RV

Posts featuring the coach.

Barstow / Calico KOA Holiday

We stayed at Barstow / Calico KOA Holiday in Yermo, California. (Campground Reviews listing.)

Rather short site, and too much freeway noise, but okay for a couple of days.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2023-03-23
  • Check out: 2023-03-25
  • 2 nights

Weather:

  • Partly sunny
  • High temps ranging between 58-60°F, lows around 35-39°F
  • Wind gusts to 37 MPH

Noise:

  • Loud freeway noise; no train noise

Site:

  • #39, pull-through, gravel
  • Needed to disconnect toad; parked beside coach
  • Level
  • Small site: about 50 feet long by about 30 feet wide
  • Picnic tables, charcoal grill, gravel, shrubs

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 40 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, inconveniently located (2 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • T-Mobile: 38 Mbps down, 42-69 Mbps up, 27 ms ping
  • AT&T: 12-17 Mbps down, 4 Mbps up, 40 ms ping
  • Verizon: 1 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 300 ms ping
  • Starlink: not used
  • Campground Wi-Fi: none

Amenities:

  • Garbage bins
  • Closed pool

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Convenient stop along I-15

We stayed for two nights, which was about the right length of time. It’s an older KOA in need of some TLC with convenient access to the interstate; which means you do get constant road noise. The sites are pretty short, and we definitely had to unhook the tow and park alongside the coach. The site also seemed a bit narrow, but that may have been because it had an excess of tables and chairs (2 picnic tables, a concrete table and benches, and a park bench). We camped at Barstow / Calico KOA Holiday in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Check out the Calico Ghost Town and Peggy Sue’s Diner. Both were good, kitschy fun.

Interactive map:

Campground map:

Map

Our site; we didn’t bother with the Magne Shade, since only a couple of nights:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Utilities:

Utilities

So many tables and benches:

Tables

View of the freeway from our window:

View of freeway

Entrance:

Entrance

Office:

Office

Bike and archery rental (maybe in summer):

Bike and archery rental

Mural:

Mural

Piano:

Piano

Artwork:

Artwork

Playground:

Playground

Train car:

Train car

Deflated jump pad:

Deflated jump pad

Pool:

Pool

Tent sites:

Tent sites

Cabins:

Cabins

RV sites:

RV sites

RV sites

RV sites

Travel from Death Valley to Yermo, California

We drove our coach 169 miles, about three hours of driving, from Death Valley, California to Yermo, California.

Here’s the map route, heading south:

Route

Interactive map, showing our stops:

Leaving the campground:

Leaving campground

Leaving Death Valley:

Leaving Death Valley

Paladin sleeping:

Paladin sleeping

Leaving Death Valley

Leaving Death Valley

Paladin in an unapproved place; he was freaking out a bit; sometimes he forgets about travel days:

Paladin in an unapproved place

“Thanks for Experiencing Your National Park”:

Thanks for Experiencing Your National Park

Bumpy road:

Bumpy road

Motorcycles:

Motorcycles

The sign could use a refresh:

The sign could use a refresh

Mountain

Bumpy road

A roadside stop for a break:

Stop

Interesting hills:

Interesting hills

Interesting hills

A straight road; using a high zoom really emphasizes the bumps:

Straight road

Mountains

Lunch stop in Baker, with a nice big truck/RV parking area; always appreciated:

Lunch stop in Baker

The World’s Tallest Thermometer:

World's Tallest Thermometer

We had lunch at the Mad Greek Cafe:

Mad Greek Cafe

Mad Greek Cafe

Mad Greek Cafe

The Thermometer again:

World's Tallest Thermometer

World's Tallest Thermometer

Zzyzx Road:

Zzyzx Road

Mountains

EddieWorld, apparently California’s largest gas station (looks pretty small compared to Buc-ees in Texas, but we haven’t actually visited either):

EddieWorld

Ghost Town Road:

Ghost Town Road

Our destination:

Our destination

Our destination

Ceiling fan motor replacement again

Last year I replaced the motor in the bedroom ceiling fan. Well, it started squeaking again, so I replaced it a second time. I guess this will be a regular thing.

My previous post on this replacement missed a few steps, so I took more pictures this time, so others can use it as a step-by-step guide.

The first step, of course, is to order the replacement motor from the Tiffin Parts Store. It is part number 5011771, “CEILING FAN MOTOR ONLY”, currently about $89 plus shipping. You’ll also need some connectors; I previously used wire nuts, but have since discovered a better technology, Wago lever connectors, available from Amazon.

Here’s the ceiling fan:

Ceiling fan

To begin, unscrew this nut:

Nut

Then remove this retaining clip and washer (which was one of the most difficult parts of the process for me), allowing the fan blades to drop off:

Nut removed

Retaining clip

The removed nut, retaining clip, and washer:

Nut, retaining clip, washer

Next unscrew the three screws near the ceiling to remove the housing:

Housing

With the cover removed, you can cut the wires from the motor (leaving them as long as possible), you don’t need to cut the wires coming from the ceiling, as they go to the direction switch on the cover. In my case, I had orange wire nuts from the previous replacement, so I just undid those.

Then unscrew the motor from the ceiling; remove three screws, plus loosen the fourth for the retaining wire:

Cover removed

The motor removed:

Motor removed

The retaining wire from the motor can then be attached to the ceiling, holding it up there, and the electrical wires connected.

As mentioned, this time I used Wago lever connectors to hook up the motor; they are much easier and more reliable; you just lift the lever, poke in the wire, and close the lever to secure the wire. Here you can see the white wires connected, and one black wire connected, with the lever open for the second one:

Wago lever connectors:

Once the wires are connected, the motor can be mounted to the ceiling. Like last time, I used a couple of washers to space it away from the ceiling to line up the cover holes correctly:

Motor mounted and connected

Another angle showing the Wago connectors:

Motor mounted and connected

Then screw the cover back into place:

Cover reattached

Add the blades, the washer, and the retaining clip:

Blades, washer and clip reattached

And finally the nut:

Nut reattached

Done! Pretty easy. I’ll look forward to doing this again in about a year!

Where I have been

Lots of people on Micro.blog have been posting lists of places they’ve been, so I thought I’d join the fun.

Despite living full-time in a motorhome, I actually haven’t been all that many places yet. But we’re working on it.

My list, with emojis inspired by Jean’s much more impressive list:

  • 🇳🇿 New Zealand
  • 🇨🇦 Canada:
    • 🇬🇧 British Columbia
  • 🇲🇽 Mexico
  • 🇺🇸 United States:
    • 🏜️ Arizona
    • 🏄‍♂️ California
    • 🏔️ Colorado
    • 🏛️ DC
    • ☀️ Florida
    • 🥜 Georgia
    • 🌈 Hawaii
    • 🥔 Idaho
    • 🎣 Montana
    • 🎰 Nevada
    • 🌶️ New Mexico
    • 🗽 New York
    • 🦫 Oregon
    • ⭐️ Texas
    • 🏝️ US Virgin Islands
    • 🐝 Utah
    • 🌲 Washington
    • 🤠 Wyoming

We have a map on our coach for places we’ve visited since buying it, which is a shorter list — Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas:

Map

Map

We’ll pick up 10 more states later this year — North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida (I’ve been to Florida before, but not in the coach):

Timezones 2023

How we work full-time in our coach

While traveling around the US in our motorhome, we are continuing to work — we are still over a decade away from retirement age.

This has some challenges, but our jobs make it feasible, since we can both work remotely. I am a self-employed macOS and iOS app developer (Dejal), and Jenn is a technical writer for a big corporation that has a lot of remote employees — something that is more and more popular nowadays, especially since the pandemic.

I recently wrote about our workspaces. My lap desk:

SideTrak screen

And Jenn’s height-adjustable desk:

Jenn's desk

Another critical component in our ability to work as we travel is internet connectivity. We couldn’t do our work without reliable internet access; I need it to upload app builds, look up documentation, and communicate with my clients and customers; Jenn needs it to attend meetings and update her documents.

Since it is so important, we have as many options as possible. Including T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon cellular connections, two AT&T iPhones (that we can tether to if nothing else works), plus Jenn has an iPhone on Verizon from her job, and we have Starlink satellite internet for when there’s no cellular coverage. And if all else fails, we can connect to campground Wi-Fi, which can be a bit hit-or-miss in quality and availability.

The somewhat messy internet cupboard, with a modem for AT&T and Verizon, mi-fi unit for T-Mobile, and other devices:

Internet cupboard

The Starlink dish:

Starlink dish

When choosing RV parks, we always look at reviews and information to ensure there is internet connectivity; the Starlink dish gives us more options, but if we ended up in a cellular dead spot with too many trees blocking the dish and no Wi-Fi, we’d have to move.

Other than our workstations and internet, we just need the time to work. So we plan our travel days around that; we typically move between RV parks on Sundays, so travel days don’t interfere with Jenn’s workdays, and stay at each location for a week or two, working during the week, and exploring on weekends, and sometimes locally in evenings.

This works well for us, enabling us to continue to work while slowly exploring the country.

Death Valley Furnace Creek Campground

We stayed at Furnace Creek Campground within Death Valley National Park, California. (Campground Reviews listing.)

The first time we’ve ever stayed inside a national park in our coach.

Dates:

  • Check in: 2023-03-20
  • Check out: 2023-03-23
  • 3 nights

Weather:

  • Partly sunny, a couple days of drizzle
  • High temps ranging between 61-73°F, lows around 43-50°F
  • Wind gusts to 37 MPH

Noise:

  • No road or train noise
  • Some neighbor kid noise, not too bad

Site:

  • #69, pull-through, asphalt
  • Didn’t need to disconnect toad; parked behind and in front of coach
  • Level
  • Large site: about 95 feet long by about 50 feet wide
  • Picnic table, fire pit, gravel

Utilities:

  • 50 amp power, conveniently located
  • 55 PSI water, conveniently located
  • Good sewer connection, conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

  • Starlink: 43-148 Mbps down, 11-23 Mbps up, 29-40 ms ping
  • T-Mobile: no service
  • AT&T: no service
  • Verizon: no service
  • Campground Wi-Fi: none

Amenities:

  • Garbage dumpsters
  • National Park!
  • Visitor center
  • General store
  • Restaurant

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Great campground in the heart of Death Valley NP

There are two things I wish about this place: 1) That they had more full hookup sites, and 2) that we’d gotten to stay longer. We originally booked a dry camping spot but were lucky enough to snag a cancellation for a full hookup and I’m so glad we did. I would have stayed here either way, as it’s truly the best place to stay in or near the park. The pull-through sites are incredibly long and every site is large so you’re not cramped against your neighbor, which is appropriate when staying in the largest National Park in the contiguous 48 states. It’s also very convenient to all the “must-see” places in the park. If you need internet while staying here, you must have Starlink. Cellular data was non-existent for any carrier. There is WiFi at the Furnace Creek Ranch. We camped at Furnace Creek in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Gas in Stovepipe Wells was quite a bit cheaper than at Furnace Creek and the food was better at the restaurant there, too.

Interactive map:

The campground map:

Map

Death Valley National Park is interesting in that it is mostly below sea level. The campground has an elevation of -190 feet:

-190 feet elevation

Our site:

Our site

Our site

Our site

Our site

Death Valley is the hottest and driest national park… so of course it was cool and rainy:

Rain and mud

Entrance:

Entrance

Dishwashing station:

Dishwashing station

Other sites:

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Other sites

Travel from Las Vegas, Nevada to Death Valley, California

We drove our coach 121 miles, about three hours of driving, from Las Vegas, Nevada to Death Valley, California.

Here’s the map route, heading west:

Death Valley route

An interactive map, with our stops marked:

Horses artwork:

Horses artwork

Driving past the buildings of the Vegas strip:

Vegas

Vegas

Vegas

Overpass artwork:

Overpass artwork

Snowy mountains:

Mountains

A snack while driving:

Snack

Paladin in his safe space:

Paladin

Mountain:

Mountain

We stopped for lunch at the Area 51 Alien Center:

Area 51 Alien Center

It’s Nevada, so there’s also the Alien Cathouse Brothel:

Alien Cathouse Brothel

The Area 51 Alien Center:

Area 51 Alien Center

Area 51 Alien Center

Area 51 Alien Center

Area 51 Alien Center

Our coach

They have a cafe, but it was closed, so we grabbed packaged sandwiches for lunch:

Lunch

Cow artwork:

Cow artwork

Leaving Nevada, entering California (no welcome sign, just “click it or ticket”; real friendly there, California):

Nevada to California

Bumpy road:

Bumpy road

Enering Death Valley National Park:

Enering Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park

Death Valley National Park

Most of the park is below sea level; passing sea level elevation, heading down:

Sea level elevation

-5 elevation:

-5 elevation

The Ranch at Death Valley, at -190 feet elevation:

The Ranch at Death Valley

Jenn’s movable height-adjustable desk

Last week I wrote about my lap desk. This week, Jenn’s solution.

When we first bought our coach, our first signficant modification was to remove the existing couches. And not long after, we added a desk for Jenn, along with adjustable arms for a laptop and monitor.

She used that for several months, but ultimately decided she didn’t need the big second screen, and didn’t like the desk situation (in particular the slope of the slide-out carpet with the chair), so we replaced the desk with some storage cabinets.

Nowadays, she works at the dining table, using an adjustable standing desk riser, which lets her either stand or sit on a stool. And as with my setup, she also has a SideTrak Swivel 12.5” display that can be attached magnetically, giving her more screen space.

Here’s her setup in sitting position; with her laptop on a riser stand on top of the adjustable desk, in turn on the dining table, with a stool:

Jenn's desk

And with a quick toggle, the desk can be raised up to standing height, with a standing mat:

Jenn's desk

A closer look at siting height:

Jenn's desk

And standing height:

Jenn's desk

A peek underneath, showing the simple spring-based raising mechanism:

Jenn's desk

There is room behind the desk for us to eat lunch at the table, and at the end of the day, she can easily move the desk off the dining table to give more room for dinner.

This setup isn’t perfect, but it works well enough for her at present. Who knows, we might make further adjustments in the future.