Category Archives: Scooter

Up Early

Maybe it’s a case of wanderlust. I don’t know. I woke up at 4:30am. An hour and a half later, I got out of bed. This isn’t my usual routine. Lately I’ve been sleeping in. Donna is usually the first one up while I linger in bed.

Yesterday, while Donna went for a bike ride, I finished my clean-up job on the coach. I polished the wheels, replaced the lug nut covers and treated the tire sidewalls with 303 Aerospace. It’s looking good!

Looking good!

Later, I scootered Donna over to Barnes and Noble. She worked on her book project again at the Starbucks there, utilizing the free wifi and enjoying a latte. I intended to go to a self-serve car wash to wash the scooter. I forgot to bring microfiber cloths along to dry the scooter though, so I scrapped that plan.

I came back to the RV park and organized the trailer and loaded the scooter. The trailer is set to go. When Donna returned, I grilled a pork tenderloin that she had marinated earlier. Paired with a Lagunitas IPA, it was scrumptious.

Pork tenderloin with sweet potato and broccoli

This morning, I’ll dump and flush the tanks, then it will be time to kick the tires and light the fires. We’ll head west on MT200 to Missoula. I know there’s some road construction on MT200, but I think it’s the best route for us.

The alternative is I-15 to Helena, then I-90. I think MT200 will be more scenic and we won’t have to climb Mullan Pass and McDonald Pass. I’m ready to say goodbye to the ubiquitous prairie dogs and cottontail rabbits in Great Falls. It’s time to move on!

Summer Solstice

Yesterday was the summer solstice. It marks the day with the longest period of sunlight. It would be more correct to call it the northern solstice, as it’s the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. The southern hemisphere enjoys a summer solstice between December 20-23, depending on how the calendar falls in a given year.

We enjoyed a beautiful midsummer day. There were few clouds in the sky and the temperature reached a comfortable high of 74 degrees. More of the same is forecast for today and tomorrow.

Donna took advantage of the agreeable weather with a bike bike. She rode south on Fox Farm Road, along the Missouri River. She found a route she really enjoyed and put in 23 miles.

While Donna was out riding, I went to the office and paid $10 for the privilege of washing our rig. I started on the roof and then did the cargo trailer. I used Rain-X car wash with carnauba on the roof and trailer. I used NAPA (Mac’s) car wash on the rest of the coach. The Rain-X car wash left fewer water spots than the NAPA product. Next time I’ll use Rain-X on the entire coach. I spent over three hours washing the coach and cleaning all of the glass. It was 3pm by the time I finished and had some lunch. I was too whipped to do the wheels.

I scootered Donna over to Barnes and Noble, which is a mile from here. After being cooped up in our coach all week, she wanted to get some work done in fresh surroundings. She took advantage of the free wifi at the Starbucks inside Barnes and Noble. I came home and kicked back inside with the Formula One qualifying I recorded for Sunday’s race in Austria. It was great to see Filipe Massa take the pole position. Later, Donna walked home.

Last evening, a couple from Australia, Dave and Meredith, pulled into the site next to us. They flew from Australia to Washington State and bought a Ford truck and fifth wheel trailer. They plan to tour the USA and Canada over the next 12 months. What an adventuresome couple. This is their first RV experience and they’ve jumped into the deep end!

We chatted with them for a while. Dave wanted to buy beer, so I rode with him in his truck and showed him where the store was. I picked up a six-pack of IPA as well. Donna and I enjoyed happy hour snacks and drinks outdoors.

Donna enjoying happy hour

Today, after I watch the Formula One race, I’ll polish the wheels, put on the new lug nut covers and treat the rubber with 303 Aerospace Protectant. This is a great product to protect against UV degradation. I use it on the tire sidewalls and the lens covers on our coach. Some headlight lens covers can be damaged by UV rays and turn yellow.

New lug nut covers go on today

I also need to organize the cargo trailer and prepare for travel. Tomorrow morning, we’ll pull out of Great Falls. We’re heading for Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, which is nearly 400 miles away. We’ll break the trip into two days, stopping in Missoula, Montana. We’ll probably stay overnight at the WalMart there.

Last week I neglected to post a photo of a great meal Donna prepared. She has the convection oven down and is getting the induction cooking down as well.

Cornish hen and roasted potatoes

I don’t know if I’ll post again before we reach Couer d’Alene.

Blow Out

Thursday’s weather was running behind schedule. The forecast called for clearing around midday. It rained all morning and well into the afternoon. The RV lifestyle isn’t all fun and games and sightseeing. We’ve been cooped up in roughly 300 square feet of living space for five days. We finally had a break around 3pm and rode the scooter over to the Holiday Inn to pick up Donna’s race packet.

A break from the rain

When we returned, I changed the inner tube in her rear tire, removed the aerobars (they’re not allowed in mass start races), and then I cleaned and lubed the chain. Everything looked good – she was all set for the Friday morning start.

On Friday morning, we were up at 7am. Donna had her pre-race meal while I had a cup of yogurt and coffee. I checked her tire pressures and set the front tire at 115psi and the rear at 120psi. We rode our bikes three miles to the Broadwater Bay Park to check in for the race. We arrived at the park at 8:30am, half an hour before the scheduled start.

We learned that the actual start/finish line was another mile upriver on Lower River Road. After a short riders’ briefing in the parking lot, everyone rode to the start/finish area. I was a feeling a little out of place, tagging along on my mountain bike. I wanted to see the start and see Donna off. The field for the 40k bicycle race was small – only eight riders. Three were women and Donna was the only woman in her age category. All she had to do was finish the race to win her age group and qualify for the National Senior Olympics next summer.

It was shaping up to be a beautiful day with plenty of sunshine and just a light wind though the race director warned of high winds up on top of the Eden climb. Right at the start of the race, the wind picked up along the river. I rode back to our coach, battling fierce wind across the Central Avenue Bridge and back up the trail to the RV park. I could only imagine how tough the wind would be on top of the hill.

Once I reached our coach, I locked up my bike in the trailer and got on the scooter. I was about a mile out of the park when I realized that I left the bike lock back at our site. Donna and I planned to have lunch after the race and I would need to lock up her bike. I turned around and retrieved the lock.

When I reached the start/finish line, it was already after 10am. I rode up the race course, expecting to find Donna riding back toward the finish line. After I made the climb up the first big hill on Eden Road, an oncoming pickup truck slowed and the driver frantically waved at me out the window. He stopped in the road. I turned around to see what he needed.

He said, “Do you have a tire pump?” I thought, why would you stop me and ask a question like that? I told him I didn’t have a pump. He said, “Your wife has a flat tire and no pump.” I told him we didn’t need a pump and asked how far away she was. He told me she was about four miles down the road.

I blasted off on the scooter, riding 70mph. Another oncoming pickup truck was waving at me as it approached. I blew on by without stopping. A few minutes later, I saw Donna on the side of the road. She said, “Did you get my message? My tire blew. I don’t know if it’s fixable.” I didn’t get the messages because I was riding the scooter.

Her front tire was flat and I could see part of the tire had come off the rim. I pulled the wheel off the bike and removed the inner tube. I installed a new tube and reseated the tire. I didn’t need a tire pump because we had an Innovations air chuck with CO2 cartridges to fill the tire in a situation like this. I filled the tire with a 16 gram CO2 cartridge. The tire inflated and then, after a few seconds, the tire bead blew off the rim. It blew off in the same place as before. I looked at the bead. It was damaged and wouldn’t seat in the groove of the rim. We were out of options. If I had received Donna’s message while I was still back at the coach, I could have brought the entire front wheel from my road bike.

That was it, race over. Donna was an official DNF (did not finish). One of the race staff volunteers put Donna’s bike in his truck – it was the same guy who flagged me down and asked if I had a pump. He gave her a ride back to the RV park.

Her race was over, but her goal of qualifying for the National Senior Olympics may still be attainable. We’re looking at a couple of options. Since our home state of South Dakota doesn’t offer a qualifying bicycle road race event, there are two ways for Donna to qualify. The Montana event would have qualified her without question. Now it seems we have to find another qualifier in another state (Washington is a possibility) or she has to complete two races and petition for inclusion. She’s already completed one of the two required by racing in the Tour de Mesa back in April.

After Donna returned to the park, we rode the scooter over to MacKenzie River Pizza for lunch. I think I was more bummed about the tire failure than Donna was. I should have changed her tires. They were old, but the modern tire compounds wear like iron. They looked decent, until the bead failed. I guess I need to treat them like RV tires – replace them based on age, not visual cues.

After lunch, we rode over to the Big Horn Outdoor store, which was recommended to us for high-end road bike gear. I bought new tires for Donna – Continental GP4000 S tires to be specific. These tires are hand-made in Germany and it’s reflected in the pricing!

New hand-made tires

We stopped back at the park and dropped off her tires. Then we went to the grocery store to stock up. Did I mention the weather? It was a partly cloudy, but dry day. We had a load of groceries to scooter back to the park. I think it was the biggest load ever.

After we returned, I installed the new tires on Donna’s bike. No issues, the bead seated with no problem. I still can’t get my head around the tire failure. I put a new tube in that tire last Sunday. Donna rode over 40 miles since then. How does the bead suddenly fail and the tire blow off the rim? I’ve changed hundreds if not thousands of bicycle tires and tubes over the last 35 years. I don’t recall ever seeing a failure like this.

Last night, I grilled Jamaican jerk chicken. Donna served it over brown rice with mango salsa and broccoli on the side. We were able to dine al fresco at the picnic table. Hurray!

Jamaican jerk chicken with mango salsa

Today, we have blue skies and a fair weather forecast for the coming days. Donna is planning to go out for a bike ride. I want to wash the coach and polish the wheels. We’ll pull out of Great Falls on Monday.

Tamale Tuesday

This morning I awoke to the sound of raindrops drumming on the roof of our coach – the same sound I heard yesterday and the day before that. The north and east ends of Dick’s RV Park are giant mud puddles. I’m happy to be in the drier southwest corner, even though we’re closer to the road noise.

On Tuesday afternoon, we had a break in the rain. The forecast called for about an hour lull in the rain showers. Donna went for a walk while it was dry out. I checked our batteries and puttered around. We had about 60 or 70 gallons of fresh water on board. I dumped the tank and refilled it with 100 gallons of the city water here in the park. Great Falls has great water! Much better than the water we’ve been carrying from the desert. When Donna returned, she told me she saw a tamale vendor on the street corner across the 6th Street bridge.

The next bout of rain showers hadn’t arrived yet, so I hustled over to check out the tamales. There was a trailer set up as a kitchen in the church parking lot at 6th Street and 10th Avenue. It had a sign that said “Electric City Concessions” on the side. Electric City is the nickname given to Great Falls, due to having the first hydroelectric generating plant on the Missouri River here.

They offered homemade tamales wrapped in corn husks. Two dollars each, six for $8.50 or $16.00 for a dozen. Tamales are a traditional Mesoamerican dish made from masa ( a corn based starchy dough). In Mexico, tamales are made with different fillings and can be eaten for breakfast (usually with a sweet filling) or dinner. The masa is wrapped with corn husks or leaves and steamed.

I bought half a dozen tamales. These were savory with a ground pork filling. I brought them back to the coach and split them with Donna. They were fairly small, so three each was about right for lunch. Electric City Concessions sets up every Tuesday at the church (Tamale Tuesday). We won’t have another opportunity to buy them as we’ll be leaving Great Falls next Monday.

Yesterday, it rained all day with only a brief break in the evening. Donna and I took a short walk through the park during the break. We avoided the muddy north side. Last night, Donna prepared fish tacos for dinner – one of my favorites.

I’m trying to use the RV park’s wifi as much as possible. With the rain and the park fairly full, their wifi is unreliable. Being inside all day means we are burning through our data allotment. Eight days into our cycle, we’ve used 59% of our current plan. I can raise our allotment and probably will before the cycle ends.

The rain is supposed clear up around noon today. I need to change the rear inner tube on Donna’s bike. I’ll also clean and lube the chain in preparation for tomorrow’s race. At some point, we need to scooter over to the Holiday Inn to pick up her race packet. We may have a shower or two this evening, but we should have clear, blue skies for tomorrow’s race.

Rain Falls in Great Falls

We were shut-ins for most of the weekend. Thundershowers and rain damped our enthusiasm. During a few of the breaks in the precipitation on Saturday, we walked laps of the park.

Adventure Caravans assembled another tour group here at Dick’s RV park. They’re joined by another tour group called Fantasy Adventures. This filled the RV park again. We had a couple of quiet days in between the groups. While the park was fairly empty, the wifi worked great. Now that it’s full, the wifi service is spotty. I don’t know the details of these tours.

Yesterday, we had a break in the rain showers. It looked like we would have dry conditions for a couple of hours before the next bout of thundershowers. I pulled Donna’s bicycle out of the trailer and pumped up her tires. While I was filling the tires, I found the front Presta valve was broken. I replaced the inner tube. After I pumped up the rear tire, the thumbscrew on the Presta valve broke off! I put a cap over it and Donna was able to ride. The valve will fail the next time I pump up the tire though.

Inner tube with Presta valve – Google Image

Donna rode 3 miles out to Broadwater Bay Park where her bicycle race starts. She rode the race course which is 25 miles. The climb up Eden Road was tougher than she anticipated with several steep climbs and long uphill pulls. After the turnaround, though, coming back on Eden Road was faster than she thought it would be. It’s a grueling course, but her elapsed time overall was close to what she expects to do in the race.

The rain showers returned before Donna made it home. She rode in the rain from the Central Avenue bridge. While she was out, I caught the Moto GP race on Dish Network and squandered my chance for a bike ride.

Later, we had another break in the weather. I rode the scooter to pick up a few groceries. While I was at it, I bought a six-pack of beer. It’s a beer from Bayern Brewing in Missoula, Montana, called Dump Truck Extra Pale Summer Bock. There are so many craft breweries nowadays and countless styles being brewed. It’s fun to try something new, but I would prefer to experiment at a brew pub where you can order a sampler flight. I had no idea what an extra pale summer bock would be like. It turned out to be a fairly strong (6% ABV) lager with the yeast contributing to a bitter finish.

Last night, I was able to fire up the grill and grill fajita-spiced chicken thighs before the rain started up again.

Today’s forecast calls for about a six-hour window of sunshine before we hunker down for another 48 hours of thunderstorms and rain. When we looked into Donna doing the race here, I remember reading that the average rainfall for Great Falls in June is two inches. It’s their rainiest month of the year. So it’s not like we didn’t expect to have some rain. But it looks like this rainy weather will clear up later in the week.

After I dump and flush our holding tanks this morning, I want to ride my bike east on the River’s Edge Trail. While I’m out, I’ll buy spare inner tubes for our road bikes.

River’s Edge Trail

I studied a street map to get a better idea of how Great Falls is laid out.

The Missouri River bends through town. The river flows north, then east. The downtown area and much of the city lies south and east of the river. This part of town is fairly easy to navigate – it’s mostly a grid with numbered avenues running east-west and numbered streets running north-south.

The river throws a monkey wrench into the scheme though. North and west of the river, some of the roads follow the river’s contour. There are only four bridges crossing the Missouri. On the west end, the Sun River flows into the Missouri from the west and only has two crossings. You have to know where you can cross the river or you’ll find yourself at dead ends.

Yesterday, Donna and I went out on our bicycles. We rode separately though – Donna on her road bike and me on my mountain bike. We both crossed the Sun River on 6th Street and followed the bike path to Central Avenue West. We crossed the Missouri on a bridge constructed for pedestrians and bicyclists. The bridge is made of wood. It’s wide and well maintained.

Map of the River’s Edge Trail system

Bridge on bike path across the Missouri River

Donna headed north and then east on the River’s Edge Trail. I rode south. Although most of the trail is dedicated to cyclists, walkers and runners, there are a few areas that are on roadways or through parking lots. It can be confusing at times as the trail runs into a large parking lot with no clear direction of where to pick up the trail again.

At one point on my ride, the trail crossed a train track next to the police station. I rode through the police parking lot and guessed at the direction to take. I rode down a street, across the tracks again toward the river. I found the trail at the end of the Broadwater Bay Park.

The bike path took me along River Road. I climbed the hill at Overlook, past the Visitor Center and found a gazebo in a park, overlooking the city. You can see for miles from this overlook.

Gazebo overlooking Great Falls

View to the northwest from the gazebo

I rode down the hill to the Visitor Center. There’s a sculpture and placard there that I took pictures of.

Sculpture – Explorers at the Portage

Placard with excerpt from Meriwether Lweis' journal

Placard with excerpt from Meriweather Lewis’ journal

On the ride back, I stopped and took a picture of a striking building on the east side of the Central Avenue bridge. It’s called the Milwaukee Station. It has a sign on it that says “Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Ry.” It’s not a train station anymore. It’s occupied by various businesses and office space.

Milwaukee Station

As the name implies, much of the River’s Edge Trail runs along the Missouri River. The scenery was beautiful, but some areas of the trail had excessive amounts of goose droppings.

Missouri River

I rode past the Milwaukee Station, north to Gibson Park. There’s a large pond and fountain there and also a small amphitheater. I saw a man setting up equipment. He told me there would be an event later called “Live at Five.” His band would be performing original compositions.

Setting up for “Live at Five”

As I retraced my route back to the RV park, I stopped at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway yard. There was a rail snow plow on a track there. Removing snow from the train tracks is a formidable task in the Rocky Mountains and across the great plains. Most of the time, a simple wedge or blade plow is pushed by a locomotive. Sometimes though, there’s too much snow for this method. In extreme conditions, they use a rotary snowthrower that chops up the snow and throws it clear of the track. Rotary rail snowthrowers are expensive and require much maintenance, which is why they are only used in extreme conditions.

The old plow I looked at was made in the 1940s. It’s weight is stenciled on the side: 280,000 pounds. It appears to be in service still as it had recent inspection stickers.

Rail snow plow

After my ride, I had lunch and showered. Then I rode the scooter back to the Visitor Center and picked up a couple of maps. The lady there gave me directions to the Parks and Recreation office and also showed me where I could find more convenient shopping.

From the Visitor Center, I went to the Parks and Recreation office to obtain more information about Donna’s bike race. They gave me a map of the course. Then I crossed the river at 9th Street and stopped at Albertson’s. The woman at the Visitor Center was right – this is an easier store to access from Dick’s RV Park.

I came back to our site and picked up Donna. We rode the scooter over the bicycle race course. It starts out at Broadwater Bay Park, then goes south along River Road. This is fairly flat and very scenic. After about four and half miles, Lower River Road becomes Eden Road. The course climbs up Eden for nearly a mile, then it continues to gain elevation through a series of rolling hills. The short climbs are followed by short descents, but overall, it continues to gain elevation to the turnaround point. The rolling hills mean there are some climbs on the way back, but it should be fast coming back down Eden. The total distance is 40 kilometers or about 25 miles.

Last night, I grilled bacon-wrapped filet mignons and sweet potato fries for dinner and we ate outside at our picnic table – a great way to end a great day.

Bacon-wrapped filets and sweet potato fries

RV Caravans

The day started off cold with light drizzle yesterday. We had to run the heat pumps – it was 58 degrees in the coach when I got up. It remained overcast and breezy for most of the day. The sun came out in the late afternoon, but the thermometer never rose much above 60.

Donna spent most of the day working at her laptop. I puttered around, handled a few tasks online and wrote the government a check for my second quarter estimated taxes. Grrr.

Around 2pm, Donna and I went for a walk. We walked on the bike path and crossed the 6th St. Bridge over the Sun River. Today I want to get my bike out and ride the bike path down River Drive. I’ve been gaining weight since I hurt my neck in Mesa. I need to ramp up my physical activity. I don’t believe there’s any magic or mystery when it comes to weight loss. The equation is simple – increase your activity and decrease your intake. It works every time.

When we arrived at Dick’s RV Park, it was almost full. There are two caravan groups here. They are both run by a company called Adventure Caravans. RVers enroll and pay a fee to join the caravan.

One of the caravan groups is following the Lewis and Clark Trail. They started in St. Louis, Missouri. They arrived here on Monday, their 26th day on the road, and pulled out yesterday. Adventure Caravans organizes the route. They make all of the campground reservations. They have tour buses that take the group from the campground to various points of interest along the way. They have social gatherings most evenings and some meals are included. This caravan tour finishes in Warrenton, Oregon after 46 days on the road.

The other caravan is just starting out. Dick’s RV Park was their meet-up location. They spent a couple of days here, going through orientation and preparing their rigs for travel through the Canadian Rockies to Alaska. They’re pulling out as I type this. This caravan lasts 59 days. Adventure Caravans provides staff in two motorhomes – one that leads the group and another that follows. If anyone has a problem or mechanical breakdown, the following staff stops and helps them. The cost of this tour for two people with a motorhome is $8,895.00.

I think we’ll continue to see the sights on our own. Donna and I don’t get too excited about guided tours. We prefer to move at our own pace.

Yesterday, I rode the scooter over to Albertson’s grocery store and bought a fresh wild Copper River sockeye salmon filet. Donna topped it with a mixture of mayonnaise and fresh-dried dill from her mother’s garden and I grilled it on foil. Donna sauteed vegetables and pierogies on the side. It was a great combination!

Sauteed veggies and pierogies

Copper River sockeye salmon with dill-mayo

Today, the weather guessers are calling for high temperature of 80 degrees with a chance of a thunder shower this afternoon. Other than getting out on my bicycle, I don’t have any plans for the day.

Yellowstone National Park

We unloaded the scooter yesterday and rode into Yellowstone National Park. Our America the Beautiful pass allowed us entry without paying the daily fee ($20 for motorcycles). Shortly after entering the west entrance to the park, we were in Wyoming following the Madison River.

I saw a couple of photographers on the side of the road and pulled into the next turn-out. We saw what they were photographing – there were elk across the river. We saw a few cow elk and yearlings. Then I saw the smallest calf I’ve ever seen. I guess I haven’t spotted elk this early in the spring before.

Cow elk

Cow and calf

At the Madison Junction where the Gibbon and Firehole Rivers join to form the Madison, we turned right and headed south to the geyser basins. We stopped at the Lower Geyser Basin and walked around the boardwalk loop. The colors are amazing. The water in the geyser pools is so clear, you can see every detail of the bottom. There are pools that reach deep into the earth and the water becomes blue.

Blue water and brown/orange deposits

Darker blue in the deep pockets

The mineral content and organic materials create different colors.

Minerals and organic matter combine

Many colors

There was a pool of clay that was bubbling and boiling. Mud spouts were thrown a few feet into the air.

They call the bubbling clay Artists Paint Pot

The steam coming out of fumaroles had a slightly sulphurous odor.

We continued south and climbed to the Upper Geyser Basin. The traffic was fairly light – I’ve always come through the park in the summer before. At the peak season, the traffic is unbearable. We were told in town that we are here at the right time. Next week, the crowds arrive. Having said that, I still had to pay attention and ride with caution. People driving in the park lose all sense of the rules of the road. If they spy wildlife, they will suddenly brake and hang out the window with a camera.

At one point, a pick-up truck pulling a trailer suddenly braked to a stop in front of us. A bull bison was walking on the side of the road, Donna was getting uneasy as the bull headed straight at us, eight feet away. I accelerated around the truck and got out of there. We had a few more episodes like that during our day in the park.

We rode up to the visitor center to see Old Faithful spout. Old Faithful blows every 60 to 110 minutes. The park rangers predict the next spout based on the strength of the last eruption. We arrived at 12:45 pm. The next spout was predicted at 1:13 pm. We found a seat on a bench and ate the lunch Donna had prepared as we waited for the show. Even though it isn’t peak season, there were many people at the center.

People waiting for Old Faithful to do its thing

The first time I saw Old Faithful was in the summer of 1966. My grandparents took me to Yellowstone on our way to visit relatives near Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Old Faithful always makes a couple of false starts, shooting water and steam a few feet into the air intermittently. Then she blows with a roar.

Showtime!

Old Faithful at full power

In the square mile of the Upper Basin around Old Faithful, there are 150 geysers.

On the way back down, we stopped at Fountain Flat Drive. We hiked on the Sentinel Trail. There were bison everywhere we looked, including some very large bulls. Bull bison can weigh up to 2,000 pounds. They are the heaviest land animal in North America. We saw a herd with calves grazing in the sun.

Bison herd with calves

At one point, we had to leave the trail as a bull came walking toward us. Bison are mostly docile, but they are wild and unpredictable. Bulls have been known to charge when people approach too closely.

A large bull bison resting in the sun

On our way out, along the Madison River, we saw a yearling elk feeding in the grass.

We had fine weather all day, with clear blue skies and comfortable temperatures. I could see clouds forming in the west though and the forecast called for thundershowers after 3pm.

Upon our return, I could see a few scattered thundershowers around the RV park, but it didn’t rain here until after 7pm – just as we sat down to eat dinner outside.

More scattered thunder showers are forecast for this afternoon. Tomorrow we’ll head north. I have a stop planned for a couple of days, north of White Sulphur Springs, Montana. We’ll boondock on Bob and Shirley McBride’s land by their cabin.

Bernoulli’s Principle and Your RV

When we checked in at the Salt Lake City KOA, we were warned about high water pressure. They told us that the water pressure can run up to 120 psi here. Our escort told me a couple of horror stories of hoses blowing up like balloons and plumbing leaking inside of coaches.

It’s not unusual for municipal water companies to run high pressure through the main water supply lines. Sometimes it can be as high as 200 psi! They need high pressure to supply high rise buildings or other elevated dwellings. Building codes require inline water pressure regulators to prevent lines from bursting, causing damage and potential for injury.

WalMart, RV Stores and some RV parks sell cheap brass restrictors that they call regulators. This is very misleading and somewhat dishonest in my view. I noticed our neighbor hooking one up when he pulled in today and I thought I should post something about it.

Our neighbor’s “regulator”

Back in 1738, a fellow named Daniel Bernoulli published a treatise called Hydrodynamica. In this publication, he gave us Bernoulli’s Principle.

Without going into fluid dynamics equations, I’ll give a simplified explanation of why these restrictors should not be called regulators. Bernoulli tells us that when a fluid flows through a restriction, velocity of the fluid increases. When velocity increases, pressure decreases.

The brass restrictor in the photo above provides restriction in the water supply to the RV in question. When a faucet or shower valve is open and water is flowing into the RV, the restrictor causes the velocity of the water to increase as it flows through the restriction and the water pressure drops. So far, so good, right?

I see two problems with this set-up. First, the restriction reduces the amount of water coming into the coach. The flow rate may not keep up with the demand at a shower head, for example. This is an inconvenience.

The second issue is more than an inconvenience – it’s a recipe for disaster. When the faucets and shower valves are closed, water no longer flows through the restrictor. No flow, no Bernoulli Principle. Pressure will equalize on both sides of the restrictor. Now you have unregulated static water pressure. Whatever the pressure is on the input side of the restrictor is equal to the pressure on the output side. The plumbing inside the RV is at full main pressure until water starts to flow again. Not a comforting thought as you lock up your RV and head out for the day.

What’s needed is a proper pressure regulator, such as a Watts regulator (also called a water pressure reducing valve). This is what’s used on residential plumbing. The Watts regulator is a true regulator. The pressure will remain at the specified setting, regardless of flow. It also doesn’t restrict the volume of water. The 3/4″ Watts regulator that I use can flow over 30 gallons per minute with the pressure cranked down to 25 psi! I keep mine set at 45 psi.

3/4″ Watts pressure regulator

The drawback to the Watts set-up is cost. You can get the restrictor type for about $12, but remember, it doesn’t protect your plumbing when the water isn’t flowing. I think I spent about $80 for a residential watts regulator and fittings (I posted about it here). To me, it’s worth it, because I know I won’t have my plumbing blown out by excessive pressure.

While Donna was out bicycling yesterday, I brought the ladders out. I used the smaller ladder to debug and clean the windshield. The Brillo Bug Scrubber has become a new favorite product. It cleans bugs off glass effortlessly.

I used the big ladder to climb onto the roof. I lubed the gears on the TV antenna (it was getting almost impossible to crank up and down) and checked the holding tank vents. The way the vent covers are attached and caulked into place, I couldn’t inspect visually. I probed the vent tubes with a long plastic zip-tie and didn’t find any obstructions.

When Donna returned, we emptied the contents of the refrigerator and freezer into coolers and turned off the unit to defrost it. RV refrigeration isn’t frost-free. We have to perform this task every few months. Donna says it’s a great excuse to clean the refrigerator.

I prepped the trailer for travel. Everything is set, I only need to load and tie down the scooter this morning.

Last evening, Donna prepared blackened Baja fish tacos for dinner – one of our favorite dishes. They were so good!

Blackened Baja fish tacos

After dinner, we took a walk through the park. We talked with a couple that are on their first extended RV trip. They’re new to RVing and are having a blast. I’m starting to feel like an old hand when I talk to people who are just starting out and have many questions that I’m able to answer.

We saw a couple of interesting rigs. The first was a fifth-wheel trailer and what made it interesting was its size. It couldn’t have been more than 20 feet in length. It’s the smallest fifth-wheel I’ve seen. I bet it’s really maneuverable.

Compact fifth-wheel rig

Then we came across something totally unique. It was an old Mercedes Benz truck chassis converted to an RV. We met the owners and talked with them briefly. They’re from Austria. They started their adventure in Buenos Aires, Argentina and have made their way to the US. Their trip will take them to Alaska. Once they reach Alaska, they’re undecided on what to do or where to go next. I didn’t get their names. Between their rudimentary English and my pidgin German, we barely communicated.

Mercedes Benz truck chassis

Mercedes Benz RV conversion

We’re moving out this morning. We plan to stop overnight in Idaho, somewhere between Pocatello and Idaho Falls. Tomorrow, we’ll set up in West Yellowstone, Montana. I may not post for a day or two, depending on Internet access and time available.

A Beautiful Day

Donna sent me a text message at 12:49pm yesterday, telling me she boarded the light rail at the airport. I walked out to the rail stop on the corner of Redwood and North Temple to meet her. She had a great trip to the NAPO conference in Phoenix, but she was exhausted by the long days and short nights while she was there.

We talked for awhile and caught up on each other’s activities. I told Donna that playing guitar every day while she was away really helped. I even remembered how to play a few songs I haven’t played in over a year.

I watched the Moto GP race while Donna unpacked. It was an epic race. I won’t spoil the outcome. We decided to have take-out for dinner. Donna phoned in an order to a Chinese restaurant called East Sea. It’s about five blocks away from here. I rode the scooter and picked up our dinner, which we enjoyed outside at the picnic table.

After dinner, we took a walk through the RV park. I noticed a guy with a travel trailer at the dump station. His trailer tires looked low. I don’t like to interrupt anyone’s routine when they are setting up or dumping tanks, but I felt like I should mention the low tires. The guy said he would make a stop when he left the park to fill the tires.

I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ll repeat it again. Low tire pressure is the number one cause of tire failure. When tires are under-inflated, the sidewalls are subject to excess flexing which causes heat to build up. The overheated tire can lead to tread separation or sidewall failure – this means a blowout.

When it looked like the guy was finishing up at the dump station, I walked over and told him he could stop at my site on the way out. I offered to fill his tires with our Porter-Cable portable compressor.

He stopped by. I checked his trailer tires and found them inflated to 30 psi. This is very low, they should have been inflated to 50 psi. Driving down the highway at 30 psi surely would have caused a tire failure. We’ve seen numerous trailers on the side of the highway with blow-outs during our travels. I can’t help but think that many of these were avoidable, with proper tire maintenance.

Today is Monday and I have work to do. Sometimes it’s hard for me to keep track of the days. Clarke Hockwald (What’sNewell) calls Monday first Saturday. Tuesday is second Saturday and so on until Friday become fifth Saturday. Saturday is just Saturday and Sunday is Sunday to mark the week. This is too complicated for me to keep up with. I have enough trouble without numbering the days.

I’ll begin preparation for travel today. I need to go up on the roof and check our plumbing vents. The gray water tank drained a little slowly when I dumped it yesterday. There might be an obstruction in the vent. Then I’ll check the tire pressures and adjust if necessary. The windshield and mirrors need to be cleaned. We had a few raindrops the other day, just enough to mess up the mirrors. Then I’ll start loading the trailer.

The weather yesterday was near perfect with the temperature in the mid 70s, light wind and clear skies. I think it was the best weather day we’ve had in Salt Lake City. Today, the heat will return as the forecast calls for a high temperature of 89 degrees.

Tomorrow, we’ll pull out of here. First stop will be the Pilot/Flying J fuel station I checked out on Saturday. Then we’ll head north on I-15. There are three Super WalMarts between Pocatello and Idaho Falls, Idaho. We’ll probably choose one them for an overnight stay and restock our food supplies while we’re there. On Wednesday, we’ll check in at the Buffalo Crossing RV Park in West Yellowstone, Montana. This park is a few hundred yards from the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park. We plan to stay there for three nights and make a couple of day trips into the park.

Flying The Koop

…from real estate to wheel estate and back again

Category Archives: Scooter

Up Early

Summer Solstice

Blow Out

Tamale Tuesday

Rain Falls in Great Falls

River’s Edge Trail

RV Caravans

Yellowstone National Park

Bernoulli’s Principle and Your RV

A Beautiful Day

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