Happy Leap Day

We are at the Desert Trails RV Park, south of I-8 in El Centro (map).

On Wednesday the vet decided to do another ACTH test, which had us there until nearly 5pm (the test requires a two-hour period between injection and sample). That meant they missed the window to get the samples to the lab the same day, and so we could not expect results back until today. Between doing laundry and getting the water tanks ready, we figured we could use the extra time productively here, and so we signed up for two nights.

The rate here is $39 for full hookups, but it turns out they also have a rate of $31 for water and 30-amp electricity only. We usually can't even use sewer hookups, as they are almost always at the very back of the space, and our tanks (and therefore our dump valves) are just about dead center of the bus, making it a good 20' reach at a minimum, so we opted to save the $16 and take the cheaper space.

The non-sewer spaces turned out to be in a crappy gravel lot behind the pool house.



Sheesh, we've stayed in truck stops nicer than this. Frankly, when we saw it, we nearly turned around and headed for the exit, but we reminded ourselves that it was only for two nights, and we were here to get some specific things done, and we decided to just bite the bullet and get parked.

Yesterday, Louise headed over to the laundry room -- far enough from our space that she used her scooter -- to discover a sign proclaiming the water would be turned off at 9am. It looked like the whole park would be off, including both laundry rooms, except for the little corner where we're parked. So she called the office to find out when the water would be back on. Whoever answered the phone was just plain rude, and also completely uninformative. Apparently, customer service is not part of the mantra here -- and why should it be, considering only about a dozen spaces out of 400+ are for transients.

After Louise hung up, visibly disturbed, I scooted over to the office to nail down an answer. I got the same person, Wanda Hylton, who was equally rude to me. She tried to be uninformative again, but I explained that doing the laundry was the primary reason we chose to stay at this park, and if we could not do it, I wanted a refund so we could leave and do it elsewhere. That finally prompted her to get off her butt and make the phone calls required to find out that, as it turned out, the water would not be turned off after all. I have to say, I just don't understand this kind of attitude ("we don't know anything -- we're just the office"). This place also has the temerity to charge $22 per night for dry camping, which comes complete with the same horrible customer service, and then RV parks want to know why people choose instead to park at Wal-Mart.

I will say that at least the pool and hot tub were decent, the laundry equipment was clean and in good shape, and most of the "residents" we met were pleasant. The park seems mostly full of Canadian snowbirds, and quite a few of the spaces have park models on them. At 20 years old, though, the place is looking a bit run down.

While we were here, we put our lone remaining bicycle and our Homedics massage chair out with "for sale" signs on them, and sold them both within a couple of hours.

Checkout is at 11am, when we'll roll over to the dump station to empty our tanks, then over to the on-site LP station to fill our empty cylinders. I am hoping that, by then, we will have heard back from the vet about Opal's results.

We don't want to start the border-crossing process too late in the day, so, depending on when the vet calls, we may very well end up spending tonight at the Wal-Mart in Calexico. Or the one here in town, if Opal needs any follow-up work.

Thursday Tips: Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

Thursday is tip day.

Reader Natalie requested a post on microfiber towels, so here's the skinny. I use them to clean almost everything inside Odyssey without any cleaning chemicals. The exceptions are surfaces that need to be disinfected (like the toilet) or are greasy (like the kitchen floor last night after Sean dropped most of a roast chicken on it. Opal and Simple Green were needed to cut the fat.)

According to Wikipedia, "Microfiber is constructed in a blend of 80/20 ratio of polyester/polyamideams. They are made from a warp knitted thread, composed of wedge-shaped polyester filaments with a core of nylon. The fiber's wedge shaped filaments follow surfaces, lift up dirt, and then trap the particles inside the fibers. The capillary effect between the filaments and nylon core creates a high absorbency, which in turn enables this cloth to clean and polish at the same time."

Yup, that's what they do. Here's a run-down of how I use them:

Dry cloths are used right out of the package to clean just about anything. After they get dirty, I launder them in warm water with regular detergent. Depending on how soiled they are, the cloth may stain because they really hold the dirt. I've washed some of our cloths dozens of times. They really hold water, too, which makes them great to clean up wet messes.

• Dust hard, smooth surfaces like counter tops, windowsills, wood cabinets
• Dust electro-statically charged surfaces like computer screens & keyboards, dashboard instrument panel, GPS
• Clean nooks and crannies in screens, heater vents and grill covers
• Dust soft, delicate surfaces like cloth window blinds
• Remove fur from Sunbrella fabric walls
• Use as a reusable replacement for Swiffer dry cleaning mop cloths
• Absorb rainwater from our window leaks
• Absorb sloshing from aquarium while under way

Wet, the cleaning magic of microfiber really comes through. The key to getting hard surfaces to shine is to wipe first with a damp/wet cloth, then follow immediately afterwards with a dry cloth. Using nothing but water, the microfiber will make your stuff sparkle. Rather than have one wet and one dry cloth, I usually just dampen one corner for the cleaning and use the rest of the dry cloth to finish.

• Clean hard surfaces to a spot-free shine, including glass, mirrors, chrome, stainless steel, plastic, automotive paint, finished wood
• Use as a reusable replacement for Swiffer damp mop cloths
• Remove dead bugs from glass, paint, metal
• Clean leather and vinyl
• I've heard they clean the dreaded RV "black streaks," but since Odyssey doesn't get those, I can't attest to that.

I'm not kidding when I say I use these cloths on every surface in the bus: microwave oven, vinyl ceiling, DVD player, faucet handles, walls, floor, Fantastic Fans. The only decision to I have to make is whether to use a little water or not.

Here is a video of me cleaning all those things, and more, using my trusty microfiber towels:



We first heard about this amazing material at the Escapade RV rally in the summer of 2005. One of the seminars was about cleaning your RV in an environmentally friendly way. I don't remember the name of the woman who gave the seminar, but she was funny and engaging. Her enthusiastic pitch convinced me to buy one of her $5 cloths, but when she passed around samples, I realized I already owned one.

Back when we did a lot of motorcycle camping, I bought a small, super-absorbent bath towel to pack in my saddlebags. The towel hadn't seen much use, but I remembered it feeling exactly the same as the seminar samples. Sure enough, my towel was microfiber. I used it for a couple of months before I left it behind in San Jose with a friend. It worked great and I needed more!

Sean then found these:



They are 14" x 14", and we purchased them at Costco. A package of 36 lurid yellow cloths cost $15, less than $0.50 each. If you aren't a member of Costco, Amazon sells them here for about $1.00 each.

Microfiber comes in several different textures. The smoother ones are supposed to be better for computer screens and glass, but I like the "terry cloth" ones for everything and keep a stack of them handy at all times.

I don't get any royalties for pitching these things, I just am totally sold on using microfiber to clean. I'll admit it was fun to make this little "infomercial," though.

Change to the Comments

Have you wanted to leave a comment, but have been stymied by needing a Google/Blogger identity? Well, stymie no more! I've changed the commenting here on Our Odyssey to allow anyone to take part.

Just click on the Comments link at the bottom of any post and in the right hand column you'll see several ways to identify yourself. If you have an account with one of the other blogging platforms, like Wordpress or Live Journal, you can select that. If not, then choose the Name/URL option. A box for your name will appear, and you can type in anything you want, such as "Mom" or "Edith" or "Hot Pants 57" (not that those are necessarily all the same person). In the URL box you can type the address of your own website if you have one, or just leave it blank.

There is even an Anonymous option, although we here at Our Odyssey prefer that you don't use that. After all, if you can be "Hot Pants 57," why would you need to be anonymous?

Take a peek by clicking on Comments below. You don't have to add a note to this post, just convince yourself how quick and easy it could be.

And thanks to reader Ara for pointing out how non-Google comments would be an improvement to the site.

Website Wednesday: I Can See Clearly Now

On Wednesdays I write about websites that I visit often.

I buy my prescription eyeglasses on the Internet. From Hong Kong.

Having worn glasses and contact lenses for 37 years, I know good glasses when I see 'em. The ones I've ordered from Optical 4 Less so far have been great. I bought two pairs about nine months ago and just ordered two more. I get compliments every week on my mail order glasses, and can't wait for my latest ones to arrive.

This style I'm having made as sunglasses with a dark grey tint:



These are just fun and funky (and BLUE!):



Both are high-index 1.56 aspheric lenses with anti-reflective and scratch-resistant coating, which comes standard. If you buy two pairs at a time, shipping is free. From Hong Kong. It takes about 10 days. How cool is that?

What would you pay for two pairs of fun, trendy spectacles at a major chain like LensCrafters? $300? How about from your eye doctor? More like $500.

My PayPal account will be charged $68.40 for both pairs. Less than $35 each for frame, lens, coatings, and shipping.

At that price, you can see why I am enjoying wearing different colored glasses to match every outfit.

Reader Scott asked, "How do you get the correct fit on the frames?" Optical4Less has several ways to ensure a good fit. First, the dimensions are given on every frame. You could measure a current pair and choose something similar in size. Second, there is a way to input your facial dimensions and their opticians will choose the correct size frame for you (many frames come in several sizes.) Third, you can upload a photo of your face and virtually try on the glasses. Their software sizes the photo so that the scale between your face and the frames matches.

After your glasses arrive, Optical4Less recommends that you take the glasses to any local optician for adjustment. Most will do it for free and they do it all the time. I've personally experienced this, taking in a tweaked pair of glasses to a different place than where they were purchased. The technician bent, fit and cleaned my glasses for free and with a smile.

While I am just on the cusp of needing bifocals, I can still get away with wearing single prescription specs and taking them off for close up stuff. But I'll need real bifocals in a couple of years. For regular bifocals, the price goes up $63 a pair. For progressive bifocals, it is between $63 and $218 more depending on type of lens, your astigmatism, and whether you want the photo-grey option. I'll probably start with the cheapest option, just to test how well Optical 4 Less grinds those more complicated prescriptions. But you know, eyeglass technology has been around for a long time, and folks in Hong Kong need quality glasses, too, so I'm not too worried. Glasses are glasses. Why overpay for them?

They have lots of different styles, not just the candy-colored frames I prefer. Metal frames, rimless styles, even rhinestone-studded ones for that "out of my way, I'm headed for Bingo" look.

And best of all, I can try them all on at my leisure, in the comfort of Odyssey, after uploading my own photo to their site. Ten clicks of the mouse and they're ordered. Ten days later, they arrive in the U.S. Ten weeks later, we finally get around to having our mail forwarded and voila! New glasses.

Here are the two styles I already own from Optical4Less:




(two photos by Lee Damico)

After 10 years, Sean told me just the other day that I make a lot of goofy faces. Why didn't anyone tell me sooner?!? I blame the wine...

(More tips and tricks at "Works for me Wednesday.")

"Downtown"

We are in El Centro, California, just about 15 miles from the Mexican border.

When we arrived yesterday, we had our sights set on what the GPS told us was an Albertson's grocery store. We were pretty much completely out of supplies, with all the fresh meat and produce gone, and nothing left to eat but a few nuclear-winter-ration canned goods. We'd have just stayed in the desert and eaten those, too, had we not also been completely out of wine.

In any case, we rolled up to the target location, only to find that the Albertson's is long gone, and the store is being renovated into a Von's which is not yet open. No problem -- just a couple blocks away is the brand-spanking new Wal-Mart SuperCenter (map), which has groceries aplenty, and was probably where we were going to spend the night anyway, and so that's what we did. I can now report that it costs $175 to spend the night at Wal-Mart -- and that doesn't count the stuff we went back in to buy today because we forgot it yesterday.

To be fair, that wasn't all groceries. We needed a new floor mat, and a pair of new deck chairs, since the last pair deteriorated in the sun and weather up on the deck (where they live permanently, strapped down for travel when not in use). They sort of looked OK, but one of our friends and I dropped right through them at Death Valley, while sitting around the campfire. We also needed our favorite el-cheapo box wine (Peter Vella Merlot, or the backup choice, Peter Vella Burgundy), but, to our horror, they had had a run on Peter Vella, and all that was left was white Zin. And plenty of Franzia, which we dislike. We did pick up four bottles of, umm, less cheap wine of various sorts, for when we entertain (we don't make our guests drink the box stuff -- that's just déclassé).

There's an Applebees a block away, and we walked over for a nice dinner -- Applebees turns out to have a fairly decent menu, with several entrée salads that appeal to us. Across the street from Applebees is a Target, and we had read in one of our favorite blogs that Target has some pretty interesting 3-liter box wine, and so we ended up with a Shiraz "wine cube" that is actually pretty good. Target also had just the right half-gallon pitcher that we needed but could not find at Wal-Mart, so it was worth the walk.

Walking back to the new Wal-Mart from Target involved walking right past the old Wal-Mart. The store is dark and empty, but the parking lot is not roped or fenced off, and we noticed several rigs were spending the night there. Not wishing to overstay our welcome at the new store, and also wishing for a little less light and fewer gawkers, this is where we moved (map) this afternoon. Regular readers will know that we have stayed at defunct big-box stores more than once. This time, we had plenty of company -- I've counted one Airstream trailer, three fifth-wheels, five class-A motorhomes, three class-C's, and two truck campers (including the ratty-looking homemade one), plus us. That's fifteen rigs, in contrast to the four or five we saw in the new store's lot last night.

Several of the rigs appear to have been here for quite some time, and we are keeping it in our minds as an option to just stay here for a couple of days if we need more time in El Centro before moving on.

That being said, I think we are very close to being ready to cross the border. We have an appointment at a local vet tomorrow to have Opal's blood work done, and also to update the cats' vaccinations (the ones required for Mexico are already current -- these are for our own peace of mind). Today I purchased our Mexican liability insurance, commencing Thursday morning and good for a full year. And we've given up on getting our K-1's and 1099's in the mail before we leave -- we're going to head down to San Felipe (Baja), then swing back up through the US in a couple of weeks before heading back down the other side of the gulf onto the mainland. We'll grab our mail someplace stateside in the process.

If all goes well at the vet tomorrow, we will probably head to the Desert Trails RV Park at the south end of town. These sorts of resort parks are not usually our style, especially at forty bucks a night, but we really can use a full-service park for one night before we cross the border. That will give Louise an opportunity to do a few loads of laundry conveniently, while I drain, sanitize, and refill our fresh water and separate drinking water systems from a clean state-side source. Also, we can top our batteries up completely, dump our tanks, and refill our propane, which turned out to be empty on Sunday when I fired up the grill (no sweat -- I carry a couple of small disposable bottles for the torch, and they get pressed into service to run the grill if the main supply turns up empty). Who knows, we might even try out the pool and hot tub.

This afternoon we walked over to Costco, right next door to the abandoned Wal-Mart, and stocked up on fresh meat (some nice New Zealand lamb, a couple of T-bones, and a pork loin), berries, more wine (do you detect a trend here?), and nuts. They also had a nice hot roasted chicken which we picked up for dinner, sparing us a second straight night at Applebees.

With a little bit of luck and a (relatively) clean canine blood test, we should be in Mexico by Thursday.

Talkback Tuesday: Boondocking

(One of my favorite boondocking experiences)

Tuesday is "Talkback" day, where I share what other people have to say

Today Sean received an email from Joe, a new reader. Joe asks,

Have you had any bad experiences boondocking?

Sean sent him this answer in email, but I liked what he wrote and will share it with you, too:

I'm going to say "never", but everything depends on your definition of "bad." Actually, some of our "worst" experiences have been at commercial campgrounds (noisy, nosy, and rude neighbors, poor service, dirty, etc.).

When truly "boondocking" (staying far from civilization, on, for example, BLM or Forest Service land), we've never, ever had any problem that was not of our own making (such as crushing our exhaust pipe while barreling through a water-filled wash). The only time we've ever had any kind of issue with staying at a Wal-Mart (or similar), and we have
stayed at hundreds of them over the course of four years, was one night in South Carolina we were hit with four paintballs shot by a carload of drunk teens at 2am. And I'm sure we were not "targeted" -- these guys probably drove all over town (Monck's Corner) shooting paintballs at anything and everything, roughly akin to carloads of teens whacking mailboxes with a bat, an age-old hooligan tradition. Total "damage" was me having to go out at 2am with the ladder to wipe the goop off while it was still wet. I've since learned that paintball goop comes off with water.

That said, we have kind of a "sixth sense" that kicks in periodically and tells us to move along. But in four years of boondocking and Wally-Docking, each of us has said to the other "this place does not feel right" perhaps twice. In that time, we've also been confronted by law enforcement for parking where we shouldn't only three times, and two of those we were allowed to remain where we were.

The key to a successful and happy trip, IMO, is for both of you to be in total agreement about what you are doing. We'd *both* rather stay in a truck stop than a KOA, even though neither of those is our first choice. We also like our solitude, even if it means being miles from help should something go wrong, whereas many RVers are more comfortable with the "safety in numbers" philosophy.

A low-risk way to ease into boondocking is to try some state park campgrounds, national parks, and even Forest Service facilities. Many are no-hookup affairs with fairly wide spacing -- sometimes such that you can't even see another rig from your site -- yet there will be other campers around, and they are usually patrolled. This sort of camping allows you to become thoroughly familiar with all the self-contained
features of your rig, and get the feel for spending the night where it is incredibly dark and quiet.

You can use the "category" feature of our blog to read about our experiences at state parks, national parks, BLM, and also parking lots (usually under "Dry Camping") and true boondocking.

We're happy to answer questions about Odyssey or our travels. Feel free to ask via the blog comments or by personal email.

Monday Miscellany: Tours?

Monday is the day for miscellaneous topics

I am putting together several short video tours of Odyssey. Is there something in particular you've always been curious to see? Put special tour requests in the comments and George will make sure they get included.



Update: The videos are done, and can be viewed here. Thanks for all your suggestions!

Alone again, naturally

We are on BLM land adjacent to Box Canyon Road, east of Mecca (map).

We had a lovely drive through the southern portion of Joshua Tree National Park yesterday. South of Cottonwood Springs the wild flowers were in full bloom -- spectacular!

We had thought about spending another night in the park, at Cottonwood campground. But as we pulled up to the Cottonwood visitors' center, it felt way too early to stop, and we knew the wildflowers were still ahead of us. We pressed on, expecting to perhaps boondock on BLM land just south of the park, as detailed here on the park's own web site.

We did pull off onto the water district road to check it out, and I would guess there to be about a dozen rigs scattered around the area. It still felt too early to stop, and we also felt the spot lacked one of the key ingredients (for us) of BLM camping: solitude. So we continued on past I-10 and turned southeast onto Box Canyon road.

BLM land extends on both sides of the road most of the way in to Mecca. Beyond this point, though, it is mostly wilderness area (vehicles excluded), and, besides, the steep sides of the canyon preclude leaving the roadway. So we stopped here, at the last major turnoff before the slot canyon, and we drove about 200 yards (part of it through some heart-stoppingly soft sand) to this lovely spot just in front of the wilderness area boundary. This is a large area with a huge fire ring, suitable for a pretty big group, but we had the place all to ourselves. There is a stile in the cable fence here to access the trails into the wilderness, yet we also did not see any cars for day hikers in the area.

It's been a great spot -- dark, quiet, and warm, with good protection from the winds that raced through the whole desert yesterday evening. We could easily stay here a few more days, except we are out of groceries, and we need to find another vet to get the dog's blood counts in a day or two. The nearest real store to our planned route is in Brawley, so we'll head that way and be there tonight or tomorrow.

Chilled coeds, on the rocks

We are at the Belle campground in Joshua Tree National Park (map).

We got a late start again yesterday from the Elks, mostly on account of the great refrigerator defrost project. As we were packing up to leave, a car pulled up to chat -- readers Bob and Molly, who were staying at the 29 Palms RV Park, happened to pass by us on the road in their car, and dropped in to say hello. (It was great to meet you, and thanks for stopping by.)



We had a nice drive into the park, although it's actually quite a serious climb. On our last visit here, we made the loop of the northern section of the park. This time, we made the left at the Pinto "Y" to head south. Our original thought had been to continue almost all the way through the park to stay at the Cottonwood campground, near the south visitors' center. Realizing that it was Saturday night, in high season, and that Cottonwood could very well be full or fully reserved (and mindful that Bob and Molly had told us the ranger expressed concerns about getting their 40' rig in there), we decided to pull in to this first campground on the route, at least to check it out.



We got the very last space, which alone made the decision for us to stay put, and not take a chance on Cottonwood. Shortly after we parked, fellow campers Mike and Cissie (kadizzled.blogspot.com) stopped by to chat. They are heading up to Mojave, and we invited them to use our wireless signal to surf over to that park's web site for maps and information. Nice folks, and we will try to say hi next time we are in North Dakota.

When we first pulled in, we observed a number of folks practicing technical climbing on the large rock that is the central feature of this campground. (Joshua Tree is known as a rock climbers' haven, with thousands of interesting formations. Many climbing schools and outfitters train here.) While I was out grilling dinner, one of the climbers wandered over to ask about the rig, and she told me that the whole group consisted of second year pre-meds from USC, just having a girls' weekend out. (The guides they hired were men -- what dedicated professionalism!)

I cautioned them about the NWS forecast, which included high wind advisories for the area starting at 3am last night, as they were all in tents. We even stowed the dish for the night, but we ended up being mostly in the lee of the big rock anyway.

Today we will continue south through the park.

Stopping to recharge

We are at the Elks lodge in 29 Palms (map).

We had really wanted to spend another night in the Mojave National Preserve, perhaps out by the majestic 600' high Kelso Dunes. Unfortunately, we were out of water, and there really was no place in the preserve to get any. No water in Amboy, either, and so we decided to press on to 29 Palms, where we knew the Elks would have some.

The Elks here wanted $5 to dump (which we don't need, having just done it at Furnace Creek), $7 to dry camp overnight, or $10 for 30-amp hookups with water. Since we've not topped off the batteries since Shoshone on Valentine's Day, we opted to just spring the few extra bucks and spend the night with power. That also let us run our electric heaters, as it dropped into the 40's last night, and, as long as we have the power, I am taking the opportunity this morning, as Louise has already mentioned, to defrost the fridge, a process which uses extra power because (1) I use a heat gun to help speed things along and (2) the fridge then has to do a bunch of extra work to catch back up.

After we left our lovely little spot by the power lines yesterday morning, we coasted all the way to Kelso. The park service has done a fantastic job with the depot renovation and museum, and we spent a good hour or more there wandering around and going through all the exhibits. The gift shop was also well stocked with books about the area as well as about the railroad and its role in developing the west and even the park service itself.

We thought briefly about making a left along the tracks onto Cima Road, which would have taken us into other interesting sections of the park, but that would have meant perhaps 30 miles on a dirt road to find our way to one of the developed campgrounds (where water was available). We decided to return on another trip (entering instead past Mitchell Caverns), and just continue south on Kelbaker to Amboy.

The southern half of the park was beautiful high desert, and we really enjoyed the drive. We blasted past I-40, noting quite a few spots south of the interstate which would have been good for spending the night (but, alas, still no water, so we pressed on).

At Amboy we made the traditional stop at Roy's, which, to our amazement, was open and selling gas (and diesel). A bit pricey, but still not as high as, for example, Furnace Creek. I spoke with the attendant, who was sporting a duty belt with what looked to be a .40 Smith & Wesson, and he allowed that they had just been open two weeks. I am hopeful that the gas station is a harbinger of better days to come for the old joint, and certainly further along than our last visit.

I did ask about water, but, unsurprisingly, the running water there is briny and unfit for drinking or dishwashing (signs posted at the restroom taps warn of the danger), and all their drinking water is bottled. They do have a fridge full of cold bottles of water for sale to thirsty travelers.

After ending up here at the Elks, we looked into dinner options, and decided on the rather funky 29 Palms Inn, which is five miles away at the opposite end of town. No problem, we just pulled Chip out of the bay and swooped down there for what turned out to be an excellent prime rib dinner. Coming home, however, against the 35mph headwinds was another matter -- at one point going uphill, the best we could manage was about 37mph (in a 55 zone, yikes!). That wind was also pummeling us when we first arrived at the Elks, but we strategically parked Odyssey in the lee of the building, which made for a comfortable night.

Today we will continue south into Joshua Tree National Monument.

Small Space Saturday: Small Fridge Update

On Saturdays I write about strategies for living in 300 square feet

Back in August, I wrote about our incredibly small refrigerator. The gist of that post was how using bins in the fridge made the space more usable.



Today, Sean is defrosting the refrigerator. We selected the Novakool because it runs on 24 volts and is super-efficient, drawing about 2-3 amps when running, with duty cycle varying by how often we open it. Part of why it draws so little power is because it is not self-defrosting. Since our preference is to boondock as often as possible, defrosting the fridge occasionally is a price we are willing to pay for the increased efficiency. I say "we," but Sean performs this chore, so it works particularly well for me.

Because most of the food is corralled into the plastic bins, all he had to do was pull out four containers to completely empty the fridge.



With the food packed tightly into the bins and the bins placed close together on the counter, the food should stay cool for the 30 minutes or so it takes him to finish this project. When he's done, he'll just slide the bins back into their proper place. Fast and easy.

Another bonus: the fridge will be organized exactly as it was yesterday, with almost no nagging effort. Meaning, exactly the way I want it to be. If you are the one who puts away the groceries and/or leftovers, you understand what I'm talking about. "Honey, why did you put the ketchup in the vegetable crisper?"

So there you go, several more reasons to use bins to organize your refrigerator.

High desert solitude

We are at a small "dispersed area" camp site in the Mojave National Preserve, really just a dirt pulloff next to a dirt road, where the power lines cross Kelbaker road (map).

The email fallout from my conference call yesterday morning had us off to a very late start out of Baker. In fact, it was lunch time when we were finally ready to roll, so we strolled over to the Mad Greek for a burger, which was quite tasty. I'm sure their gyros are equally good.

Our late start would have put us in Kelso just an hour or so before the train depot-turned-visitor center closed, and then we would have been looking for a spot to stay in the last vestiges of daylight (there is no overnight parking in Kelso). While the dispersed camping rules page said not to park "along" paved roads, our "Guide to Free Campgrounds" said this spot was nevertheless OK, and there is clear evidence that it is used regularly, including the remains of a campfire ring. The very first dispersed camping rule here in the preserve is to stick to spots that are already well used. So when this came along a good 12 miles or so before Kelso, we decided to make an early stop for the night.



In spite of being only a couple dozen yards from the road, and almost under the four parallel sets of power lines that cross here, it was an excellent choice. It's at the summit of a long but shallow grade -- we climbed steadily here from Baker, perhaps 2,500 feet worth, with the engine at ~70% load. Aside from the power towers, we have an unobstructed 360° view of desert scrub and the unadorned tops of the surrounding low mountains, with no hint of civilization. Kelbaker road is closed to commercial traffic, and so even the roadway was quiet, and I would estimate that fewer than half a dozen vehicles passed us in the dark of night.

While I suspect many would find it stark, this is the sort of place that we find hauntingly beautiful, and we are just having a relaxing morning with all the blinds open to drink in the panorama. At some point, we will roll down the hill to Kelso, spend some time at the old whistle stop, and then continue south toward I-40 and Amboy. Our big project for the day is finding water, as our tank is nearly empty (we only put a couple days' worth in at Furnace Creek, knowing we had a large up grade ahead of us).

Thursday Tips: Miracle Cleaner

Thursday is tip day.

I use a homemade cleaning solution to tackle our most vexing stains: rust on our white window blinds.

As our regular readers know, Odyssey leaks. Alot. Sometimes the water comes in immediately and is pretty clean. But sometimes that water seems to have fermented somewhere deep in the structure of the bus and when it finally seeps in it is a rusty brown goo.

When the slanted windows leak, the moisture drips directly onto the blinds.

Most of our window coverings are fabric cellular blinds which we bought at Home Depot. They are the double honeycomb type, like the pink ones in this photo, but ours are off-white.



The material is kind of a cross between fabric and stiff paper, and they raise and lower using cords like Venetian blinds. They are virtually impossible to wash. So when the first big rust stain appeared, we were convinced that the only thing we could do was replace the entire blind.

Then I heard someone rave about this cleaning solution, and figured I would give it a try. What did I have to lose? The blinds were already ruined.

I wish I had before and after photos of the first time I used this stuff. There was a huge brown stain, about the size of a dinner plate and the color of iced tea, on the blind. After about an hour after spraying on the miracle stuff, the stain was just....done. There was no bright white bleach spot. Even though I only sprayed on the stain, not the whole blind, it all blended perfectly.

Now I don't wait until the stains are huge and dark before I clean them. Here are photos of the last time I sprayed. The stain isn't too bad, so the "after" photo isn't too dramatic. But if you click on the pictures and look at the larger images, you can clearly see the stain in the lower right corner disappears.

Before:



After:



The vertical mark near the wooden trim piece is actually a shadow from a crease in the fabric, not a stain. Thank you, cats, for that crease.

Miracle Solution

1/4 cup bleach
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup club soda (plain, unflavored)

Mix ingredients in a spray bottle. Open vents or windows for ventilation. Spray stains until soaked with solution. Let dry. Be amazed.

Warnings:

This stuff is strong, so test in an inconspicuous place first. I've never tried it on any color other than off-white, so it may bleach out other colors. It is really fume-y, so make sure you have plenty of ventilation. Better yet, spray before you leave your rig for a while so it can air out. Don't store extra solution in your spray bottle or it will damage the sprayer nozzle. Make a small batch and use it all, then rinse the bottle throughly and run clean water through the nozzle.

I don't claim to know exactly how this works. Obviously the bleach plays an important role. The club soda's fizziness supposedly helps work the magic deep into the fabric. Maybe it's just snake oil, but man has this worked great for us.

I don't remember where I heard about this stuff. It might have been at an RV rally. I might have read about it online. If you know who first came up with it, leave a comment so I can give credit where credit is due. I do remember that it was presented as a way to clean the fuzzy carpet-like fabric that is often used on the ceilings of RV. I've used it on our light gray/off-white carpet successfully. It should work on Day-Night blinds and windshield curtains if they are white/off white.

Again, I have no experience using it on other colors, so test a small spot first and let it dry before going hog-wild.

At the World's Tallest Thermometer

Baker, CA.

Eclipsed

We are parked in a gravel lot across the street from the "World's Tallest Thermometer" in Baker, California (map). The thermometer was erected by the famous "Bun Boy"restaurant which stood here for 80 years, starting in 1926. In 2000, it was sold, and in 2006 the new owners turned it into, ironically, a Bob's Big Boy, a chain which originated a full decade later with an iconic mascot strikingly similar to the Bun Boy.

I have to say I miss the place -- it was a great stop between Barstow and Vegas and the food was decent, even if the joint was a bit on the kitsch-overload side. I have no need to eat in a Bob's Big Boy, but I used to eat at the Bun Boy on occasion. At least the landmark thermometer, its 134' height a tribute to the highest recorded temperature in the US (at Furnace Creek some hundred miles from here), is still there.

This lot is the truck and RV parking area for the Big Boy as well as the Mad Greek, another iconic Baker eatery, and is a common overnight stop for trucks and RVs alike. We chose to stay here in Baker because I had a conference call this morning, and we wanted to be sure of having good cell service -- there isn't any in Death Vally, and we'll likely be in the middle of the Mojave National Preserve tonight, where I'd bet against having any signal.

The downside to being here was that, small as it is, Baker still emits a lot of light pollution, and I really wanted to see the total lunar eclipse last night. (Ironically, one source of said light pollution is the giant thermometer, which is actually an electric sign, with pink neon running up each corner, and the temperature displays made of white light bulb digits.) The light issue proved to be nearly moot, as there was extensive cloud cover at sunset which persisted through most of the event. We did get a nice break in the clouds just before 7pm, as the moon was about half engulfed in the umbra, and we got to watch it slowly enter totality over the next hour. We did not get the blood-red moon that I was hoping for -- more like a ruddy brown, but still dramatic. Shortly after the moon was completely swallowed by the umbra, the cloud cover moved back in and obliterated our view, not to recede again until 9pm or so, after the entire event was over. At least we got to see a bit of the totality, and the view here in the desert was pretty spectacular in spite of the lights.

Now that my conference call is over, we're planning our strategy for proceeding south. I expect to cross I-15 and proceed to Kelso on the Kelbaker road, which will take us all the way to I-40 on our way to Amboy.

Sean reads the Bus Conversion boards

Death Valley Days

We are at the Furnace Creek Campground, behind the visitor center and next to the golf course (map).

We've actually been here since Thursday, and, in fact, will be leaving tomorrow morning. But we've been wrapped up in other things, and I just have not gotten around to blogging.

After we left Shoshone, we headed up 127 to Death Valley Junction, where 190 took us west into the park. Along the way, we spotted the power company repairing the high-voltage line entering the park -- the wooden pole they were working on was snapped in half by the storm. Sure enough, upon our arrival at the check-in kiosk for the campground, the ranger told us that the power had been out since 3pm Wednesday. It was finally restored around 4:30 or so, making it a tad over a full day.

While the campground was without power (not that you could tell -- there are no hookups anywhere in Furnace Creek), the resort was still humming along on backup generators. When we wandered over to the steakhouse for dinner, you could tell they hadn't missed a beat.

Friday morning was given over to R&R, with a handful of bus projects thrown in, including verifying that our solar panels are still helping out (they are, kicking a full seven amps into the mix around mid-day, and that's flat panels in the winter, no less). Our friends started showing up around four-ish, and we hung out with then at the cabins until all were in quarters, then headed over to the cafe for dinner. The cafe, unfortunately, proved incapable of seating sixteen of us in even close proximity, let alone at the same table, so we ended up at the steakhouse for a second night in a row.

Saturday was campsite cookout day, and we spent most of the day getting the coach, the site, and the food ready, whilst the gang mostly rode out to Ballarat. Most of them were pretty beat when they all showed up at the appointed 6pm, nevertheless grillmaster extraordinaire Dale still managed to cook up some great flank steak over the coals we started ahead of time. Several people brought vegetarian options for the half dozen veggie-heads in the group, and dinner appeared to be enjoyed by all. We had so many leftovers that Monday was designated a follow-on cookout to eat them all. We had a good campfire going and most folks hung out until nearly 11 sipping port and slurping down Bananas Foster. We were up an hour beyond that cleaning up.

Sunday morning was spent recovering and with the rest of the cleanup, after which we wandered over to the cabins to hook up with several friends who decided to take it easy for the day. A bunch of us ended up at the Ranch pool for an hour or so, and it was a perfect day for it, with temperatures in the high 70's complementing the pool's 85 degree thermal spring temperature. Then it was off to an early dinner at the Furnace Creek Inn, which, like the cookout, has become an annual tradition with our group. The only time they could accommodate 16 of us (at two adjacent tables) was 5:30, but dinner was lovely as always.


(Photo by Linda Cicero)

I spent most of Monday working on a PowerPoint presentation for our Red Cross technology training, something we've been involved with off and on since just after we started volunteering. It was due tonight (Tuesday), which is why I'm up at the wee hours typing the blog -- I spent several hours after another steakhouse dinner this evening wrapping it up.

The remainder of the gang left this morning (some left yesterday), and we joined them for breakfast before saying our goodbyes. We had booked massages up at the Inn for this afternoon, which gave us an excuse to be in their fancy pool as well, although today was not nearly as warm as it had been, with the high just under 65.

Our friends are gone, our camp site is already booked by someone starting tomorrow (this is the very busy season here), and we are out of water, so tomorrow morning seems like a good time to leave. Besides, I need to be on a conference call about my presentation Thursday morning, and there is no cell service here, which would put me at a payphone someplace for two hours balancing my laptop on my knee. We'll probably spend the night somewhere near Baker, so we are in cell range.

I'm a bit sorry to be leaving the park -- it is one of our favorite places and it is so lovely and peaceful here. We'll try to make up for it by drifting through the desert the next few days.

Auntie Em, Auntie Em

We are at the Shoshone RV and Trailer Park, in Shoshone (population 100), the southeastern gateway to Death Valley (map).

We stopped here primarily to visit our friends Jim and Pat of RV Safety Systems, who are staying here between shows (their next stop is FMCA Pomona) to partake of the nearby hot springs. Our plan had been to have dinner with them at the lone restaurant in town, the Crowbar Saloon. Those plans were interrupted, however, when the entire town lost power yesterday afternoon on account of a giant windstorm. I would estimate the sustained winds at 35mph with gusts over 60 or so.

In an episode of incredibly bad timing, the coin operated dryer is out of commission here (and has been, apparently, for a year or so) and Louise did a load of laundry which was line drying on the thoughtfully provided clotheslines -- we had to chase some of it down when the wind kicked up. Also, the left side of the coach got more or less sandblasted in the storm -- we'll have to assess the extent of the damage the next time we wash the bus, which it sorely needs.

The backup plan ended up being a frozen lasagna over at their converted Eagle bus, and we made up for the restaurant visit at breakfast this morning. We had a nice visit at both meals, with much to catch up on.

It's past checkout time, so we will leave in just a few minutes bound for Furnace Creek.

We now return to our regular program

We are in a gravel lot outside the Ramada Inn in Barstow (map).

We're here because we misinterpreted the directions in the Days End directory, which was trying to send us to a truck stop at the other end of town. I am thinking that this lot actually belongs to the Ramada, which uses it for oversize vehicle parking. There were a few trucks of various descriptions here last night. I don't feel too bad about using it, though, as there is also a Sizzler restaurant on the property, and we did eat dinner there last night. In any case, we passed the night undisturbed. We did leave our satellite dish down as a stealth measure -- we're getting several WiFi signals here from the surrounding hotels.

Yesterday morning found us at the Elks lodge in Ontario (map). We wrapped up at PEDCO late Monday afternoon, and we thought about just spending another night in front of the shop, but we really needed water, and we didn't feel like jockeying the coach around the shop to get close to the spigot. Also, there comes a point for us in every shop visit when all we want to do is watch the shop recede in our mirrors. So we headed out onto the highway, afternoon traffic and all, to see how far we'd get.

Louise was still feeling pretty crummy when we landed at the Elks, so I walked across the street to the Albertson's grocery store and picked up one of those rotisserie chickens and some fixings for dinner. In addition to the water we needed, the lodge had 30-amp electric hookups for $15, and so we had the opportunity to recharge the batteries after three nights on the street.

For those who are wondering, the oil filter was clean once we got it open. Also, I got the sample analysis back yesterday and it, too, was clean, so we are quite relieved. I noticed yesterday at the Elks that we are still dripping a bit of oil, which I think is coming from the airbox drains. That's still a bit distressing, since we leaked not even a drop for the 10,000 miles after the in-frame -- the current dripping started after the oil and bearing change in Portland.

The verdict on the dipstick calibration for the tranny was that it is reading low. By which I mean when it says "Add" it's really closer to full, and when it says "Full" it's really overfull. So they took about three quarts of my expensive synthetic fluid out. I'm sorry to say, though, after a day of travel, that it did not fix the problem: we got another code 12 after we left the Elks.

After we left the Elks yesterday afternoon, we drove about two blocks to a nearby vet, to get the dog's CBC taken. Now that she is on the Prednisone, we need to draw a blood panel periodically to monitor the progress, and these first couple of weeks, they may need to adjust dosages. We expect to receive the report sometime this afternoon, and we have our fingers crossed that the red counts have, at least, stabilized.

In a few minutes we will head out, by way of a grocery store. Barstow is the last city we will see with decent stores until after Death Valley, and we need to provision for our time in the desert, including fixings for the big cookout we've agreed to host for our party of 20 or so at our camp site in Furnace Creek on Saturday.

Tonight we will be in Shoshone, at the lone commercial park there, visiting friends. Normally from the coast side of California we would enter the park from the west, via Ridgecrest and Trona -- mostly deserted two-lane blacktop, and a good deal shorter than circling around through Baker. When we found out our friends Jim and Pat would be in Shoshone for a few days, we changed direction to stop in for a visit. As a bonus, we were able to swing by the Flying-J here in Barstow for a bit more fuel, and the Wal-Mart in town to replace our doormats, which were casualties of the grease-encrusted shop floor.

Reader assistance requested

We are still in the exact same spot on the street outside PEDCO. Louise has really been too miserable to move until this morning, and now I am realizing that, even if we are burning a gallon of oil every thousand miles, we'd need to drive around for five hours today for that to even be visible on the dipstick. So we'll stay put today, and instead monitor oil consumption on the way to Death Valley. If it seems to still be high, we'll plan to come back here the following week. By then, we should also have the results of the oil analysis, which should give us more direction, and, of course, whatever we learn tomorrow from cutting open the filter.

None of which is the subject of today's post. Now that we have about 300 or so readers daily, with perhaps half of those being regular returning readers, I have discovered that the blog is a great place to post my pleas for help (thank you, readers!). This fact was driven home in a very big and visible way when I first posted here about our loss of steering fluid, and no fewer than three people wrote in within a day to offer suggestions and advice that turned out to be prescient. That particular problem was one in which I likely would have received the same timely advice had I posted it on the two bus-related boards that I frequent. Today's question, though, is even more odd-ball but probably of interest to a wider audience.

Let me first say that the weather is fantastic here right now, with outside temperatures in the shirt-sleeve 70's. I popped my scooter out Friday night to run out and get more tissues, as Louise blew through (pardon the pun) the remainder of our supply, and I rode out last night for Chinese take-out. If she's up to it tonight, we might even ride over to dinner. We have not seen weather like this since we left Palm Desert in early December, and I've been enjoying being outside, even just to walk the dog.

Since Louise was down for the count yesterday, we weren't going anyplace, and the weather was beautiful, I decided to tackle an outside project that I have been putting off: repairing one of our fancy HID flood lights.



As with many things aboard Odyssey, there is a story to these lights. When we first got the bus, it had a large spotlight on the roof, dead center at the front, which could be swiveled 360° and tilted via controls on the dashboard and in the penthouse. It also had a beam that was selectable between spot and flood.


It was a decent light, but it had three flaws: First it was a foot tall, making Odyssey even taller than the 13' she is today (the tallest thing on our roof now is 10"). We constantly worried that we would catch it on something and knock it right off the roof -- nowadays, the very solid deck rail supports tend to knock off low tree branches and the like before they can damage the air conditioners, anemometer, etc.

Second, and perhaps more importantly, it was nearly useless as a light on a motor coach -- so take note if you are thinking of buying this type of light. The times we were most likely to want to use the light were when we were caught out after dark, and were trying to pick our way into a forest or campground with narrow roads, obstacles, low trees, and the like. Even on the "flood" setting, the beam was not wide enough to illuminate everything we wanted to see, and so we ended up using the little joystick, while we were driving, to light up whatever we needed. The little tilt/swivel motors were not very fast, and at times we ended up stopping in our tracks while the light caught up. I suspect that all the swivel/tilt remote-control lights, even lower-profile models from Jabsco and other marine suppliers, have the same limitations, although I see them now on a lot of production motor homes.

Lastly, it was taking up valuable real estate on the roof, right where we wanted to put our deck. So we ditched the light, giving it to a fellow bus nut as a thank-you for taking our old L16 flooded batteries off our hands. (His bus is a good deal less tall than ours, so the extra foot of headroom was not an issue.) I decided instead to mount a pair of wide-angle, true "flood" lights at either corner of the roof, to light the way under the aforementioned extreme conditions. After we mounted the Girard awnings, which have a raw and unfinished appearance at the leading edge (we did not have room for the fiberglass fairings Girard makes to trim out the installation, nor did they make a model that would fit Odyssey's roof line unaltered), I further decided that mounting a pair of big flood lights just ahead of the awnings would disguise that fact.

We bought many of the parts and pieces that went in to the conversion on eBay, and that's one place where I set out to find 24-volt automotive flood lights. What I came up with turned out to be the deal of a lifetime: a pair of 24-volt, HID "work" lights made for mining and heavy construction equipment, for which I paid $166 (for the pair) plus shipping, brand new. I have since learned that these light retail for over $600 each. And the reason I got such a great deal on them is exactly what has me in today's pickle: they are 24-volt, which is so uncommon in the US market that there simply isn't a critical mass of buyers -- Freddy Four-Wheeler with his jacked-up Jeep just can't use a 24-volt lamp.

Infinity chose to mount the lamps "sideways," which ultimately proved to be their undoing. The lamps are "sealed" against weather and splashes, but there are weepholes at the bottom and sides to allow any stray moisture that works its way into the housing to drain out. One of the larger side weepholes, strategically positioned to quickly drain water before it can get into the reflector, thus ended up on the top, allowing water into the fixture, apparently faster than the other side weephole (now on the bottom) could drain it, and one of the reflectors filled up with water, causing a high-voltage short the next time I turned on the lights.

One of the lights is fine. The other now needs a new bulb (easy to find, if pricey at $100 apiece) and a new ballast. Even the reflector is now pitted, but I can live with that. The ballast seems to be the difficult piece of the equation. And so I am asking for any pointers to either a complete light fixture (Hella model AS200 FF Xenon, 24-volt), possibly as a used take-off from old equipment, or one with a broken lens or housing, or to a 24-volt, 35-watt HID ballast with the proper connector for a D2S lamp.

This is what the whole fixture looks like:


And this is what the ballast looks like (both found on eBay, but, unfortunately, 12 volts):


If you have a line on either, or suggestions for alternate solutions, drop me a note or post here in the comments. I already know I will not likely fix this problem for less than what I originally paid for the entire set of lights, but I'm trying to avoid having to plunk down $600. I did find a Chinese-made 24-volt ballast for $50 (including shipping from Guangzhou), but I am a bit leery of an unproven product (vs., say, Philips or Hella brands) and it has AMP connectors instead of the D2S receptacle that I need. I could always cut the D2S connector off the old one and splice, but that means no longer having a fully sealed cable on the high-voltage end, and the voltages in question are nothing to be trifled with.

I'm also open to buying a complete unit from an off-brand competitor such as this one, if I can be assured that what I will find inside is an identical ballast, connector, and bulb that I can retrofit back into the Hella housing that I already have. For the truly geeky, this brochure has an exploded view of the light so you can see what I am working with here.

So if you know where I can find some take-outs, or you know what's inside a cheaper fixture that I can cannibalize, sing out.

Thank you, Jesus

We are parked on the street outside of PEDCO, in Santa Fe Springs (map).

We actually had a fairly quiet and undisturbed night at the Flying-J, and, in spite of snow on the surrounding hills (an oddity in southern California most years) and 4,000' of elevation, it wasn't even too cold (although cold enough, apparently, for one of our coolant leaks to resurface). We pulled out around 9:30, which put us here at 11:30.

Virgil and I spent a good deal of time sitting in his office, wherein he listened to me lament about possible worn rings, dirt ingestion, and other possible maladies. A quick call to one of his trusted experts over at Detroit Diesel discovered that there was probably no way the ATF intrusion could have worn the rings (and also confirmed that, even if we needed to re-kit the motor, that was still the recommended step at a young 110,000 miles). So we walked back into the shop to grab Jesús.

The last two times we were here, the bulk of the work on our coach was done by two other technicians. But when problems cropped up, Jesús was the guy that came out to look at and listen to the engine. He correctly diagnosed a fuel delivery problem after the first rebuild, something that had us spinning our wheels (or not, as the case may be) for quite some time after everything was put together.

In any case, Jesús felt the crankcase breathers, but did not detect any significant air flow there that would be indicative of blow-by. What he did find was air coming out around one of the airbox covers, the very same one that I had noted in this post a week or so ago as being the possible source of the oil leak. It looks like the guys at Hardy Diesel just crammed the cover back on without scraping off and replacing the gasket. I can only surmise that the problems continued to worsen as bits of the old gasket material continued to come out of the loose cover, making the area for air to escape larger and larger.

So after all my ruminating, it looks as if the entire problem has been this loose cover. With enough air escaping through it, the boost pressure is too low, resulting in black smoke and a loss of power. After he buttoned the airbox back up, we pulled an oil sample for testing, and Louise and I drove it over to the local Caterpillar dealer in Odyssey. After which we also ran around town looking for a place to stay for the weekend. The initial signs are good -- there's less smoke, and power seems normal.

On the place to stay front, we came up empty. We had hoped to settle in at the Downey Elks lodge, which is walking distance to Olive Garden and a number of other restaurants, as well as a mall. Unfortunately, they were full up on account of (really) a shuffleboard tournament. A quick call to the Buena Park Elks revealed that they, too, were full up. The local Wal-Mart is now a Sam's Club and is posted no overnight parking, and so we just gave up and came back here, where we knew on-street parking was available and we would blend in with the other vehicles waiting on service. The whole process was complicated by the fact that Louise is coming down with a pretty bad cold, and she's the official campsite finder while I am driving. Plus, we really needed to just get parked someplace so she could take her sick self to bed.

If she's up to it, we'll do some driving around tomorrow and/or Sunday, as Jesús wants us to puts some miles on while we monitor our oil consumption. We'll be here in the immediate area through Monday, when we will head back into the shop with the results of that exercise. I've also asked them to change the oil and filter -- even though it's only been a couple thousand miles since the last change, I want to make double-sure that we've cleared all the ATF out of the engine, and there was enough debris in the oil system on last inspection that I think an early filter change is cheap insurance. I'll have them cut this filter open, as well, and see if we're still finding metal bits in the oil.

I talked to the tranny guy today also, regarding the intermittent code-12's we've been seeing. He'll re-calibrate our dipstick on Monday, so we can be certain the fluid level is correct. It's possible that we are just a tad low, which might admit a gulp of air when the system is cold and the fluid is at its lowest level. Lastly, I'll have them look at the coolant leak that had us leaving a pint-sized puddle at Flying-J this morning.

As long as we're in the neighborhood, we're going to try to get over to Disneyland on Tuesday (assuming all goes well on Monday), which would put us on the road to Death Valley on Wednesday.

That sinking feeling

We are at the Flying-J truck stop near Lebec, at the Frazier Mountain Park exit off I-5 (map). Ironically, this is the very same place where we stopped on our way north in December when the power steering quit.

I say ironically because we are, in fact, on our way to PEDCO in Santa Fe Springs to have the engine looked at yet again. I had called them a couple of days ago from Monterey to discuss the leaking oil, and the fact that I am seeing lots of smoke and feeling some power loss. Their schedule is a bit tight, but when I followed up again today they told us to come in tomorrow.

We had hoped to take a more leisurely gait, perhaps stopping in Los Banos where we have learned that friends have opened a restaurant, but getting the coach looked at is way more important, so we headed out and blasted south on 101, over 46, and then down I-5.

We needed fuel anyway, and so pulled in here not long after dark to take on 75 gallons or so. We try not to travel after dark if we can avoid it, and we certainly did not want to be hunting for parking after dark in the LA area, so we decided to just spend the night. We walked down the street to Rocky's restaurant and bar for dinner, which was surprisingly good.

It might be my overactive imagination, but, as the day progressed, it seemed to me like the smoke and power problems have been getting steadily worse. The last time (actually, two times) we had these exact symptoms -- heavy smoke, low power, high oil consumption, and oil coming out of the airbox drains -- it was due to worn rings and cylinders from dirt ingestion, requiring complete in-frame overhaul. I have a pit in my stomach now from projecting the same result this time around. I will say that at the last rebuild, a scant ten thousand or so miles ago, I asked them to triple-check the air induction system to ensure this would not happen a third time. That being said, I am worried that the ATF getting into the crankcase, which clearly took a toll on the bearings, might have also played a part here. In fact, I had even asked the guys at Ed Hardy Diesel to pop the airbox covers and look at the rings and liners when they did the bearing job, and they told me they looked fine.

We'll know soon enough -- I expect to be at PEDCO by noon tomorrow.

Website Wednesday: Scooter Edition

On Wednesdays I write about websites that I visit often.

To celebrate the good news about Opal’s diagnosis, I took her on a scooter ride today. We are currently in the campground at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (map) and the track is quite empty. A Formula car group of about 10 vehicles is using the track and the campground has only a dozen sites in use.

With so little traffic on the access roads, we enjoyed a 20 minute scoot in crisp, sunny weather.

And speaking of scooters, here is a list of scooter-themed websites that I like:

Scooter Swag Dedicated to finding items for sale with a scooter theme, such as notecards, socks, figurines, clothing, and other "ephemera." Good thing we have no room for this stuff, because I find it irresistible!

Girl Bike Writing for an audience of women who are "just as hungry as I was for information about gear, accessories, riding technique, safety, negotiating traffic, dealing with intimidation or prejudice in shops or on the road, long-distance riding, and more." Like a cup of coffee shared with girlfriends who ride.

The Scooter Scoop "The scoop on the latest motor scooter and microcar news, reviews, commentary and the celebration of wheeled oddities."

Scooter Diva Forum A discussion board geared to women scooterists.

There are many, many motorcycle websites, but I only regularly read two biker blogs:

My buddy Charles’ blog A man crazy about motorcycling, but even crazier about his young son Saul, nicknamed "Tarzan." His self-description: "I am out of my mind, a total goofball, a fashion disaster, a motorcycle racer, rocket scientist, wonderboy, women's legs shaven - with Tarzan, I am totally sleep deprived and loopy."


The Oasis of My Soul

I have to admit that this one makes me melancholy. Professional chef Ara and his dog Spirit are traveling in a small RV, towing a trailer that holds his BMW and sidecar. They seem to rack up many more mile on the bike than the truck, and travel exactly the kinds of roads and terrain that I miss the most. We thought when we started our bus adventure that we would pull out the bikes and ride those twisty, lonely roads. Unfortunately, that never really happened. Our Suzukis got so little use that mine was actually ruined by neglect, something I am ashamed to admit.

The good news is that I love my little Honda Metropolitan scooter and ride it much, much more often. And as an unexpected bonus, Opal joins me happily. Given her series of rather serious medical adventures, I know I won’t regret this time of my life where I put being a “real” biker on hold and toodled around with my little dog.

Mardi Gras diagnosis

We are in Sunnyvale, parked in front of my mother-in-law's house.

We had a great time Sunday at our friends' in San Jose, catching up with quite a few people whom we see only once a year or so. Uncharacteristically, we even stayed riveted to the TV for part of the game, with such an exciting final quarter. I was rooting for the Giants, as that was my home team for the first twenty years of my life, so it was particularly good to see them come through in the final minute.

It was past 9 when the party finally broke up, and we spent a quiet night on their street. And at 8:30 Monday morning, the vet called with Opal's results. Unfortunately, they were not the definitive results for which we were hoping. They did point conclusively to non-regenerative anemia, but none of the results could explain the underlying cause. What they did do, though, was rule out some possibilities, such as liver disease. What that left was the very real probability of some sort of bone marrow disease. The doctor did suggest one additional possibility, which required another blood test, and so we brought the dog back in to them yesterday afternoon, in the bus.

We needed to spend another night here while we awaited the results, with the possibility that the next step would be to bring her back in for a bone marrow biopsy. So after leaving the vet we came up here to Edith's, where we could borrow her car today if the dog needed another visit.

As it turns out, yesterday's test did the trick, and we now have what we think is a definitive diagnosis. Opal has "atypical" Addison's Disease, a condition in which her adrenal glands are not producing enough corticosteroids. The good news here is that she will not need to undergo a bone marrow biopsy, which is quite painful in itself. The bad news is that she will likely be on steroids for the rest of her life, and we will need to have a blood panel done regularly, possibly as frequently as every two weeks -- quite a challenge with our mobile lifestyle.

With the diagnosis finally in the bag, we are free to hit the road. We need to stop at the vet on our way out of town to pick up her prednisone, but otherwise we are done here. We will, though, have to stop somewhere for another CBC in a week. We are holding a positive thought that, with treatment, the disease will remain in the atypical phase for some time to come, rather than progressing to full-blown Addison's, which is much more debilitating.

Tonight we should be at Laguna Seca, for a quick visit with my other in-laws on our way south.

A bad pet week

We are still at the San Jose Elks lodge, for what we hope to be our last night. Tomorrow morning we will drive over to our friends' house for a SuperBowl party (who's playing, again?), and we'll just spend the night on the street there, since we'll probably have a few glasses of wine, and there is really no transit option to get us back here.

Our plan had been to depart directly from there Monday morning for Laguna Seca. However, there is now a fly in that ointment. We have spent the last three days visiting vets, and we are waiting on test results for Monday morning.

Top of the list is our problem child, Opal. She occasionally has colitis, and we feed her a bland diet of rice and cottage cheese when it occurs. She's been having trouble for about a week now, but, on Thursday morning, we discovered some blood in her stool. That prompted an immediate trip to the vet, facilitated by Edith coming down on short notice with the car. A blood panel turned up some bad news -- her anemia is back and worsening.

The regular vet, whom we had used many times when we lived here in San Jose, allowed that she really did not have the diagnostic tools to take things much further, so she referred Opal to a specialist for Friday, where she could get, among other things, another ultrasound.

I had planned to spend some of Friday at the shooting range with a friend, a plan which was quickly eclipsed by adding more very expensive pictures of the inside of the dog to our collection.



The good news was that the ultrasound and further blood work revealed no serious problems with the liver and no obvious tumors of any sort. We are now waiting on pathology to come back for other reasons for the poor red cell count, including a Coombs test. Depending on where that comes out, we may need to have a bone marrow biopsy to see if it is one of the cancers that attacks there.

Just as we were coming to grips with Opal's issues, George started the day out vomiting yesterday morning. We thought it was just something she ate, as cats are wont to do (rubber bands, bugs, etc.), but she continued into the night. When we woke up to five additional spots of bile and mushy cat food this morning, we decided to run her in. (On a positive note, we're really glad we traded the carpet in for our new flooring.) Rather than go to the "usual" vet, we found one in scooter distance here in Willow Glen, and George rode over, in her carrier, on the floorboards of the Metropolitan. X-rays revealed no foreign objects or serious GI dilation, and so she got some anti-emetic and sub-cu fluids and we are monitoring her without food or water for another 24 hours. Angel is having to deal with the fact that the food and water is not out and available for her either, with the resultant complaining from all involved.

We are hoping that, by Monday morning, all will be well with George, and Opal's diagnosis will have proceeded to a point where we are free to leave town. We are itching to be back on the road, and I want to have plenty of time to deal with the oil leaks before we have to be in Death Valley. I should be able to post an update here one way or the other by Monday night or Tuesday morning.