vermilye

15 hours ago, Kirk W said:

Has anyone read the book?    

I'm reading it now.

In order to parallel the output of two inverters, they must be synced, i.e. in phase even if you are not attempting to produce 120/240V single phase.  Most inverters will not do this, although a Grid-Tie inverter might be used to sync one to the other.  

I suspect it will be less expensive to use 2 inverters, each sized for the appropriate loads, and keeping each completely independent of each other.

Let's hope they are open by then.  I've been through both a couple of times.  Upper is easier & busier.  I took a Photo Tour of the upper & it was more sane than the standard tours, but I'm not sure they are still doing them.  

The lower is less crowded, some narrow sections, and, as you mentioned, ladder/stairs.  I had no problems negotiating them, but definitely harder than the upper canyon.  

My latest visits were in 2012, so I'm sure many things have changed. For example, for the lower canyon they handed me a pass & pointed to the start of the canyon.  No guide, just 2 hours of wandering around.  As to Horseshoe Bend, there was no charge for parking.  Here are some photos from my visits to both canyons...

S&B = Stick Built house...

13 hours ago, bruce t said:

Will you need proof of vaccination in the future anytime you are admitted to hospital? Elective surgery? I have no idea but its one area where it may be mandated. Just think out loud.

 

Three days prior to two different minor procedures at our local hospital, they required a Covid 19 test, and isolation from the test date to entering the hospital.  One of the visits was a month after my second Moderna vaccination, so I don't believe they will depend on vaccination proof to replace the test.

I have NY's App.  Easy to apply for, they fill it out from the state records so a counterfeit would be difficult, however it will be a PIA in that it is only good for a month even though I'm a month past my second vaccination.  Haven't yet tried the renewal process.

I've seen good reports on the Dickerson Marine Oven, although you better have a full wallet! 

I got mine electronically on February 22.

For what it is worth, both my physician & the pharmacist that provided my second shot suggested Tylenol (acetaminophen) rather than any of the nsaids since nsaids tend to fight the reaction the vaccine is producing.  Of course there are others that say nsaids don't cause any problems. 

I had a bit of a rough night & following morning after my second Moderna injection.  I was surprised - I rarely have reactions to vaccines or strong side effects from meds.  Felt back to normal by evening the day after.

The ones that annoy me are the motion activated lights that have a range well beyond the owner's campsite.  I often do night photography of the stars, and often have to "hide" behind my trailer to avoid setting off the neighbor's lights.  I guess if they left them on all night that would be worse...

On 11/28/2020 at 1:29 PM, Kirk W said:

Another book about the style of travel,  Blue Highways: A Journey into America

I enjoyed Blue Highways as well.  Another great book on travel off the main roads is Travels With Charlie in Search of America, by John Steinbeck.  

Charles Kuralt & his wonderful "On the Road" TV shorts must have enjoyed the book & stole a quote:

John Steinbeck: "When we get these thruways across the whole country, as we will and must, it will be possible to drive from New York to California without seeing a single thing."

Charles Kuralt:  "Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel
from coast to coast without seeing anything."

I have a Garmin RV890.  It is an 8" GPS based on a Garmin modified Android tablet.  An advantage of the size is the screen looks more like a Delorme Street Atlas image than a typical Garmin.  Lots of side street details, etc.  You can run it in landscape or portrait mode, built in WiFi - you can even use it as a web browser.  The bad - more than your price range - currently running around $500.00, although I bought mine on a Black Friday special for $399.99.

A source for a military campgrounds app that is free is at the Ultimate Public Campground Project (Scroll down).  They also have an inexpensive app for public campgrounds.

And the ferry at Big Bend for the times the river isn't empty:

The Rio Grand at La Mesa, NM in November, 2016:

I received my first yesterday, as scheduled, at a local drug store here in upstate NY.  They scheduled me at the same time for the second.

On 1/11/2021 at 11:41 AM, Barbaraok said:

We got appointments for Covid-19 vaccines this morning (2 hrs on the website starting at 6:00 am) for January 29th!   That was the first available date.  All dates for the "POD" (Points of Distribution) through the state are now full for January and thought Maricopa County says that pharmacies are now doing it, when you go to those identified pharmacies (at Albertson/Safeway) THEY ARE LISTED AS FULL THROUGH APRIL!    To say the county hasn't got this figured out yet is  an understatement!

Pretty much the same situation here in upstate NY.  I tried the state, county & commercial websites & they all showed no appointments for at least January & February.  Did another early morning check of the various sites & one of our drug stores had a few appointments; snagged one for January 29th.  

Now the problem seems to be a lack of vaccine.  They have been rescheduling appointments & closing large vaccination centers in Onondaga county.  It appears the federal distribution system is delivering fewer doses than promised.  Hope they don't cancel mine...

I got ambulanced to the Parker Emergency room from Buckskin Mountain State Park in 2014 with a first time case of A-Fib.  Spent the night at the hospital.  No complaints on service, although an interesting problem - I travel solo, and there was no taxi service (and at the time no Uber, etc).  A nurse volunteered to drive me the 12 miles back to the campground.  While I wouldn't recommend them for a dire emergency, there was helicopter sitting on a pad next to the hospital...

Have to agree with 2gypsies.  The shift to reservations only sure hurts "travelers", even if it helps with destination campers & the campground bottom line.

For those in NY, the governor announced that phase 1B will start Monday, January 11th.

1 hour ago, LindaH said:

No, but there should be some way of signing up for alerts to notify people when it's their turn.

Here in NY you can sign up on a email/text message list that will announce when your group becomes available.  Our area just (January 4th) went to the second phase of 1A, but no news on my 1B group.

22 hours ago, Kirk W said:

Who is building them and who operates them? I did find one article about TSI using them.

Putting hydrogen fuel cell trucks to work

I have been unable to find any other articles on them.

The trucks I was referring to (UPS 18 wheelers) were labeled hydrogen powered, but used combustion engines.  Within the last couple of years, UPS has been running Class 6 delivery trucks that are fuel cell based.

A couple of other articles on the progress of fuel cell based electric trucks: 

Fleetowner
Toyota Hino
Nikola
Daimler

These are either prototypes or development plans a couple of years out, but if they happen, fuel will likely become available, at least at interstate truck stops.  Other than cost, I don't see any reason that the technology would not be practical for RVs.

I've bee using FreeTaxUSA for a number of years.  Since retiring, my taxes are simple enough that an accountant would be a waste of money.  

While the future of hydrogen powered RVs probably depends on the availability of fuel stops, I've seen hydrogen powered 18 wheelers on some of the western interstates for a few years.   Usually UPS trucks...

Just a reminder for those that live in New York State.  The New York City Public Library will give you audio & ebook lending privileges to anyone in the state.  They have a hugh collection of ebooks & audiobooks available on line.  Apply for a NY Public Library card.