Day 110, Wednesday, November 22, 2017 - La Posa West, LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 7

Wednesday, November 22, 2017 - La Posa West, LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 7, 0 Miles, 3,247.8 Towing Miles For the Trip

The flannel sheets did warm up the overnight temperatures, from the low 40's to the low 50's. I even made it through the night without running the furnace.

A slow day. After the walk for coffee, I read forums & journals, then sat outside for a bit watching the hummingbirds. No photos today. Nice weather, clear skies & by mid afternoon, 85°F. Of course it was dry heat, so even 85°F is still quite comfortable, as long as you have some shade.

I checked the tracking on my folding ladder, and it was reported delivered, so I drove to Quiet Times and picked it up. It is tall enough that I can wash the solar panels, something that really needed doing. After more sitting around, I made dinner.

Dinner was grilled a chicken thigh, mashed potatoes, and broccoli.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 109, Tuesday, November 21, 2017 - La Posa West, LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 6

Hummingbird

Tuesday, November 21, 2017 - La Posa West, LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 6, 0 Miles, 3,247.8 Towing Miles For the Trip

Today was at least partially a domestic one - I did laundry & had a full sized shower at the laundromat. The price for showers went up a dollar from last year - now $8.00. I got some free drying time (clothes, that is) - a woman using the dryer below mine put 4 quarters in the slot pointing to the upper dryer before realizing what she did. I really didn't need the time, but couldn't figure out why my first dryer was still going when the second one I loaded & ran had stopped.

Back at the trailer I fought the bed, putting my flannel sheets on (which will automatically make the nights warmer than usual so I would have preferred the cotton ones). Well, it it does warm up at least I'll save on propane.

Since there was little wind and a 75°F temperature, I sat outside reading and holding the Nikon D800 with my 80 - 400mm zoom lens. I did some experimenting with auto ISO, something I rarely use, to somewhat freeze the hummingbird wings. The images were shot at 1/1250 of a second and what ever ISO was necessary at f: 5.6.

While there are a couple different hummingbirds stopping by the feeder, most are a bit shy when I'm sitting 10' away, at least when I lift the camera to my eye. I hope to get a few of the other kinds as they get used to me, but this one is all that hung around for pictures. I find it amazing how much the color of the neck & face change with the viewing angle. More photos at today's LakeshoreImages page.

Dinner was a left over chicken thigh on a Bolly roll with a couple of plums.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 108, Monday, November 20, 2017 - La Posa West, LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 5

Monday, November 20, 2017 - La Posa West, LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 5, 0 Miles, 3,247.8 Towing Miles For the Trip

I was not all that impressed with the Cheese Taquitos, but they are about as close as I'm going to get to the Empanadas, so I'll live with them.

I changed the masthead photo.  Since it has been 6 months since I owned the Escape 17B, and a year and one half since the RAV4, I guess it was time.  The current photo is of the Escape 21 & a bit of the truck taken with the Scorpion at Borrego Springs.

After the walk for coffee &breakfast, I read for about an hour, then headed to Lake Havasu City & Anderson Toyota for my truck's 30K service. I'm very impressed with Anderson. No push for extras, and during the systems check, they discovered the battery didn't pass the load test, so they put a new one in for free.

On the way back I stopped at Lowes & Home Depot looking for parts to make the solar panels tiltable, and hardware to put together the ladder storage tube. Much better hardware selection at Lowes, but neither had 2" stainless heavy duty hinges. We will see how Home Depot's coated hinges hold up.

I also stopped at the Lake Havasu City Walmart looking for Empanadas, as well as the Parker Walmart & Safeway - none to be had, but Safeway had Alaskan Amber Beer, so all is not lost. I also picked up some Safeway fried chicken for dinner, and got back to the trailer around 6:00.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 107, Sunday, November 19, 2017 - La Posa West, LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 4

Sunday, November 19, 2017 - La Posa West, LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 4, 0 Miles, 3,247.8 Towing Miles For the Trip

I just thought it was cold the other night - this morning at 6:00AM is was 39F outside. Quartzsite sure can mix up the weather. I did my walk to ARCO for coffee this morning (about a mile each way) & got the mug for $.98 with no arguing. Still double what it was last year. Oh well, I need the exercise, and it is better coffee than you get at the Bad Boys Cafe where I ate breakfast yesterday.  Good food, and lots of it, but weak coffee.

I spent the morning reading blogs & forums, then drove around the 4 sections of the La Posa LTVAs to see if there were any other fiberglass people here. One Scamp 19 at the entrance to the La Posa West section, and that is it. My Canadian buddy Rudy isn't here yet, or isn't coming this year - his spot is empty.

I did a couple of speed tests on me internet connections this morning. The AT&T Mobley gave me 29.1 Mbps download & 11.1 Mbps upload speeds with a -100dBm, LTE signal. On the other hand, Verizon, with a -85dBm LTE signal provided 4.8 Mbps up & 9.6 Mbps down. Both done without an amplifier or outside antenna. I've also found AT&T's streaming (radio, not TV) more solid. Not sure why, since Verizon has a stronger signal & has usually been more reliable but that's the way it is in Quartzsite (at least this morning).

I sat outside once it warmed up enough, and did some reading, including the Syracuse Post Standard Sunday edition. They are expecting to get 6" - 8" of snow tonight...

Dinner was a few El Monterey Chicken & Cheese Taquitos. They seem to be the closest thing to the Chicken Empanadas I have not been able to find.

Until Tomorrow -

Day 106, Saturday, November 18, 2017 - La Posa West, LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 3

Sunset Over Quartzsite

Saturday, November 18, 2017 - La Posa West, LTVA, Quartzsite, AZ, Day 3, 0 Miles, 3,247.8 Towing Miles For the Trip

Last night's "All you can eat" $10.00 cod dinner was great, as usual. When I got back to the trailer I watched a pretty sunset.

It cooled off quite a bit last night - down to the low 50's by morning. Of course I went to sleep with all the windows open since it was in the mid 70's at bedtime, so I was up in the middle of the night cranking them closed.

Lots of sun today, which was good - I was down 50 amp hours this morning. I dug out the portable panel & was getting close to 20 amps charging during the boost stage. By the end of the day, the batteries are back to full.

I decided to check with "local" hardware stores for 5" plastic fence posts to mount under the trailer for ladder storage. At home in Oswego, I just went to the local Lowes & picked up the post & covers. It doesn't work that way at Quartzsite! The posts are not in stock anywhere within 200 miles, so I had one shipped to the Lake Havasu City Lowes. It won't get there until December 2nd. Funny problem - you can't have the end caps shipped to the store, only to your address. I hope they address things correctly so they get through the shipping horrors of Quartzsite.

As long as I was dealing with Lake Havasu City, I scheduled the 30,000 mile check up on the truck. While it would have made sense to schedule it for the 2nd when I pick up the post, that is 2 weeks away, and the truck is within 50 miles of 30K, so I'm scheduled for Monday afternoon.

I also continued to try to purchase an iPhone 10. Since my current phone is a 5, it is about time for an upgrade. I checked & AT&T will only ship a new phone to my home address so they are out. Apple will let me pick one up at one of their stores, and deal with AT&T to keep my current plan & phone number, but an on line order can't be made unless the store has the phone in stock. I wanted the 256GB, Gray version, and no one has one until at least mid December. I don't see why one can't order one, have them notify you when it arrives, then pick it up, but it can't be done. I'll have to keep checking to see when one arrives at the Phoenix store (the closest one to Quartzsite), then place the order.

I spent most of the day sitting (other than while on the phone or computer) outside reading. A bit windy, but warm enough so it was still comfortable.

Dinner was a grilled chicken patty & Bush beans.

Until Tomorrow -