Monday, December 21, 2020

Batteries in and Running

 No one came knocking last night while at the parking area of the RV Connection.  Didn't have a good night sleep though, because around 5 in the morning, the traffic outside was busy and loud.  Busy street here in Yuma.

The store opened at 8:30 and I went in and Tom, the owner, was in his office.  We talked for a bit and he said he would start as soon as the chill was out of the air.  He asked that I move the White Lion close to the door so he wouldn't have far to go with the six heavy batteries and I did that.
At about 9:30, Tom was hard at work.  First he removed the four old house batteries on the passenger side and replaced them with four Weise 100 amp batteries.

Tom hard at work replacing the original four

In and hooking them up
All done with this side


The two dusty ones to the left are the starting batteries and were put in when I bought the motorhome last year.

Because I wanted six batteries for storage instead of four, Tom placed the last two in the bay on the other side of the motorhome.
Last two going in

All hooked up

I now have an additional two new batteries for storing the solar power that is in abundance here in the southwest. πŸ˜ƒ
Me and Yuma waiting as Tom works πŸ˜›


It was exactly 1 o'clock when Tom had everything buttoned up and I was ready to pay and go on my way.

While waiting, I finally made up my mind where to live for the next couple of weeks.  Hard making these decisions.  I decided I wanted to be in the flat desert so I could clearly view the Christmas Star this evening.

Be aware, a lot of the following pictures were taken with a lot of zoom.  Also, I lost an hour so my times got confusing.  


Yuma checking the area out and Pilot Knob Mountain

Algodones sand dunes in the distance

Looks like snow in this picture

Resting before dinner and Yuma is on guard


Pilot Knob Mountains as the sun sets and fog setting in.

The sun setting over the dunes and the mountains beyond

In the above picture, there was a fire with smoke off to the North causing the reddish haze.
Getting close to dark

Trying to stay on Arizona time, so my times will reflect that time.  

It was warm here today with no wind.  I decided today would be a great day to fire up the water heater and Yuma and I would both get showers with all this water I have.  Yuma was a happy camper to get the smell of the desert sand off him.  And me tooπŸ˜›  

After dinner, I waited for the sun to set in the West so I could get a clear picture of the Christmas Star.  As you know it is the glow of two planets close together (Saturn and Jupiter).

The Christmas Star

I took a lot of pictures but I'm just not equipped to take stills.  When I push the camera button there is a motion and with full zoom you can see it in the picture.  This was the best of the lot.

I think those of you familiar with this area know I'm parked behind the Pilot Knob RV Park and to the West in BLM land.  As I drove behind the park, it was nearly empty.  Not the crowd like last March when I stayed there.  The BLM out here is also empty with lots of space.  I did manage over 7200 steps today walking the desert.

I like it here and think I will be staying for the next couple of weeks.  Less than 10 miles to the nearest Walmart which is a plus.  Plus the weather is supposed to be fabulous.

See you later.

21 comments:

  1. Yay! You've got new batteries, so should have enough reserve. The area you're in looks very peaceful. I can see why you'd want to stay awhile. It's hard to get sky pictures at night. You got a picture of the Christmas Star. Otherwise, you'd had to wait another 800 years. I hope Yuma doesn't run into any wild critters out there.

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    1. It is quiet here and feels comfortable. I wish I'd had a remote button for my camera and could have gotten a better picture. Seems we have at least one coyote hanging around for a handout πŸ˜€

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  2. Well Doug that was a cool picture of the north star! You see we are in Tigard, Oregon, and we will be coming after Christmas. Hope to meet you when we get down, Take care, Rawn Stone

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    1. Thanks Rawn. I used to live in Salem and Grants Pass, I know the area. Look forward to meeting you and your family.

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  3. It rains often, and tonight it overcast, so tonight is no exception!

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  4. We love the area you're at. We've spent a lot of time there. That's a great shot of the sunset and star.

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    1. Thank you. Best I could do with this old body. Stayed here last year and liked it so decided to try again. No crowds which is good.

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  5. You will not be sorry you got the extra two batteries. I have six house batteries and two starters. Quartzsite is quiet too .. not many people here at all. Tyson Wells is beginning to get set up and is probably the most crowded. Sad to see everything shut down. I had the same problem with the star ... it wasn't all that bright here.

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    1. Yes I'm glad I got the six. My huge fridge eats amps for breakfast. You did a good day traveling to get to Q. I plan to go there when the tent opens.

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  6. To help with camera wiggle I use the self timer to trip the shutter and just hold still. Sure cut down on my wiggle factor.

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    1. Darn! That's a great idea Barney. I use it all the time and didn't even cross my mind. Well, there's always next time πŸ˜€

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  7. Glad the battery installation went well, you should be well equipped now! I like the picture of you and Yuma waiting for Tom to finish.
    Thanks for reporting about the star, we didn't miss much. :)
    Yes, we know full well where you are and should be a fine place for you to settle for a couple of weeks. Enjoy the warm weather!

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    1. Thank you Patsy. I was surprise him empty Pilot Knob is but maybe it fills after Xmas. Now I wish I had done the battery exchange at home. Would have saved alot buying off Amazon and installing myself. Oh well, at least it's done. The Christmas 🌟 wasn't all that much. Hopefully Al had a clear night.

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  8. Now with the Extra Battery Power you should be able to run the Generator a lot less.
    Always nice being "Off the Grid". The silence is deafening.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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    1. I'm sure. Always have liked living independent of RV parks and having enough solar and battery power is a must. Silence is golden!

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  9. A warm welcome to CA, enjoy the warmth of the desert. Your batteries will happy there.

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    1. Thanks Jeff. Don't have the beauty of San Diego, but the desert is fine. Love the warm mornings.

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  10. Love the picture of Yuma standing guard. Sometimes I miss Pilot Knob. This year would have been nice...less people. Enjoy!

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    1. Yuma is great to have around. Nothing comes near without him alerting me. Feel much safer with Yuma around. I am planning to go over to your place in the next week. See you and Jerry soon.

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  11. Nice to have that battery installation behind you now. Frees up the mind for happy thoughts ahead:))

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    1. Thanks Al. I was sad to hear you didn't have clear skies for the Christmas Star. Maybe tonight.

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