justRich

I think that I can confirm this. My new (at the time) F350 diesel pickup factory batteries lasted only three years before failing to crank the engine. I bought a new pair of lead acid Interstate batteries at Costco - they had a three year warranty. Last week I noticed the date on the Costco batteries - 3/18 (March 2018) And one battery had evidence of acid weeping and corrosion starting. The truck still started with the batteries. Not wanting to get stuck somewhere, I pulled out both batteries and took them down to Costco to purchase new replacements. The guy on the battery desk at Costco said simply to take them to the return counter and they will replace them for free. Costco returns desk confirmed the original purchase date and gave me a full refund on both batteries. I don't know why. Nobody asked if the batteries were defective - maybe they could see the surface staining from the acid? Anyway - I bought two new replacement batteries for the same price as the old ones.

I carry an AutoSock which fortunately, I've never had to use. Lightweight and compact, any traveler can carry one. Similarly, I also carry a tire plug kit - small light weight and just-in-case.

In a pinch, the outside shower can be used to put hot water into the fresh water tank. Short term, emergency use only.

We're snowbird wanna' be full timers. So every year we file a change of address going south, then a cancellation of the change-of-address going north. Mail has always been forwarded to us at the southern address. This year something different happened. At the gas station one of our credit cards didn't work. Later, I found that it did work if I entered my current southern zip code. AND, we started receiving statements directly to our southern address - no yellow forwarding label on the mail. SOME pieces of mail had the yellow forward sticker, others not and were sent direct - depending on who sent it. Finally, one institution sent a letter explaining that they were linked to the post office through special software that notified them of a change of address!!!! The institutions then updated their information regarding our mailing address. To my current knowledge, this new software linkage to the post office is variable - depending on the institution whether they use it or not. None of the institutions, except one, notified us of this new technical "advance" - although several have apparently started using it. But now we know. Mystery solved.

If you live in Arizona long enough then there might be scorpions up there too.

Disparaging California's power grid isn't entirely accurate. Daytime power use - yes, it may be deficient. Nighttime power consumption decreases dramatically to a point of surplus. Overnight battery charging is a more likely scenario.

Today's Wall Street Journal carried an extensive article on battery technology. Here's the link and I hope that it's not behind a paywall: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-battery-is-ready-to-power-the-world-11612551578?page=1

I'm just imagining it, but power stations may simply swap out batteries - not charge them. Instead of fuel delivery tankers, we'll see tankers loaded with batteries. Pumps will be antiquated - robotic battery swappers standard.

Massachusetts is a long ways from Grand Staircase Escalante. My opinion is that free market forces will dictate what individuals think they should do. I am only an observer of what they actually do. I don't think Massachusetts is getting ahead of itself regarding daily drivers. The need for competent off-road vehicles will be met regardless of Massachusetts law requires. Agreed, electric vehicles are not ready to fully replace all fossil fuel powered vehicles. But that time is coming.

I think it is okay to generalize because as a great majority, everyone in the general populace does use their time and vehicle the same way. If you spotlight the very few in the full time community, it will be different. A few may drive 200-300 miles a day once in a while - but every day? How does one choose a vehicle when it's long range (200+ miles a day) is infrequent? I'm afraid it's why we see people driving daily drivers that are HUGE vehicles because they need it to tow a boat or trailer once or twice a year. Anyway, I lost track of the topic. . . .carry on . . .🙂

When you talk about 500 to 700 miles trips - that's the exception - not the norm. Commuters, shoppers, weekenders are the bulk of personal travel - day in, day out. Get up in the morning, breakfast, unplug the car and go to work. No charging station needed.

Charging stations will be at home. The car sits overnight in your garage (if you have one) and is plugged in for charging. That eliminates the need for public chargers. Car that are parked on the street or driveways? We might see an upsurge in extension cord purchases. There is a tremendous resource of electric power on the grid during the night. I don't expect to see a big demand for public power once the electric vehicle becomes more common.

I found this on the BBC .com webpage and found it historically interesting. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210107-the-432-year-old-manual-on-social-distancing

"Hydrogen embrittlement" of steel has long been a problem. I know little about that - but, I read a recent article that claimed the embrittlement problem has been solved. If so, perhaps it will make a difference?

The campground bathroom at Capitol Reef National Park was/is a typical 1950's camp bathroom - room for two toilets, painted a hundred times, metal mirrors cracked concrete and many stains. A national disgrace. Hopefully, this sort of worn out dilapidation will be attended to.

Your wish was granted just last November when the Dept. of Interior released more information on the largest ever restoration bill ever signed. DOI historic deferred maintenance news release There were other news releases from different government agencies regarding this event. And yes, the Trump administration was responsible - which is why there was no media coverage of the event - but none-the-less. . .

I'm in the middle of "The Spy and the Traitor" and have in-waiting the new books from Michael Connoly (Bosh) and Lee Child (Jack Reacher) novels. Plus the Kamala Harris book "The Truths We Hold" also in the wings. (I download to a Kindle) Best book of 2020 was "These Truths" by Jill Lepore.

I recently started looking for a new pair of binoculars - hoping that I could see the rings of Saturn (can't). A very active forum for joining and asking question regarding telescopes or binoculars is: https://www.cloudynights.com/index Very helpful and knowledgeable folks there.

It was on NPR radio's "Car Talk" with "Click & Clack the Tappet Brothers" that they mentioned station re-fueling contamination. (My memory only takes a day or two to kick in.) Their claim was that the delivery tanker trucks fuel tanks are as dirty as any private vehicle fuel tank. Which is why when a fuel tanker delivers fuel to a station, there can be more debris in solution than normal. Tom & Ray Magliozzi seemed like pretty smart guys with a lot of experience and their own Car Talk radio show on NPR.

And then why have fuel filters in vehicles?

I've read somewhere (or heard, maybe "The Car Show" brothers Click & Clack) that when fuel stations are refueled, the incoming fuel stirs up the tank and any debris in the tank can be stirred up into solution - and if you happen to be pumping at that time - well, it goes into your tank. And yes, when I see that big re-supply tanker truck filling the station, I avoid refilling.

That area will probably be developed in the near future. Taiwan Semiconductor just purchased a huge chunk of land on the southside of that area: Source: https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2020/12/09/taiwan-semiconductor-buys-north-phoenix-land.html?fbclid=IwAR2UZqICvLTM_gHsY27Jj39gRri7d7YoQC_fKbox5YFy_MWiJatWg1gLtgk

FPV drones (First Person View): Using cell phone technology - with this type of drone you plug your cell phone into the controller to see where "you're" going. This may be a way around the rules governing radio transmission - otherwise, we'd all need a permit to operate a cell phone.

Your mask MAY protect you provided that you discard it after each exposure. It seems wasteful, but medical protocol follows that rule with PPE gear. A cough or sneeze from a carrier with droplets on your mask will simply prove to the dim wits that masks don't work when infection follows.

As posted on another forum: Therein lies the problem. The prisons are full of people with this attitude.