Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Change of plans

Location:  Parking lot of RV Connection in Yuma, Arizona

Woke up this morning around 6 o'clock, but laid in bed till 7:30 waiting for sunlight.  I was surprised to see partly cloudy skies since the weather forecast said it was cloudy.

In preparation for a full day of clouds and rain I had turned the inverter off around 11 o'clock last night which shut down all 120 volt power from the batteries including the fridge.  

When I checked battery levels this morning I had 75% charge so nothing dropped over night.  However, since the cloud cover was so light, I had 100% battery power by 8:30. :))   Here's what the skies looked like instead of rain this morning.
No rain so far.
So, I didn't need to shut down the fridge last night.  It'll take time to learn what's best in different situations.  The reason I was cautious was because the converter was disconnected and I had no generator back-up till Tom puts the relay switch in today.  Best to err on the side of conserving battery power when cloudy conditions are forecast.

When I took Yuma out for his walk this morning, I ran into Toby and Elizabeth with Roxy outside having their coffee.  Yuma and Roxy were ready for action.

Roxy looks tough.
Aw, ain't she sweet.

What do you say we dance?
Meet Roxy's parents, Toby and Elizabeth.  They are from Indiana and staying at RV Connection as I am having solar panels added to their trailer.  They are both new to the full-timing RV world.  I wish them all the luck in the world on their new adventure.
Elizabeth and Toby.
My phone has died one time too many.  It just won't hold a charge anymore and a new battery can't be added, so around noon I was off to the Verizon store.
Meet Andre, my salesperson

Andre is the manager of eight Verizon stores in the area and he really knows his phones.  I pretty much knew I wanted an Android phone with a lot of storage, great camera and be ready for 5G when it is available in Bloomington.  Andre had the perfect match.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G
I won't scare you with the price, but I did get a second phone just like it for Dolly for $300.  She is going to love it.  And they will mail it to her for free.  Can't beat that deal! 

When I got home, I still hadn't heard from Tom.  He's been busy working on another motorhome all day.  So, Yuma and I laid down to rest for awhile.  It had been getting pretty cloudy this afternoon and around 3:30 the rains finally came.  And it hasn't stopped yet.  They are calling for rain and clouds through Thursday! :((
Pouring down rain.
Around 7 o'clock in the evening, Tom stopped by in the rain and was ready to work on getting my transfer switch installed so I could settle up and leave.  

But, things didn't go smoothly.  He and his son, Jordan worked for two hours  but could not get the transfer from generator to solar power to work.  Everytime it would switch over, the inverter would cut off.

Tom needs to leave early in the morning for a job in Las Vegas, so this is how we ended up.  I can run the generator, but when I want to switch to solar power, I need to turn off the generator first and then push the button to turn on the inverter and vice versa.  Not automatic as it should be, but good enough till Tom gets back next week to finish the job.

So, my plan now is to head up to Lake Havasu, Arizona and check out the BLM up there.  Never stayed in that area before, so excited to check it out.  Unfortunately, they are calling for cloudy and rainy days for the rest of this week, so we'll just have to see how it goes.  

I have several errands to run tomorrow here in Yuma, so won't be heading up that way till Thursday.  It's already 10:30 and I'm ready for a little pudding and whipped cream and then Yuma and I are hitting the sack.

See you later.

16 comments:

  1. Roxy and Yuma could be brother and sister, nice that they play so well together. I remember when you adopted Yuma, he sure has turned into a nice, sociable traveling companion. Becki

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    1. Thank you Becki. Yuma is a great traveling companion. Best thing i did for traveling alone.

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  2. Looks like Yuma held his ground & let Roxy come to him. Their body language looked good 😱 ?? Anyway, glad they decided to be friendly & play together - and Yuma got to do a little jumping too. 🎃

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    1. Glad to hear from you Moonfly. Took them awhile to establish their playing rules but they got it worked out. They run like the wind. :))

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  3. Yeah, I see hackles on Roxie, but none on Yuma. Good boy Yuma!!! You will enjoy Havasu. The lake is gorgeous, but it will be warmer there. Hoping this week of rain won't be too bad. It does make for some beautiful flowers though!!

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    1. I need to get out in the desert to see how the rain will green it up. Yuma is always nice to other dogs but sometimes the other dog doesn't want his attention.

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  4. I'm sure Yuma doesn't mind the delay, now that he has a friend close by. I hope you can get your switch problem fixed with no problem, once Tom gets back. It will be interesting to see the Lake Havasu area. Looking forward to my new phone's arrival!

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    1. He always looks over there when he steps outside. I hope Tom can fix it quickly when he returns. You're going to just love your new phone!

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  5. The day yesterday surprised us as well with very little rain after all and blue skies. Hopefully today will be similar, rain to stop by noon.
    Congrats on the phone and for you too, Dolly!
    It should be nice in L.H. after Friday and you can charge those panels. :)

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    1. Thanks Patsy. I was glad to see the sun but it's gone for a few days. Glad Tom got my converter hooked up before he left or I would be in trouble. Back to the ice chest :((

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  6. Great photos of Roxie and Yuma. I'm glad he has a friend and can use up some energy. Looking forward to your pictures of your next adventure.

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    1. Thanks Eva. Good that Yuma an burn energy with Roxy cause I haven't had much time to play with him.

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  7. You will find that the Solar Panels will still charge your Batteries even with Moderate Clouds.
    The Transfer Switch only senses power from the Inverter to allow it to feed the outlets in your RV so it will not turn it on for you. We have a separate switch to do that.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  8. If you find the Lake Havasu too crowded and can't find a boondocking site you can always backtrack to Bouse where there will be all kinds of room. I know you have been there before and know your way around. Yellowbird Road is very big rig friendly for boondocking.

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  9. Exactly what my old phone was doing, not holding a charge even with a new battery. Think they design them to wear out so you HAVE to get a new phone. LOL. I love my new one too, once I got used to it. I"m sure Dolly will enjoy hers too! I love Lake Havasu area, even though it's been a few years since we stayed! Hoping your issues will be fixed soon!

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    1. Thanks Shirley. Don't know why they don't make them so you can update the batteries without such a hassle. You're right. They want you to update the phone.

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