Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork and inverter!

I think this is the earliest I have ever gotten our tax information to our accountant, due in part to the spreadsheet I created last year (and have ready for next year). I worked on gathering and collating the information over several days - yes, days that I should have been writing. But it had to be done. And since we have two cruises between now and April, I didn't want to wait too long.

Speaking of cruises, we leave on my first (Stu's second) Royal Caribbean cruise the end of this week. We will have a brief visit with family the night before we head to the port - they are much closer to Ft. Lauderdale than we are and we haven't seen them since last winter.

It's a ten day cruise, taking place of the transatlantic we had to cancel last year (or was it the year before?). We've been to all the ports except one so we will keep to our routine. Stu will scuba dive where available and I will be writing. I hope to finish Almost a Touch during the cruise. I'm about 2/3rd done with the first draft.

When we arrive home, we have about ten days before we go on a second cruise on the Carnival Magic. We booked this specifically to see some of the members of the #sixappeal band again. In fact, they asked if we wanted to do an excursion together. We booked zip-lining combined with cave tubing in Belize and three of them are going with us. Should be a blast! They are pretty much the age of our grandkids and we love being around them. Oh, and their music is GREAT!

A week after that cruise we head to our house in Tennessee, stopping along the way for a great car show in Chattanooga. We will stay at the Holiday Travel Park of Chattanooga on Fri and Sat, arriving at the house on Sunday. EXCITED for both events!

Speaking of the house, a HUGE thank you to our good friend (and realtor), Wilma Allen, for removing the forgotten chicken from the refrigerator. Phew, that could have been bad.

Oh, wondering about the inverter? If you have followed our blog for a while, you know our inverter has worked sporadically (VERY sporadically) since we came back from Ecuador. Sometimes clearing the error codes would help but that happened less and less. With the new residential refrigerator, we ended up running the generator while traveling in temps above 70 degrees and we had to stay in campgrounds rather than asphalt parking on our overnights between FL-TN-MD.

Stu finally did some troubleshooting on the issue and found a loose ground wire. That was part of our problem. The other was seven year old AGM batteries that had spent two very cold winters in TN while we were living in Ecuador.

After pricing them out online, we found the same battery for about $269 each. Surprisingly not, that much more expensive than when we got our solar system in 2009. But we found a comparable Duracell battery at Sam's Club for $179 each. So today we picked up four new ones. We currently have six connected but since we no longer do hard core boondocking, we felt four should provide enough power for overnighting when traveling. Tomorrow is the final test - they are charging now. Keeping our fingers crossed!

After that we headed over so I could get a pedicure for the cruise. We tried a new place in Lady Lake, almost across the street from Home Depot (which is beside Sam's Club), Pretty Nails & Spa. I was very pleased and will definitely use them again.

Ciao for now!

Solar and Scuba

Solar, the sun and harnessing its power. What a perfect thing for RVers. I got my solar system after my first Quartzsite visit and after boondocking there, Stu decided to do the same. Here are the posts about our installations and our setups.

• Donna - installation in Class C
• Donna - final setup
• Stu - installation in 41' 5th wheel (their largest install)
• Stu - final setup

BONUS: Scuba

Few changes....

If you are using a blog reader, you won't see them. You need to visit the actual blog page. We have added several pages to the blog...About Us, Current Rides and Gear List.

As our gear list evolves and our bikes get modified, we will update these pages.

Still rolling,
Stu and Donna

More solar choices

I finally found the link for the smaller solar charger we have seen at several RV shows. Not sure this is really what we want but Stu keeps referring back to it.

From the website:

4W Foldup Solar Battery Maintainer $49.95

Features

• High quality 4w solar cell for year round 12v battery charging
• Perfect for cars, trucks, caravans, boats, motorcycles etc.
• Support stand incorporated in the hard wearing body
• Suitable for indoor and outdoor use
• In built LED charge indicator
• Cable and connections to attach direct to battery terminals and an in car 12v socket
• In built diode prevents reverse battery feed

---

Here is another choice that sounds great if we aren't interested in charging the laptop(s). From the website:


Freeloader Pro Solar Cell Phone, Camera and Video Charger $114.95

Features

• Freeloader’s solar panels can charge its internal battery in as little as 8 hours or 3 hours when using the supplied USB charging cable
• 200mA premium quality crystalline solar cells
• 1600mAh environmentally friendly Li-ion battery – typical battery life is 2 years.
• Supplied with a Master Cable for connecting to a device or CamCaddy and for charging Freeloader Pro from a computers USB
• Supplied with ten adapters to fit iPod, iPhone, iPhone 3g, iPhone 3gs iTouch, Nano etc, Nokia phones using both standard and mini adaptors (2 supplied), all current Samsung phones (2 supplied), all current LG phones, all current Sony Ericsson phones, Nintendo DS Lite, mini USB adaptor for Motorola phones, Blackberry and most smartphones, Garmin / SatMap and most GPS, Bluetooth headsets, PDA’s, and a 4mm tip for Sony PSP, Archos and most MP4 players, 2 way radios, portable DVD players, e-books, digital cameras and PDA’s
• Impact resistant, rust free aluminum body.
• Freeloader holds its battery charge for up to 3 months
• Supplied with detailed user manual
• Measures 5.9" x 2.5" x 0.8"
• Weighs 6.1oz

Decisions, decisions....we had one commenter that said he had done well without any solar provisions. We may do the same and just try to always get a tent campsite with power. Time will tell...

Ride safe,
Stu and Donna

Portable Solar Charging

One thing we'd like to take on the trip is a solar charger to help us keep laptops, cell phones and camera batteries up to snuff. Here are a couple of promising ones we've found.

Pico Solar Rechargeable Charger

We already have this one, but it won't handle bigger chores like our laptops and camera batteries so we are on the search for other solutions.


Product Features

• Recharges most cell phones, GPS's and PDA's from it's own internal battery
• Pico can be recharged either by by solar or USB connection
• USB output allows wide range of devices to be charged
• Small, lightweight and compact

Sunforce 22005 12-Volt MotoMaster Eliminator Folding Solar Panel

Product features:

• Made of Durable Nylon with a High Efficiency Thin Film Solar Cell
  
• Works with Automobiles, RV’s, Boats & Small Electronics
• Built-in Blocking Diode Protects Battery Discharge at Night
• Works in all weather conditions
• Maintenance Free / Easy Installation

Product Description:

The MotoMaster Eliminator 12Volt Folding Solar Panel, also called the Sunforce Folding Solar Panel is ideal for hiking, camping, sporting events, on campus and at the beach. This solar panel is a flexible, foldable and durable solar product that produces enough power to charge rechargeable flash lights, lanterns, cell phones, GPS units, satellite phones, MP3 players and portable games. Just about anything that is capable of being charged through a standard cigarette lighter adapter (CLA -car charger) can be charged by SUNLINQ. SUNLINQ solar panels made with PowerFLEX technology are lightweight, flexible, weatherproof and durable CIGS (copper indium gallium diselenide) solar cells.

It provides higher efficiency than other flexible solar cell technologies, including amorphous silicon, and has been proven to be stable. The 6.5-watt portable solar panel offers a unique solution for reliable and portable solar power for cell phones, PDA's, and other small personal electronics. The SUNLINQ 6.5 watt solar panel weighs less than half of a pound and when folded is compact, lightweight and easily stored and transported. The SUNLINQ product line is designed for low maintenance and rugged durability. The SAE plug provides simple attachment to a load. Built-in grommets allow for hanging, mounting or laying in any position.

Of course this is JUST the solar panel and we'd need to add other items to make it functional, I think.

Huge Capacity Solar Charger and Battery

$199.99

The Huge Capacity Solar Charger and Battery is the perfect green gadget for the traveling geek. With its powerful 20,000 mAh battery and 29 unique adapter tips, it can power up and charge just about any portable electronic device. No need to carry around multiple chargers! Use this one to power up your phone, laptop, mp3 player, portable GPS navigator, GPS tracker, digicam, portable DVD player, portable gaming system, and more! Whatever you've deemed necessary to your life away from electricity, this charger can juice up. It even comes with a carrying bag for your charger, adapters, and gadgets. Leave it out in the sun to recharge, or plug it into any AC adapter or car charger.


Product Specifications

• 20,000 mAh Battery and Solar Charger
• Battery recharges quickly via AC adapter, car charger, or solar energy
• No more messy cables or carrying around multiple power adapters when traveling
• 29 unique adapter tips, works with most electronic devices
• Power up and charge electronic devices on-the-go
• Includes a free carrying bag
• Dimensions: 8" x 11" x .7" (205 x 282 x 18mm)

Hmmm, this one seems like it would do what we want, all in one package. Not sure about the waterproof capabilities though.

Will keep looking until we find what we want/need or Stu decides we don't want/need. LOL!

Still rolling,
Stu and Donna

Quartzsite Round-up

Just a quick round-up of our few days back in Quartzsite. As I posted from my phone, our solar install was completed late Friday. We got it done at Discount Solar as they had done my installation on my Class C. They started at 9am and finished around 6pm. Phew! Long day for all of us....

We killed time by:

1. Getting coffee at the little bakery shop down the street.
2. Browsing Beall's Outlet and Family Dollar where we picked up a few things.
3. Watching the install.
4. Getting coffee and pastries at the little bakery shop down the street....we sat down this time and enjoyed all the signs scattered around the store and above each table. (see pics below) We were at the "Impossible" table.
5. Checking out the local General Store...decent grocery selection for the basics.
6. Quickly running through the little flea market set up beside the general store.
7. Visiting with friends Dave & Leslie who stopped by to see us. We had missed connecting the last time in Q, so this was great. We chatted about a wide variety of things. They headed out as we got the walk-through on our solar setup.
8. Enjoying the UNBELIEVABLE moon rise and associated sunset. (see pics below).

NOTE: Stu is doing a full blog on our entire rig setup and the details on the solar install. I will only list the basics here for those who are interested.

• Four Kyocera 135SX solar panels
• Six AGM 6-volt batteries
• Blue Sky Solar Boost 3024i with IPN Pro
• Prosine 2.0 (2000watt) Pure Sine Wave Inverter
• ITS 50 amp Transfer Switch
• #2 gauge wire from junction box to batteries
• #8 gauge wire from panels to junction box

We headed out to a different parking spot at Hi Jolly, a bit frustrated in choosing the best site due to it being dark. LOL! It had gotten cold and we ate up a bit of our battery charge running the furnace but our first night went well. We woke to batteries well above 50% (memory bad but think it might have been about 76%).

Stu slightly moved the trailer to face more southerly and then raised the panels. First OOPS....they forgot to give us the braces for the panels. We'll have to pick them up on Monday.

We did a little computer work and watched to be sure we were charging...and we were. We turned off the inverter and headed into the car show. The weather was perfect so we headed out on the bike. We were almost there when Stu asked if I had remembered the camera....oops, nope! LOL! We did have the little waterproof camera on the bike so we opted to give that a try. Not the best for the day...out of 129 photos taken, only 62 were kept and some of them aren't the best but I kept them. Here are a few, the rest are at SmugMug. While there we ran into friends Mike & Janna from Montana. We had met when I was workamping in MT the summer of '08. We'd tried to connect while in Q earlier but again, that didn't work out. We had a great chat and look forward to seeing them again in Yuma area.





On the way back from the car show we stopped at Grandma's Heaters (north end of the parking lot at the RV Pit Stop) and picked up a 10,000 BTU Pro-Con Blue Flame heater. It will get installed when we get back from Florida. Until then we will use the furnace sparingly. We have converted most lights to LEDs and fluorescent but forgot the outside ones. We'll get those when we are back in Yuma at the Arizona Market Place.

When we got home we grilled some ground buffalo burgers, sweet onions and four colors of peppers. I've been playing with finding a marinade I like since eating with our friend Ara. I think I hit on a combination we both enjoy and we'll try it on chicken next. What didn't go on the veggies (grilled in tin foil), went into the burgers. Stu had the leftovers for lunch today and said it was still good!

Sunday (toady) was our day of rest....the batteries are great and we've had the inverter on all day since about 8am. Both computers running, used the microwave a couple of times (for 1-2 minutes at a time only), now using the Blu-Ray and TV while Stu watches a movie and I blog. I did snag a couple sunrise photos. We find ourselves getting up earlier and going to bed earlier...a good thing!





One last note, I haven't been posting daily updates on our walking but we are averaging a minimum of 30 minutes (3,000 or so steps) up to 2-3 miles (9,500+ steps) every day. We are both seeing a difference...both in how our clothes are fitting (especially Stu) and our arthritis. Still have to grab the Tylenol and Aleve but it's worth it. We are both committed to getting stronger, healthier and hopefully a little thinner before this year is out. Processed food is getting shunned as much as possible, trying to eat out less, and doing more healthy cooking and eating. Viva 2010!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu

PS. As always, check out all the photos in our SmugMug galleries.

Made it to Q

This morning was spent running last minute errands (minor parts for the RV & groceries). Then it was time to load up, pack it in and head on out. We made it to Hi Jolly in Quartzsite about 6pm, picked a spot near the road since we will be heading out about 8:30 in the morning to get propane and then head to Discount Solar for our all day install.

It was still light so we headed out for our 30 minute walk. We're trying to stay around 5,000 steps a day right now and hope to eventually hit the 10k that is recommended. We've managed 30-60 minutes of walking almost every day and want to continue that.

The moon is almost full tonight...beautiful as we drove into Q, hanging low above the mountains. I love the scenery here....

Anyway, not sure when the next blog will be. Maybe Sunday or Monday night. We plan to attend the Classic Car show on Saturday and Sunday before heading back to Yuma and the new RV lot on Monday. Tuesday we head to San Diego for our flight to Orlando where we spend a week.

So don't give up if you don't hear from us...we're just too busy having fun! LOL!

Stu still plans to do a blog about our truck, RV and now our solar setup...just don't know when.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu

Moved further south....

We had a wonderful if short time in Quartzsite. Stu enjoyed it as much as I did and has come over to the dark side. Yup, we'll be getting solar installed the end of this month. We know there will be some lifestyle changes involved but we look forward to getting "out there" and boondocking. Our initial use will be a little sporadic since we already have several things booked on our calendar, but we look forward to using quite a bit as we travel AZ, UT, CO, WY, MT this spring and summer.

We made a couple of purchases while at Q, one is a telescoping flag pole for the American flag. It comes with the attachments for an additional flag but we're not sure what that one will be. We've talked about a TN state flag (our future home sometime in the next 5-10 years or so), something related to firefighting or something patriotic. Time will tell. We also ordered a solar light ring for the pole.

We looked at getting a DirecTV HD setup for KaZy (she deserves it...LOL!). After getting Blu-Ray we quickly got spoiled. We found a good price at the show and turns out the dealer has a store in Yuma. We're going to see about getting that set up as well.

One other thing we looked at were LED light bulbs, both for our rig and for our friend Ara. The bulb we needed was completely out of stock at all the vendors, the bulb that Ara needed was pretty pricey. BUT we found one vendor who sells here in Yuma at the Marketplace (Flea Market). He told us the bulb we want is cheaper there than he was selling it at Q....AND if we got the bulbs Ara needs as well, he'll discount the whole thing. So guess we'll be going by there this weekend.

We finally left Q this afternoon and headed to Yuma, just ahead of the bad weather. The wind was picking up and heavy rain storms are in the forecast. We'd rather be in a paved area with full hookups right now, didn't want to get stuck in the desert. That's the good thing about RVing....don't like the weather? Pack up and move! Don't like the view? Pack up and move! Don't like the neighbors? Yup, pack up and move....

The RV lots here are VERY nice....and the neighbors are terrific. Most come for the season and repeat every year and I can see why. We met up with our friends Dave & Renee, they are the ones that told us about the lot rental. We had met them in Gillette, WY at the Escapade where Stu & I met. Going to be fun to spend a little time with them. They may be headed to Kansas next week to pick up their brand new New Horizons fifth wheel.

We also have a friend that I have known for 7-8 years that is within walking distance of our lot. I look forward to seeing them again as well. They sold their ranch in WY and went full-time. Last time I saw them was at the Escapade as well. They had a rough year so I'm hoping that is changing for them now.

Well, the rain has settled in....but we're all snug, the laundry is caught up and this blog is coming to an end as my eyes are sagging.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu

Lots of miscellany....

First, thank you to everyone who had commented, 'shouted out' and sent emails with good wishes for Stu and I. It is really appreciated and I made sure Stu read them as well.

Few miscellaneous ramblings & musings for today.....

Thought I'd pass along a great blog named "Tyler's RV Tips" - written by Mark Polk's son when he was six. It's fun reading and oh so true...out of the mouths of babes.

On Sunday some blog reading friends, Mike & Janna, rode over from their home about 70 miles away to meet me. They arrived on a gorgeous Honda Shadow (hope I'm remembering that right) and after introductions we sat and chatted for over an hour. It's always great to meet new friends, especially ones with so much in common. They hope one day to be able to travel with a toy hauler but settle for simpler travel now. Turns out we have mutual friends, Ellie & Jim and Doug & JoAnn, definitely a small world. They were all in the same park in Tucson last winter...Mike & Janna left before I arrived and visited though.

Speaking of small worlds, turns out the husband in the rig parked beside me was one of the folks that worked on my solar installation last February in Quartzite. In these photos, he's the one in the plaid jacket working on my battery installation. He thought I looked familiar as did my rig. When he came in to pay for an additional night, the campground owner mentioned that his was the rig parked next to mine. When he went back he looked up and noticed the solar and it all clicked. We both got a good laugh out of that one!

We've had several wildfires in the area recently, one to the north of us was put out fairly quickly. A new one started two days ago close to Townsend, MT, about 50 or so miles from here. We could see the huge plumes of smoke over the ridge and have been keeping up to date with the news since the wind comes from that direction. We had a severe thunderstorm alert yesterday but all we got was wind...not a good thing. The temperature has dropped from 90 to the 70's and we are due a rain tonight or tomorrow. Hoping it comes and helps the firefighters put out the wildfire.

Keeping busy in between work days by finishing up the boxes of stuff to be shipped to Maryland as well as what I will be giving to my daughter in Denver. I can't leave anything liquid inside so there are a lot of open items (cleaning, laundry, etc.) and well as the contents of the pantry, refrigerator, freezer that will get passed to her. Since she's setting up a new household post divorce, it will come in handy. She will also be the recipient of my car so I don't have to worry about putting it on consignment. One less thing to worry about.

Last major item is 4 totes full of paperwork - receipts, instruction books, etc that I have to go through. I'm way behind in entering things into Quicken so once I've sorted & tossed what I don't need, then will spend a couple of days getting Quicken caught up to date...just in time for a tax appointment. LOL! It never ends....

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Widgets, Gadgets & Organization

Hello, my name is Donna and I am addicted to gadgets. LOL! It used to be high-tech gadgets...I was always a first adopter of new technology. As I've posted before, I've lost my technological edge.

No, nowadays it's the simple things that catch my eye. Things that make the RV life easier or help me stay organized. I no longer get all the catalogs but I remember the names: Harriet Carter, Lillian Vernon, Walter Drake, Dr. Leonard's, Vermont Country Store and Carol Wright's Gifts to name a few. They're all online now and I find myself perusing their new arrivals, clearance and sale pages WAY too often. LOL!

So here, in no particular order, are some things I have found. Some I bought and use, some I plan to buy, some I just thought might interest other RVers.

The first little gadget is a set of two ice cube trays that I found at Miles Kimball...I wanted covered ones to help contain water spills until they freeze. I love these! Unfortunately they are no longer available but I found some larger ones here and here. Here is the photo from Miles Kimball followed by a photo of my freezer. You can see one tray in the center top - just fits in depth and perfect for one person who doesn't use a LOT of ice but would like to have some on hand. EDIT 4/18/08: These little covered ice cube trays are back!





Now a little organizational tip. I was constantly fighting things falling out of my freezer...being a solo I break up packages into smaller ones and the plastic bags are, well, slippery. I know you can buy refrigerator bars to help keep things in place but they are a pain in the neck. Often they pop out when you least expect it and in my case, that can be dangerous. My freezer is over my head. I had read a blog about using plastic storage containers and thought that was a great idea. So I measured my space and figured out what combination of sizes I needed to look for in plastic bins.

While in Quartzsite, I lucked out in a dollar store. I had bought these bins before, they're often used to store CD's. Four of them fit perfectly (and the lids are stored away with my spare plastic shoeboxes). No more bags falling on my head when I open the door! They were about $2.50 each, if I remember correctly.

The next item is a larger purchase, dollar-wise, but it has worked out so well that I plan to get a second one. It's a solar light from Harriet Carter. It's lightweight, plastic and meant to be mounted on a wall or a post. BUT, it sits just fine on a table which is where I have it. You saw it along with my rechargeable lantern and my heavier metal-glass solar lantern that I've had since I started out (actually, I started out with two but one fell on the ground when I opened a bin and it shattered).



I plan to order another because the light from this is amazing! It only needs a couple of hours a day to charge and it puts out a nice bright light for hours. I'll use it as a backup inside when I'm boondocking. One thing I really like about it is that it has an off-auto switch so you can turn it off when not in use, saving the battery power (I have no idea how long they last but would rather not find out. LOL!)

The next item is one I have used since Mike & I first went RVing...later they were utilized in the back of our cars. I stared with two black ones, found two heavier duty multi-colored ones at Big Lots, one of which was eventually broken. Oh, what am I talking about? Sorry...folding crates! Lightweight and easy to store...great for laundry, groceries, inside storage bays, "stuff" stored when you move, etc. They come in several sizes and colors....I am order one more multi-colored one from the same manufacturer as my other one. Here is one source, here is another and one more here.

Another item that I bought and have used a couple of times is a set of covers for a picnic table and two benches. They are made for a standard size table/benches and have elastic edging but since not all tables/benches are standard, it's good to have some extra clips to hold them in place. Harriet Carter and Dr. Leonard's both have them on sale and an up-scale version is offered at Camping World.

As always, check prices in more than one place as well as compare shipping costs (and return policies). For example, Camping World offers the ever popular folding step-stool for $12.22 ($8.99 if you're a President's Club member) while Harriet Carter has it for $15.98. I found the solar light going for as much as $42 in other places, Harriet Carter had the lowest price.

I know I have missed some of my favorite gadgets....I'll try to remember them for next time around. Hope ya'll have fun shopping!

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna

Tucson RV Life on Wheels

Busy, busy, busy...have barely had time to read emails, never mind replying to them and needless to say, the blog has been at the bottom of the priority list. Several things to catch up on:

Garmin Nuvi GPS updates
- Garmin is snail mailing me software for routing on the computer....FREE. Now why didn't they just put it in the box? (Thank you to those who helped me find out about this.)
- When following a route it will display my current speed if I go to an alternate screen. Aggravating but at least it's there.
- Still haven't found elevation (grrrrrr) or direction. Wouldn't you think any GPS would show you what direction you are heading? BIG aggravation

Missing Mail
Well, the package DID show up in Bouse on Monday. But the Postmistress was out till Wednesday and she was the only one who could authorize a one-time mail forwarding. Called on Wed and she was out till Thursday. Called today and she promised to get the package on it's way to Tra-Tel RV Park where I will be staying until at least the package arrives.

Inverter/Generator/Air Conditioner issue
Not sure where I left this in the blog...I learned on a very hot day while outside Yuma that my A/C would no longer run on the generator. I also had three complete shut-downs when running the microwave at night with the generator on. Discount Solar tweaked the inverter settings, raising the high incoming voltage limit from 130 to 135 (maximum for safe usage). I haven't had a change to test it out yet since I've hardly been in my rig all week.

They also tried to troubleshoot the A/C issue and ended up deciding that it was an A/C problem. I needed a new relay or maybe the thermostat was bad. Fast forward to my 2 nights in the Gila Bend campground. Plug into shore power and just for the heck of it, I try the A/C. Works just fine....not a blip. Hmmmm.....

So I arrive at Pima Community College for the RV Life on Wheels conference (after fighting Sheila who kept insisting that I needed to get back on I-10 which was impossible due to construction). I was early so people were only trickling in, other than the instructors who were already here. Met with my friends and got to talking about the issue. They informed me that Greg Holder of AM Solar (who is the most highly recommended solar person I know of, from multiple sources) was here from his home in OR and suggested I talk to him.

Turned out that he was parked just across from me but with all the hullabaloo going on around me, tons of old friends coming by and new folks introducing themselves mixed in with registration and orientation, I didn't get a chance to talk to him until after his Boondocking Class on Tuesday. He thought it was one of two things....the easy fix would be if my inverter was set too high for the low voltage side and that when my A/C kicked in, the generator power dropped low enough to kick off the inverter.

So he told me I needed to check the setting....brave soul that I am (NOT), I dug out the book and actually managed to get to the place in the menu to read all the settings. Turns out that it could only be set down by 5 points...and after trying the A/C with the generator again, no go. With the inverter running, it worked.

This means that there should have been a sub-panel installed that would isolate the A/C from the inverter. About a $500 item at initial install time....much more expensive to go back and retro. But he said that it wouldn't hurt the inverter to have it enabled along with the generator and since the generator would be charging the batteries, it shouldn't hurt them to run this way. We agreed that I would try it for a couple of months (hoping to NOT need the generator for A/C for a while though) and if I felt it was a problem, I'd schedule an appointment for late summer/early fall to get it retro-fitted.

Needless to say, I will be sending a letter to Discount Solar. I feel this should have been done or at a minimum I should have been offered the option to have it done and the reasons behind it fully explained to me.

Bike Issues
Once again, something new jumps up and bites me in the a$$. Jeesh....just before Nick & Terry stopped by to say hi, I had opened up the trailer and peeked in to be sure all was okay. Well it wasn't.....the bolts holding the chock to the floor had vibrated completed out and the chock was loose. The bike was leaning to the left with only the tie-downs holding it. Nick & Terry helped me unload the trailer, back up the bike so I could put the chock back together, get it strapped down again and reload the trailer.

I have been thinking for some time whether to keep the bike or move to a car. This was kind of the clincher. Looking back over the last 5 months, I have done almost no sightseeing. It has been too much of a hassle to unload/reload the bike for short stops, weather also makes a difference and I have had help with the loading/unloading every time and STILL had problems.

Factor in that I've never truly bonded with the BMW.....don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful bike and it rides really well. But I guess I'm a cruiser (read...HARLEY) gal at heart. Now, if there was any way to keep a bike AND get a 'toad', I would do so. But financially it's not going to happen. I need the funds from the sale of the trailer & bike to pay for a car.

So today I listed the bike and trailer in the Tucson Craigslist and I will stick around to sell them. This weekend I will be looking at a 2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara, loaded. It used to be a toad and needs a good home. The price is right as are the options so if it's in good condition and runs well, I may be able to offer that good home. LOL!

Tomorrow I will post about the conference itself....it has been wonderful. In the meantime, our last night here the sky EXPLODED with color to the west and the full moon shone to the east. Here are a few shots to enjoy.



Till next time - keep on rollin',
Froggi/Donna