Tuesday: (10/01) We were heading off to Santa Cruz for breakfast and to the bookstore. At 0840 a ranger called and had our chairs and pot. Traffic was backed up on the freeway so we decided to turn back to Watsonville.. We returned to the Farmers Cafe for breakfast. We looked around the nearby Vallarta Market, a really good Mexican supermarket. Then back to Santa Cruz via back roads, to avoid the freeway backup. Dawn checked out the bookstore and thrift Store. Lou and Dawn had lunch at Zachary's where we had intended to have breakfast. I had some leftovers in the van where I was relaxing. We returned to camp via back roads due the evening commute freeway backup. We picked up our chairs and pot from the camp host. We sat in our chairs listening to the Vice presidential debate in the evening. Stuffed bell peppers for dinner.
Wednesday: (10/02) We left camp before sunrise heading back home via Gilroy. Breakfast in Gilroy at the Longhouse restaurant, Cowboy Garlic pork chops for all. A hot day in Palo Alto. Back home, I did a little moving out of the van but mostly relaxed the rest of the day. Pancakes and pepper rice casserole for dinner.
Thursday: (10/03) Lou made an omelet for breakfast. After a shower, I finished moving Lou and Dawn out of the van. The van is now ready to roll when needed. I did a little work in the yard transplanting a fuschia by the arbor. The outside shower door fell off its hinges when Dawn tried to use it. The upper hinge pin ferrell broke. I made a temporary fix using a couple of washers on the bottom pin to raise the door enough for the upper pin to hold. Leftover pork chop and potatoes for lunch. Another hot day. Lou made salmon rice for dinner.
Friday: (10/04) Leftover pancakes and wieners for breakfast. I built a plywood box to help organize the van’s garage space. The box is sized to fit the ladder and provide a divider between the kayak and everything else. I should then be able to remove either the ladder or kayak without emptying the entire garage. With that done, and since it was already way too hot, I headed off in the van. Air conditioning is nice. I did some grocery shopping for the van and stopped at Kaiser in Santa Clara and got my flu and covid shots. Then I stopped in Los Altos at a park downtown in the shade by the nice lawn. Nice and cool(er). After a nice nap, I had a salad for lunch near 1600. About 1700 I headed home. Still too hot. I installed the ladder box into the van. It seems to work well to help retain the load. No dinner needed.
Saturday: (10/05) I prepared my granola and yogurt breakfast but it had to wait. Our neighbor needed some help. She's back from a long visit back East and her gae=rbage disposal doesn[t work and a circuit is dead in her dining room. I checked out and determined that the disposal wall switch was bad. And the circuit breaker for the dead circuit was bad. There was an unused breaker in the panel so I energized the circuit by swapping the breaker but it was a 15 amp and the dead circuit was a 20 amp. I went to the store and got the switch and breaker and installed them. All back to normal. Back to breakfast at 0930. After breakfast and before it got too hot, I trimmed some limbs of the oak tree off the roof of the house then blew all the debris off the house. I also cleaned the top of the rain gutters. Then I cleaned the debris off the sun room roof. It took a while to clear that roof because I didn’t want to just b;ow it off to the ground because of where Lou and Dawn’s tent is right under it. I then cleaned up what debris did get to the ground. I did not have any room in the compost bins for the pruned limbs so they will have to wait for another day, after pickup, most likely. Then I needed a shower. After the shower, I troubleshot Dawn’s rice cooker. It seems to have both a bad over temp sensor and a bad micro switch. It is not worth repairing so I ordered a replacement. Mushroom soup, rice and tuna for lunch.
Sunday: (10/06) I had a frozen breakfast sandwich to start. I re-folded my kayak, It was folded improperly when I last folded it and was bigger than needed. I also started my laundry. I spent some time cleaning up leaf debris under Ernie;s trailer, much of which I put there yesterday. I also cut up all the limbs I pruned yesterday and filled the compost bin. Lou found a missing garbage can that I also filled for disposal the next garbage day. I worked on preparing a TV subscription password list for Dawn. About 1330 I went and picked up lunch for Lou and I at the Lucky Chinese Bistro. They have remodeled and are set up differently now. Still the same food with a few more options. We had the leftover Chinese food for dinner. Somehow my draft Meetup hike announcement that I haven’t posted yet disappeared. I redrafted it.
Monday: (10/07) Dawn had her first colonoscopy this morning. We were all up late last night for that. We dropped her off in Redwood City and then Lou and I got breakfast at the Tacos El Grullense there. Then back home to rest a bit. I did add some blocks in the van microwave cabinet to keep the saucepan, plates and bowls in place. All had been good using the corn chip bag to keep the bowls and plates in place before but after moving the saucepan there stuff has been moving around. I think I may have it fixed now. It was another record hot day so we relaxed in the motorhome with the air conditioner on. We had a scare when the breaker for the AC tripped. After resetting it no further problems. The solar charging in the van seems to not be working. I’ll need to do some serious trouble shooting soon. We had stuffed bell peppers for a late lunch about 1530 then I had some cottage later for dinner. Maybe there is a benefit to living in hot places, eating less.
Tuesday: (10/08) Dawn and I were off to the Dentist. I had him check a hole in a tooth. It turned out to be ¼ of my remaining wisdom tooth broken off. Options are crown, extraction or ignore it. I also ask his opinion on getting a gum graft my other implant dentist wants to do. Both are going to be wait and see. Dawn had a new mouth guard fitted. After that we went to Walmart Neighborhood Market for a few things. I didn’t have breakfast before the dentist so I had some leftover breakfast burrito from yesterday. I also stopped at Harbor Freight for some big clamps. Back home I installed the clamps on the two clip-on fans that had broken clamps. I also collected some things for van stock for my trip. Later, I went to ACE hardware to get some nylon washers to make a better repair of the outside shower door hinge. The weather today was much cooler. No lunch needed. I helped Lou move Dawn's compost bins over to her garden spot so they will be in the sun.I prepared chili sizes for dinner.
Wednesday: (10/09) I started my day emptying the motorhome and van holding tanks and filling the water tanks. Then our neighbor Meili took us all out to breakfast at Bajis Restaurant. Back home, I then headed off in the van. I did a little shopping before leaving the area at the stores that have my favorite stuff. I also stopped at REI and got some backpack meals. Traffic was heavy on the freeways everywhere. I hate that so I pulled off onto the side road in Pleasanton. Eventually I made it to Tracy and stretched my legs at Walmart and Winco. I also got cash and gas. I has some salad fir lunch there. On it Highway 120 stopping in Oakdale for a stretch. I found a nice Chinese restaurant and got my dinner there. Honey Walnut prawns combo dinner. I only ate ⅓ so lots of leftovers. I stopped for thr night beside the road about 10 m I less before the Yosemite Park entrance.
Thursday: (10/10) A frozen breakfast sandwich to start. I headed into Yosemite NP about 0630. I stopped at the Tunnel View vista point. I watched the morning light shop on the valley rocks. Then I drove up to Glacier Point. I enjoyed the view from there for quite a while. It seems to be very popular for wedding photos. I had more leftover Chinese food for brunch, lunch and dinner. That went a long way. I returned back to Highway 120 and stopped for a hike to May Lake. After dinner, with added wiener and hash browned potatoes at the trailhead, I headed out of the park, as it was getting dark, stopping at Saddlebag Lake for the night.
Friday: (10/11) Granola and v yogurt for breakfast. I was off at 0800 hiking sround Saddlebag Lake and out to the Lundy Canyon trail junction making a loop past several lakes. Mybtrac I er Sai I hiked 8.23 miles climbing 823 feet. A nice matched set of data. Weather was perfect. I had a ham and cheese sandwich about half way along the hike. Back at the Van I had a chicken breast and some carrots. Sa l ad for dinner. I went through my backpack and made it ready for a hike. I also went through all the bags in the van and determined what can stay in the van and what will Be left at home.
Saturday: (10/12) I made a ham and cheese omelet topped with chili for breakfast. Then I drove down to the rest area near Mammoth Lakes. I took a shower there. After that I went in to town, got gas and did my laundry. I also visited a DIY hardware store and got some pins to replace the removable hinge pins on the van bed. These have rings for easy removal. The I drove out to Inyo Craters and took a short hike. Lunch was wieners and hash browns and some carrots. For dinner I had prawns with hashbrowns and carrots. I camped in the forest off Mammoth Lakes Scenic Drive.
Sunday: (10/13) Banana, Granola and yogurt for breakfast. I took a hike at the Obsidian Dome. Interesting road turned into a 4x4 road. Then I stopped in at the ranger station and asked about permits for a couple of short over nights. Their system was down so I'd need to get the permit online. My battery was lower than when I started this morning and should have been more charged after my driving. I checked and the charger said the batteries were full but the battery voltage said they were low. More checking found that the fuse from the charger was open. It had burned up the fuse holder on the backside that I couldn't see. I drove to the hardware store to see if they had a fuse holder. I had fuses. No luck. I checked at the auto parts store but it is closed on Sunday. So I decided to go down to Bishop. The auto parts store there had a breaker I could use and the hardware store there had a wire crimper I needed to install it. I replaced a 70 amp fuse with a 30 amp breaker. I also changed a setting on the charger to limit the output to 30 amps from its maximum of 50 amps. So now it is limited to a trickle but should keep up with the refrigerator. I stopped for lunch at the Ranchera Mexican restaurant, chili relleno combo. I took a drove up to Lake Sabrina to see the fall colors. Dinner was a cold chicken breast and cottage cheese.
Monday: (10/14) Banana for breakfast. I drove out to McGee Creek Trailhead. I wanted to see if the fall colors were on display there. They were. I took a hike up McGee Creek Trail about 4 miles then back. Nice hike. I finished the hike about 1330. I thought I’d have a burrito in Lee Vining. But on the way I needed to drive the June Lake Loop to see the fall colors there. At June Lake Junction there is a store that advertised real milkshakes so I stopped in and got a huckleberry shake. They are really gook shakes. My lunch hunger was better. When I stopped in Lee Vining at the Mobil Restaurant they didn’t have any burritos on the menu, just expensive stuff so I continued on. I figured I’d get something in Oakdale at the Hnan Villa Chinese restarant. I stopped at the Clouds Rest Vista Point for a nap. I arrived there at 1950 and was pleasantly surprised they were still open. I got some pork egg foo young for “lunch”. I relaxed there for about and hour then continued home. I got gas in the van and arrived home about 2345. I swapped the jeep out of the driveway and moved the van in. I plugged it in to charge the batteries and settled in for the night.
Tuesday: (10/15) Leftover egg foo young for breakfast. I moved the refrigerator to get access to the bad fuse. The parts arrived in the afternoon and I installed a new circuit breaker of the proper size. Now to see if it now works properly. Unfortunately I had fully charged the batteries so I’ll have to wait and see if the solar charges better. I had some shrimp and hash browned potatoes for lunch. Lou made tempura for dinner.
Wednesday: (10/16) I made a ham and cheese omelet for breakfast. Lou and I went to ACE and I got a pair of strap hinges to use on the modified refrigerator cabinet. Back home, I cut the backrest side of the refrigerator cabinet and installed the hinges to allow the wall to be lowered to allow the refrigerator to be slid onto the 3rd passenger seat to provide access to the electrical cabinet under the refrigerator. Previously I had to empty the refrigerator and lift it out of the cabinet. I also cut the refrigerator platform in half so that just the side that provides access to the electrical area can be removed. I also installed a 2x3 onto the side wall of the van on the left side of the 3rd passenger seat backrest. This allows the backrest to be screwed into the 2x3 to restore support. Lou made squash soup for lunch. I then took a drive to Harbor Freight and bought some parts bins to match the two I already had to help organize spare parts and hardware. While there I organized all these items into the parts bins. I also bought and installed a ratchet strap to clamp the seat backrest to the refrigerator and also secure the refrigerator. Then I prepared a BBQ pulled pork sandwich for dinner. Then, hunger gone, I stopped at Walmart Neighborhood Market and got a few things to restock the van and from Lous shopping list..
Thursday: (10/17) Lou made hash and eggs for breakfast. I moved the van refrigerator out of the way to get access to the electrical area. So nice and easy to move it after the modification. I found thatA wire had fallen off of the terminal that the new circuit breaker was connected to. That killed power to the bluetooth for the solar charger. We were all busy preparing the RV to go to Dave’s ranch this weekend. I washed the motorhome and the van. I also moved some things from the MH to the Van and vice-a-versa. I also drained the holding tanks. Lou made tacos for lunch and pork roast with potatoes and artichokes for dinner.
Friday: (10/18) Breakfast sandwich to start. We finished preparing to leave and departed about 1130. Lunch from the Lucky Chinese Bistro on the way out of town. We arrived at the Ranch gate about 1510 and one of the neighbors let us through the first gate. We had the combination to the second gate. We selected a spot and set up camp. Jerrod, Dave’s nephew, arrived about 1600. Dave wasn't feeling well. We discovered the generator wouldn’t power the charger and the batteries were too low to use much power. So we had a cold dinner. No one else arrived Friday night. When we awoke, Darlene had arrived. She came in about 0130.
Friday: (10/28) Lou’s hash for breakfast. We finished preparing to go and left home about noon. Lunch at Lucky Chinese Bistro. We arrived at the ranch at 1510. I spent over two hours cleaning up all the cow poop near the ranch house and our campsite. They aren't supposed to be on the ranch but get through the fence. Noodles with taco meat for dinner. I started the generator before dinner and eventually noticed it was not powering the charger. Seems like the auto transfer switch is inop. I found an outlet at the back of the house see e but it was too dark and too many obstacles to move tonight. Tomorrow we nsy move or I may rewire the Gen we rotor directly. I normally have a nice volt meter but Lou borrowed it and didn't return it to the MH.
Saturday: (10/19) Waffles and chorizo sausage for breakfast. During the day several of Dave’s motorcycle friends, as well as ours since we see them all each Open Ranch weekend arrived. Motorcycle club members: Brad, Brian, Ron, Frank, Scott, and Darlene. SJMWH members Don with Lou and Dawn. Lunch at the Rainbow Junction Cafe nearby about 1330. We used the kitchen in the ranch house to prepare stuffed bell peppers for dinner. There was also a potluck and a nice campfire.
Sunday: (10/20) Prepared to leave early but were delayed a little while because the RV jacks wouldn’t come up. Eventually only the right front was partially down. With the socket set I had, I was able to manually retract that right front jack enough to get the boards out and it had about 4 inches of ground clearance. We said our goodbyes and hit the road. We took the road out to Ptterson then took I5 up to Tracy. We got some chicken for breakfast/lunch about 1000 then went to Winco to do a little shopping. We took I580, I680 and hwy 237 to get home. I parked and set up the RV. When plugged in the motorhome had power so the problem is the generator has no output. I tested out the cigarette lighter power cable for the Starlink Mini and it worked. I also ordered a replacement power cable to go with the starlink AC adapter to replace the one destroyed by the squirrel.
Monday: (10/21) I had a breakfast sandwich to start. After a shower, I departed for Pinnacles NP. I put myself on Tara's hike waitlist and hoped she would let me join the hike. It was a nice 10 mile loop up to the High Peaks and back through the Balconies cave. I relaxed in the van at the park for a while. Later I drove up to Holister. I stopped at Safeway for a few things including some jambalaya soup for lunch/dinner. I was drowsy so I took a nap. I left after 1900 and stopped by the Gilroy Outlet Stores looking for a corelle dish outlet. There used to be one but now it is entirely clothing stores. I arrived home at about 2115.
Tuesday: (10/22) Granola and yogurt for breakfast. I started with a shower. Then I prepared a new hike plan for our visit to Pinnacles in November and published it and the two previous hikes I had prepared. All three are attempting to coordinate with other hike leaders making it more difficult. I had a ham and cheese sandwich with leftover jambalaya soup for lunch. Then I completed my ballot and just need to return it to complete voting. I received some items from Amazon today and one item wasn’t what I ordered so I’ll need to return it. The replacement is on the way, hopefully not the same incorrect item. The items are needed to retract the stuck leveling jack on the motorhome. Later, I prepared a fourth hike and published all the hikes. Now I’m committed, or need to be. Lou made a spinach salad for dinner.
Wednesday: (10/23) I made an omelet for breakfast. I rode the bike to the library to deliver my ballot to the drop box. I worked on organizing tools. I took Dawn to her writing class and did some shopping on my return. I found three Corelle 20 oz bowls for the van and fitted them into the cabinet.I had wieners and hash brown patties for lunch. Dawn made some kind of cabbage dish with wieners for dinner.
Thursday: (10/24) Lou made an omelet for breakfast. I started to work organizing my tool pouches and collected the tools needed to raise the motorhome jack manually. I started to try to get it up but was interrupted by the neighbor. There was a water leak in her backyard. It seemed to be under a sidewalk in front of the garage. I got out my jackhammer and removed the sidewalk and dug out a trench to find the pipe and hopefully the leak. It looked like it was leaking at the base of the faucet riser. My jackhammering had made it worse. Lou wasn’t feeling good and I had to go to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. Lou and Dawn ordered a pizza for lunch. I finished some pizza before returning to work on the leak. I had to go to ACE to get a PVC pipe cap. The neighbor wanted to just abandon the faucet, so I capped it. It was a muddy job. I had to nearly empty my shop to dig out the jackhammer so I put everything back in its place after the repair. I then got back to a little work but changed to installing a new USBc-PD outlet and wiring for a regular cigarette lighter socket. I thought I had the outlet but not so so I’ll need to fill the hole and hook up the wires when I get it in a couple of days. After a shower, I made a salad for dinner.
Friday: (10/25) I had a couple of waffles with ham and cheese for breakfast. I took Lou and Dawn for a ride. Dawn had an appointment to get a shot. After that we visited three thrift stores on Almaden Expressway in San Jose. We got lunch at the Noodle Factory there. She also picked up a Free Cycle item. Lou made macaroni and cheese with artichokes for dinner. The highway repaving crew was working down the street so I spent a couple of hours watching the work.
Saturday: (10/26) Frozen pancake and sausage breakfast sandwich for breakfast. Lou and I went hopping in the morning. Back home I worked on the motorhome. I manage to get the right front leveling jack all the way up manually. I also looked at the generator and found the hard to locate output circuit breaker on the generator. It was off. It was also in a dark black area covered with dirt on the side of the control panel. Now I just have to remember where it is for next time. Then I worked in the office with bills and other fun stuff. A salad for lunch. I also checked the van chargers and they seem to be working now? Lou and I walked down the block to look at a house for sale. Only $3.8 million, they hope. I weighed the bed to be able to order the correct gas struts. My guess was way off. It's only 80 lbs. I found a new home for my wood chips for the compost toilet. They are now under the kitchen sink in one of the three waste baskets. Leftover corn, mashed potatoes and chili topped with cheese for my dinner.
Sunday: (10/27) A couple of waffles wrapping a slice of ham and cheese for breakfast. I worked in the Van to start. I disassembled the 3rd seat back and cut off the 2x2 the supports the back board so the seat pad can be secured with its straps and so the USBc PD outlet is more clear. I installed a new light fixture above the dinette on the wall. I also replaced the two bad puck light fixtures above the dinette. Later, I installed a new light fixture over the bed headboard. I had a couple of wieners and hash browns with some salad for lunch. Lou made macaroni and cheese for dinner. When I went to bed in the motorhome I noticed that the AC power to the inverter was off. I had a yellow indicator instead of a green one. Everything was running fine on the inverter and, as usual, no alarms were sounding. I checked for tripped breakers but found none. About 0645 the batteries finally shut themselves off.
Monday: (10/28) My first task was to reactivate the batteries and get some charge on them. I jumped them to the starter battery and they showed 12 volts. The solar didn’t do much to charge them further all day due to intermittent clouds. I washed the dirty solar panels and RV roof but it really didn’t help. A frozen breakfast sandwich for breakfast. I removed the inverter and opened it up to inspect it. I saw no problems inside and the circuit breakers were good. Then, I finally noticed the input AC hot terminal was burnt the inside wire had burnt open. It probably was partially cut and it heated up the terminal due to being an effectively smaller wire. The wires ion either side of the pass through terminal strip were tight. I located a replacement terminal strip and had it shipped via FedEx overnight. The $5 terminal strip cost $35 with shipping. A new inverter/charger would have cost over $1000. There are cheaper ($600) units but they are all bigger and wouldn’t fit in my compartment. Leftover macaroni and cheese with baked beans and wieners for lunch. Chips and salsa for dinner. I started working on the Honda generator that won’t start. I disassembled much of it draining the gas tank, cleaning the fuel filter and blowing out the fuel lines. I also removed the carburetor and will complete cleaning it tomorrow.
Tuesday: (10/29) A frozen breakfast sandwich for breakfast. I worked on a second dead generator. Both of these generators seem to have no spark. I’ll get some carburetor cleaned and starting fluid and also fix or confirm they have spark. About 0900 I received the terminal strip for the Motorhome inverter. It was the wrong one, too small. So, I decided to just splice the input hot wire together. I added a length of wire to allow easier connections. I needed to go to ACE to get some wire nuts big enough for the #10 wire. Back home I connected the wires and reinstalled the inverter. It now works fine. I’ll still try to get the correct terminal but won’t be in a hurry to install it. About 1300 I received my new Joolca compost toilet for the van. Then I was off to shop and get lunch. Lunch from Wok On Chinese restaurant. I shopped at Dollar Tree after lunch. I restocked the van with some breakfast sandwiches, Mexico bars and energy drinks. Then I went to Lowe’s for some garden soil and I also found a dust pan attachment for a 5 gallon bucket. Then a visit to Grocery Outlet in North Sunnyvale. Then I stopped by Advanced Auto Parts for the carburetor cleaner and starting fluid. Then I stopped by the back for some cash and Trader Joes for some salad mixes. A salad for dinner.
Wednesday: (10/30) A frozen breakfast sandwich for breakfast. I gave myself a hair and beard cut with a shower before and after. It passed inspection by Lou, who makes sure I don’t leave any long tufts of hair. I then walked over to the Caltrain station and went up to San Francisco. I meandered through downtown looking and buildings under construction. I walked to the Sales Force park at the Trans Bay Terminal. Then I walked up to Coit Tower, mostly for exercise. Then I came down to get pizza at the Golden Boy Pizza shop. I ate it at Washington park watching the gods play. Then I walked up over Russian Hill and down to Polk Street to get a donut at Bob's Donut shop. Then on down to the Farmers Market at the Civic Center. Then I caught Muni to the train and made it home before 1700. I received my new battery charger. I ordered a 20 amp smart charger. The only charger I had was a battery minder trickle charger. Leftover Chinese food for dinner.
Thursday: (10/31) A frozen breakfast sandwich for breakfast. Lou and I went shopping for a tent for her and Dawn to sleep in. Their current tent really isn’t good for foul weather. We looked online but didn't find anything. So we took a drive. REI, Dick’s, Sports Basement, and Walmart find anything either. We had some guacamole and chips for lunch. We got home at about 1500. Lou made baked potatoes with roast chicken and a salad for dinner.
