MY PRIUS IS A CHAMP.

I guess a day is never really lost if  you learn a lot, and I did. On my way to pre-register at the hospital, my 2001 Prius’s check engine light went on.  I managed to round-up alternative transportation to the hospital. When I returned, I had it towed to the Toyota Dealership in Modesto.

The next day, at Toyota, the head mechanic turned me loose after resetting the engine light computer. “We can’t find a thing wrong with this engine and we checked everything.” I took off and 30 minutes down the road, the check engine light went on again. I returned to Toyota. They were really terrific and fast-tracked me through since I came from so far away. This time he concluded that my main battery pack is beginning to fail and will need replacement sometime soon. The battery was guaranteed for eight years and 100,000 miles. I’ve far exceeded that. But, since it is still running…hmmm! Should I wait until it just quits?

Jim, in the meantime, did research on-line about battery life and the great engines Toyota is famous for. He sent me reams of information and we came to the conclusion that $2200 to replace the pack with a battery recycle credit, gives me another run at 150,000 miles. Much cheaper than a new car. Plus, the new battery technology is better than the old. Yes, I learned a lot about a car I love. Especially since I get 44.5 per gallon in winter, 47.5 in the summer, and 52.7 when I’m out of the mountains. That mileage has never diminished in the 11 years I’ve owned my Prius.

It was after 2:00 and I stopped for lunch and a brew in Oakdale.

And near home, I caught this beautiful rainbow. I guess that is a good omen! I think my Prius is a champ and will get a new battery pack.

FRACKING VS. GREEN TECHNOLOGY

Fracking pumps as many as 900 unregulated chemicals into the ground to open rock beds to get at the oil and gas. The Halliburton Loophole exempts oil companies from major environmental laws, like the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Safe Drinking Water acts. Drillers do not have to reveal what is in the six million gallons of watery chemicals they pump into these wells that have been known to contaminate drinking water. Of course the companies owning these leases want to get at it, but the truth is, fracking isn’t needed. We do have alternatives.

This is my 1994 Chevrolet Electric Car, totally battery operated, still running in 2005 on its original battery pack. It’s range was only 48  miles. Near the end of its life, it could only make it  to the grocery and the dump and back, about 14 miles. That was old battery technology.  My 2001 Prius is still running on its original battery pack and gives no signs of stopping anytime soon.

The mass-produced Nisson Leaf and the Chevy Volt are all doing well.   2011 was a big year for electrics and growing. Well known dependable companies have come out with electric vehicles that work beyond expectations. They are so good, they’ve become luxury cars for the rich. Hundreds of new electric vehicles are out there, and  here are some of the  top green cars, as listed  by Gas.2.0.

Hydrogen Ferrari. This is a student designed concept car and isn’t on the road-yet!  But Id’ like to crawl into one of those. It would make me look 20 years younger.

Rimac Automobilli EV One is a working model with  1,088 horsepower, and a driving range of almost 400 miles. Snazzy, beautiful. The future is here if we have guts enough to say no to big oil.

Brabus 4WD Hybrid Mercedes is a diesel-electric hybrid that provides performance as well as efficiency. This vehicle uses Proton’s in-wheel hub motors for propulsion and improved get-up-and-go.

e-Wolf Alpha 2 EV, with a driving range of 185 miles, a 0-60 mph time of under 4-seconds, and a price tag of over $400,000. Top speed? 230 mph, supposedly. Slated for limited production, none of us are likely to afford one of these, but dreams to come true, and if it weren’t for dreamers, we’d be back in the dark ages.

The only natural gas car that made the list. Maximus LNG 2000 has a highly modified all-aluminum V8 engine that can produce 1,500 horsepower. A 2,000 horsepower version named the Prodigy is also in the works. I’m not big on natural gas but I didn’t make the list and don’t consider it a really green car like electrics.

Porsche Spyder EV plug-in is prohibitively expensive, but Gas.2.0 admires  Porsche for working tremendously hard to integrate hybrid drive trains into their performance vehicles. Porsche is at the forefront of luxury performance hybrids and will probably continue to play with hybrids in the years to come. Good news for all of us.

Veritas Plug-In Hybrid, again, isn’t all electric but these carmakers are concentrating on performance. A barely street legal racer, the Veritas RSIII uses a 600 horsepower 5.0 liter BMW V10 to power the rear wheels, and an electric motor providing another 140 horsepower for the front wheels. An on board flywheel energy recovery system can charge the batteries while driving, or be plugged into a standard outlet, providing up to 30 miles of all-electric driving.

Jaguar CX75 EV was debuted as a twin-turbine concept car late last year and has been greenlighted for production…sans the turbines. It will keep the plug-in hybrid system, allowing the wheel-mounted electric motors to deliver up to 30 miles of all-electric range, as well as a 0-60 mph time somewhere in the 3-second range. What’s the cost for this beauty?  Put your wallet back. About 1.4 mill.  Hey, somebody will buy it!  The future is looking very snazzy.

AIR CONDITIONED CARS

There was a time when air conditioned cars were an expensive add on from the dealer. We thoroughly enjoyed our 1972 Pontiac Convertible and didn’t get an air conditioned car until 1976.  In fact, in Southern California, you could buy a car from the dealer without a heater, which we did, once.  Who needed it?

A Bay Area friend of ours bought a brand new 1961, (I believe it was a Chrysler) with an  air conditioning unit, to take a trip from California to Boston. The device was a square container of ice mounted on the hump over the drive shaft with a fan attached to the cigarette lighter. The fan blew air over the ice to cool the air. It worked until the ice melted.  Every couple of hours, our friends had to stop and buy a new block of ice.  It was a  hoot and convinced us air conditioning would never be a standard part of a car. Now, I can’t imagine being without it. Which, in a round about way, is where I’m going this morning, to have my air conditioning repaired. A hose is plugged and condensed water wets the carpet on the passenger side when the air conditioning is running.

And carpet in cars?  Don’t get me started.

Yesterday, I experimented  with pictures around my yard to see what I could come up with and I can’t say that the following close-up has much appeal…

…when the leaf itself is so pretty.

-

However, I liked this close-up shot of a gold pan.

Maybe because a gold pan wasn’t meant to be as pretty as a leaf.

The cables on Jim’s bike made an interesting shot. Kind of reminds me of when we were kids. Pageant magazine had a  monthly photo that required you to guess what the original object was from the close up. The answer was in the following issue, always a month away. No one in the family ever guessed an object correctly, but we loved trying.

The weather will soon turn wet and cold. We’ve enjoyed these sunny fall days.

 

We Visit The Eagles In Monroe, Washington.

Yesterday Mary and I drove the motorhome the about 60 miles south  from Bow to Monroe, Washington. We’re back for a three night stay while my friend/mechanic Mike pulls the transmission from my Ford Bronco II to replace a leaky seal. While the transmission is out…I’m going to have him replace all the transmission seals as well as the engine rear main seal. Mike’s place is only about two miles from this site…but there’s no room to park the motorhome…so we’re park at the Eagles #2327 RV parking area. It’s located along a small river about one mile away from the Eagles Club itself in downtown Monroe. We’re expecting the work to take two days. Mike said his nephew will be helping him. I told him that I would also be available if he needed me.

It was pretty, peaceful and quiet…and only $10.00 a night for electricity and water. Normally we would stay at Thousand Trails while in this area but the park only has 97 sites and it’s booked solid through the Labor Day weekend. So this becomes a really convenient place to stay while the work is accomplished on the Bronco. Mary and I spent one night here about six weeks ago.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://lulu.com/panamaorbust

Summer Time And the Living Is Easy…

Yesterday was one of those absolutely perfect Pacific Northwest days…69 degrees, a gentle breeze, sunny with a few stray clouds. The weather just does not get any better than that…in my humble opinion.

If you are a regular follower of my Blog…you know I have not watched or listened to any kind of news for 13+ years. My life is so simply structured..there’s no need to put all that garbage in my head. My feelings are…that if anything is that important…I’ll hear people talking about it…and then figure out what to do about it…which is usually nothing.

In the last couple of days…I’ve heard people talking about the excessive heat currently back East. I can’t do anything about it…other than to be thankful…one more time…I am a full-time RVer…and that I’m currently here and not there.

Mary and I spent the Summer in New England last year visiting my family, relatives and friends. We were told it was the hottest Summer in New England in over 100 years. You do not have to tell me about the heat and humidity of the Summers in the East. I know all about them..it was one of the primary reasons I moved from the Northeast to California in 1979! For many years now…I’ve been telling people…if I did not have family back in New England…I would never again go East of the Rocky Mountains…ever!

As so on this perfect day yesterday…I found myself in one of my favorite places…Thousand Trails Leisure Time Thunderbird RV Resort in Monroe, Washington…in my favorite spot in this campground along the banks of the Skykomish River.

As you can see..the campground is in three sections. In my section…there are 22 sites out of the total 95. Here’s a street view of my section…you can see my Bronco and the motorhome as the first RV on the right. Directly behind the motorhome is the beautiful Skykomish River.

Here’s a little history of this campground. I first came here in 1980… when then…it was called simply Thunderbird Campground. At that time it was a really run-down place…but I stayed here because I wanted to visit a life-long friend who lives only a couple of miles from here. In 1984 Leisure Time Resorts bought the place and turned it into a beautiful RV Resort. In 2000…Thousand Trails bought Leisure Time Resorts.

And so…back to my perfect Northwest weather day and where the living is easy. The only thing missing is my life-partner Mary who is still back in California…in 90+ degree weather…tending to home/rentals/personal business. I’m hoping to get her back within the next couple of weeks. In the meantime…I’ll just sit here…and enjoy!

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://lulu.com/panamaorbust

Where It All Began In Las Vegas, Nevada…

Jim says:

Yesterday Mary and I visited the Old Mormon Fort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The following words come from the Nevada park’s brochure…

“More than 150 years ago, a spring-fed creek flowed through this valley, creating an oasis in the desert. With the only free-flowing water and grass for miles around, the site attracted native Paiute people as well as traders, emigrants and gold seekers traveling the Old Spanish Trail to California. The Spaniards called the place Las Vegas, Spanish for the meadows.”

Like so many other notable places in the desert southwest of the United States…an oasis in the desert was the attracting element. Water! The stuff of life…without it we would not be here!

We started with photos from the Visitors Center…
Here’s a view depicting The Meadows before the arrival of the Mormons

Here the Mormons are arriving…

Here an oxen-pulled wagon approaches the fort…

Every 4th Saturday of the month, volunteers Jim Edwards and Evie Ward dress in period costumes and greet visitors…

They even get visitors to dress in costumes…

Out on to the fort grounds for photos…
Here’s an interior view of part of an original wall over 150 years old, still standing…

A picture of the barracks before restoration…

An old wagon…

The facing wall is the only part of the original fort…

The Yankee Colonel and his lady on the fort grounds…

The volunteers were very knowledgeable about the fort’s history and greatly added to the enjoyment of our visit. It was really neat to learn about the beginning history of this very unique city.

Here’s the official website link…
http://parks.nv.gov/olvmf.htm

Here’s a link to the National Park Service lesson plan…
http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/122fort/index.htm

Here’s a Wikipedia link…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Las_Vegas_Mormon_State_Historic_Park

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2011
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/panamaorbust

ALL ELECTRIC MOTOR HOMES ARE HERE

MVP RV has built an all electric RV. Brad Williams CEO, and his partner Winston Chung, who developed the special ion battery for it, each own their own luxury electric RV. “Chung says, telephone lines came after the first phone call.” Williams’ all electric RV, on its first trip,  traveled 180 miles at 60 and 70 MPH. It has two flat screen televisions, washer, dryer, dishwasher and all of the comforts of home for only $750,000.  It takes 20 minutes to charge with a 220 volt station, or as much as 24 hours with regular electricity. Until there are more electric charging stations in California, the Winston isn’t for sale.

We had a fascinating  glimpse of the past RVing world in August at the RV Hall of Fame in Indiana.

The basics is what you could expect then.

Even so, I have good memories of taking our kids out in a tear drop trailer similar to this one and cooking off the back. The kids slept inside.

This little Airstream trailer looks like a miniature, but they were an industry icon at one time and there are still many of them on the road today. Oh, to own an Airstream, aero-dynamic, less wind resistance…that is how the industry developed, better mileage, greater comfort.

The amenities eventually came, indoor plumbing.

Heating and refrigeration.

Todays RVers own every type of vehicle imaginable. We see many, huge, luxury behemoths on the road, but most are more efficient, modest motor homes like ours.
It doesn’t really matter what type of rig you have. RVers want to be outside, enjoy nature and get away from it all.
As an electric vehicle owner, I’m very interested in the development of electrics. I love my zippy Prius Hybrid. My electric scooter is a handy machine.  Electrics have come a long way. I hope they make them affordable soon.

Washingtonia Filifera

Jim says:

When I went to the Coachella Valley Preserve in 1000 Palms, California the other day, they have many beautiful Washingtonia Filifera also known as the California Desert Fan Palm Tree…the only palm tree native to the desert southwestern United States.

Here’s some photos I took at the preserve…

These beauties were all in excess of 50 feet tall…a most impressive tree.

For everything you could ever want to know about these trees, click this link,,,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washingtonia_filifera

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
My three books may be purchased at http://www.lulu.com
Just enter Jim Jaillet in the search box.

Adams County Historical Museum, Decatur, Indiana

Jim says:

Yesterday was a scorching 92 degrees so Mary and I spent most of the day hiding out in our air-conditioned motorhome reading, napping and watching a movie. When did leave for about an hour to go to the Adams County Historical Museum, a stately old mansion with lots of historic relics from this area.

Because we are running ahead of average daily use on our Verizon Air Card, you only get one photograph today of an iron-wheeled tricycle.

Here’s the Adams County Historical Museum where you can see more photos…
http://www.adamshistorical.com/

Today we’ll move about 50 south to Union City, Indiana where tomorrow we’ll attend a Workhorse Chassis Factory Tour, We have a Workhorse Chassis on our motorhome.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2010
My three books may be purchased at http://www.lulu.com
Just enter Jim Jaillet in the search box.

My 12-Year-Old Grandson Is Teaching Me How To Text!

Jim says:

Everybody in my son’s family texts like crazy all the time. I tried it a couple of time…found (I thought) that it was too much of a pain to mess with. After all. I use my cell phone to make telephone calls!

My 12-year-old grandson is a text wizard and he decided that I need to know how to text, so he stopped by yesterday to give me some texting lessons. The first thing he did was to restructure my phone to make it easier to text. It wasn’t long before I was texting!

I held my camera at arm’s length to get this photo.

Granted, I’m not yet as fast as my grandson, but with a little bit of practice…and I’m sure more lessons are forthcoming.

In other news…
Saturday night we went to a July 4th party at a neighbor’s house just up the street. The party was given by a guy who is a Connecticut State Trooper. It was the tenth year in a row that he’s done so. I went when I was here in 2007. He invites all his neighbors and friends. There were several hundred people in attendance! At 10:00 PM he put on a huge fireworks show that lasted. for a half-hour and must have cost him $1,000! Quite a show and quite a party!

Yesterday my son and his family went to his wife’s sister’s home for the day. I opted to have a quiet day for myself and stayed at home. The heat and humidity have returned. It’s forecasted to be heavy-duty for the next week and the weather wimp…that’s me…is saying “Triple Yuk!”.

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2009
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.panamaorbust.com