GMC Motor Home, Travel with Teri and Dan

A Slow Day in Az.

This is what retirement is all about. Do not have to do anything if I don't want to. I had to run the new heater again this morning to take a shower. 2 days in a row. Kinda nippy out here last couple days. Wind was terrible Wednesday. A piece of siding blew up and got wrapped around my satellite dish on the roof. Today has been calm and sunny. At 50 or so degrees it seems chilly so Sam and I have been in the coach most of the day. Living in our coach is kinda like living in a small apartment. We have everything we need here, just on a smaller scale. There is absolutely no other way to enjoy the USA than in an rv for several months at a time. All the comforts of home and much cheaper than sleeping in someone else's bed at a motel. Not at all inviting to me.
Through the blog I have met several people. One of those just had solar installed on her motorhome. She did it right. Over 450 watts of panels on the roof, good controller with large enough wire to carry the juice, and a battery arrangement large enough to support her lifestyle without running the generator everyday. It is rare to see an installer do it properly but this one looks good. This lady keeps an excellent and up to date blog of her travels. Folks do not need to fire up their generator every morning to have plenty of power to last the entire day, especially if they sleep late like I do. The trick is to have enough sun hitting your panels, have enough panel on your roof, large wire and a good controller with plenty of batteries. We will add some batteries to our system in the upcoming year. I need to make a place for them first. If one needs to run the generator early in the morning is the best time. Get some charge in the batteries and then top them off with the sun. I carry a 3 stage 25 amp charger and sometimes use it as it will charge faster than the converter in the coach.
Friday Teri and I will run into town again for the, I hope, final supplies to finish our Kitchen cabinet doors. Teri has finished the drawers like she wants. Now everything is in place. I hid the quick disconnect for the gas line inside one of them. We just need to cover it up and make it look good. We will pick up a little more insulation while we are there. I want to insulate behind the closet and under the refrigerator. Then, when we pull the wall, we will re insulate that area. I feel air at night coming from behind the couch. Part of it I know where it is coming from. The window does not have the propper vertical seal between the glasses. I think the rest is coming through and around the wall. This area will also be insualated when Teri feels like helping me remove the couch.
I talked with my brother back home about noon. He says they are getting some real winter weather there. I feel a bit guilty for considering 50 degrees a bit nippy, no I don't, I am cold. It is nice being where 50 is cold. This would be a warm day back in Southeast Missouri. This is January folks, it is supposed to be cold back home.
Was able to make a call to a prospective supplier of automatic fire extinguishers for motorhomes today. I don't think most motorhome folks understand that fire is one of the biggest dangers in a coach. There is a company that has automatic extinguishers to put in the engine compartments. If a fire breaks out the extinguisher will kill it and save the coach. Teri and I avoided a fire last year by having the glass engine cover. We saw the oil spraying everywhere and got stopped before the fire broke out. If the fire had started we would have lost the coach, no doubt. Can't open the engine hatch with a fire in there. The air will swoop in and its all over. The company also has automatic extinguishers for the electircal compartment, rear of the refrigerator, and the generator compartment. When Teri and I travel in hot tmeperatures we often run the generator going down the road so we can run the roof air. Keeps Sam cool back here. Having an extinguisher back there is a good idea. This company sells to many Nascar owners so I feel he has a good product. I think a good deal can be struck between him and us to get some of these out where they belong, in motorhomes. Will have pictures when I get one or two in here.
No photos today, have not gone anywhere or done anything worthy of showing. We always take the camera when we get into the car. Never know what we might see. I did see that Flint Michigan has a rather rowdy bunch hanging out at Chucky Cheese. My grandson, Colsyn, will be sorry he missed that one. He loves a good fight at Chucky's place.
Ya'll have a great evening. Thanks for dropping by. We always enjoy your visit. Dan

posted by Dan & Teri Gregg @ 3:28 PM