On the road again...summer trip 2021

This year we took a 2 month RV trip to Michigan to visit our childhood stomping grounds and connect with family.  It took us about a week to drive from AZ to MI.  We alternated between boondocking and paying for full-hook up campgrounds while on the road.  We did have one little snag on the drive - one of our windows shattered!  We have no idea why.  I went in to open the windows after we stopped for the evening and it broke into a million pieces.  We had to figure out a solution that would work...this is what the "patch" looks like.  We were lucky this happened on the first day of the trip.  We were able to stop near our homestead, run out to the land to get tools and parts and complete the repair in one evening.  We didn't have to buy anything - we accomplished this with things we had laying around at the homestead.  This paneling worked well as replacement window for the drive to Michigan, for our entire stay, and for the drive back.  We have yet to schedule a time for a new window to be installed.  We did add some duck tape around the molding to ensure the water didn't settle into the window track.  This kept the panel board from getting wet where it would swell.  

Our primary destination was the Hideaway RV Park in Grass Lake, MI .  We had a reservation for a month.  It was a lovely place to stay (although it started out rather cool and wet).  My parents, siblings, nieces and nephews all live in the area. We were able to visit with various families each day.  The nieces and nephews were still in school and my siblings were working, so we met for dinners and had some fun gatherings on the weekends.  The campground has a pond for swimming and paddleboats - we enjoyed both.    

There were a number of personal reasons why we stayed in Michigan and didn't do any National Park sight-seeing this year.  I mentioned in a previous post that my grandma passed away in November - in addition to collecting items handed down to me, I assisted with an estate sale.  Secondly, and more importantly, my mom was diagnosed with cancer in April  - weeks of testing followed to determine the stage.  On the day we arrive we learned that it is stage IV and had spread from the initial site.  I was present for the first five weeks of her initial six week treatment of radiation and chemotherapy.  As I write she is on a week break from treatment and will soon begin a four-month chemo regime where she will receive treatment every other week.  At the end of those four months more tests will be completed to see how the cancer responded to the treatment in order to determine next steps.  I am glad I was able to be present during her initial treatment.  

We were also able to connect with Husband's family.  His parents passed away years ago, but his nephews live in the state and we were able to meet up with them one afternoon for a very nice visit.  We also took our kids to Frankenmuth, MI and Bronner's (trip down memory lane for the two of us).

We decided to extend our initial one-month visit by a couple of weeks.  We stayed at the Somerset Beach Campground for five nights.  This is where my parents full-time RV and we have stayed at this location in the past.  The sites have electric only.  You can run a hose from the bib to fill your RV tank.  There is no on-site sewer - you have to schedule a pump dump or move to the dump station.  The public restrooms and showers are very nice and allowed us to stretch one tank of fresh water for our entire stay.  

Our last week was spent at Camp Turkeyville - my parents moved here to better accommodate my mom's treatment and so we followed.  This place was expensive, but had some nice amenities (pools & restaurant were most appreciated).  Yes, there are turkeys and the restaurant serves a variety of turkey dishes.

The grounds are beautiful, the weather was nice, and the kids and their cousins all got to do a lot of swimming in the two pools!

We were parked across the road from my parents which was very nice.

We stayed a week and were turkey'ed out! Gobble gobble

We left Michigan on June 8th.  It took almost a week to get back to Mesa, AZ.  On the way back west the heat was intense so we paid for full-hook up sites every night except the first.  When we got back to our site in Mesa, we set up the RV for our next visit to the area.  The heatwave in AZ was in full force so we were anxious to pack up all of our stuff into our smaller cargo trailer and head back to the mountains.  We were away from our homestead for a full 8 weeks in total.  Thankfully we installed security cameras and were able to check in on the place frequently from the road and from Michigan.  It's been very good to be back - travel is exhausting!  

Spring 2021 synopsis

Spring semester went fast this year.  We were able to stay warm even with the occasional snow.  Our water flowed despite the frigid temps reaching down to low single digits.  Sister even made her first snowman...

She was proud - I am not sure that she knows how big they usually are - she was, after all a desert kid until this winter...

On the pandemic front, thankfully Husband and I we were able to get our vaccines in January. I was a lot less stressed about shopping and so forth after that.  Since we don't have family in the area I was really worried about what our kids would do if Husband and I got sick.  

Our solar water heater worked very well over the winter.  I would estimate we had approx 5-7 days over the entire winter where we did not have enough hot water for a decent shower.  A small sacrifice in order to live on renewable energy.

We started taking routine walks around the perimeter of the land (approx 5500 steps by my pedometer). Sometimes their spontaneous affection is super cute.

When you're among nature on a regular basis the sky is much more a part of one's consideration.  Our sky is often stunning.  

Of course, our RV is parked in Mesa, AZ and we are able to also spend time in the valley to enjoy wonderful winter temps and swim in the heated community pool!  

We also installed a solar panel on the roof of the RV in anticipation of future boondocking while traveling.

In big news, Husband graduated with his second bachelor's degree in software engineering in May!  He started the degree many years ago.  At times he thought he would never finish it, but over the past couple of years he took advantage of my tuition discount at ASU and finished it up.  Because our monthly expenses are so low and we have no debt he was able to quit his job and focus 100% on the degree, getting the homestead livable, and homeschooling the kids over the past year.  I am so thankful that we were able to focus our energy and time on our personal projects during the pandemic.  There is no other place I would rather be!  Spring was truly a transition time as we spent more and more time in the mountains and less in the RV.  I'm very proud of the choices we have made which have allowed us to have the best of many worlds - travel, homesteading in the mountains, "snowbirding" in the valley, & homeschooling.  

Living full-time in an RV for three years allowed us to understand what we need vs. what we want.  All of our needs are met by the RV.  The additional space of our tiny house (500 square feet w/ two lofts), the fact that it is built on a foundation instead of a frame on tires, and the fact that we have all off-grid systems fills our wants beautifully!  

Wood burning stove review - Vermont Castings Aspen C3 2020

(Hi readers, sorry for the long delay! Life has been crazy and I will be bringing you up to speed in the next posts)

Our Vermont Castings Aspen C3 was installed in September 2020 and we started using it in October.  Though my parents had a wood burning stove when I was young, it was my dad's domain and I had little involvement with it. Husband had no direct experience with wood burning stoves before this one.  I mention this because I want to admit we are novices, but I also know people who could talk us through problems - except that this is not my father's wood stove.

I mentioned briefly in a previous post that we were having some issues and we questioned whether it was operator error.  The problem was that smoke was coming out of the door when it was opened and the fire seemed to die down too easily when the door was latched shut.  These problems continued and came to a head on Christmas Eve when it became impossible to open the door at all without smoke billowing out of the door into the house.  Since the kids sleep in lofts where the smoke rises this was extremely distressing and stressful.  We had to let the fire die down instead of risk opening the door, smoking the place up, having to wake the kids and make them move outside as I stuffed stockings and wrapping the final gifts to put under the tree.  Drama.

Christmas morning was a cold one.  The kids opened their gifts but Husband's attention was directed toward the stove.  As soon as the presents were unwrapped he tried to light it, but the results were terrible as the house filled with smoke, the alarms were going off and we all had to evacuate until the air cleared (and of course I had to climb up in a loft in the thick smoke to find the family cat hiding under a bed and bring him down).  Ultimately we had to take the smoldering logs out of the stove and through the front door in order to empty the stove.  Of course we were unable to reach anyone for service on Christmas Day.  We ran our generator and two small space heaters to try and warm the house for the night, but on the day after Christmas (Saturday) we left for the valley (Christmas toys and all).  I felt defeated as we drove away from the homestead.  On Monday I was able to reach the stove professionals (Wizards Hearth and Home) and they scheduled a tech to visit on Tuesday.  I am so thankful for their quick response.  

As it turns out there are a couple of important components inside the fire box lining the top - the baffle and the blanket - and they hang below the flue, but close to it.  We didn't even realize they were there and did not understand their purpose.  The owners manual mentions these parts, but does not say anything about them.  When we were initially having trouble with smoke coming out of the door we called and spoke to a tech and they told us when we start the fire to "stuff the stove full of kindling" and get a good hot kindling fire going before adding larger logs.  Perhaps the baffle and blanket were dislodged during the stove's journey to our house, but we clearly dislodged it further.  We took the tech's instructions to mean we should "stuff the stove" and in doing so I think we further dislodged the baffle and blanket and partially obstructed the flue.  On Christmas Eve Husband inserted a particularly large log and tried to angle it in, but that must have shifted the baffle and blanket to completely obstruct the flue - hence the smoke pouring out of the door.  When the tech removed the pipe attached to the top of the stove he said "I found the problem" and it was clear to see that the flue was blocked by the blanket which was flush against the top of the stove not allowing any air to flow.  In fact the baffle is broken/cracked and a new one will be ordered.  Once the tech arranged the blanket and baffle back in their proper place he lit the stove and for the first time we could watch the fire blaze with the door open and the smoke did not flow into the house.  

In the weeks leading up to Christmas Eve our friends and family were puzzled by the fact that the Aspen C3 does not allow the user to adjust the external air flow - rather it is self-regulated by a thermostatic controlled air intake - a new feature which allows the stove to perform at optimal efficiency and produce the least amount of particulate matter.  These self-regulating features are new to the 2020 models to ensure conformance to EPA emissions standards.  

Because of the self-regulating air flow it is necessary to keep the door unlatched as the initial fire is started.  Once the kindling is burning the door can be latched, but there is a right amount of time that the door has to be open when the fire is starting.  However, I can finally report that after the tech left we have had much better fires, though at times the thermostatic control seems to still not let in enough air.  As the tech said, the stove is finicky - and we completely agree.

While the tech was here they ran a chimney brush up the pipe and there was a minimal amount of debris - it was not overly dirty.  We also learned (by watching) how to remove the 90 degree pipe inside the house so that we can clean it when needed.  

The final issue we have had is with the door handle - it does not latch well and though the tech fiddled with it when he was here it is not fixed.  They looked at again when they came back to install the baffle and still it doesn't work well.  I have fixed it a number of times and don't think it will ever work well.  The design is poor.

A month later the new baffle arrived.  The tech returned to install it and he had a heck of a time with it.  Husband ultimately had to show him the manual to ensure it was installed properly.  Once the baffle was installed we were able to burn, but the airflow is still not ideal.  After doing a lot more research it is clear that the two 90 degree bends in the pipe are located too close to the stove.  The installation does not follow the guidance in the manual.  We are left with a dilemma - put another hole in our steel building to ensure a proper installation (and airflow) or deal with what we have.  Given the track record of the installers we decided to just get through the end of the winter and deal with it.  Husband has gotten the hang of it - though it needs a lot of babysitting (he calls it his third child).  

Though the wood stove can make this place toasty warm, it is a hassle.  We are glad we can clear our land of down wood and use it for heating and, when the stove works well, it seems to be very efficient (you can't see smoke coming out of the outside pipe).  Our goal was to use renewable energy as much as possible and that is what we are doing!