Tag Archives: trailer

Can you call Tech Support?

Teardrop Trail Log: June 15, 2016

Motel 6 – WiFi Fail

The heat, raccoons and trailer problems had taken their toll, and by late in the day, we were looking forward to a rest in a clean, comfortable room. Marilyn had arranged a reservation at the Motel 6 in Peoria, and it looked good as we rolled in. Check in was routine, and the clerk accommodated our request for a room overlooking the Lady and Ambassador’s parking place. A quick shower and we would be on our way to dinner, checking into the ‘net, and a night of rest.

Except — we couldn’t seem to connect with the Motel 6 Wi-Fi. Hmmm. Back to the front desk. The clerk was sympathetic, but couldn’t help. She suggested I call Tech Support and provided a telephone number. Once an IT guy, always an IT guy. You can’t escape it. Back in the room, I called the number. Telephone-based tech support is the same the world over, and after getting through the call attendant system, I reached a human. It was clear he wasn’t located in Peoria and was probably part of a larger contract support service, but he did acknowledge there was a problem. Could we try connecting again in an hour or so?

Dinner didn’t sound bad, and there was a Grand Village Chinese buffet nearby (the high-octane fuel of tech workers everywhere) and we decided to try it out. Inside, the place was huge, and clearly designed to deliver a variety of tasty calories in the most efficient manner possible. The food was good, and the restaurant well attended. A popular place is always a good sign. Soup, appetizers, and several main courses later, we rolled out and headed back to the motel. A good meal always helps the mood.

Back at the room, we checked the wi-fi. Connection was iffy, and there didn’t seem to be any throughput. We would have to be happy with our cell-based data again. They might leave the light on for you, but they forgot to pay the Internet bill.

Bad News from Back Home

Teardrop Trail Log: June 15, 2016

Raccoons like tomatoes

Whenever we set out on the Teardrop Trail, a very good friend will watch the house, feed the pets and water the garden. It is nice to know that someone is stopping by everyday, especially someone who knows the place. June is one of the high points for gardening in Texas – ripe tomatoes, plentiful green beans and much more. It has been a pleasure to share the bounty with Jason and Courtney while we traveled. As we were driving, Jim received a text from Jason accompanied by photos of ravaged tomatoes from the garden.

In past years, the rabbits had invaded when we hit the Teardrop Trail for Red Power Round Up. I had set about rabbit-proofing the garden fence after last year’s raids. 100 linear feet of bright green chicken wire were applied around the external fence. A careful final inspection revealed a secured perimeter. I kept checking for any invasions just to make sure things were secure for this trip.

Jason mentioned that the chicken wire was still in place and no identifiable animal tracks were visible along the fence. We asked about raccoons. Some had been spotted at different times. I had been suspicious about earlier invasions of my compost pile which was secured around a stout wire fence. I’d thought back. Upon closer inspection of the photos, the bite marks looked familiar… Raccoons can climb OVER fences… Even miles and miles away, our food wasn’t safe… Raccoons take 3.

The Teardrop Gets a Solar Power Upgrade

Teardrop Trail Log: September 20, 2016

MC4 solar branch connectors

After the unfortunate incident with the solar panel on our way to the Red Power Roundup, we were able to use shore power for the remainder of the trip. Disappointing, but not a show stopper. We had already determined that a single 100-watt panel was not enough for our needs, so I was planning an upgrade anyway. With a trip planned in late September, it was time to act. I ordered two new 100-watt panels, MC4 combiner connectors and additional MC4 crimp-on connectors. This would double our previous power capacity and allow for daytime use of a couple of small appliances including a crock-pot and solid-state cooler.

Aluminum bar seals leading edge to teardrop

Analysis of the incident and the remaining parts of the old panel made it clear that wind entering the leading edge had repeatedly flexed the panel causing it to fatigue and ultimately fail. It seemed to me that sealing the leading edge to the teardrop roof with a rigid mount would prevent this type of failure in the future. A trip to Home Depot secured an aluminum strip, and by drilling holes that matched the existing screw mounts, I could seal the leading panel to the teardrop skin. The leading panel then overlapped the other panel so it was also sealed to the wind.

The new panels began working immediately

Once installed, the panels began producing power immediately. Although we currently only have about 80 Amp-hours of storage, the two panels can easily replace the day’s power use with 10 to 12 amp output in full sun. Also, by adding a 300-watt inverter, we are able to run a 1 1/2 quart crock pot during the day with power to spare. The next upgrade will be a larger battery.

The Ambassador was ready for a trip to Bob Sandlin State Park.

photo of solar panels on teardrop trailer

The panels overlap like shingles

You Want the Good News or the Bad News?

Teardrop Trail Log: June 15, 2016

After leaving Perry, Missouri, we settled into an afternoon of travel. After a couple of hot and humid nights in Missouri parks, populated with marauding raccoons, we decided a night in a “clean, comfortable room for the lowest price of any national chain” would be a welcome change. Marilyn had the room booked, and all was right with the world.

This was my first time on an Illinois road trip in about 30 years, and that had been on a January night in an ancient International Harvester school bus (but that’s another story), so I didn’t have a visual memory of the state. The day was sunny, and the farmland was lush. Small towns marked our progress, and we pulled into Peoria in the late afternoon. Being a larger city, I had hopes of a Mocha, and as usual, Marilyn was already on it. She turned on The Girl, and in no time, we were pulling into a Starbucks. Finally a day without incident.

All that’s left

Hot drinks in hand, I noticed something amiss on the Ambassador. Where was the solar panel? The two feed cables and wing nuts with the torn corners of the fiberglass panel were all that remained. What had happened? No idea. Disappointing, but I had already decided a single 100 watt panel wasn’t enough, so this was an opportunity for improvement. Stay tuned for the Solar Ambassador Revision 2!

Tomorrow was another day. Besides, Tom Bodett was leaving a light on for us.

Antiques in Perry

Mark Twain Lake area

Teardrop Trail Log: June 15, 2016

We’re rarely on the road early, and by the time we visited the Mark Twain Birthplace and navigated across Mark Twain Lake it was nearly noon. Just as the thought of lunch was occurring to me, we pulled into Perry, Missouri. Once a booming coal town, it is now a destination for lake fun and antique shopping. It is also one of the prettiest small towns in Missouri.

After lunch at the Hootenanny, I wanted to walk around and photograph some of the buildings. Within a block of Palmyra and Main, there are several ornate examples of late-nineteenth century commercial architecture including wood, brick and cast iron façades.

Miss Daisy’s Antiques

Many of the buildings now house antique stores. We took the time to explore one particularly promising one. I’m a woodworker and enjoy finding, restoring and using old hand tools. This store had a generous supply of old saws, planes, chisels and the like and I couldn’t resist exploring. There were lots of other things to look at, and we spent about an hour there. We were definitely going to have to visit again when we had more time. Sadly, we needed reach Peoria by late afternoon and play time in Missouri was over for now!

: Original Clark Garage

: Once owned by leading citizen Thomas F Gill

: Cast iron façade

: Simple brick façade

: Originally a mercantile

: Beautiful wooden façade

On the Tasty Trail

Teardrop Trail Log: June 15, 2016

We decided to take the scenic route after leaving Mark Twain’s birthplace. As we pulled into the small town of Perry, Missouri around lunch time, we saw the Hootenanny Cafe on corner of Main Street and Palmyra Street. Discovering local places to eat is one of our favorite parts of traveling. One online review described the menu as “a small town take on fast food that reminds one of granny’s cooking.” From lemon meringue to apple, it was hard to miss the amazing pies, being placed on display as they came out of the oven.

A fine lunch at the Hootenany

Walking in the door, there was a homey atmosphere, the quintessential American heartland cafe. This was clearly a gathering place for some of the locals. Two ladies at a table across the room could have been the reincarnation of my grandmother Tina and her best friend Beulah from their print dresses to their sensible shoes. Our table was set with with tall, Pepsi plastic glasses, the black metal napkin dispenser as well as the yellow mustard and red catsup plastic squeeze bottles.

Jim had a BLT and I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich. He chose fries and I got the onion rings to share. Yum. To Pie or Not to Pie, that became the question after lunch.

Leaf Spring Wear

Rear of slipper spring with shim installed

When we were installing the tongue box on the Ambassador, we noticed some wear on the trailer leaf spring mounts. With long trips to Huron, South Dakota, Sedalia, Missouri and the Big Bend completed, it wasn’t surprising. Along with other trips around Texas, we probably had upwards of 5000 miles logged. I have always planned to upgrade the wheels to a larger size and make improvements to the suspension, but there wasn’t time before we left for Wisconsin. I didn’t think there was any real urgency, but being a “belt and suspenders” guy, a little insurance wouldn’t hurt either.

Shim ready for installation

The tongue box mount was installed at Vintage Motor Car near our home, and it was Jason who first noticed the problem. We chatted about various solutions, but Mike had the best idea. How about buffering the metal/metal contact between the leaf springs and slipper spring mount with a composite shim? He got one out of the shop, and it slipped in easily with the weight off the wheels. Best of all, it was held in place by an existing crossmember made of angle iron. Easy to install, easy to replace. But would it last?

After 3000 miles of additional travel to Wisconsin and back, I’m going to declare victory. Only minimal additional wear on the slipper spring and mount, and relatively little wear on the shim. I’ll replace them before our next trip just for grins (at about 50 cents each), and we can push the running gear upgrade off until next year. Besides I still have to find some cool retro fenders for the new larger wheels before we start!

Mark Twain’s Birthplace

Mark Twain’s birthplace in Florida Missouri

photo of Mark Twain's birthplace bedroom

The bedroom as it was

Teardrop Trail Log: June 15, 2016

After a night in Mark Twain State Park, we decided to visit his birthplace, accidentally discovered the day before. The original two-room clapboard structure is housed in a substantial museum, with exhibits, a reading room, several first editions of his novels and a handwritten manuscript of Tom Sawyer.

The house itself was moved from it’s original nearby site, now flooded in the reservoir created by damming the Salt River. It is furnished, and gives a good idea of early nineteenth-century life in the midwest.

Samuel Clemens, who went by the pen name Mark Twain, was born in Florida, Missouri on November of 1835 and lived there for the first four years of his life. The family then moved to Hannibal, Missouri — more famously known as his boyhood home.

Without doing any work …

One exhibit on flax, a primary crop of early America, shows the stages of production. From planting in the spring to harvest, to processing, spinning and weaving with period tools. A river boat exhibit shows various artifacts including a wheelhouse mockup. Another outlines Twain’s interest in technology including the first private telephone in the world. It is complete with handwritten records showing service outages — perhaps the forerunner of modern Internet uptime agreements?

: Spinning wheel and loom

: Loony river pilot

: First Telephone

: Carriage

Finally, there are several exhibits of furniture and other effects from his late nineteenth-century home in Hartford, Connecticut. The exhibit includes a carriage and street diorama.

: The man himself

: Cabinet detail

: Chair and table

: Carriage

Raccoon Caper #2 – The Nocturnal Invasion

Teardrop Trail Log: June 14, 2016

Camp Mark Twain State Park established and a scrumptious chicken dinner under our belts, we cleaned the dishes and put away the food. We’ve camped in numerous national and state parks in the last few years, and have developed a bedtime routine. Galley closed, kitchen boxes stacked and Igloo cooler closed. Time for bed. Marilyn is usually earlier into bed than me, but I was tired as well and we turned in. Soon we were both asleep.

Raccoon crime in Progress

I’m a light sleeper and usually up in the middle of the night, but this night I was awakened by a commotion outside. Crash! Bang! What on earth?! I sleep next to the door in our teardrop, and grabbing my iPhone (always ready for a photo!) I opened the door and leaned out. We had a raccoon in camp, and he was exploring our stuff. Pushing the door open and stepping out, I made some noise and the invader escaped. Even though it was dark, I could see we’d been raided. The cooler was open, and various wrappers were scattered around. Well, the damage was already done so I went back to bed. We could survey the crime scene in the morning.

The evidence

Marilyn was the first one up in the morning and cleaned up the mess. The raccoon had opened the Igloo cooler (we even have trouble opening that!) and scored a pound of bacon, a pound of butter, two pounds of lunch meat, several eggs and a yogurt.

Not easy to open

It was able to open the egg containers and that’s not easy. It was also able to get the meat and bacon out of zipper bags without destroying them. Apparently they can work the zipper pulls. Their scientific name is appropriate: Procyon lotor or extremely dexterous front paws.

Later, when Marilyn went to the camp office to buy more ice, she mentioned the raid, and the camp host wasn’t surprised. It seems the local raccoons have developed a taste for beer and are able to open pull-tab cans. Two nights of camping so far, and two incidents. I wonder if they prefer lagers or ales?

Tiny raccoon fingerprints

The Girl Strikes Again

Teardrop Trail Log: June 14, 2016

The Girl

Jim was enjoying his mocha as we left Morberly and headed for Mark Twain State Park in Florida, Missouri. We pulled out the National Geographic Road Atlas and double-checked the route, before we left civilization. We’d learned the hard way about reliable Internet connectivity in rural areas, so I Googled the trip – 49 min (40.8 mi) via US-24 E and MO-154 E. It seemed simple enough, but the “Girl,” our name for the online voice that provides directions, created delays and led us to some very unusual destinations on other trips down the Teardrop Trail. We needed to get there early enough to get a campsite. We headed out along Route 24, turning on Missouri 154, a two lane rural road taking commands from the “Girl.” She lead us to Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site. Confused, we walked up to the door only see that the facility had closed. No campground in sight. We decided to back track. As we proceeded back on MO-154, we saw a rather large stone display that said “Florida.”

Florida, Missouri

We were in the right place, sort of. Soon we found a sign that pointed to camping. We searched and eventually found the Badger Campground and the entrance booth was still staffed by the friendly campground host. We had arrived just in time to get the camp site. The “Girl” had struck again.

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