Category Archives: HH-BW

20231203-16_Misc_pre-holiday_stuff

Note: There are 3 photos in this post, all taken by me (Bruce) on a Google Pixel 6 Pro.

SUNDAY 03 – SATURDAY 16 December 2023 — Getting back into home life

Sunday, December 3^rd, 2023 — Getting the house back online.

When we are away from the house for more than a few days, I deactivate or adjust various things:

I deactivate the water softener and chlorinator/filter by unplugging the AC power adapters. The coin batteries remain in the controllers, but when the signal for a regeneration cycle, the motorized valves cannot respond. Thus, nothing happens.
I also turn off the UPS units for most of the electronics in the house. The exceptions are the one in the basement that powers the Xfinity gateway/WiFi-router and network switch, and the one by Linda’s desk in the kitchen, which powers the network switch that the whole-house generator communication module is plugged into.
I also shut off the circuit breakers that feed the RV electrical outlets in our driveway.
We might set some mechanical clock timers to control a couple of lights.
We set all of the thermostats down and place them in a HOLD condition. (The thermostat in the workshop of the barn is set to maintain a temperature above freezing in the storeroom above it.)

Thus, one of the first things I have to do upon our return is reverse all of this. I plug the water softener and chlorinator/filter back in, and will also typically initiate a regeneration cycle on one of them. Which one depends on their remaining water treatment capacity. UPS units are turned back on and electronics are powered up. Thermostats are returned to the automatic/programmed operation, and light timers are put back in the switched position. The RV outlet by the driveway in front of the house obviously gets turned on.

Apparently I have the (annoying) habit of laundering EVERYTHING upon our return from a trip. In the case of RV travel, that includes towels and bedding in addition to clothes; sometimes even jackets, if I feel they need it. This does not happen, however, in one day. For one, it’s too much stuff that would take too much time and, for another, that much laundry at one go would overload the septic system. And nobody wants that. I suspect that I started on this task today, moving everything to the basement, sorting it, and selecting a load or two to start.

Monday, December 4^th, 2023 — Chores, Chores, and more Chores

Whatever else we did today, I suspect that I spent part of it continuing to do the laundry. I don’t mind doing the laundry, in fact I somewhat enjoy it. In any event, it has to be done and Linda handles the kitchen pretty much by herself, so this duty falls to me. It’s also likely that I powered up my laptop computer, downloaded e-mails, and started copying photos from our various devices to our NAS.

Tuesday, December 5^th, 2023 — Winterizing the Airstream Flying Cloud travel trailer

I do not recall why I waited, but according to our calendar I winterized the Airstream travel trailer today. My best guess as to why I waited a few days was that I had too much else to do on Sunday and Monday immediately after returning home, but it’s also possible that the weather today was more amenable. Whatever the case, absent any other information to the contrary, I will just have to accept that today was the day for this task. This is not one of my favorite RV maintenance tasks, but it is what it is and it has to be done, as the RV portion of our barn is not climate-controlled. Actually, they main thing I really don’t like is having to do it in the cold.

This is a photo of the internals of the thermostat in the shop portion of the barn. I don’t recall why I photographed it, but I obviously removed the cover to check something. As it turned out, it is wired correctly, and it works just fine.

For the rest of this time period, we attended to various things. I obviously put the Airstream travel trailer back in the barn once it was winterized. Linda had a routine medical appointment, did some child-care for the two younger grand-daughters, resumed walking with her friend, Diane. She also did some accounting work for the bakery, and booked shore excursions for the Disney Cruise Line DREAM in late February of next year. (NOTE: The two youngest grand-daughters did NOT know about this cruise yet, but I did not upload this post until May 2024.)

We also had two different HVAC service companies at the house; Lakeside Service takes care of our BOSCH hot-water baseboard heating system, and Schutz Heating & Cooling takes care of our Mitsubishi-Trane Heat Pump system, which they installed. We had dinner with friends (and fellow Prevost converted motorcoach owners), Chuck and Barbara, and with our friend, Kate. We also opened up our Boondockers Welcome site to accommodate a special request from a couple who had stayed with us before. They needed a place to camp for a few nights while they took care of some medical issues at the University of Michigan Hospital. It turns out that we are one of the few good options for this situation, and we have had other RVers stay here for the same reason.

Saturday, December 16^th, 2023 — Cloning, ham radio, and a concert

Earlier in the week, I took the 1 TB Samsung 870 EVO SSD (solid state drive) out of my ASUS laptop computer and tried to clone it to a 2 TB version of the same drive. I wasn’t sure I had done it correctly, so I arranged to go over to Mike’s house (W8XH, from SLAARC, the South Lyon Area Amateur Radio Club). He did the clone of my original HDD to the 1 TB SSD a few years ago and used his equipment to do this one. While I was there, I had a chance to look at some amateur (ham) radio gear that was for sale and for which he was acting as custodian.

This Kenwood transceiver caught my eye, but I was equally interested in the HP Signal Generator underneath it. Ultimately, I had to pass on buying anything as I am not currently active enough in the hobby to justify buying more equipment.

In the evening, we attended the Holiday “Pops” (popular music) concert of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra (AASO) at Hill Auditorium on the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor main campus. The orchestra was good, but our main reason for being there was the Ann Arbor Youth Chorus standing behind the orchestra in the photo below.

The AASO and AAYC in concert. Our middle grand-daughter, Mads, is in the last row, 6th from the left. She was still 10 on this date, but would turn 11 a week later.

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20231027_NTNP_10-14_BW_Canton-MS

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FRIDAY 27 October 2023 — NTNP 10 of 14 — A Boondockers Welcome stop

We relocated to our next stopping spot today, a Boondockers Welcome (BW) host location named “The HatchPad Off The Trace” in the Farmhaven/Canton area of Monroe County, Mississippi. We have been an active BW host site for some years now (whenever we are home), but have rarely used the program as a Guest. In the search for places to stay along the NTNP, this one looked good, both for location and for the site itself. And, indeed, it was.

The address was on a road that intersects the NTNP, and the site was not very far down the road. It was wooded (see photos from Sunday 29 October), and the hosts were very nice. In fact, we were vaguely acquainted, as it turned out, having both worked the Escapees RV Club Escapade (rally) in Essex Junction, Vermont in the summer of 2016. They were part of the parking crew, while Linda worked in the office and I (Bruce) was the head photographer and put together the evening slide shows. With fellow RVers, sometimes very experienced and sometimes brand new, there is always a lot to talk about.

Indeed, most BW hosts are (or were) active RVers, and all guests in this program must have a self-contained RV. Self-contained means they can “boondock,” as indicated by the name of the program. And this means they can carry, and arrive with, enough freshwater for their needs during their stay and have built-in tanks for capturing gray- (sinks, shower) and black- (toilet) waste water, with enough unused capacity to see them through their stay. It also means they can camp without an electrical shorepower connection, either by using house batteries (with or without solar panels) and/or running a genset. The reality, however, is that most BW hosts offer some level of electricity (which might entail a very modest donation if used) and many also have fresh water available, as well as Wi-Fi for connecting to the Internet. A sewer connection or dump station, however, is relatively rare.

The Boondockers Welcome program shares a website and common ownership with the Harvest Hosts (HH) program. HH and BW are similar in many ways, but different in a few important aspects. BW host locations are almost exclusively private/residential properties (not condominium or apartment complexes). Hosts configure their BW host profile on the website in terms of number of nights allowed (1 – 5 max), how far in advance a stay request can be made (ours is set to 60 days max), and how far in advance a request must be made, from same day to a week or more (ours is set to one day). Each host also has a host calendar, and hosts can block out any dates for which they do not want to receive stay requests. For instance, we do not accept stay requests unless we are home, but some BW hosts do. Hosts also provide details about their site(s) (length, access, etc.), available amenities (if any) and donation amount (if asked for) to use electricity.

A “stay request” system is used as opposed to a “reservation” system. The difference is that a BW guest submits a stay request to a specific host for a starting date and number of nights. The host receives/reviews the request and then accepts or declines it. If there are questions, communication is handled through a very good messaging feature of the website/app, but the host does not have to give a reason or explanation for not approving a stay request. The host’s address, phone number, and other details are hidden from the guest until the request is approved.

The original idea behind the BW program was to allow RVers with a home base and some space, to provide a place for other RVers traveling through or visiting an area for a short time. Basically, to get off the road without having to pay for a commercial or government campground, and meet some interesting RVers in the process. The program has been a great success, and we continue to enjoy being a host when we are home.

Harvests Hosts locations, by comparison, are mostly business properties, but with the same basic idea of having someplace interesting to get off the road and “camp” for free for a night. The thinking was that a lot of businesses have parking space large enough for one or more RVs, which would be available after business hours. It is not unusual with HH that guests are asked to not arrive before a certain time, and to leave by a certain time the next morning so as not to interfere with normal business operations. Originally, the program only allowed a one-night stay and lacked a system for making a stay request or reservation. Under the new/second owners, a reservation system was added, and I think HH hosts can now allow a stay of more than one night.

Another difference from BW is that some of the host locations have things to sell; think wineries, breweries, distilleries, bakeries, orchards, museums, animal rescue facilities, etc. Indeed, most of the original host locations were wineries and some vineyards (which are lovely places to spend a quiet night) followed by breweries and distilleries, but the program has expanded quite a bit as it is also very successful. It even offers an add-on package for golf courses. Because the hosts are businesses, there was always an “expectation” that guests would patronize the establishment. Indeed, we have stayed at several HH locations that were wineries. They were all wonderful, but proved to be the most expensive “free” camping we’ve ever done. <<smile>> But then, we got lots of bottles of really nice, interesting, local wines and met interesting people.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but while the terms “boondocking” and “dry-camping” are often used interchangeably, some folks insist that there is an important distinction, and the difference has to do with where you are camped. In both cases your RV does not have any hookups (utilities like electric, water, and sewer, phone, cable, etc.) but when boondocking, i.e., camping in the “boonies”, if you run out of anything (water, propane, food, etc.) or need to dump your waste tanks, it might be a very long trip to get to someplace where you can take care of those things (appropriately and legally). This is also sometimes referred to as “wild camping” (especially in Europe).

While BW can be, and HH usually is, dry-camping, this is sometimes also referred to as “driveway surfing,” a term that derives from “couch-surfing,” which is finding short-term overnight accommodations on someone’s sofa. Indeed, the CouchSurfing.com platform is the “Air B&B” of couch surfers. That’s not to say that a BW or HH host location might not be remote—they can be—but they are generally close to civilization with relatively easy access to products and services. We have, for instance, had BW guests choose our location because of its relatively convenient access to medical facilities, shopping, and/or family/friends.

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