WHAT? Is This Rain?

The sunrise at 6am was breath-taking, but the clouds also hinted about a change of weather.

It's breaking with the old hit "...it never rains in California", and we did not anticipate any rain. Yet, it happened. I mean it wasn't a flooding - no Sireee, but more like "Raindrops keep fallin' on my head"  and plop, plop I even heard them hitting the trailer. Maximum temps were around 18-20C (70F} which made me grab a jacket when I walked Dixie up the trail this morning. On our way back we met with a nice fellow from Upstate New York, who has been on a 7-months trip across the US already. Always some interesting folks to meet out here. And we would probably still be talking, hadn't it been that Bea was planning a trip to town for laundry. And of course, that's always a welcome opportunity for me to scrounge for some goodies from the shelves of the grocery stores. 

Parked at the laundromat, our Saskatchewan camp neighour showed up and wouldn't you know it, his Great Pyrenees "SNOWY" showed his friendly face through the window

Last time I had filled our 5gal. water barrel it had rolled out the van door and got partially broken, so we needed replacements. At Wallyworld I found them readily filled with water, so bought 2 of them. Afterwards we moved over to ALDI where I completed our shopping. And today I realized, how much more expensive it is to shop at Walmart. Big differences on basic food items!

Back "home" again, we had lunch and lots of rest afterwards. Life out here can be totally stress free, if you want it that way. Yup, and then it started raining. Wow! Dixie was sleeping in her corner and didn't make a fuss over being inside most of the day. 

Look What's In Store For RVers In California

 For now it is just a bill in California, but if it becomes reality our camping days in California will be over. It is a fact that many RVers already have and prefer solar panels against using generators, but forcing people to not use generators or off-road small engine run vehicles (ATVs) is absolutely outrageous and non-efficient when it comes to fight climate change. It is a typical example how some politicians can go overboard with seemingly idiotic proposals. And here it is, read it yourself:

https://www.rvtravel.com/legislation-ban-motorhome-portable-generators-threaten-rvers-rvt-1029b/

Legislation to ban motorhome and portable generators threatens RVers

ByChuck Woodbury
December 4, 2021

SATURDAY, DEC. 5, 2021 — A seemingly innocuous air pollution proposal before the California Legislature could ban the sale of portable generators in the state, and have a crippling effect on RVers who rely on them to power their rigs when shore power is not available.

According to definition of the proposal, the ban could include the use of generators installed in most motorhomes and other motorized RVs. RVers who travel with trailers and fifth wheels would be unable to use portable generators.

What is confusing at the moment is if the bill intends to ban the use of portable generators and/or ban the sale of them beginning in 2024. We will follow up on this tomorrow when state offices open again, and update for next Sunday’s issue.

Assembly Bill 1346 would compel the California Air Resources Board to adopt regulations by July 1, 2022, to prohibit emissions from all small off-road engine engines (SORE) including portable generators. While it may be intended to promote the use of battery-operated lawn and garden equipment, it will also result in banning the sale of portable generators in the state as soon as 2024.
43018.11.
(a) (1) By July 1, 2022, the state board shall, consistent with federal law, adopt cost-effective and technologically feasible regulations to prohibit engine exhaust and evaporative emissions from new small off-road engines, as defined by the state board. Those regulations shall apply to engines produced on or after January 1, 2024, or as soon as the state board determines is feasible, whichever is later.

The proposal assumes that portable generators could be replaced with so-called ZEE generators (zero-emission equipment). However, ZEE “generators” rely on battery power and electricity for charging that is not available during power outages and natural disasters. These ZEE units are typically five to twenty times the cost of gasoline-powered portable generators, yet they only provide backup power for a short period of time (typically 1-2 hours) before the battery is discharged. Furthermore, once the batteries are discharged, they cannot be recharged during power outages without expensive solar panels or expensive spare charged batteries.

For these reasons, the Portable Generator Manufacturers’ Association (PGMA) is requesting an exemption for portable generators be included in the proposal.

An estimated 1.5 million portable generators exist in California, primarily used by residents during natural disasters and during frequent rolling blackouts enacted by local utilities to mitigate demand on the power grid or protect against fire danger.

RVers rely on their built-in and portable generators to provide power when they boondock without hookups, to charge their batteries or to power their rigs during emergencies when household power is unavailable for one reason or another. For many, it would effectively cripple their ability to camp on public lands for extended periods. 

PGMA has formally requested that the bill’s author exempt portable generators in AB 1346. Californians who wish to contact their representative or senator to voice their support for this exemption should visit StayPoweredCalifornia.org.

Island Tours In California?

How many islands belong to California?

Quite a few, actually. Don't know the exact number but I guess one could look it up. 

Yet, nobody commenting our company lettering on the van has ever suggested any California island. 

Instead, they got me picked coming over from Hawaii. Yes it happened twice today. I have been trying to explain, that we've been on the road for 9 days coming from the Canadian East Coast, but I just drew blank stares. Too far away to even imagine. Though I think the white-haired old lady at the grocery store here was hoping to get ba tour booked with us - at least to some island. But Canada? Nope.

So, we are having fun on our little trips to town. Like the guy who is an institution in selling propane in town. A short man, Mexican, and he's not taking your debit card, but wants cash. But he trusted me to return with cash from the ATM-machine. He's one of a handful of people I recognized from being here 7 years earlier. Actually all of them I met back in 2005 under our first visit. Kind of gives me a homey feeling. I like small towns like Holtville, where certain things and certain people remain the same, year after year. Our world is changing so fast anyway, too fast it seems, so when you encounter continuity, it feels good.

Do you understand a little German? 

Frau Gertrude Kron (84) doesn't want her grandkids to call her Omi Kron anymore.

Omi = Grandma

Have a nice evening!

Settling Into A Routine

Hard to believe, but we've been in California for 2 weeks already and by now we've found our daily routine, or at least a framework for it.
 

"Pilot Knob" near Yuma

At Dome Valley

Quite in tune with what most snowbirds down here do, we go to bed early.. 10pm would be very late, while often we hit the pillows around 9pm. And that it partly due to the long hours of darkness, starting at around 5pm. But being in bed for 10 or more hours is just not what we do. First daylight starts at 6am and that's usually when we get up. 30 minutes later we don't need a light anymore.
First activity for us then is a doggy walk after breakfast. The air is still cool and a light jacket is warranted. By the time we come back 35-45 minutes later, my jacket is already off and I'm getting into shorts and T-Shirt. The sun is powerful and we start generating electric power from the roof-mounted 600W solar panels. Through our inverter we will now have 110V all day long.

Massive sand dunes along the I-8 towards Yuma

If we need to go to town for various errands, this is the time we would go. F.ex. today, I started using our blueboy and the recently purchased hitch carrier. It all worked out very well. At the same time I filled our 40gal. water bladder with fresh water, which then was filled into the trailer upon my return.



Looking towards the "Chocolate Mountains"

Yesterday, we went to Wellton, a small town east of Yuma, to visit friends from Prince Edward Island. They have parked their rig in an RV-Park year-round.

Bougainvillea hedge

Irrigation Canal at the I-8

We are always back before sunset, when another doggy walk is on the agenda.

When supper is done it usually is dark already. After supper we either do some computing, sending messages, writing a blog post or reading a book (Bea) Some evenings I simply enjoy a YouTube movie which I can project onto our TV screen. We don't pay for satellite service and we don't watch any TV-channels at all.

But some evenings we go visit a neighbour who is having a campfire round every evening. There we meet other campers, most are from Canada.

The above is what happens here most days, and in between we just relax hanging out around the camper enjoying the nice weather. Some people might think of this as pretty boring, but we like it that way. We come down here to relax and have a good time and enjoy the warm winter, while the homeplace in Canada is getting cold, wet and windy.

Some times I think of taking the camper to Mexico, but why would I do it? Weather is not much better there, and a stay in Mexico is not particular cheap. I also think the country should get their crime and drug problem under control before we cross the border for a vacation. The entry into Mexico also requires Mexican insurance for both van and trailer and I am not willing to pay that either. So we stay here where friends are close by.