and camp on a fellow blog reader's land this weekend but I had to cancel Friday morning due to helping a friend with some emergency help this weekend. His news proved again, you never know what is around the corner in the game of life.
The rig looked ready for the short road trip to his property, so hopefully it can happen a different weekend before it gets colder in the Midwest.
Since the oil line repair, it's been very quiet, not much to write about as life moves on at a normal pace. I did have something new happen on the RV this week that may just be my mistake until I learn otherwise.
I have been running power from my house into the RV only when home because that extension cord runs from inside my house to the RV. While gone I need to shut and lock the door. I just had a different idea on how to run that cord, so changes may be today so I can have the rig constantly hooked up to power.
What I found is, when the rig is not hooked up to power, then I have no power inside the rig. The coach battery is dead. When I start the rig, she fires right up without hesitation. I thought while hooked up to power, there was a "trickle" charge to the coach battery. The previous owner had installed a quick disconnect on the coach battery but I can't remember that he told me I needed to do anything with that if I was parked and hooked up.
Once I am hooked up, everything works fine.
With the lack of battery power, I thought the fridge would automatically move to propane but that doesn't seem to be the case. Without hooks ups, there is no power to the fridge, no lights and no longer cool/cold inside the fridge.
While chasing possible electrical problem for the coach battery going dead I did find the 15A -30A adapter had a broken pin so I picked up a new one at the local hardware store that has a new RV section of popular brand names of RV accessories.
Even after a night of the new adapter and electrical power hook up, once I unplugged, there was no power inside the rig.
I'll look at it again Sunday morning .... but for the rest of the day and night tonight is my addiction...College Football.
Have a great weekend!!
The rig looked ready for the short road trip to his property, so hopefully it can happen a different weekend before it gets colder in the Midwest.
Since the oil line repair, it's been very quiet, not much to write about as life moves on at a normal pace. I did have something new happen on the RV this week that may just be my mistake until I learn otherwise.
I have been running power from my house into the RV only when home because that extension cord runs from inside my house to the RV. While gone I need to shut and lock the door. I just had a different idea on how to run that cord, so changes may be today so I can have the rig constantly hooked up to power.
What I found is, when the rig is not hooked up to power, then I have no power inside the rig. The coach battery is dead. When I start the rig, she fires right up without hesitation. I thought while hooked up to power, there was a "trickle" charge to the coach battery. The previous owner had installed a quick disconnect on the coach battery but I can't remember that he told me I needed to do anything with that if I was parked and hooked up.
Once I am hooked up, everything works fine.
With the lack of battery power, I thought the fridge would automatically move to propane but that doesn't seem to be the case. Without hooks ups, there is no power to the fridge, no lights and no longer cool/cold inside the fridge.
While chasing possible electrical problem for the coach battery going dead I did find the 15A -30A adapter had a broken pin so I picked up a new one at the local hardware store that has a new RV section of popular brand names of RV accessories.
Even after a night of the new adapter and electrical power hook up, once I unplugged, there was no power inside the rig.
I'll look at it again Sunday morning .... but for the rest of the day and night tonight is my addiction...College Football.
Have a great weekend!!
October 08, 2013
Oil Cooler Lines Tested - No Leaks
Came home from work with clear sunny skies and 70 degree temps, it was time to finish the job.
The first clip, top of radiator was a little hard to put on at first but after I used my angled mirror to see the bottom of the connector and then a pair of needle nose pliers to pull the clip around the connector, things went pretty quick. It took a total of 20 minutes for the 4 clips but most of that time was on the first clip and the upper connector at the oil filter block underneath the rig.
I wiped everything down so there was no oil from the past, turned the engine on and then looked at all the different connectors, with my small bright LED flashlight....not a drip of oil anywhere. I increased the engine idle speed for a minute or so, then little it idle for about 10 minutes while I went inside to clean up.
After rechecking all of the connectors for leaks, I took it out for a short 12 mile run on the highway at 55mph.
No leaks.
Total cost was around $100 counting the lines and the hook tools I bought. I'm pretty sure I saved myself around $150-$200 in labor if I had a mechanic do the work. I gained a lot of experience and learned more about the rig I bought.
I plan on changing the oil tomorrow just so I can start with clean oil and will know the date, mileage and type of oil without any guess work.
The first clip, top of radiator was a little hard to put on at first but after I used my angled mirror to see the bottom of the connector and then a pair of needle nose pliers to pull the clip around the connector, things went pretty quick. It took a total of 20 minutes for the 4 clips but most of that time was on the first clip and the upper connector at the oil filter block underneath the rig.
I wiped everything down so there was no oil from the past, turned the engine on and then looked at all the different connectors, with my small bright LED flashlight....not a drip of oil anywhere. I increased the engine idle speed for a minute or so, then little it idle for about 10 minutes while I went inside to clean up.
After rechecking all of the connectors for leaks, I took it out for a short 12 mile run on the highway at 55mph.
No leaks.
Total cost was around $100 counting the lines and the hook tools I bought. I'm pretty sure I saved myself around $150-$200 in labor if I had a mechanic do the work. I gained a lot of experience and learned more about the rig I bought.
I plan on changing the oil tomorrow just so I can start with clean oil and will know the date, mileage and type of oil without any guess work.
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