Monday, February 24, 2020

Finally hot water and Happy Hour at my place

Location:  BLM near Winterhaven, California

Had an odd morning.  Woke up at 6:30 and it was too early.  Decided to rest a little more and the next thing I knew it was 8:30.  The day was passing me by.

Yuma and I stepped outside and it was already quite warm with nary a breeze.  Going to get near 80 today.  Had a little breakfast and then started reading up on the Hurricane water heating system I have.  Luckily, I have a very specific manual.

My new neighbor, Don has a similar heating system, so went over and he and I went over the manual and just followed the instructions for starting it up.  It did start and made noises but no hot water.  We both figured it would take a while for the water in the tank to heat so I told Don, I would wait and let him know if I had hot water.

It was about a half hour and then I turned on the water and let it run and it wasn't long before it turned very hot.  Now, I had hot water when I was plugged into the electric post at the RV Resort, but this Hurricane system is driven off the batteries and runs on diesel fuel to heat the water tank.  Now I have hot water while boondocking as well as when connected to electricity.

The coach heating is also run off this system, but I'm not going to test it out till I get home.  Won't be needing heat for the rest of this winter down here.

I was planning on heading into Yuma today to get food and pick up the battery monitor I ordered, but they never called to say it was in, so I'll go tomorrow for sure.  I also want to pick up a small propane Weber grill so I can cook outside.  Yuma is tired of the smoke alarm going off.  

While reading the manuals, I also found where the cruise controls are.  Not on the steering wheel, but on the side where there are many switches near the side window.
  This coach has more buttons and switches than I'll ever figure out.

After getting the hot water to work, I noticed the coach was listing to one side because the air bags were slowly losing air.  I put the levelers down and straightened up the White Lion so it was level.  Told you this thing has everything.  

Then I decided to check the air pressure in the tires just in case.  Three of the four rear tires read fine but I could not get the driver's inner rear tire to register air pressure at all.  

Uh oh!  I tried pumping it up with the compressor but it would only take a little air.  I even thumped all four tires with my thumper and they all sounded the same.  I noticed the valve stem appeared to be way out compared to the others.  

I have a stem tightner but have no idea where I put it when I moved.  Don, again to the rescue.  He had one and brought it over.  Sure enough it was close to coming out but luckily, after tightening it down and testing the air pressure, it was right on the number.  Another potential tire problem averted!

I received a text from Patsy asking if it would be okay to have Happy Hour at my place.  I was thrilled and told her I would love for them to come by.  I had wanted to ask them but wasn't sure if I should.  Thank you Patsy for taking the initiative!  Made my day.
Yuma, Ken, Patsy, Bill and Kim.



Ken and Patsy playing pass the napkin.

We had great discussions and I think we all learned something.  Yuma was well behaved and just laid at my feet.  Sweet boy today!  It was quite warm and the wind  picked up so I had to pull in the overhead canopy, but it soon cooled down as the Sun moved further to the West.  

Everyone was gone just at 5 o'clock and Yuma and I came in to have dinner.  Another day of steak, corn and this time only half a potoato.  After last night's very big dinner, I checked my sugar level this morning.  I was pleasantly surprised to find it at only 114.  I'll take that.  I'm gaining a little weight and feeling much better.

Time to finish this post and enjoy the evening before going to bed.  I'm finishing early for once and that's nice.  Darn it.  I can't get the pictures to upload, so I'm heading out in the Jeep to find some internet power.


See you later.

22 comments:

  1. Glad you found a place to connect to send pictures of your happy hour! Looks like everyone was comfy in your new seats. Thank goodness for Don! It's good to have someone so handy close by. Beautiful sunset.

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    1. Thanks Dolly. Seems that every RVer I meet is knowledgeable and helpful. Don is no exception. My internet is not the best but usually okay.

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  2. With the warm days keep an eye & ear open for snakes, they will be out in the sun warming themselves. Becki

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  3. You're right Becki. Easy to forget that Yuma and I are in their backyard now and we need to be watchful.

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  4. It's funny to see all you guys in shorts. We're still wearing levis in tucson. We are barely reaching the 70's during the day. I'm pretty sure there are STILL buttons on my rig I've no idea are there, even after 8 years!!!

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    1. I didn't realize Tucson was at such a high elevation. Sure makes a difference. You need to get in that big motorhome and get to where it's warm.

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  5. Wow that's a lot of buttons for sure! Ken was intrigued by your hot water story. Different for sure. Glad the tire issue was easy. Nice that you hosted Happy Hour, I"m sure it was enjoyed by everyone!

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    1. Thanks Shirley. I'm sure you two are still learning how the Mansion works. Takes time to figure out everything. Enjoy your travels today.

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  6. Glad you have such good manuals & are taking the time to learn how your RV systems operate. And, so lucky most of them seem to work.! Staying at Pilot Knob for a few days & now boondocking nearby has been an excellent decision. Congratulations on hosting your 1st happy hour - everybody looks to be having Fun. 😎

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    1. Thank you Moonfly. I'm glad that everything seems to be coming together. Enjoyed having friends over to enjoy the open desert at my patio. A few more items to do in Yuma and I'll be on my way. I'm excited to travel to new places.

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  7. Looks like your first H.H. hosting was a fun success. And hot water to wash the dishes in!

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    1. Life is good when you have hot water and friends.

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  8. Nice that you enjoyed Happy Hour with Friends. I'm certain that Yuma didn't mind either.
    Be Safe and Enjoy your surroundings.

    It's about time.

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  9. Thanks Rick. Yuma liked being at home for Happy Hour. Nice and quiet in our area.

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  10. Hey Doug. You should deflate the air bags before lowering your jacks. At least that was the procedure on the DP I had. I actually had a separate lever which would release that air. On my BIL's Newmar, it was build into the leveler system.

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    1. Thanks Peter. I believe this one releases the air bags when i lower the Jacks. There is no separate lever.

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  11. Awww. That Yuma. He was the perfect host. Yay for hot water. I love having hot water. Keep those manuels handy. Jerry is very mechanical and a good trouble shooter. And those manuels are right by his chair cuz "stuff" happens to everyone. Enjoy that warm weather!

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    1. Thanks Elva. I'm sure I'll be digging more and more into stuff as I go along. Hopefully, stuff doesn't hit me all at once. :))

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  12. Love the bright green mat. Now that is GREEN and easy to see.
    Yuma is a character. He's happy now I think, all the confusion is cleared up.
    Glad you hosted happy hour, it's good that the folks made the long drive to your house!
    I'm happy to hear that you are starting to get more familiar with the rig. Reading the manuals is always a good place to start. I would keep an eye on that tire for a while. Hot water is a bonus!!! Take care Doug.

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    1. Thanks Deb. Definitely not blue this time. The reverse is more than than green if I get tire of the bright color. Yuma is doing better around people which is good. Glad I've got the hot water going. Everything seems to be working now knock on wood.:))

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  13. I remember someone telling us that Pilot Knob area is susceptible to sand blowing off the Imperial Sand Dunes when high winds blow from the northwest. Always new challenging things and systems to learn when one switches rigs.

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  14. I'm slow reading blogs but catching up. We had a great time at your Happy Hour!
    It was a gorgeous day and that's a good idea about watching for snakes. :)

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