RV update

Been having high oil pressure indications my last two outings.  So I took it in for a pressure test.  The tests showed no pressure issue so they put in a new sensor relay that goes to my gauge.  From what I have read and been told this is often the problem it the pressure test is good.  I will let you know if there are any further issues with this.

We have our tow car and dolly ready for full time rving probably starting next summer.  We resealed the roof and windows and added a battery watering system and now are looking at our tires.  Our tires were replaced just under 4 years ago and only have about 16000 miles on them.  So we are leaning toward replacing all seven by next summer, also looking into adding a sleep comfort bed (short Queen).

Walter Filters

We have some Berkey Filters and Sawyer water filters and love them both today we will focus on The Go Berkey.  Here you see the box and the primer removed.

Below I have removed the filter kit along with the portable sport bottle with its own smaller Berkey black filter that is good for a few hundred gallons of stream water.

Here I pulled out the main filter container which is in the travel mode and holds one quart  and the blue bottle with its own mini filter holds 16oz.

Here is the filter with a 18 oz camping cup over the top to protect the filter tip when installed and in the transport mode.

Aero Garden Reservoirs Are Back Here is Ours Plus More

Aero Garden Reservoirs are back in stock and we got one:)

Setting  it up with the tomato garden took some time.  The instructions said I did not need the supplied lifting base.  However, I found I did need it so I am glad they added the option to the kit.

Also working on a traveling garden.  Here is what I have so far for the RV.  I cut out a piece of 1/2 inch plywood cut a hole for the garden and the tub to set it in, as well as a can/bottle holder.  Put two "L" brackets on the end to fit between the table and the wall to help hold it and painted it white.  Will probably use adhesive sealer around the tub and add a bungee cord or two.   I will keep you updated on how it works.

Three weeks later we have a tomato plant:)  Found I can not drive down the road as set up the water will splash out.  The water stays in the tote I have the garden in but it could short out the unit.  So we set the lift off garden and water tub and set it in the sink while driving.  Once at the next stop we top off the water and set it back on the aero garden base.

Aero Garden Update

Another Aero Garden Update

Production

Herbs and Lettuce let us start harvesting in 4-6 weeks.  Four lettuce plants give us on average four small salads a week and keep good production for months.   Harvesting one leaf at a time (every third full leaf) is our best picking approach.  I tried cutting the whole head (one plant) it took two weeks to grow back to harvest stage.  Once in production we need to add water every 2-3 days.

One Tomato  plant in production needs water every two days and took 90 days to start good production.  Looking to add at least one water reservoir once they get back in stock.

Just got an update on the water reservoir they are in stock now and we have at least one on the way.  Also below is our plant in full production.

 

Finally received a aero water reservoir and it works:)  Took a trip and stayed away four nights so hooked it up to our tomato plant.  When we came home there was still a quart of water in the reservoir and the garden tank still was full.  This tell's me we can go away four up to 6 nights and the full production plant will be fine.

 If we split the reservoir between two gardens we can generally expect 3 days/nights away for each.  We have two 6 hole harvest gardens and one 3 hole sprout garden that will not be hooked up to this resivor.

Bear Awareness

Bear awareness is always a concern in Black Bear Country (below) as well as other bear areas, a lot is similar and a few things are different.  From my readings we should fight back if attacked by black bears or mountain lions.  If these two attack you they see you as food and want to eat you! When it comes to Grizzly Bears however if attacked playing dead is often the best option.  They often attack us to defend not to eat us. You need to read up on the information in this post and other sources and make up your own mind.

Bear dumpsters like below are good examples of reducing bear visits.  If they can not get to the food they tend to move on.

On one visit there was a Black Bear just over the river so the following sign went up as a warning.  Talked to a Ranger and they advised they regularly go back and forth through the river it is not very deep in spots (only 2 foot or so in areas).

Yucca and Cacti Make a Meal

Yuca and Cacti Make a Meal

Here our son is scraping a Cacti we bought at a store.  The store does a quick scraping but you need to do your own final scrape and trim around the edges.  Then rinse it well and cut into green bean size.

He is chopping the Yuca root then he will cube them up and put them in a pan to cook, like we do breakfast potato's.

The Yuca is nearly cooked, he used salt, pepper and butter for the seasoning which added to the flavor.

He decided to fry up some of the Cacti as well.  We ate some Cacti with oil and vinegar like a salad before cooking the rest.

http://www.wikihow.com/Eat-Prickly-Pear-Cactus

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/prickly-pear/harvesting-prickly-pear-fruit.htm

 http://www.wikihow.com/Eat-Yucca


 http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/cook-serve-yucca-root-8371.html

Portable Washer in Action

Our Portable Washer does the job, the drying is by hanging items to dry after spinning them.  You can easily dry them in less then a day if hung outside, but if inside can take up to a day and a half.  Took about 45 minutes to wash and spin and about 9 gallons of water.

The loads are not big.  Here I did a heavy pair of shorts, one pair of compression socks, two pair of underwear, two T-shirts and a handkerchief.  So for two folks it will take an hour and a half to do two days worth and about 18 gallons of water.

Here is the unit in our shower with the electric outlet around the corner on the desk.  We fill it with the shower hose and let it drain down the shower drain.

 Here you see the washer full and ready to go, we wash for about 15 minutes a load.

In the above photo washing is done and we are ready to start spinning.  We insert the spinning basket, it only holds about a third of the wash so here is the time consumer about 3 minutes per spin load.

Here we are trying to dry out the washer and one wash load in the shower took a day and a half.  So outside is better if allowed at your camping area.  Coin are still a good option if you have one around because of load size and using a dryer.  One washer and dryer load can cost a total of 3 to 5 dollars depending.  But id you have a couple hours and the water the above washer works OK.