And everything is good again (fingers crossed)

Good news!  It appears when Roger changed the converter fuses, that fixed the problem and now my electrical system is working.  The way it should.  I'm so glad he helped me out.  Yeaaaaa Roger!

And now my computer is also downloading lightning fast - I thought it must be the camp sites I've been in, but David just came by and said the faster downloads are probably due to so many people leaving the area, thus fewer people on the Internet.  He's a computer guy, so he's probably right.  It sure is nice to have some speed again.

I moved into a great new site this afternoon - not the Santa one, this is still in the same area close to the rest of the Dingbats.  Now I have to walk even further to the dumpsters!

Our little corner of the world.  I feel like I'm "home" again in this site.

I'll probably stay here until April.

When Katie and I took our afternoon walk, I noticed a GREAT site that was available.  I had forgotten a couple of Dingbats left early this morning, and their site was still vacant.  We walked over to make sure there wasn't anything there holding the site for someone else, and it was completely empty, so we went back, packed up our chairs and table and little rug, and drove over.

The first site I had in 2011 was on the highway side of the sites abutting this wash in the rear, and this site is at the other end of the wash.  It's a good size, too.  It's in a corner with other rigs fairly close by, but it feels very private.  I'm backed up to a wash with large trees and bushes, and I've already spread birdseed around the bushes that are visible from my windows.  Hopefully tomorrow morning we'll have some little visitors.

The chairs, table, American flag and solar lights are out, again. :)

This little sitting area is tucked away behind the rig, overlooking the wash.

The first dove to come kind of close was in the wash and I got a photo. (Thanks, commenters, quail - not dove. :)  )

It will be nice to sit and watch the birds again.

I'm in a spot where I can see the sunset out my dining table window with no rigs or wires in the way.  Before I always had to walk quite a way to get a clear shot, or I'd end up with lots of rigs in the photo.  That's fine sometimes, I guess, because I am at Quartzsite, but I'd rather get a clear landscape shot of the sunsets.  The sunset tonight should have been a good one, because it's been overcast with lots of clouds in the sky.  Clouds always make a better sunset, I think.  Unfortunately there was a really thick bank of clouds on the horizon, and it hid the sunset. Here's one as the sun is coming down.

It was a beautiful day again, hot, but the cloud cover cooled things down a bit.

It looks like I might have my condo sold, too.  My Realtor e-mailed me this morning - I had a buyer and the offer was accepted, but then the buyer withdrew the offer due to illness.  She was afraid she wouldn't be able to complete the deal.  Today it seems she changed her mind and is going through with her offer.  I sure hope this deal goes through so I'll be done with the condo.

Silly Katie with both her ears back. I've never seen her like this before.

Like a little girl with pigtails.

Tomorrow Hazel is going to town and invited me to come along with her.  We're going to Parker to the Walmart.  I have something to return, and another list of things I want to look at.  It's always fun to go shopping when I've been in camp for a number of days.

From Katie and me, that's it for today!  :)

There goes the TV!

Today was a gorgeous day in Quartzsite.  Warm, no wind, a beautiful evening.  I even sat outside and read for a while this afternoon, and walked over to the Dingbat campfire to visit this evening.  It was just perfect.  

Campfire at Dusk

My campsite is right in the middle of a pretty plain area, with no special bushes or trees to attract birds or critters, but - unlike my last, really nice site where I didn't get TV signals, this site had pretty good reception. I got the three main channels and a few others, too, so I decided I'd stay here.

 

The Palms - near the campfire.  See the wood on the right?

Unfortunately, last night I lost my TV (see below), so when Katie and I took our walk this afternoon, we walked all over the area, looking for a better, prettier site.  I'm going to move sometime this week, but I'll stay in this general area because I'm enjoying the companionship of the Dingbats and want to be fairly close to where they are all camped. 

This little area is where "Santa" was camped in December-remember that photo?  He has left and his camp site is vacant.  This area has little trees, is right off the road, and near the dumpsters - but not too near.  An easy walk.  Nice, level spots.  Lots of places for birds and critters to hide and eat the seed I'll put out.

 An easy walk over to the Dingbats social hour or campfire, or just to visit.

I think when I drive into town tomorrow to Discount Solar, I'll take this spot if it's still vacant when I return.

If you're tired of my generator/electrical issues, stop reading now - otherwise:

The ongoing saga...  I really wish repairmen would do their jobs 100%.  The 98%ers are killing me!  And I'm not accepting work done by anyone but the very experienced techs anymore.  Tech errors are costing me MONEY, time and aggravation.

So, the other day a man was riding his bike through the area when I was out walking Katie, and he stopped to talk.  Somehow we got onto the subject of my electrical problems, and he asked if he could check out my system.  That was David, and he didn't have any solutions for me.   I still planned to go to Blythe Monday morning to have things checked out.

Then yesterday morning David was back with Roger, who is camped near him.   Roger is an electrical engineer, and said he'd like to check out my system.  He went over everything carefully and found that the three fuses in my converter were bad.  One was blown, and the other two had black wires, instead of the original silver.  We went into town and bought some fuses and he installed them, and that seems to have taken care of the problem with the generator not charging the batteries - the converter wasn't doing it's job with the blown fuses. 

Things were working fine, until last night when I smelled an electrical fire odor.  I looked up and there was smoke coming out of both sides of my TV.  

I jumped up, unplugged it, got my fire extinguisher ready, unhooked all the wires attached to the RV (my Wii was set up to work through the TV), got a screw driver and unscrewed it from the mount and put it outside, away from The Palms.  That was scary.  :(

Soooo, this morning Roger drives over to see if everything is working okay, and I told him the generator/converter is charging the batteries, and that looks okay, but... and told him about the TV.  He went back to his rig and came back with more testing equipment and he tested all my outlets, and he found the AC outlets all work fine, but in checking the outlets that work with my inverter, he found they weren't grounded.  He doubled checked the inverter, and there was no ground wire.   He suggested taking The Palms into town to Discount Solar and see what they'd charge to put the ground on.  Probably an easy task, but getting the inverter out may take some labor time.  So, I'll check that out tomorrow.

I was relieved that all the outlets tested fine, and he checked out again how things were connected and wired and everything looked okay.  Roger looked at the TV and said the lack of a ground to that outlet wouldn't have affected the TV so that's not what caused the problem.

The only conclusion I can come to is that the TV was bad?  Some component in the TV shorted and started burning? Why would it do that?  Could the voltage surges I've been having burned out the TV?

Roger did a little research on-line last night, and brought over a page he printed out about my converter, which he said is a really good one.  It said the ONLY way the fuses would blow is if the battery or DC output leads were connected in reverse, even for a moment.  When my new golf cart batteries were installed, the tech DID install them wrong. The owner installed the new converter, and had a tech install the batteries.  When he checked the system and it wasn't working, he went outside to check the batteries, and saw they were connected the same way 12 volt batteries are connected - which is wrong, and he corrected it.  He told me the tech had never put 6V batteries in, and didn't know they weren't connected like 12V batteries. That short time they were connected wrong must have been what caused the fuse to blow, and I'm hoping that replacing the fuses solves this ongoing generator/battery charging problem.

Sorry if you guys are getting bored with all these electrical issues, I KNOW I AM.  But I want the documentation, even if my memory or interpretation of the facts might be a bit off.

After Roger left, I had a discussion with Hazel, my neighbor.  I guess my take-away is that sometimes it takes a while to get your rig, especially if it's a used RV,  exactly the way you want it, with everything working.  I could have bought a new one, well, I wouldn't have paid the price, but I could have. There still would have been issues, probably covered under warranty, but I still would have the bother.  By buying a used rig, I spent a lot less on it, and the trade off is that things aren't under warranty and I have to pay to have repairs done. 

So, I've blown a GFI in the bathroom, burned out a TV in the front of the rig, and replaced blown fuses in the converter.   I'm hoping those are separate issues that have been taken care of and not all part of an electrical problem that hasn't been found yet.  I guess only time will tell, but I've sure got my fingers crossed.

 My Pillow Pup

Last night's sunset was a beautiful orange.

That's it for today - from Katie and me!  :)

We're back in Quartsize

WELCOME to our newest Follower, JulieinOregon, who is a brand new blogger, and future RVer.  She's just started her blog, and hopes to be on the road in a year.  Good Luck, Julie, we're happy to have you following along with us on our adventures - welcome aboard! :) 

WELCOME also to Encourage One Another who has a blog that has spiritual, inspirational posts. There is no information about the poster, so I don't know if you're an RVer, but Katie and I welcome you along on our travels, we're happy to have you join us!  :)

There isn't much to take photos of so far here in Quartzsite, so I'm putting the leftovers from Hot Springs in this post.

On Wednesday morning, Katie and I packed up and moved.  This is the bridge going out of the Hot Spring LTVA - the bridge we couldn't cross.  When we drove out the way Carolyn showed me, it was a lot easier than the way we came in. 

First we drove to Yuma to visit the Walmart.  I was going to buy new chairs, etc., to replace the things I left at my site in Quartzsite in January.  I planned to drive on to Quartzsite to dump and add fresh water, and see who was left at my old camp site area.  After seeing the prices I'd have to pay for new campsite stuff, I decided I'd see if they saved my things.

 My neighbor across the street at Hot Springs had this digital sign.

He'd change the saying every few days.

After leaving the dump/water area, we drove up the road to our old area, and lots of the people who were there when I left are still here.  I was able to retrieve my chairs and table, American flag with it's holder, my solar lights, etc.  It really felt like coming home when I drove into Quartzsite.  It's the place I've spent the most time, so I guess that makes sense.

 This is how they disguise some of the cell towers in Southern California.

(That's not a Palm tree.)

It's been really windy here. Wednesday wasn't bad, but yesterday and today have been too windy to be outside.  The sand is blowing, and other than taking Katie out, we are staying inside.

I'm still having generator problems.  The generator is powering my electrical plugs, but not charging my batteries - again!  This seems to be an ongoing problem, so I just called a place in Blythe, Empire Southwest, that was recommended by a few people here.  I'll take The Palms in Monday morning, and see what they say.  They charge $130 an hour for labor, so I hope they are able to diagnose and fix the problem quickly.

My solar system is working fine and doing exactly what I wanted it to do, which is to power the plugs in the front area of The Palms.  I have my computer on all day, and can watch TV, too, if I'm in a place that gets good reception.  But I still want to be able to charge the house batteries with the generator.  If we have some cloudy days, we'll need that.

I'll let you know what happens with Empire Southwest.  Keeping my fingers crossed!

 This beautiful sunset at Hot Spring looked like a watercolor.

Nothing else going on.  Just taking it easy and enjoying every day.  I wanted to get one of those wind things on a pole that you can put outside and watch when it's windy. I never did get one, but one of my neighbors has one, and it's been blowing like crazy today.  Winds are gusting from 20 to 45 MPH today. The sand is flying when it gusts get good.

I was asked what the landscape at Hot Spring looked like.

This is The Palms in the middle taken from the road. 

Don't get blown away!

Wind ornament in Quartzsite's gusty weather.

 From me and Katie, have a great day, everyone!  :)

Hot Spring LTVA - Near Holtville, CA

We arrived at Hot Spring LTVA on Wednesday, and as I posted before, since the bridge entrance was out, we had to go along the canal on dirt roads to get here.  Yesterday one of my neighbors, a very nice woman named Carolyn, told me there was an easier way out, and took me in her car to show me the way.  Actually the way I came in wasn't entirely legal.  She said the first part I took (from the bad bridge along the first part of the dirt road to the bridge that I crossed) was not a legal way to get that far.  There is another road, leading to another road, which takes you to the bridge you can cross, then turn right onto the dirt road leading to the camping area.

If it sounds confusing, well that's why Carolyn took me in her car.  I told her yesterday that when she first explained how to get out, all I heard was, "Nah, nah, nah, nah... Nah, nah, nah." 

Now I have an easier way to leave, it takes half of the dirt road off the way out and leads to Highway 8 east to Yuma.

Also, she said "they" came in the day after I got here and filled the holes in the dirt road, so... If you were planning to come here, it isn't as hard as I made it seem.  Sorry about that - it's all I knew at the time, and the way I was told to get here.

Another thing, though, if you are coming from Yuma in the east, the 10-mile frontage road, I'm told, is far worse than the road I came in on. Everyone recommends coming in from the west.

Katie and I are enjoying our stay here, it's surprising quiet, especially considering we have Highway 8 on one side, pretty close, and some sort of power plant on the other side, a little further away.  The lights of the plant are very visible in the evenings, but the noise from both isn't much, and I've been sleeping like a log since we arrived.

Our campsite at sunset

This is the third time I've seen a Roadrunner the first day at a campsite.  Usually I don't see them again, but this morning I saw another one running by my window and crossing the road.

Roadrunner spotted at Hot Spring

The terrain is similar to Quartzsite LTVAs, except there are more bushes, and they are larger.  Of course it has a hot spring, which I'm sure is the draw to this LTVA, but other than the spring, I much prefer the Quartzsite area which has a town close by, and a free dump site and water for my tanks.

This is the Hot Spring below.  It has a shower, you can see the spray on the left, and it's suggested that you rinse off in the shower before getting into one of the pools.  There are two small pools.  The entire Hot Spring is fenced, and there are no pets allowed in that area.

To the right, alongside the pool area, is the spring shown below, enclosed by palms.  You can barely see the water unless you walk right up to the trees.  There is no soaking or swimming in this water.

I wondered about the cleanliness of the water in the pool with so many boondockers using it. But I was assured the mineral water was clean, and in fact, the pool is thoroughly cleaned every week. Lots of the people here go to the spring every day, some in the very early morning, others during the day, others in the evening. 

In case you're interested, these are the rules.

Bathing suits only, and they are not optional.

There are two bathrooms near the Hot Spring area, very simple restrooms with vault toilets.

They seemed clean, and there was no odor, even though someone left the lid up on this one.

I keep thinking I'm in Arizona, but this LTVA is in California.  We have beautiful sunsets here every night.

 Beautiful Hot Spring Sunset

Super windy this morning, still a little breezy, but warm and sunny.  Another great day boondocking!

From Me and Katie, have a great Monday, everyone!  :)

Gavin's turn at Grammys, and the final Santee Lakes bird pics

Warning - lots of photos in this post, more than usual, I hope you don't have a problem pulling them up.

So, to continue my weekend with my Grandkids - on Saturday afternoon I dropped Kennedy off at home and picked up Gavin for an overnight in The Palms.  We arrived around dinnertime, and Gavin loves breakfast, so we had breakfast for dinner:

Hot chocolate, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, bacon and Cheerios.

He at every bit!  We had little battery operated candles - gotta add some ambiance when you're having breakfast for dinner!  After dinner we watched one of the DVD movies he brought.  Gavin wasn't interested in having Katie sleep with him, so I got her back that night. :)

The next day Gavin was determined to swim, since Kennedy had been in the pool the previous day.  When we went over, though, there was a man with his daughters looking at the pools.  There are three, the large pool, a smaller one, and the hot tub (not for kids). He said the smaller pool was solar heated.  (Wow, sorry Kennedy!)  Gavin really lucked out, and he tried the smaller pool; it was still pretty cold, but not as cold as the larger pool.

Gavin swam back and forth a few times, played a little in the water, did a cannon ball, then got out.  He was pretty cold.  I had the heater in the car fired up to get him warmed up!

We also went to the playground so he could try out the various climbing and sliding structures.

 This one was really cool to climb on - both kids liked it.

 I'm going in, okay?

He fit inside - and discovered spider webs and ants!

But I love this picture of Gavin.  So typical little boy. 

Of course, Gavin also fed the ducks - I bought enough the day before with Kennedy to have some today for Gavin, so off we went to feed the ducks.  And do a little birding.  Gavin was a good birder.  As I was driving around the park, he spotted some birds that I didn't see, and we'd stop and get some photos. 

 This is how it begins.

 The birds went wild - swimming and running and flying as fast as they could get there.

 Gavin ended up with quite a crowd-they kept coming until the seed was gone.

And finally, more birds we saw during walks and driving around the park.  I fell in love with the Blue Herons and Egrets.

 Beautiful Blue Heron

 Funny little Egrets

  

 This Great Egret was perched on top of a tree

Double-Crested Cormorants - this is the first time I've noticed these birds:

 These two Cormorants were very snugly, they must have been paired up.

Dusk - lots of Cormorants roosting

And finally, a few more shots to end the Santee Lakes photos:

I don't know what this next bird is, he was perched behind the fence near the last lake. At first I thought it was an owl, but he doesn't match the photos of the three kinds of owls listed at Santee Lakes.  He has a very small beak.  Anyone have a name for this guy?

NOTE:  I had a couple of suggestions of White-Tailed Kite, and looked again at the "Birds of Santee Lake" sheet.  The only Kites listed are White-Shouldered Kite and Black-Shouldered Kite.  I checked both photos on-line, and he looks just like a Black-Shouldered Kite.  Thanks for steering me in the right direction. I've never seen a Kite before, and never would have looked that name up.  Unless I hear otherwise, I'm going with the Black-Shouldered Kite.

Black-Shouldered Kite

 Wooden float in the first lake in the RV area. Always birds sitting there.

On Sunday evening Tom, Trish, Kennedy and 2-year old Graydin came down and took us all out to dinner at a local steakhouse.   I wanted to post a photo of the family at dinner, but the restaurant photos were fuzzy.  It must have been the lighting.  When they went home, it was pretty quiet around here!

Monday I just took it easy, surprisingly I wasn't tired after having a few really busy days!  Tuesday was super busy - drove to town to shop, get gas, then the laundry at the park.  Dumped the tanks, filled the water tank, generally got ready to leave the park, heading east to the desert.

Next time I'll post about the Hot Spring LTVA and have some photos of this area for you.

From Me and Katie, have a great Sunday, everyone!  :)