I left Dixie RV in Hammond LA Wednesday morning after two nights; it is my home away from home on the road for all things RV-ish.
The inverter
system continues to confound me.
Situation Room: my inverter, (a thingy that turns battery power into 110 for
plugs) which also is a converter, had been put in control of the RV electrical
system when it was installed. The factory built-in
vehicle converter was temporarily disabled by throwing the circuit breaker and
duck taping over the switch. Somewhere along
the way, the tape fell off and my brain disengaged.
Fast Forward: Before
the trip, I checked everything and, when the reading lights in the slide would
not work, I checked #1 on my Trouble List--the circuit breaker.
Voila! There it is! A switch was in the OFF position. So, I flipped it back ON. The light still didn’t work so I scratched my
head and started to pick Basil’s brain for
insight into my problem. We checked the
fuses. All good. Finally, the problem was identified as a hardwire
problem and quickly resolved.
However, when I flipped the circuit breaker back ON, I had unknowingly set in motion a battle of two converter
systems.
Darn panel looked like a pinball machine with lights blinking and racing
all over! I dug out the manual but it had
no TroubleShooting solution for “pinball panel”, so I phoned my Dixie RV guru,
CJ, who installed the equipment (under warranty) and made an appointment for
Monday morning.
I spent 2 days suffering through country
music piped into the Customer Lounge and the TV permanently set on the Travel
Channel, repeating episodes of where to get the World’s Best Donuts, while
Cassie slept in a shopping cart.
CJ finally approached me with a finger wag and
I knew I was about to get a verbal spanking.
He said “All your problems are self-inflicted” (he must be a Fortune
Teller). He patiently explained what
happened. Miraculously, he did not
charge me for the time spent by the mechanic running down the problem and no
damage was done to the equipment. He
even demonstrated what to do if it ever happened again. Hugs for CJ!
Next day, I set a record travel day to make up for the lost
travel time and also to reach one of my favorite RV parks in Longview TX. I did have an agenda; I wanted to watch the
final 3 perform on American Idol.
During results last night, I did not have any TV but skyped with my
sister during the airing in California, and she gave me a blow-by-blow description
of the show. I was
disappointed to learn of Joshua’s departure.
There is something so wormy and
bizarre about Phillip Phillips style; I don’t like to watch him. Now, even if I hear a studio version of his
music, images of him contorting his face will come. Needless to say, I am rooting for Jessica.
Yesterday, I saw a varmit in a Rest Area that would
inspire a Stephen King novel. At first I
thought it was a dog, but it had no collar and no owner around. It crossed in front of the vehicle and looked
up at me kinda nasty. OH GROSS—it had the face of an
ugly pig! Body of a pit bull and face of
a wild pig. That is not an actual photo and the face was rounder and less hairy, but it is close. Sweet mercy! This abomination of
Mother Nature will likely haunt my dreams!
I stayed at the infamous AOK Camper Resort in Amarillo; it is a rundown dump off the interstate where you self pay (cash only) and don't even identify yourself or your vehicle; just drop the cash down the chute! The 40+ mph winds that had dogged my trip all day became much fiercer after sundown and literally rocked my world! The harsh gusts and severe crosswinds in this area are annoying and dangerous. Staying in your lane is a challenge and tiring. Cassie is grumpy with all the extra noise. My antenna is barely hanging on and I will have to do a repair at Tuna's.
Fuel Report:
Now in a Walmart fueling up at $3.36. Averages for trip are $3.35 to 3.51—this is
about the same as last year.
Heading for “Albuquerque” to visit Tuna’s family and staying
2 nights. He is right under the main
pathway of the solar eclipse on Sunday. We also have his birthday to celebrate and
Cassie will turn 8 yrs old on Sat.
Good
Times.
Internet compliments of Silver Moon Cafe, Santa Rosa NM
That kinda looked like a hog-dog to me!
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