POST #21-1

Summer 2020 and Gettin Ready for Escape of 2021!

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After arriving back home in late April of 2020 we stayed busy with various projects and more upgrades to our rolling home way from home.  We did some landscaping...removed the grass from two large areas of the backyard, then covered part of it with washed gravel, about 3 tons!  Hard work for an old guy!...

Then in another area we added bark, stepping stones and outdoor furniture to sit in the cool shade under the trees...

During that time we took in a little lost baby!  A little Whitetail Buck!

Our Daughter Eliza found him in the middle of a busy street in front of her house, nearly starved and crying for its mother.  He needed help so much he came right up to her!  She was not able to take him in with dogs in her house so we took him home, to try to rescue him and return him to the wild.  We found that goats milk is good for deer and also found some milk replacer at the farm and ranch store.  He put on weight and filled out quickly!  And the boy was full of energy and a ball of fun!  Tap the arrow to play!

We named him "Buttons" for the little buttons of antlers on his head!  He quickly learned to be housebroken...and he was constantly hungry... Very demanding!  Tap the arrow to play!

We could see that he was going to be too much for us to handle in our little yard, so we found a nice lady who had some acreage and she took him there and continued to raise him up.  He lived in a barn and could come and go as he pleased.  Last we heard he was meeting other deer and staying away longer and longer!  He was a lot of fun, cuter than the dickens and we will miss him!

We had some other home projects, they never end, but spent quite a bit of time remodeling and upgrading the motorhome.  We remodeled the dinette area and installed a heated floor in there to help keep our feet warm in that chilly area under there...

We finished with the kitchen area with a new faucet...

The table top and countertop we made of Rustic Hickory with turquoise and copper inlays...

Then we moved to the bathroom...It started out like this...

When finished it looks like this...

We made a Rustic Hickory countertop, added a second drawer, a surface mount hammered copper sink and new pedestal faucet.  This saves weight, gives us more counterspace and drawer space.

We removed the two extremely heavy Trojan T-125 batteries and installed a Lithium battery system, starting with a 200 Amp Hour Mighty Max Lithium Battery  We had to add a DC to DC charger to safely charge it from the engine alternator.  Had to replace the solar controller with one compatible with a Lithium Battery.  Also had to replace the coach converter section with  one compatible with a Lithium Battery. Had to insulate and rewire the battery box to fit, and add an automatic battery heater, as they don't like to be charged below 32 degrees.

It was a lot of work, quite expensive and a bit complex, but this system has twice the available battery power with less than half the weight.  we cut nearly 100 pounds from the weight of the rig!

We also found a used Roadmaster Guardian Tow Shield to protect the front of "Pootzie" while it's being towed behind the motorhome.  They cost $500 new, but we found one on eBay for a hundred bucks.  Had to fabricate the mounting brackets and clean it up, but it works and looks as good as new!

We added to Pootzie a 2 inch lift kit, a Safari Rack and some off-road LED lights...

We also bought two matching Lectric E-Bikes... These are compact electric pedal assist bicycles. They are lots of fun to ride, will go up to 28 MPH, and have a range of up to 45 miles.  We also rigged up Bill And Teds carriage as a trailer to pull behind them!  They love to ride in it!  See the eyes?!

We had to rebuild the bike rack on Pootzie to fit the Fat 4" wide tires...

Then we made a frame and cover to protect them while  traveling...

  

Looked for a bicycle specific cover, but came up with the idea to use a Gas Grille Cover.  We reinforced it and added some retaining straps to make it secure....

We will be doing more "boondocking"... camping without hookups, this year, so we converted our Honda 1000 watt generator to run on propane.  No more stinky and dangerous gasoline to haul  around.  Rigged up a quick connect from the rigs main propane tank to connect the generator with a 25 foot hose.  We scrounged and fabricated our own parts, rather than buying a kit for $275...and with a bit of adjustment it runs perfectly!

At any rate, it's still early in November and we are on our second round of cold and snow...the first round was in late October with around 10 inches of snow, high winds and near zero temps!  Brutal!  Tap the arrow to play!

The second showed up this past Saturday.  Not quite as bad...but still bad!

Bill and Ted are not a bit pleased with this bad weather!!  They can't go outside in their little kennel!

We were waiting around to determine the outcome and effects of the recent election.  It appears that is not going to be totally finished for awhile.  We are expecting sunny skies and temps in the 50's next week, so  we are looking at heading out by mid-week!

All of our posts from last year are still available here on the site of you are interested...

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Until Next Time!