Learning Spanish On The Road

Like many others my age, I took two years of a language in High School.  I took French.  Spanish wasn’t offered and there was no direct use for it at that time.

(Screen capture off my phone of the Duolingo App image.)

I decided last summer, after a number of times trying to learn Spanish over the years, to work at learning Spanish again.  Having tried other phone aps, I decided this time I would try Duolingo 

Unlike other methods Duolingo is a mixture of learning words, sentences, speaking, and spelling.  It is not a perfect software program but it is good and has kept me going.

That’s right! I reached my 200th continuous day of learning Spanish.

They offer the application free and do have ads you have to watch.  You can opt out but you need to pay.  I have stuck to watching ads and have stayed with my training not yet electing to pay to go ad free.

(Above is a picture of lessons on Duolingo- purple colored ones I have successfully completed and ones with yellow rings I have them being worked on.)

I’m actually learning the language.  That is the good news.  I’m not fast but I do practice each day.  Since I’ve been traveling this year I’m just maintaining the courses I have passed and not yet moved forward.  This has proved successful for me as it’s good to get the grammar down through practice.

Duolingo offers many languages, sone being very obscure.  There are things about the software I don’t like, but I like it more than I dislike it.

A couple of hints.  Don’t get frustrated as there are rules you will need to look up, that Duolingo doesn’t tell you why you got it wrong.  Google Translate helps as well as taking notes.  

I am not affiliated with Duolingo and these comments are my own.  If you have been wanting to learn another language Duolingo is helping me and may help you.

Learning with an application on my phone works well for me on my travels.  As little as 15 minutes a day can get you on your way to speaking a new language.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

Sears Point - A Place Back In Time

On my list of places to visit for a few years is Sears Point.  Tucked away 8 miles off I8 in AZ along the Gila River, it is a place that takes you back in time.  

Getting to Sears point should be handled by higher clearance vehicles and preferably with all wheel drive or 4x4.  The road in suffers from two sections of loose sand with hard packed sand underneath in a single vehicle wide section of road.   

These sections of sand are a do not get off road area. I don’t recommend stopping on loose sand, but if you do, back up to an area where the ground is hard packed to let others pass. There are also sections of the road that are warm from rushing water that some vehicles will have to assess how best to get over them.

The picture above is from the end of the road at Sears Point where there is sand from flooding of the Gila River some times of years.  Also you need Google maps or something that will show you what turns you need to make in the section of cross cross roads.

Once at Sears Point you see a hill of rocks.  These rocks are hiding many petroglyphs and more modern inscriptions.  There is no one way to find them other than do a lot of walking up, down and around this hill. 

If you look carefully you will see what the ancients left behind to be discovered by us.  The key is to be respectful and responsible not to damage or destroy them.  Some are without our understanding like the picture above.

If your lucky and work at it you will see hundreds of petroglyphs. The picture above is more distinguishable as possibly a deer or horned sheep.

Then this petroglyph may tell a story.

Some panels have a lot going on, like this one above.  The upper left almost looks like a modern day disc golf basket 

This truck had been there for a few days, with the driver going off the road one Friday after dark.  This actually happened while my friend Roxy (see below) was there enjoying the area a few days before I arrived.

I met a neighbor who was looking for this truck, as it was his friends.  His friend was reportedly drinking and after the accident he walked the nearby old Butterfield Stage route about 10 miles and didn’t remember where he left his truck.

I could not see how this truck would get out of this ditch without significant quality recovery work.  Note it’s doubtful that a wrecker would make it past to get behind it.


(Picture - portion of Google image screen capture for section of Butterfield Stagecoach Route that passes Sears Point)

I mentioned the Butterfield Stage Route that went past Sears Point.  Upon my arrival at Sears Point a met a older man who has been doing research for years on the Butterfield Stage route and was there for more study.  He also is trying to assist with the application to make Sears Point a National Monument.  The location is historically significant as it was an important location for travelers.  Spanish, ancients, Native Americans, and western expansion, used this as a route west.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

PS. Here is a plug for my solo traveling friend of many years, Roxy 

Facebook Adventure Nomad For Nature

Blog https://nomadfornature.wordpress.com/

Youtube Adventure Nomad For Nature

Im sure she will elaborate on her visit to Sears Point at some point in on of the media methods above.

High Desert Ranger Memorial

High Desert Ranger, or HDR, as many of us RTR goers referred to him.  Also he was Mike to others.

HDR was a prominent figure at RTR’s, as his camp was large with truck, trailer, tent and tarps.  He was also prominent because of his willingness to teach panning for gold.  No matter how many people and when, he made himself available to answer questions.  

Yes, an all-around nice guy.  Sadly, HDR passed away over the last year and many will miss him even just seeing his camp from a distance.

Well, Saturday, January 29, 2022 a number of people had a memorial service for him in Quartzsite.  It was set at Celia’s Garden, adjacent to where I play disc golf.  I could not attend the memorial service as I was visiting family in CA, but, when I played disc golf I wandered into the memorial area and found HDR’s memorial.

On a rock is this wonderful bronze marker. 

The memorial is this design above and if you look there are gold colored rock for his interest in panning gold.

On the upper left of the stone you will see a bronze miniature man gold panning.  Completely fitting for what he lived.

None of us Vandwellers know when our day will come when we won’t be on the road anymore.  It is fitting to have a memorial for Mike for all he did in helping others.  The lines to learn panning were never short at the RTR, and Mike left a positive impression on many that attended.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

A Walk Through Van Aid

Above - Part of the Van Aid Attendees.

Van Aid is one of a few Vandweller events that focuses on putting people with needs together with people with skills.

Above is the FaceBook posting for the event.

I knew about the event but had been busy helping some Vandweller friends with their needs and visiting son and family in CA.

When I was visiting other friends in Quartzsite, I learned the Van Aid group was just over there, as depicted in the picture above.  It was Friday AM and the last day of official work being done on vans do I went over to check out the kinds of skills that were being asked for.  

Tables like the one above were set up with people requesting  work to be done.  There was a table for mechanical, woodworking, and sewing.

Mechanical request included a brake job on the vehicle.

Woodworking request of shelving in a van.

I met one woman in her van that had woodworking done to include a shelf and sone pullout wooden extensions under the shelf.  She was very pleased.

People doing woodworking had all kinds of tools and wood to use.  Sewing requests went to woman with sewing machines set up at a table where they worked together.

Vandwelling is a community with many ready and willing to help others.  Many have unique skills to help others.  They may be retired and get satisfaction from helpings.

It’s a community, but I’m sure some requests did not get done and I’m also sure that some may help after Van Aid is officially over.  

If interested in more information or pictures from Van Aid see FaceBook page I captured above.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

Horse Tanks Hike - Kofa WMA

Kofa Wildlife Management Area offers hikes and exploring possibilities.  This year I got to hike to the Horse Tanks.  These are natural waterholes that nature has carved out and we’re used by animals and Native Americans for centuries.  These are water holes that form as part of cascading water down from the mountains.

Above is my 7.2 mile hike as saved on the AllTrails App.

Most of the hike was on a dirt road that I could have taken my Tacoma down, but I needed the exercise to get into shape for more hikes this season.

The scenery along the way is pleasant and not steep, although you continue to gain elevation.  The peaks in the middle of my hike (recorded above) come from scrambling up in a few places.

The water comes down the mountain in this crack in the picture above.

Further down it forms these natural ponds.

There are numerous signs of human activity including dozens of grinding holes in the rock bottom of the wash.

If you search and look closely you can find old petroglyphs and new graffiti.

There are other things to find and see that most don’t know what and where to look.  As with all my hikes.  I hope you get to learn how to explore and learn and respect what the ancient’s have left us.

Happy hiking,

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com

The Vandwelling House Battery Dilemma

Photo of my rig before heading out on my 2022 travels

I have a number of Vandweller friends that have similar  question/problem.

This problem is about having a house battery and sufficient power to do what they want without costing a lot of money.

I may be that they hey have a house battery already, but it is insufficient power to do what they now want or need.  On the other hand they may have a portable battery unit and also have the same issue of needing more power

There is no single answer to the problem of insufficient power for all Vandwellers.

Let’s take my current truck camper setup as a reference.  I use lithium Lifepo4 batteries only.  Lithium batteries are smaller and more light weight than a lead acid battery such as flooded, AGM or Gel Cell.  

Lithium batteries are not right for all situations.   lithium can’t be charged much below freezing temperatures or it may damage the battery.  I live in Massachusets and it’s cold, but I don’t use my camper in winter conditions.

When I leave on my winter travels, as I did this year, I don’t turn on battery charging until it’s warm enough.  My fully charged 50 ah Bioenno Lifepo4 battery gives me enough power until I get to warmer weather.  That’s right!  You can use the power from your lithium battery below freezing but not charge it.  Once I’m in the southwest I stay in the warmth and slowly work my way into colder Utah in March.  Although it can go below freezing at night temperatures are well above during the day and my camper stays warmer than outside.

First example:

This Vandweller spends time in below freezing climate and battery is packed so any heat inside van does not reach the battery, so they need a lead acid battery.  They have a 50 ah AGM battery.  A lead acid battery does not have fully usable amp hours, so you can only expect to get about 25 ah from a 50 ah battery.  This is not a lot of battery power but it is charged with solar and from the engine, which is good to get the battery charged again the next day.

Above is an example of a lead acid AGM battery on Amazon.  I have not evaluated this battery and this is no an endorsement for the battery

The question was can the Vandweller increase the amount of battery in the van and the answer is yes and I recommend a larger 100 ah AGM battery, above..  It’s significantly heavier and uses more valuable space.  It would give them their needed power at usable 50 ah. (Double the power they now have)  Basically what I have in my camper for power in amp hours.  The battery costs just under $200 and is not too hard to install.  The battery is a sealed type so no appreciable off gassing will occur.

Will the change run a compressor fridge, I was asked, and the answer is yes. 

In this first example the best solution for this Vandweller is to replace their smaller battery for this larger one in the example.  It’s not recommended to tie them together as they are not electrically compatible. If one wished to use bath batteries they would require electrical isolation for independent charging.  I wit be covering this in today’s post. You can tie like batteries and age together to overcome the compatibility issue.

I need to also say that if money was not a problem Renogy makes a lithium battery that has an internal heater to keep it warm below freezing so the battery is not a problem in the cold for charging.  But this battery is expensive, and priced out of the available funds for many.  I did want to mention it as someone out there reading this blog may find this helpful.

Second example

Another Vandweller friend has no house battery and can only charge things with the engine running.  They have a battery like the one below.  It is portable so bringing the battery pack to plug in to charge from house current is possible.

This batter pack above in the picture is only an example and not an endorsement. I have not evaluated it.  It is shown for reference only.

In this Vandweller case they like the flexibility of being able to have all the outlets and inverter nicely packaged.  It offers the ability to bring inside to charge if desired.  Since it’s portable it is easier to keep it above freezing inside the vehicle.

There are some drawbacks.  One is the rate of charge is slower than a separate battery tied to the engine. Another issue is that a fixed 12 bolt device like a vent fan has to be plugged in and out if charging elsewhere.  The good news is It can be charged from solar or from vehicle 12 volts as well.  Another good point is that if you camp in the shade you can take this portable battery unit out and put near a portable solar panel and charge where the sun is.

Note: I chose to show the model 500 as although a model 300 may work for minimal demand I suggest the 500 as Vandwellers often under estimate their power needs.

Although this Vandweller could put a fixed house battery in this portable unit will work for them saving the cost of installation, fixed solar and engine charging.  It gets a lightly built out van a head start from having to do all the wiring first.  It’s a great way to get started and try vandwelling, rather than investing in a build fore you know what you want.

My recommendation was to have both a lead acid battery hooked to engine through and isolator and use this for fixed lighting and fan, and use the portable battery unit for portable device charging and usage. With a fixed fan/vent and lighting it is best to have fixed wiring and switches, but certainly acceptable to live with the portable battery unit until you make long term decisions

Summary

There is not one design or solution for all circumstances of vandwelling. It depends on vehicle, needs, space, and money.  

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com