Zephyrs

Lifehacker has a rundown on How to Get Rid of Ants. One idea is to get a good picture of the villain and send it to your local university extension service to identify. As they say, wars are won by knowing the enemy. That is the first step towards eliminating nests and trails and access points.

If you get an infestation at a campground, it can be difficult to get rid of ants that got into the RV. That means you need to be aware of any ant hills near your campsite and to watch carefully any access paths. At least with an RV, the means of ingress are a bit more limited.

How about free? It’s one of those base level service free if you buy the hardware things. Laptop has a story on the latest item: FreedomPop Hub Burst Router Grants Free 1GB Monthly Internet Access.

The Amazon affiliate link: Freddompop at Amazon supports this site.

FreedomPop’s website.

The biggest hassle for this idea might be that it appears to use the Sprint and Clearwire network. That network does not have the presence on the road as does Verizon or AT&T.

There is a similar product for telephones that uses the free Google Voice. Obihai on Amazon provides an ATA (analog telephone adapter) that plugs in between a typical landline phone and an internet connection. You program it with the Google Voice login data and then you can use it for making telephone calls. In addition to the free Google Voice, you can also program it to use one of several VOIP providers that will provide E911 and other services for a nominal fee.

Google Voice uses an email ‘chat’ function for its phone calls. It provides extensive voice mail facilities as well as the ability to route incoming calls to your other telephone numbers. When you sign up, you get a free telephone number but you can port a cell phone number (not a landline number) to be your Google Voice number for $20. Google has what they call 2 factor login that has, as a feature, special passwords you can allocate to specific applications such as the Obihai ATA or an email program like Thunderbird. If you log into your Google account from a computer, you will need to enter a code number received via phone call as the 2nd security layer.

Both of these communications channels, one for I’net and the other for telephone, illustrate how technology is being leveraged so we can get more for less. It can drive you nuts trying to keep up.

“By far, the biggest killer after a blizzard is carbon monoxide poisoning,” Lavonas [associate director of the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center in Denver] says. “The biggest mistakes people make are using improvised heating sources and using electrical generators improperly.”

Liz Szabo says Portable generators pose safety risk after snowstorm. The same thing happens whenever there is a major grid outage.

The same issues are a concern with RV’s. This is why such things as the Camco 44461 Gen-Turi RV Generator Exhaust Venting System [Amazon affiliate link] were created. If you can’t get the genset away from your RV and downwind, then perhaps getting the exhaust up will help. Whatever you do, a properly functioning CO detector is a must.

One of our friends ran a 2kw genset in the back of a pickup truck for an oxygen concentrator overnight. He was startled with the CO alarm in the wee hours as genset CO had penetrated his trailer.

In a B-Van, the genset exhaust was run to the nearest side right under the main window. It should, at least, have been run back to the rear quarter away from any windows or vents.

Note that carbon monoxide is a cumulative poison. Alarms have to look at potential dose over time to determine when things are getting hazardous.

As for the grid, PhysOrg says Better power grid synchronization may enable smart grids to self-recover from failures.

“Although the LHC has often been called the largest machine in the world, that title may be more appropriately given to something much more familiar: power grids. Consisting of thousands of generators and substations linked across thousands of miles, these networks form the backbone of society in developed countries. Yet most of the grids that power our modern economy are based on technology from the 1960s, even though power demands have changed dramatically since then.”

If you can get around the bias that seems so common these days about everything falling apart, the story does report on some of the esoteric stuff that we depend upon for electrical power. The grid is kinda’ like a big bowl of Jell-O (Jell-O at Amazon) with all sorts of wiggling on its surface. If something big comes along, a jiggle can form that swamps things and creates havoc. The report is about new techniques that watch the surface of the Jell-O and apply counter jiggles to help keep the surface smooth and power flowing like it is supposed to.

note: Amazon affiliate links support this site at no cost or obligation to readers. Your click through is appreciated.

The thing is, to make Jell-O during a power outage really requires refrigeration and that means an alternate power source. The advice is that you want to avoid opening the refrigerator door to help keep things cold. Maybe Hot Chocolate? But that requires heat and the problem of backup heat sources in the house is another hazard. Oh, my. Just bundle up and wait it out?

Off the (Meat) Hook has an entry {meeeeeeeeeaaaat} How To Cook Steaks On Your Stovetop That Taste Better Than in a Fancy Restaurant with some good tips for a good steak.

In your RV, the biggest problem is probably going to be the limits of the stove. Most modern RV stoves do have a high heat burner that will help get the pan good and hot. A good sear is one critical step to a good steak.

Also see wikiHow – How to Cook Steak in a Frying Pan. What’s Cooking America has its take with similar ideas: Perfect Steaks – How To Cook Perfect Steaks

good quality meat, room temperature, season or cure ahead of time, very hot pan, dry meat, good use of fat in the meat, consideration for carry-over cooking, — simple stuff but getting it right is sometimes not as easy as it sounds.

Fifty concepts stated, explained, and illustrated to show the how and why of cooking: The Science of Good Cooking (Cook’s Illustrated Cookbooks)

If you are into Alton Brown or are a Cook’s Illustrated subscriber or just interested in learning about such things as why Gentle Heat Prevents Overcooking, High Heat Develops Flavor, Some Proteins Are Best Cooked Twice, and more, this looks like a good resource.

(note: Amazon Affiliate Link: helps the site at no cost to you)

lifehacker had a couple of interesting ideas this morning. One is to cut a slot and mounting holes in a leftover piece of plastic pipe so it can serve as a plastic bag dispenser. The other idea is about peeling potatoes for mashed or perhaps potato salad use by boiling until they are cooked, immersing in ice water until cool enough to handle, and then just rubbing off the peel.

The bag dispenser looks good for those bags that come on a roll. You’d need a 2 or 3 inch pipe such as used for drain pipe. Cutting the slot for extracting bags one at a time could be a challenge without the right tools. Or you can see the Amazon search for garbage bag dispensers (Amazon affiliate link) if you don’t want to roll your own.

If you’d rather, you can use a device for potato peeling. See Potato peeling (Amazon affiliate link) for some ideas. The other option is to just leave the peel on the potato. It is supposed to be good for you (see nutritional value or Wonderful Health Benefits of Eating Potato With Skin On) — a lot of this just depends upon the type of potato and how you choose to cook and serve it.

There is a fall sale of camping gear at Amazon. Tents, chairs, sleeping bags, Support the site, check it out, no cost to you, etc. (affiliate link)

On the ‘free Kindle Books’ today at Amazon: How NOT to RV; The Rvers Guide to RVing in the Absurd (The How NOT To Guides).

The experience is based on a 1986 Airstream 345. “That’s thirty four and a half feet of vintage Need This, Fix That.”

“I didn’t have a great time without getting myself into a few pickles on the road. If you’re planning an RV adventure you should probably learn to like pickles no matter what kind of rig you’re driving”

The author is a psychoanalyst and says that “if you are seriously considering following the instructions in this guide, you should see a psychologist and it should probably not be Dr. Jennifer Flower.”

Looks like a fun book if you have a Kindle and probably worth the $3 if you don’t get in on the free deal.

(note: Amazon Affiliate link – help the site, check it out, but you’re on your own as to what you see and do)

There Is a Right and a Wrong Way to Use a Beach Towel — do you want to know why?

“That water-wicking blanket is actually an intricately designed instrument, fine-tuned to provide you with the best possible poolside experience. And here’s the thing: It’s entirely possible that you’ve been using it wrong all along.

The beach towel is not just an oversized, elaborately patterned bathroom towel, used to dry you off any which way. It has two distinct sides, designed for two very different purposes—and one side has absolutely no business in the bathroom.”

Gizmodo‘s Rachel Swaby provides some insight into the technology behind towels and why a bath towel and a beach towel are different. Who knew?

Ziploc bags have a handy zipper closure that works pretty well in most cases (see Ziploc search on Amazon) but a lot of stuff, especially from bulk grocery stores, comes in thin plastic bags that normally need a twist tie or something to keep closed.

Lifehacker cited an idea about this that sounds interesting: Flip Top Vitamin Bottle To Easy Pour Plastic Bag Sealer which in turn cites A Useful Re-use of Plastic Bottle Caps. (good ideas do get around!)

The idea is to collect screw on lids, especially those that have flip up pour capability like some ketchup bottles or other condiments – and, apparently, some vitamin bottles. Along with the screw on lid, cut off the bottle top with the threads. Then you can trap the plastic bag between the threads and the screw on top. Then you can flip the pour spout on the lid to pour out bag contents as needed.

One nice thing about this plastic bag idea is that it is flexible storage. You do need to be careful to avoid rips or other holes in the bag but it will adapt its shape to the storage area available and only use as much space as its contents need.

What started as a ‘build your own’ when travelling has become something else. A Short History of the Campsite describes how culture and campsite and technology have kept pace. The story includes pictures!

“There is a satisfying immediacy about the prospect of establishing an encampment for the night — clearing the site, erecting the tent, chopping wood, building a fire and cooking over the live flame — that in turn suggests a meaningful connection to landscape, place and the rugged life of backwoods adventurers. In essence camping is an act of faith and survival, a way to buttress a modest, isolated human settlement against the forces of nature.”
…
“This summer millions of Americans will take to the road in search of this powerful experience of nature. And that parcel of land upon which most will elect to drive their car, set up their tent, park their trailer or RV is the campsite — which is thus not only an imagined ideal but also the fundamental unit of management of the modern campground.”
…
“Modern campsites embody a peculiar contradiction: They are defined and serviced by an increasingly sophisticated range of utilities and conveniences, and yet marketed to perpetuate the cherished American ideal of the backwoods camp.”

As an example, Sean describes his method for Finding overnight spots.

“I can probably start by saying we detest campgrounds. If we are in the forest, we’d rather be by ourselves in a clearing off a little-used dirt road than in a well-maintained Forest Service campground. If we are in a populated area, we’d rather be at Walmart, Cabela’s, or even parallel-parked on the street than in an RV park. Part of this preference is that we are cheap”

A campsite can be a way stop or it can be a destination or it can be a base for further adventure. It is your choice.

Lifehacker has some good points about pop-top can [wikipedia] technique. Turn Your Beverage Can Tab to Keep Wasps Out.

By simply turning the pull tab around to cover the opening (rather than pulling it off and tossing somewhere), you can use it as a screen to keep wasps and such sugar attracted bugs out of the can or you can use the pull tab as a straw holder to keep it from floating up and out.

Coffee? It get’s people going whether they are into it as a connoisseur of just want something other than water to drink. For a start, see the TT Owner’s Guide chapter on Living: Coffee.

The classic manual method is the Melitta: Melitta Ready Set Joe/Mug 64010 Coffee Makers Speciality. That’s a filtration system to sit on a cup so all you do is to heat water and pour it through.

Another one for hot coffee that provides a concentrated or even Expresso result is AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker with zippered nylon tote bag and an Extra 350 Micro Filters (700 Total). The discussions on just how hot the water should be and the specifics of the technique get quite extensive on the forums for the AeroPress. It does a good job when all you need is a cup or two and is easy to clean up. The amount of coffee you get from it is rather small but quite strong. You can dillute to fill two mugs and come up with a decent cup.

If you are into iced coffee or like to have a concentrate in the fridge so you can microwave a cup of coffee anytime, a cold brew might do. You can go with a ‘make your own’ from a couple of drink glasses left over from your last fast food run: Cold Brewed Coffee on the Cheap. A commercial version of this is the Toddy T2N Cold Brew System.

The cold brew idea is interesting in that it is a room temperature coffee brewing over a long time, like 12 hours or so. That creates a concentrate suitable for 3:1 dillution that can be stored in the fridge for a week or two.

Note: Amazon affiliate links are used here supporting the website. No cost or obligation to you and a potential help with the web hosting bill here. And they do provide an illustration to help you see what is being discussed..

If you do coffee for your camp group, a 3 liter Thermos type pot as shown in the Owner’s Guide will keep coffee available for the morning depending up how many and how coffee driven your friends are that morning.

Cool Tools, Flexible LED Strip Lights, has some nice pictures of LED strip lights installed as counter lights in a kitchen.

One problem with the LED strips is that you might want a housing so they aren’t installed bare but protected inside a fixture. That might make mounting easier and result in a less ‘industrial’ look. Here’s the Amazon link to one:

Superbright LED’s as linked by Cool Tools has a selection of these housings in both aluminum and MDF with lenses, end caps and other accessories. The problem is that they seem rather expensive. The Amazon item is nearly $10/foot and doesn’t include the LED’s.

An aluminum U channel extrusion can be found at the hardware store for less than $2 a foot. It might be possible to use one of those to make your own LED strip lighting housing. There appears to be a lot of this for 3/8″ thick glass edges and that is about the right width to handle one LED strip. The prices are all over the map. National Mfg. N342295 U Channel is a half inch wide, .08 high and 4 feet long for $6.19. Check your local hardware or big box home improvement store with a chunk of your light strip and see what might work. These stores will often have a selection of plastic sheets and things you could use for a diffuser.

For now, the PowerTrekk is clearly as much of a lifestyle product — it comes in a choice of red, yellow or green — as a practical alternative to rechargeable batteries.

Extreme Tech says Portable fuel cells arrive: Will your next battery be a water fountain? — but it’s all about charging cell phones and such. 4 watts just isn’t that big a power level to do much.

One problem is that Fuel Cells need a rather clean hydrogen supply. The Signa Chemistry fuel cell uses a compound that will react with water to outgas hydrogen for its $199 fuel cell. A ‘puck’ with this compound will be sold at REI at a cost of about $4. The puck is equivalent to 6 AA batteries. They do plan on larger fuel cells like their briefcase sized DPS300 due at the end of 2012.

The article does have a nice table that compares capacity and cost between these fuel cells, gensets, and batteries. That indicates the fuel cell energy density by weight is about 13 times that of a rechargeable lithium battery. The prices in the table indicate that SiGNa Energy plans a fixed cost of $125 and a 3 kWh variable cost at $19 for their fuel cell. For comparison, 3 kWh is about 5 times the usable energy capacity of the typical RV lead acid battery.

If SiGNa pulls this off, they might make an impact in the RV market. Don’t hold your breath, though, as promises like this have been made for years and years.

Update Note: One drawback of fuel cells compared to batteries is that the power level is only a couple of hundred watts. To run an inverter for a microwave or similar appliance would need a much larger power rating.

LED lighting is an attractive option in RV’s. LED’s aren’t necessarily the most efficient in terms of battery draw for light output but they do allow for a more focused light that is tailored for what you want to do. Most LED’s run at about 50 lumens per watt:

LEDs are efficient for some applications – “Compare to 14-17.5 lumens per watt for standard “A19″ 120 volt 60 to 100 watt incandescents, and typically 16 to 21 for most halogen lamps rated to last 2,000 hours or more, typically 50-70 (at optimum temperature) for most compact fluorescents rated 13 to 26 watts, and 85-100 for 32 watt T8 fluorescents operated with electronic ballasts.”

You can get battery operated LED ‘puck’ lights, strip lights, lights on a gooseneck, and all sorts of other innovative lighting solutions. The FLEXIT light (says its at Home Depot stores) puts a bunch of LED’s on a flexible pad with a magnetic base that holds 3 AA batteries. That allows spreading the light out a bit as well as shaping the light source for a particular need. You can also see the variety when browsing through the big retail outlets.

One common issue with lighting is the color. Most of the ‘white’ LED lights are like miniature fluorescent light bulbs and have the same color options and concerns as standard fluorescent light bulbs. Jason suggests using a CD you might have handy to see the color spectrum of a light (How do LED lightbulbs compare to CFL and incandescent? | JasonMorrison.net)

You can get LED lights designed as replacements for the common light bulbs in your RV. There are even models designed to replace fluorescent tubes. These tend to be rather expensive. If you have a bit of a do-it-yourself bent and some creativity, you might be able to supplement your RV lighting with LED’s without too much effort. One way to do this is to get a 5 meter (16 foot) reel of LED lights and go to town. These LED strip lights are very common and provided in many varieties with costs running from a bit over $10 to more than $100.

The LED strip lights are long flexible circuit boards with an adhesive strip on the back. They are usually configured as 100 separate 12v LED light circuits. You can cut the strip between the light circuits to configure how you want to make your light source – from 100 small lights to one long light source. The typical 3258 SMD (surface mount device) strip circuit used in these has three white LED’s that drop the voltage about 3.4 volts and a 150 ohm limiting resistor. At Amazon – HitLights LED Flexible Lighting Strip Cool White or Bright White, 5 Meter or 16 Ft, 3528 Type, 300 SMD, 24 Watt (sponsored link – new idea here being tried out!) is a $14 item that has a clip for a coaxial power connector.

A strip of LED’s like this has a total light output just about on par with that of the typical 2 bulb T-8 18 inch fluorescent fixture used in many RV’s.

For household use, you need a 12v power supply. One $38 offering that includes both the power supply and a dimmer is 5 Meter Reel Warm White 3100k Flexible LED Ribbon 300 Leds 16 Ft with Free Dimmer and Free Transformer By Ledwholesalers, 2026ww-31k. You can use the dimmer in your RV 12v system.

The simple LED light control for ~$7 is PWM Dimming Controller For LED Lights or Ribbon, 12 Volt 8 Amp, 3301. The whizbang version with a remote control $11 – PWM Dimmer for LED Lighting with 12 button Wireless Remote 12 to 24 Volt 6 amp, 3317-DM. These dimmers use PWM or pulse width modulation just like a lot of solar charge controllers.

note: SierraNevadaAirstreams.org is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. — check the links and you help support the website.

Several tests have been run with inexpensive LED strip lights – pictures to show color differences and how a camera adjusts for light output will be provided soon.

Dale and Virginia Leipper did a skit at a Monterey Bay Unit rally about how to take a shower with minimal water use. It was so funny and such a hit they were asked for a repeat performance at the March 1994 Region 12 Rally in Los Banos, CA. For this performance MBCU member Joe Gorman assisted.
See the web page in travelogues.

The Arizona Daily Sun reports on the conflict between the full timers and the badge carrying rangers in the National Forest Service.

Darrell and Rose found a camper, a van to pull it, and some solar panels for power. Now married, the Eddlemans live out of their recreational vehicle in forests around the Southwest with their dog, Freeway, and have seen a lot of the country.

They now hike and visit with other campers.

She paints.

He fishes.

“I like this lifestyle a lot,” Rose said.

Just one problem, in their view: The Kaibab National Forest doesn’t want them around and is recently stating as much.

Actually, living in the forest is illegal, say Forest Service officials, pointing to federal law.

One of the surprises was that the ranger didn’t cite staying past the 14 day limit by a day or two, he saw the Quartzite BLM LTVA sticker and decided on a residency use ticket. “Federal law prohibits building or “occupying or using a residence” on national forest land.” The ranger decided their MoHo was a residence. The implication is that any RV could be similarly categorized at any time on NFS lands.

This treatment is unfair and a form of discrimination, they say, particularly when other presumably wealthier campers with homes come and go from campers that sit for months and face no penalties.

“We’re normal people,” Dallas said. “We just live in the woods.”

Another aspect of this is the MVUM or motor vehicle use maps that the NFS publishes. You need to consult those maps to make sure that you don’t take your vehicle to where it is not allowed (anymore). It also brings to mind the land management companies comments about volunteer hosts and ‘badge and gun’ rangers in their attitude towards problems with campers.

This starts to get one thinking about Robin Hood and the Sherwood forest.

This handbook looks interesting. Cool Tools reviews The Itty Bitty Kitchen Handbook.

Justin Spring grew up on a boat, with a kitchen even smaller than mine — essentially a camp stove, an ice chest, and a bucket. He has huge insight into the problems of small kitchens, including the ‘shut-off point’ where clutter stops most food preparation and the local takeout place gets a lot of business.
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This is a truly holistic guide to getting the most possible use and enjoyment from a tiny kitchen. It includes 100 recipes tailored for the small kitchen (“one-pot, toaster oven brownies”).

The example about the refrigerator mentions cleaning out the coils on the back – this is an annual maintenance item recommended by RV refrigerator manufacturers. The problem is that, in most RV’s, it is nearly impossible to gain access needed for this maintenance.

There is also the suggestion to cover the wire shelving with plexiglass that sounds interest.

240 pages, 2006, but no longer in print? Amazon has it from 3rd party sellers. Maybe you can find it in your local used books store. It looks like it might have some good ideas for the RV kitchen.

One of the traditional indicators of spring is when Tioga pass finally clears for traffic. It looks as if it will be a bit late this year. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that not only is the pass opening going to be a bit late, the Half Dome climbers will also have to wait.

Heavy snow on Half Dome has also prevented crews from placing cables on
the mountain. The cables are used by hikers to help them climb to the
summit. Park officials say it’s unlikely the cables will be in place by
Memorial Day.