Steve Morris

Wow, those have increased in price! I got the same one in November for $62. It is more powerful than I expected, and comes in handy in the shop. Did you by chance see it on Project Farm on YouTube? It was the top choice in his testing. It looks like it was $90 when Todd tested it, so there must have been a sale when I got mine.

If you do a cruise, definitely consider one with a land portion at one end or the other. In 2006, we took Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas from Vancouver, BC. From there we spend the next seven days sailing northward along the coast of Canada and Alaska. We stopped in Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Hoonah, finally to dock in Seward Alaska. I wasn't a fan of this portion, because everywhere we stopped, 2500 people got off the ship to see the same few sites. These days, that would be 5000 or so at each port. From Seward, we flew to Fairbanks, and spent the next six days on railcars heading south to Anchorage, through some of the most beautiful landscape I've ever seen! Each night was spent at a wonderful lodge or mountain hotel. This was my favorite portion of the Cruise/Tour, and the part that I'd like to do again. Finally, from Anchorage, we flew back to Ohio

I got one for my phone three years ago, and find it really useful! Trying to run wires through a wall chase at home, but getting blocked? You can easily see what's in the way. Can't see the model number on the back of the stacked washer/dryer? Easy peasy! One nice feature on the one I have is that it does not plug into the phone. Instead it has its own transmitter that sends via Bluetooth to the phone. That makes it easier to manipulate the camera without the screen moving all over the place. Plus, when I bought it my phone used a lightning plug, and the current uses a USB-C plug. With the bluetooth version, it still works fine. There are also models with attached screens, but I've never used one of those. Here's mine, but it is discontinued: https://a.co/d/00RnxN3L

He did, on the Facebook Oliver group: John Koss says: ”#18 here, have been doing as much hiking here as possible. I live nearby so lots of running back and forth to graduation and grandkids soccer games. I do come occasionally for birding week. I find the bird enthusiasts more interesting to watch than the birds!” I was there for the big week back in the late ‘80s before it got to be such a huge production. I’m not sure I’d want to be anywhere near there the next two weeks!! 😵‍💫 Not quite as productive, but less known Old Woman Creek is only about 20 miles from me, vs 80 for Crane Creek.

We are at Maumee Bay State Park on Ohio’s north shore. #18 has been here a few days, but the times we’ve come by, no one was home. I think this is the oldest Oliver we’ve seen in person. Mid May on the south shore of Lake Erie is the largest gathering of birding enthusiasts in North America, attracting people from all over the world. I don’t know if that’s why #18 is here, but might be the reason. Sorry we missed you.

We have the 640A/h Lithionics batteries, and in addition to the 400W of solar on the roof, I have three 200W folding panels. While 1000W of solar sounds like a lot, you'll quickly realize that (at least here in the eastern US) the roof panels are frequently shaded, the portable panels are sometimes a nuisance to move around, and that even on a perfect sunny day and constantly moving the panels, it would take 8-10 hours to completely recharge a battery from zero. The only time I've gone this route was in the heavily wooded Adirondacks last year when we were seven days without any hookups, and I don't have DC-DC charging. I only had two panels then, and the only AC we used was the microwave occasionally and the coffee maker once a day. Mid day, there were times that with 800W of panels exposed, I was getting less than 100W into the batteries. Driving home and one rainy night in a Harvest Host, we arrived at the house with somewhere around 46% state of charge. I thought that was pretty great! We didn't try to conserve power use. We just didn't need much. The biggest power draw was out fridge/freezer in the truck, which I had plugged into an Anderson Powepole outlet on the trailer.

Here’s the latest as of this week. Probably gonna change any day again… BTW, these guys are a wealth of information, and owned an Oliver several years ago.

This newest change only applies to the $5/month Standby plan. The $50 and $165 plans still allow roaming at speeds under 100 MPH (down from speeds up to 450 MPH, which has angered private aviation. Now there are new $350/month or $1000/month aviation plans.)

Hank White has made some fabulous modifications to their Oliver, including the propane setup. He’s mounted a block on the inside wall of the housing where a manifold and regulator are located. Stainless covered hoses go to each tank, eliminating the need for the OEM regulator mount on the threaded rod. Low pressure gas is sent to the two LP ports, and two full pressure lines go out; one to the Oliver’s interior and one to a high pressure port for devices that have inbuilt regulators such as a fire pit or grill. I didn’t take any photos…

We were in Hohenwald today, and signs of how severe this storm was are everywhere! We came into town from the east on 412, and saw broken trees and power poles by the hundreds. There seemed to be a pile of debris collected along the road every quarter mile or so, some as big as cars. Then we left to the north on Rt 48, and it made the eastern side look like a teaser. Thousands and thousands of downed trees for miles! The worst ice damage I’ve ever seen. Hopefully, no one was injured and folks are somewhat back to normal now.

Our 2023 is the same, and we were surprised to see it in the middle of the compartment, especially after seeing older models with the vacuum formed tray in there. But I suspect it is to ease the cable angle as much as to prevent using the bay for storage. Our TP and paper towels get stored in there.

“Curiosity” is currently parked next to “Dickens” at CGI Detailing’s shop in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Getting the shine even shinier!

Our first day in a week without being sub-freezing overnight. 52 and sunny. Despite being chilly, this Florida sun is hot when sitting in it! Wide brimmed hat and sunblock required for my pale complexion. Fort Pickens Campground on Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Home in northern Ohio. That mailbox is about 30” off the ground, and you can’t even see the road our daughter says 12-14” reported. Here on Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida’s panhandle. Lunch

For those camping in chilly conditions, here’s what we did to avoid bumping a bare leg, butt, or shoulder against the trailer wall. I got a 30”x84” yoga mat, cut it in half lengthways, and tuck it between the mattress and wall. This is more comfortable, and has the added benefit of allowing any moisture from condensation on the window to run between the wall and the mat, and then under the Hypervent, keeping the mattress dry. The 84” length doesn’t quite cover the entire side and end of the wall, coming up short by about a foot. We have that gap next to the nightstand. https://a.co/d/eJCYCXD

It’s an old Emerson basic WiFi thermostat with the Sensi app.

Here’s the usage chart this week. Orange is heating and red is emergency/auxillary electric heat strips. Temp has been single digits to the 20s, with wind chill as low as -10. The thermostat is set at 63 degrees. It’s a comfortable 71 degrees here in the Florida panhandle. 😁

Actually, thinking back to when we had the heat pump installed, it could not be under any structure. The original heat pump was installed on the edge of a patio, and then some time later the owners added an aluminum awning. When we replaced the heat pump, we couldn’t put in in the original location because code said it couldn’t be under the awning several feet overhead, even though it was right at the edge of the awning. So we had to pour a pad to the side for installation.

We have a 15 year old heat pump in northern Ohio w/5000W heat strip auxiliary. I don’t remember the SEER number, but it was an average unit when installed, not a high efficiency model. We’ve had snow piled on and around it, coated with freezing rain, ice, etc., and have never had an issue. Ours has a reversing valve that sends heated coolant back through the heat exchanger to help with ice buildup, but it’s not a complete solution. Very rarely do I need to go out and break ice off, more for my own satisfaction than a real need. It just keeps on chugging.

You said that last year! 🤣 Will we see you next week in Live Oak? We'll be on site 10 again.

🤣 "Golden" is one of those earworm songs you can't get rid of. And then, when I finally eradicate it from my brain, I hear a snippet somewhere and it takes up residence for another week. Same with 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up". I don't particularly like either, but I know all the words. 😜 It takes a couple of sessions of Tool played loudly to clean things out. (But that's definitely not jazz or blues!) I've listened to and enjoy Ken Mo! Don't know why its not on the list. But now it is.

But based on my play list, mostly older jazz and blues.

I have a 7 year old granddaughter....

As well as this battery mounted voltage/temperature sensor that works with the Victron app. My Lithonics batteries have their own internal temperature readout, but I like having something to compare. https://a.co/d/2hewDTR

Oddly enough, this thread is linked in a travel video on YouTube that I stumbled across today. 🤪 Jump to 9:38