Where's Hazel? Pet Hazel. Hazel needs her dreadlocks
trimmed.
A Week Into July Already
 So far I’ve managed to get the July
B’day Cards posted. In other news the CritterCam
in the outbackyard caught a red-tailed hawk taking a selfie.
Passing out of the garage at about 14 o'clock, I was closing
the door on a screw-finding mission and headed for your
Found Keys Repository on the way to a rendezvous with the
Ice Cube Recovery Team, when I was surprised by a sound of
rushing water, not unlike that from Old Faceful at
Yellowstone or, closer to home, an irrigation circuit that
just blew off a regulator. Closer inspection
revealed the latter. Near the south-east corner
of the garage, cleverly concealed under a pile of other
stuff, is where the rumbling gurgle emanated. I
picked up a 5-gallon bucket of bolts and was greeted
with a warm shower as column of water quickly rose
overhead.
Well, to cut to the chase, I turned off the Big Red Gate
Valve over at the base of the water tower. Back
at the geyser, where the shower was now reduced to a
dribble, I found the black threaded coupling of the metering
regulator had come unscrewed from the T-fitting of the PVC
pipe at the base of a nearby tree. How does that
unscrewing happen? The phenomena is not unlike, tho quite
the opposite to, the way coiled cords and hanks of rope
manage to tie themselves into knots. The
coupling screwed back into the T-fitting just fine and
remained there OK when I reopened the Big Red Gate
Valve. After all that excitement I drip-dried
quickly in this 110f breeze and continued with my mundane
mission.
You may ask Why was I finding screws and keys, and well you
might. A few days ago I found much to my
annoyance that the PBS FTA satellite feed signal was missing
from my viewscreen and after a day of troubleshooting my end
of the circuit arrived at the conclusion that the satellite
had moved. Decommissioned. Replaced
by another bird in a different location. So it
was that in order to restore service I would have to re-aim
my antenna. That effort was complicated by a
large steel obstacle. Rather than move the bus I
decided to relocate the antenna.
In and of itself, moving the satellite dish is a small task
however the foundational material was in no condition to be
reused and required replacement with wood less rotted and
screws less rusty. Ergo: a search for screws was
most definitely in order. As an aside, whilst
looking around in the garage for screws was when I found the
lost ring of several keys. Now the antenna is mounted
on a base of wood held firm with pavers in a location with a
clear view of the sky, the ring of keys is in the key
drawer, remaining only the task of finding the satellite and
aiming the dish. That part seems beyond me and I
may have to call on professional assistance.
How can I ever get on the road with so many things to
fix. “It is not enough to be busy,” Henry David
Thoreau wrote, “so are the ants. The question is,:
What are we busy about?” A new book by Johann Hari
attempts to address that question. In Stolen
Focus Mr Hari writes that we spend a lot of time
“constantly switching from device to device and tab to
tab... our focus has been stolen by powerful external
forces...all of which have robbed some of our attention.”
11July “what /is/ this wooden thing” reprise 
A Flax Break. Jan wrote: I think it is a flax
break. They use it in processing flax.
AAA has finally acceded to paying part of the towing fee
involved with getting the bus back here from her mechanical
breakdown so I am several steps closer to departure for Pie
Town and avoidance of my own breakdown. After some
discussion to clear up a misunderstanding AAA has agreed to
send the maximum tow benefit allowed by my class of
membership: (500$). That should fill the fuel tank at
least once. Thank you AAA, you have made my membership
worth keeping!
Paul found this rusty box on the side of a tree near his
cabin in the woods up by Mormon Lake. Inside was a
spider web and hornet nest and a thermionic
valve spark gap surge
arrestor.
Social Media?
Pardon my rant: I have enough to do just reading the
mail. I look at URLs that correspondents
recommend—thank you very much—but I don't monitor any
"social media". Doctor, dentist, two RV clubs, all
have their demands to read this and that, my sisters want me
on FaceBook, several friends say I should subscribe to their
blogs. Simply reading an article is not enough, one is
obliged to join, log in, like, subscribe... As with
treemail magazines: I subscribe to two monthlies, a
bimonthly, two quarterlies, not to mention 25 more or less
regular treemail correspondents. Good thing I'm on the
dole. But I will always have time for you.
I knew that... All very interesting but just more of
the same. As was said in the video and in some of the
comments: Where's the proof? And of course today, with
PhotoShop and all the computer graphic animation capability,
all proof will be suspect. No win. Never ending.
Fortnight Flown
Talk about being busy. Daytime high temperatures of
115f – 120f mean I have only the first four to five hours of
a day, from first light to mid morning, from when I can see
the ground to when the tools are too hot to touch, to
accomplish anything outside.
Government Control
Had the same sort of address problem with Visible/Verizon
"phone" service and Food Stamps. Mailing address,
Service address, Residence address, place of principle
garaging... Officially I am "homeless" but in order to
register a car one must have a residence and a garage.
Bad enough depending upon which side of "the Line" you
choose your car may or may not be liable for Emissions
Testing; the line moves from year to year. Don't get
me started on that rant. Don't Ask Don't Tell...
The industry's narrow minded robots cannot comprehend nor
deal with the differences.
Almost August?
Been outside working on the bus motor from 88f at dawn to
110f now. Replumbed the oil pressure gauges, found yet
another glycol leak, changed the engine oil (18 quarts plus
two filters). That's enough for one day. Save
the cleaning up after for tomorrow.
Two Test Drives Later...
And another few hours of research & repair and I believe
The Cat Drag’d Inn is ready for the road.
Engine oil pressure turned out to be neither engine nor
instrument but "wiring" as it were. Took an analogy
with Ohm's Law to give me the solution. In the course
of the injector pump R&R I rearranged the plumbing of
the oil pressure sending units' manifold. Previously
the manifold was plumbed to a point on the block that fed
oil to the air compressor. I moved that manifold from
the pressure point on the block to the compressor end of the
feed hose. The pressure there turned out to be less
than half of the value at the block end. But I didn't
learn that until the injector pump had been reinstalled and
the engine warmed up on the first test drive.
The Ohm's Law relationship didn't occur to me. First I
thought Instrument Error since there had already been two of
those related to the R&R work. Then old oil or
dirty filters since neither had been changed in two years of
sitting idle. And if I'm going to change the oil I
should perhaps use 15w40 rather than the 5w40 that was two
years old. Change the oil, change the filters; still
the pressure was low. Then something clicked.
The current (flow) in a series circuit is the same no matter
where you measure but the voltage (pressure) varies from
high at the source to nil at the sink. Ah-Ha! But I
didn't want to return the manifold to the original
location. Awkward, out of the way, hard to reach—all
the reasons moved in the first place. Where else on
the block is oil pressure available—that is the question.
Round and round we go with inadequate service literature,
and ignorant help people. For this 3208 I have a pile
of official Caterpillar literature about four inches thick
of user service, depot service, parts, arrangements,
drawings, lists, charts and tables. Talks about what
oil to use, how often to change, pressure values v.s
temperature, v.s RPM, failure symptoms, everything but where
to connect an oil pressure gauge.
Finally after several hours over as many days of listening
to "music on hold" leading up to such inane recommendations
as "see the package the gauge came in" and questions such as
"what is the make and model of the truck" (this engine is in
a land yacht, I replied) I ended up with a parts technician
who actually knew the answer and could send me a picture
from his book. Problem solved. Thank you very
much! There are actually four points on the engine
where oil pressure may be measured or oil tapped for
lubrication of accessories. So! Now I have a
respectable value that looks like what used to be. On
the road again.
Presently planning departure for Wenzday evening or Thursday
morning. Been a long haul dealing with abject
stupidity and general ignorance. When I ask a specific
question I expect a specific answer instead there is often a
long ramble of useless information related to every keyword
in my question. No search takes my entire question and
provides an answer. Even "I Don't know" would be
useful. But finally all that is done—I hope—and I have
somewhat rebuilt my confidence in the motor and learnt a lot
along the way.
Books and Shelves
I believe I could write that I have three book shelves, one
book cupboard, and one book box and two book trunks.
The front shelf is mostly growth and reference books.
The back shelf is at my bed and so is mostly novels and
other bedtime reading. The way-back shelf is
historical, Antarctic, and new books. The book
cupboard is second tier reference, genealogy, books of
value. The book box under the bed contains books for
sale (at my mostly defunct storefront on Amazon) and other
books for give-away. The two trunks: one, here,
contains my journals and scrap books; the other is in
Ann-Marie's Laundry and I have lost track of what is in that
trunk.
August 3 up The Big Hill—Tonopah to Mormon Lake
Shopping for Coffee Toffee Bar Crunch was the first
stop. Tonopah was up to a hundred already by late
morning when The Cat Drag’d Out. APU running
to power two a/c units: burning propane in a heat engine to
make cold in the cabin. Northbound on i17, watching
the altimeter and engine temperature go up as the barometer
and air temperature went down. Burned about
seven gallons of propane.
2023iix6—Dairy Springs to Pinegrove 
Sunday Morning Coming Down... Last night I was chased
out of my camp at the defunct Dairy Springs Gas Station by
the Forest Police. Someone complained I was
trespassing on Permitted Property. Permitted Property
within the National Forest is sort of like Private Property
outside the forest and so exempts the property from the
general "camp anywhere" rule which is not really "anywhere"
as there is another arcane set of rules regarding which
roads, which side of a road, how far back from the road,
seasonal restrictions, resident wildlife, endangered
plants... Last Spring the Permit was defunct and I
camped there for several days but now the permit is renewed
and the defunctness of the gas station is being replaced by
remodeling. So I moved on up the road a few miles to
USFS Pinegrove Campground with paved
roads-showers-water-dump but no electric. 15$/night
with my Geezer pass.
The Rest of the Storey
Speaking of NU7DE... last week I was wandering around
prospecting, evaluating a USFS campground "Dairy Spring"
near Paul's cabin at Mormon Lake. Wearing my NU7DE
down-to-my-knees dress-shirt I approached the Camp Host to
inquire as to what was included in their 40USD a night
fee. The guy rattled off a few features and some yeses
and noes to my specific questions and then eyeing the NU7DE
on the shirt's left breast said in all seriousness: "You
know you have to keep your clothes on in this camp." I
prob'ly should expand on that moment: The camp was heavily
wooded, narrow lumpy dirt roads, overhanging branches, no
showers, no dump station, no electric, signs at the water
taps specifically proscribed filling RV tanks... The
40USD was broken down to 30$ for the first RV-camper-car and
10$ for a second vehicle.
Eventually, after being removed from the trespassing
situation where I was camped—and it goes without saying I
think he ratted me out to the ranger who came by later—I
went a few miles north to USFS camp Pinegrove and likewise
as at Dairy Spring, wandered around. Finding the
shower-cleaner person busy at work I plied my same
questions. Often the signage is not all that helpful
in matters of these details and the brochure box is
empty. Right there where I was standing in front of
the shower house was a spigot and hose and sign: "RV
Fill". To my left an hundred feet was the RV
Dump. The woods were spacious, well ordered second
growth Ponderosa, plenty of clearance, and paved roads
and turnouts. The cost was the same however that
second car charge was not for a towd but a second driven
vehicle. And this codger, eyeing me respectfully
allowed that if I had the Golden Geezer Passport the fee for
one RV was only 15USD. The only glitch in the whole
arrangement was that the showers were 24 quarters for 8
minutes of water. Well worth the cost at that point in
time. I stayed three nights.
Over the preceding few days of visiting Paul we went sailing
on Lake Mary and worked together on several wiring
projects. Paul grilled some Food Bank Halibut and I
nuked bangers and beans. Now I'm sitting in the
Pinegrove Campground writing you this letter.
Monday Morning Still Sitting Still
Yesterday I rewired two closet lights from incandescent to
LED and found a bad fuse in TinyTruck's instrument
lights. May still have a wiring issue with the console
clock there. Whilst doing a fill and dump in
preparation to depart Pinegrove I realised this is only
Monday and since I have an appointment in Holbrook on
Wenzday reevaluated my immediate plan and decided to stay at
Pinegrove an extra day. See if I can actually do a
"day of rest" instead of just resting between tasks: "How
beautiful it is to do nothing and then to rest afterward."
~Spanish Proverb
Pinegrove is a neat camp. Fairly upscale for USFS
camps. Smooth paved roads, spacious slots, some pull
through, dump and fill and great showers tho that last item
is rather pricey. They get 6$ for 8 minutes.
I've seen both ways. Here the showers and dump &
fill, are accessible to travellers not registered as campers
at Pinegrove. The dump station and RV water hydrant
have Honour System fee boxes that state No Charge for
Registered Campers. I have experienced several
rationals for not having "free" showers: Some campers have
been known to bring their kids and dogs in with them; some
wash their dishes in the shower. Camp fee is 30$/night
but only 15$ if you have a Golden Geezer passport.
Monday Afternoon—Rain and Thunder
But before that part I went for a walk on the Pinegrove Loop
Trail. See the Loop Trail
Guide PDF. The loop departs through a No Cattle gate
near the Amphitheater and circles around for a mile to
another gate behind the stage. At two tenths of a mile
in there is a 0.7 tenths mile spur connecting with the Arizona Trail.
The Loop Trail has 10 interactive stations and a brochure
which describes the Ponderosa forest and wildlife.
Bert, the Abert
Squirrel is your guide. Along the trail I
saw a squished baby snake, a torpid Horn Toad, one
hummingbird come to inspect my red hat, one brown cow (How
Now?) and three black cows, six various insects, a woman
with six Border Collies on leashes, 4 trail signs, 10
interpretive areas, ...but no Abert Squirrels. Ponderosa
Pines can grow to 300-600 years old. In one
stump I counted 100 rings.
August 7th-8th A Wenzday Not Food Banking
Somewhere in here was one night near Winslow at Homolovi State
Park. Then breky in Holbrook whilst crossing
roads with friends from Tonopah who are travelling northeast
as I am travelling southeast to Pie Town. After last
minute panic shopping in Springerville I'm now picking up
trash at my favourite Red Hill Rest Area a few miles beyond
the AZ|NM (MST|CST) border. This road is the same
u.s.60 that passes through Wickenburg a few miles north of
Tonopah, through downtown Phoenix, Florance Junction, Show
Low, Springerville, and on to Pie Town. If not for
that awful horrible no good very bad Salt River Canyon u.s.60
would be a perfectly leisurely road all the way
between LAX and Virginia Beach.
11 August Last Day—Arrival Between Storms
Two nights and five bags of trash at Red Hill. Amazing
that with six trash barrels about the area some people still
manage, with great effort I am sure, to leave their drink
containers, dirty diapers, and fast food wrappers, among
other nasties, on the ground. Friday at Red Hill
dawned cloudy and calm. At least no rain.
Yet. Time to get going before some nuther fool drops
more trash I’ll have to pick up. First stop: Quemado
for fuel. Top up Propane and Diesel. On to Pie
Town. Post Office to drop outgoing mail. Then
the long driveway up to Nita’s Cabin. Reports from
yesterday were of muddy slippery 4-wheel drive conditions
but today the road looks dry. Made the run up to my
parking spot and got all unloaded and tied down just in the
nick of time. Pouring now. Thunder and
lightning. 0.98” in my gauge so far in about an hour
and a half.
16 August - Wenzday Again... Morning
I’m pacing to and fro in some sort of daze... at a
loss for what to do next. This should be Food Bank Day
and Shopping and here I am in Pie Town—miles away—too many
miles away to drive over for a few hours and drive back in
time to lay out Hazel-Rah’s supper.
A few weeks back a fine work light “WorkZone” was donated at
the Food Bank. Anything donated with wires or
batteries needs to be checked out—that’s what I do for my
weekly box of comestibles. This light didn’t work, not
repairable, goes in the tip. But this gadget was
fixable, at least the parts are something to salvage.
So I took the pieces out of the tip and made them
work. I've managed to destroy and rebuild my worklight
twice now not including the failure brought about by
whatever poor design seems to have been the original
failure. Partly my own stupidity or ignorance and
partly my own poor engineering (also based on ignorance and
stupidity) but then the lamp seems to be ok, full brilliance
only, not the original Low-Medium-High, and warm after a few
minutes on. After the original charger/controller
board failed the second time I chopped a hole in the back of
the case and installed three single-cell holders to replace
the original battery pack. The cells, 18-650s,
were ok and they were installed in the holders. When
the light was turned on with that little switch the
insulation on the wires promptly melted. WOW! that
much current?
So I rewired with a heavier gauge. All together
again. Turned on. Worked great. Full
bright. Used the worklight to illuminate the repair of
a broken drain pipe under my galley sink...a coupling in my
galley sink drain opened under the sink. Prob'ly due
to long miles of bumpy road. Fortunately I dump my
dishwater pan into a bucket. When I wrung out the
dishrag in the galley sink I heard water splashing in the
chemistry cupboard below and then discovered the
break. So not much of a mess, only a cup or so of
water. But then with the coupling repaired and the
pipe secured so maybe vibration from bumpy road will not
cause further problem I went to turn off the
worklight. Would not turn off. Had to remove the
cells. Which were quite warm tho not so hot I could
not handle them. The little ON/OFF switch had
melted. Back to the workbench with the
worklight. Installed a heavier switch. All fixed
again. We'll see what melts next.
2023iix22 Pie Town on The Continental Divide
Last night was strange. Troubled by thunder, wind,
rain, and weird dreams. Up several times to go out and
put away toys and tools. Now I have to drive 77 miles
to go shopping and back again before the ice cream
melts. Wind yesterday was up to 30mph with kites
pulling 12#. Broke two strings. Now 0.13" in the
gauge.
23 August—Saint George’s Feast Day in April
0.60" rain yesterday. Two mice caught in glue traps in
TinyTruck and some other critter has built a nest in the
bus's generator bay.
Planning Ahead for Total Eclipse of The Sun
 For our next tour there is a Total
Eclipse of The Sun during April 8 2024 (the
time-frame for this adventure is mid-March into/through May
2024). For the eclipse TeXas statistically the better
chance for clear skies of the places within short
range. There is also a friend there whose back yard is
On The Center Line [3.7 minutes totality]. The
tour is wanting for $ome $upport and a few companions
to make it most fun. The Cat Drag'd Inn can
accommodate several small Humans and it would be nice to
have another sort of adult along to help with the driving,
the mentoring, and the housekeeping.
Whinging-TV-addict-couch-potatoes need not apply (Unless
they promise to leave their oblongs turned off {except in
case of emergency of course}). Prospective travellers
should know how to play Cat's Cradle, wash dishes, like
beans and peanut butter (but not necessarily in the same
sandwich) and they should know how to read aloud and follow
a roadmap. Prospective $pon$or$ need not have any of
the above qualifications.
So, gentle readers, here is your invitation: "Eccentric
Outlaw with what many consider an unstable and abnormal
lifestyle desires to mentor Unschooler Travellers whom he
entices with promise of adventure and knowledge." If you are
a small Human and would like to travel aboard The Cat
Drag'd Inn on her next voyage of discovery, or, if you
are an adult and would care to sponsor a student to travel
in your stead, write me. Write early, just in case
there is a big rush at the last minute. All insurance
and assurance—medical, accident, trip completion &c—are
the responsibility of the tripper. Home schooling
along the road can be arranged.
Antarctic Science
From the July 2023 letter of The Antarctican
Society in a review by Guy Guthridge
of Antarctic Science: Why...Investments Matter: “...provides
a brief overview of why the U.S. government has stood
for decades as the global leader in Antarctic research—and
why that investment remains vital to U.S. interests
today.” A free download of this pamphlet summarizing the
important research coming out of the U.S. Antarctic
Programme is available here. (41MB) Download
as Guest if necessary.
Between Time Zones
Sitting here in Pie Town Spring Ahead Mountain Daylight Time
(GMT-6) The Cat Drag’d Inn is an enclave of AridZona
Mountain Standard Time (GMT-7). When I step outside to
meet someone I’m obliged to Spring my clock Ahead an
hour. When I return inside I Fall my clock Back an
hour so as to tend to Hurricane Hazel-Rah who lives by Local
Sun Time.
Outwitting A Throwaway Society 
Repairing a gadget requiring 5x spectacles just to see the
parts. In part this sort of exercise in rebellion is a
matter of finding out if I still have the skills once
commonplace to a wizard of my (former) stature.
Another part is to see if I can still find the exotic tools
I've been carrying around for 20-30 years once usually at my
fingertips. Lastly to prove I/we are still able to
outwit our throwaway society. I suppose there is a
part as well to riddle out just how the manufacturer put the
device together in the first place.
9-11
Had a great time Sunday morning with Jameson helping him
learn how to tie the knots to make his own Zipper Fob.
In between knots we built a Pickle Pie for The Party.
Recovering nicely from the Nita Remembrance Party this past
weekend in Pie Town. Must have been 40-50 people
comprising three generations camped at the cabin.
Another 50 or so (with some duplication) fed on pasta at the
Toaster House and then a gathering for speeches and tequila
toasting at the Town Park. This week I'm helping to
clean up after and haul truck loads of stuff to Thrift Store
or Dump. What I can't give to the former I'll pay the
latter to take.
The Ides of September 
I have another crisis. The power steering device on
The Cat Drag’d Inn is misbehaving--to say the least.
Not critical; I should be able to drive without steering
assist once the bus is on the road. Getting to the
road may be a strenuous undertaking. I've written
several places looking for advice. The gadget must
date from the mid 1960s and the manufacturer is no longer
extant. One antique truck place says they have a part
that looks like mine, used, untested, 500$. Another place
has a new conversion upgrade kit for 4 grand. Perhaps
the Cosmic Muffin is trying to tell me the time is nigh to
Hang Up The Keys.
Almost Autumnal Equinox
 Watching as the sunrise moves to the
south along the eastern horizon has me out in the cold
earlier than I like. Equinox at the 23rd is at the
late end of the usual range of dates. From this Pie
Town location equinox sunrise first contact is often behind
the dike of a volcanic ridge 2.5 miles east at a point
locally know as The Teeth. Multiple slivers of sun
burst through cavities in The Teeth as in this photo from 23
September 2014. Several green flashes are often
seen. The linked video is about 5 minutes.
In the meantime I’m organising my cargo for the drive back
to another Winter in Tonopah AridZona. TinyTruck is
going to be heavily loaded. I’ve burned about 17
gallons of propane in 42 days of cooking and heating so
those bottles will be returning empty; instead TinyTruck
will be carrying 400 watts of solar panels I’ve been storing
here. Not to mention several pounds of FTA satellite
gear and a few other odds and ends. Now is the time I
should get on the road again. Depart the colding heights of
Pie Town. Head for the no longer hot just nice and warm
desert. I'll write again when I get to somewhere else.
Three Somewhere Elses Later
Writing this part from Deming’s Little Vineyard Camp
Ground. This section began with departure from Pie
Town without power steering. I have a new respect for
the power involved in that process of controlling the
direction of the front wheels. First stop was to say
goodbye again to Camilla and check once again if the
steering device air leak was still present. Next stop
was at the Baldwin Cabin Public Library to donate a
pile of paper books and talking books. And to help the
several librarians with their Autumnal Equinox
Luncheon. The rest of the drive to WallyWorld
Caravansary at Socorro was mostly downhill. From
7600’MSL to 4600’MSL. Maneuvering in Wally’s carpark
was difficult and by the time I was parked I was ready for a
good night’s sleep.
Sunday morning the leak was still present but I decided to
risk driving anyhow, thinking that even a small assist with
the steering would be worth the extra load on the
compressor. Five right-angle turns were
required to get out of Wally’s Caravansary. The little
bit of air assist was very helpful but imagine my surprise
when at the end of the fifth turn the leak stopped and the
steering device returned to normal operation. The rest
of the drive to Deming was a delight. Following the
scenic route of Old Highway 1 through Bosque
del Apache and on south to the end at i25x92 was an
exercise in narrow 2-lane driving and Weigh-Limited
bridges. On and on to Hatch and thence to Deming to
visit Captain Hook, all well so far.
24 September at Deming Two Day Visit Dump & Fill
 Started out to depart Deming and the
motor was not starting. Again. I was all disconnected
and ready and the bus would not crank. Blown fuse in
the starter relay circuit. This problem has been
before, has appearance of an intermittent short—critters or
vibration breaking the insulation sort of thing. The
fuse blows right when I push the start button. On this
occasion I had a helper, Capt Hook, Ham friend I was
visiting in Deming, so together we did some better serious
troubleshooting. Followed the wire from the source fuse,
under the dash board near the brake pedal, to a junction
block, on to the start button, then on a #14 red wire down
through the deck beside the shifter pedestal. Under
the deck the red wire is tied to the other things for a foot
or so then enters a PVC conduit going to the rear. The
red wire exits the conduit two feet from the starter relay
and is tied to other wires for that two foot run to a
terminal on the starter relay. There is another wire
on the starter relay that goes up to a start button on the
engine remote instrument panel inside the engine room rear
door. All along the exposed part of the red wire the
insulation looked good. Pulling and tugging on the
wire over that length allowed me to see under each tyrap so
I was satisfied the wire was good. Replaced the fuse
and pressed the button and the motor started.
So I was on the road from Deming to Duncan. Hours
later at my first stop to visit Larry in Virden, just short
of Duncan, I stopped on the road, left the bus and walked up
to Larry's door. We chatted for a while and he invited
me to supper at the restaurant in Duncan. That place
was along my way so we headed out. The bus started
ok. Drove to the restaurant and had a fine supper of
bacon burger & sweet potato frys and iced tea.
Usually when I come from Deming along u.s.70 towards Globe I
stop at the NM/AZ border crossing weigh station (Closed) for
a rest or overnight. Nice flat clean pavement, so that
was my plan yesterday. The side trip to Larry's on s.r.92
puts me beyond that weigh station so from Duncan I was going
to double back on u.s.70 for the night. The bus would
not start, blown fuse. Again. Ugh! This time I
used the rear start button and that worked ok. So back
to the weigh station with an hour of daylight remaining.
Now I had a new thought about this problem. The
intermittent, I was satisfied, was not due to bad
wire. The only other variable in the circuit was at
that first junction up front, between the fuse and the start
button. At that point there is a half dozen other
wires going off to other long forgotten circuits. Maybe the
fuse is simply intermittently overloaded? I
disconnected the red wire at the start relay and the fuse
does not blow. Reconnected the fuse sometimes
blows. I will have to trace all those other
wires. Or pull the fuse and see what else does not
work to learn why the fuse blows only some of the
time. The quick solution right there was to move the
red wire/start button circuit to a spare fuse. Done!
Started OK. Cleaned up, tools away, went to bed.
Started again OK just now this morning. So now I'll
continue west on u.s70 back through Duncan, past that fine
restaurant and maybe stop for breky.
27 Sept—Bumpy Roads West of Duncan—What am I
forgetting?
 Oh yes... I didn't tell you about the
bookshelf. Bumpy roads and stiff suspension wreak
havoc. Cream in the fridge turns to butter.
Light bulbs unscrew themselves. Wenzday, west of
Duncan, a certain thud caught my ear and then a nice paved
wide spot caught my eye. To make a long storey short,
the mooring of my Reference Library bookshelf had failed and
the shelf was sagging, tilting, bouncing. The shelf's
bulwark was preventing a wholesale avalanche of bound
volumes, trinkets, and marbles. Fortunately I have the
tools. Also took the opportunity to disconnect from
the start relay the white wire that goes from the start
relay to the rear start button. Troubleshoot that
circuit later in Tonopah.
First Of October
And I hope the Worst... I'm running out of
words. The remainder of the drive to Tonopah very
eventful but except for a couple of quiet days at Train
Spotter Hill the very last day was the worst of the entire
adventure. Only a rant would encompass storey.
Maybe later.
 Speaking of rants: Here is
a guest editorial on the subject of lead and other
nasties.
I awoke this first morning of October to an attack of an ant
army. Only the second time since ever that there has been
such an infestation! Had to fight back with my
antiantexSTEMinator spray. Such a battle. And then to vacuum
all the bodies. And all that _before_ my morning toilet and
coffee! After coffee I removed all the rugs forward of
the galley/head, including tool bags, scratching post,
everything under the driver's chair, everything under the
galley table. There were trails of ants leading in several
directions. This all was at 0430 to 0500. Dark. After the
initial skirmish I was outside looking for any marching
columns on the shore power and Ethernet wires and other
places; nothing found. Back inside to mop up the stragglers
and have breky.
Much later, about lunch time, I strung out my clothes drying
line to hang some rugs out so I could beat the dust out of
them and whilst tying off the clothes line brushed against
that creosote bush hard by the front door. Instantly a new
wave of attacks. There were ants on my arm and ants on
the headlight frame. Ah-Ha! That's how they were
gaining access. While the bus has been not here for
two months that bush has grown extended limbs and they were
now touching the bus at that headlight. The critters
were getting in through the headlight bucket and then
through the electric panel there by the front door. Not any
more. I quickly amputated the bridging limbs.
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2023 Autumnal Equinox — Greetings Virtual
Travellers and Pen Friends: 
