Point, TX - TT

Monday -Yesterday, we left Bridgeport for another TT park near Point, TX, roughly 50 miles east of Dallas. We are here with RV friends that we’ve met several times over the years. I cooked a turkey breast in the sous vide while we traveled, and, like every other time, it came out tasting great. 

I set up the StarLink antenna on the roof but there are quite a few trees. It works fine for streaming but there are short outages every couple of minutes so the AT&T hotspot will be used for the Zoom calls. 

Today’s “chore” was back-flushing and regenerating the water softener. It’s been a while since I had last done it. I had been carrying around the two containers of salt since we left TX, assuming I would get around to it sometime. 

Tuesday - It is supposed to hit into the mid-80s (°F) later this afternoon but with the nice breeze, it still feels pretty nice. A pretty laid-back day. The wind picked up last night so no more awning for the next couple of days. It was mostly up to keep the leaves out of the Blackstone while cooking. 

During the afternoon test session, I moved the Starlink antenna towards the back of the RV and facing an opening in the trees. We'll see if it makes any difference. The previous orientation averaged about 7 outages per 15-minute period for a total of 53 seconds. I have been using the AT&T hotspot for the test sessions.

Wednesday -Today's adventure was visiting Ham Radio Outlet in Plano, TX, to look for an HF (high-frequency) transceiver. I had narrowed down a couple of radios that are pretty similar. I also picked up a power supply and an antenna. Traffic was horrible heading into Dallas.

Bridgeport, TX - TT

Monday - The afternoon task was removing the "nuclear" gorilla tape and Eternabond from the windshield. The mobile glass company said they plan to come out tomorrow morning to reset the glass. The tape adhesive was challenging to get cleaned up. I have it off of the rubber seal and the glass. There is still some adhesive on the painted fiberglass around the seal. I'll tackle that after the afternoon test session.

Tuesday - The windshield guy arrived this morning right when he said. It turns out that the windshield has a crack starting from a rock chip. The flexing from the crack could have allowed enough movement for the windshield to come loose. Now more phone calls. I had them re-install the lock beads into the seal so we would be able to travel next week as I don't think that this is going to be resolved quickly.

Wednesday - It’s supposed to be a hot one today. Still nothing from the insurance company. The RV glass contractor is waiting for notification from Progressive on coverage. 

There was a pool and “hot” tub at this park but neither one was heated. The pool was nice and clean but the temperature was somewhere in the 70s (maybe) so I didn’t stay in long. But the pool deck was quiet and relaxing. A nice warm breeze felt good after getting out of the pool.

My morning task was washing the Jeep. I had run it through a car wash a few weeks ago and, after the Balloon Fiesta South RV lot. The Jeep was pretty dirty. 

Thursday - By 11:30 this morning, it was almost 80°F. I think it's going to be a warm one. Plus, the forecast is calling for wind this afternoon which means I need to bring in the awning. It's nice to have on these hot, sunny days. Plus, it shades the back of the refrigerator.

I saw this on Zillow yesterday evening. So I guess it’s official. We are now “homeless” or “house-less”. I’m celebrating 🎉! That was a long process.

After riding the e-bike to the pool, I have another flat on the rear tire. Sigh…

Bridgeport, TX - TT

Saturday - Another beautiful day. It's 68°F at 11am with a light breeze. I have been watching the wind as there was one evening when the gusts got up to 35mph. A bit too high for the awning. 

My epoxied pedal-assist sensor ring seems to work. I had to order a crank puller from Amazon as my other tool is in Hondo (or Fairbanks). The Amazon tool was cheap and I ordered it yesterday and it arrived today. That’s pretty decent. After riding around the park a couple of times to test it out, I returned to the A/C as it’s almost 80°F right now. So much for the cooler weather. 

Sunday - I’ve always wanted to make sauerbraten but never tried it. Today, I’m making it two different ways just to see the difference. The first was a “traditional” recipe I found on the Internet where the beef roast was marinated for five days then roasted in the oven for four hours. The second was an Instant Pot recipe with no marinating and an hour and a half in the Instant Pot. Sides are a traditional red cabbage, German potato salad, and a green salad. 

Since it’s on the warm side, I’m cooking what I can outside. The four hours in the convection microwave is heating up the inside of the RV. Since we are on a 30amp connection, we can’t run the A/C until the oven is off. 

Later - Predictably, the traditional version had a lot more flavor. 

Bay Landing, TX - TT

Tuesday - I have a lot of projects for the next couple of weeks that we are here at the RV park. I called an auto glass shop and they believe that they can fit us in next week with their mobile setup. The toilet has a water leak somewhere so I have to pull that out, and I have an RJ-45 wall penetration for the StarLink cable. So far, I've just been feeding it in under the driver's window. This is not ideal as it pinches the cable.

Thursday - The water leak was a simple fix with some silicone. So one task done. We met with a mobile notary this morning to sign a bunch of papers for the house sale. Hopefully, the whole process gets completed soon.

Yesterday and today have been really nice. Cool nights and very pleasant days. The 69°F in the screenshop is in the middle of the afternoon. I wish these temperatures would stick around. 

Friday - Not much going on today though I am able to join a test session while sitting outside. It's been too warm until this week. The picture shows the e-bike crank encoder ring that broke the last time I put the bike into the basement storage. The chain got tangled in it. I found similar items on Amazon and ordered one with 12 magnets. Since the cadence is used to determine the amount of pedal assist, more magnets means more pedal assist. We’ll see how this works. 

Today, I realized that I could still ride the e-bike without the pedal assist sensor ring by using the throttle. Now, there is little incentive to use the pedals. By adding in the pedals, I can get a little bit more speed (and a little exercise). The sensor ring and crank puller have been ordered for delivery to the Amazon locker. I have put the old sensor back together using some marine epoxy just in case the 12-magnet sensor doesn't work.

Clarendon, TX - HH and Bridgeport, TX - TT

Sunday - Today’s stop is at a museum in Clarendon, TX, called Saint’s Roost. The museum isn’t open today or tomorrow but we put some cash in a donation box. It is 83°F right now so we have the generator running and the A/C on. For these overnight stops, I don’t bother setting up StarLink nor put out the living room slide. The AT&T hotspot is sufficient for Internet. 

Monday - Wednesday arrived about 2pm at the TT in Bridgeport, TX. We did need to make a stop at a rest area to add some tape to the windshield. Yes, it’s started to come out again. Maybe the heat in Albuquerque combined with their horrible roads. Lots of jarring while driving in the right lane. The roads improved once we crossed into TX. 

Tuesday - The forecast is for hot today then much cooler for the rest of the week. We are in the original part of the park so 30amp with sewer and water. Most of the sites don’t have a sewer connection which makes it more challenging to do things like laundry. We are kind of far from the amenities like the pool but that’s not unusual for a TT park. 

Too bad my e-bike is out of commission. I broke the pedal assist sensor ring the last time I was putting it away in the basement storage. Hopefully I can find a replacement part. 

Not much else to report. StarLink is under the slide topper again sitting flat and seems to be working fine. 

Santa Rosa, NM

Saturday - We left the balloon fiesta this morning after dry camping for ten days. We used the generator quite a bit as the solar was barely able to keep up in the middle of the day. It ran for 4-6 hours per day to recharge the batteries and cool down the RV in the afternoon. 

We are at a small RV park in Santa Rosa, NM, about 120 miles east of Albuquerque. Full hookups w/50 amp service for $35. Good price but that’s about it. The park is kind of run down but we needed to dump and get some laundry done. 

Tomorrow, we are headed for a Harvest Host on the other side of Amarillo. 

Last night, we went to the fiesta and I helped a bit with the Party Balloon. This was a large shaped balloon and they needed some help. I was available. 

The evening events are just “glows” where the balloon is filled and heated but not launched. The “glow” is from the propane burner. I don’t have any pictures of the Party Balloon as I was helping holding it down. I qualify as an anchor or ballast. It was a fun experience.

I thoroughly enjoyed the Balloon Fiesta and felt that the volunteering added a lot to the experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat. 

AIBF - Day 7

Friday -Today was the my last early morning. Once the balloons start launching at sunrise (7:09am), we get very few volunteers stopping by the booth. So we get to watch. It seemed much colder today than earlier in the week. Especially once you get onto the field. 

There were a number of special shaped balloons this morning but not all them launched as it was a bit breezy. 

Seeing all the balloons in the air is still pretty cool. 

AIBF - Day 6

Wednesday - I volunteered for the morning shift again. It was pretty nice weather and most of the balloons took off. It couple of the larger shaped balloons opted not to fly. 

A lot of balloons were in the air. Almost too many to count. The “Albuquerque box” was evident as all of the balloons took off towards the south (to the left in the picture) and are now moving north after gaining some altitude. 

For lunch, they had a pilot and volunteer picnic at the Albuquerque zoo. Good barbecue with all the normal fixings. And the zoo was pretty nice as well. Though I didn’t take any pictures. 

AIBF - Day 5

Tuesday - My volunteer shift was early morning again. I talked a group of high school students to volunteer and they were excited to participate. The balloon of the day was sponsored by Coca Cola and it carried the American flag during the National Anthem. 

By this time, I was already on the field as part of a chase team for a small team from Spain. They were competing after the mass ascension and we left the field to launch from off the field. 

We found a spot in a cul-de-sac. We set it up quickly and was launched in about 15 minutes. Before the residents needed to leave their driveways. 

This is the view while the envelope was being filled. After they took off, we brought their truck back to the field. They made a two passes at the target. I’m not sure how they scored.

This was an enjoyable adventure. 

AIBF - Day 3, 4

Sunday - Very light wind this morning so there was a mass ascension. Hundreds of balloons launched over about couple hour period. We had a great view of the launches from our booth. 

Some balloons have unique shapes. This one of the brain is kind of unusual. 

Monday - It was a much less crowded day in the Balloon Fiesta park. 

AIBF - Day 2

Saturday - Today was the official opening day of the Balloon Fiesta. My shift started at 4am so I caught the 3:15 shuttle from the parking area. There was quite a bit of traffic on the road even at this time of day. The shuttle dropped me off within a hundred yards from the “booth”, which a small container with a roll-up door. 

After a wind delay, balloons started launching. The prevailing wind was towards the NW instead of the normal southerly direction. The first balloons launching were the commercial ones with paying customers. Then the ones to the south end of the field. 

There was a drone show earlier in the morning. It was hard to photograph as the phone used a long exposure. As you can see, there was quite a crowd. 

The booth I’m volunteering at had a decent view of the launches. The wind picked up but it was low enough to continue launching. After my shift, there was a welcome lunch at the pilots building. Nothing fancy but decent food. 

AIBF - Day 1

Friday - There were a few balloons up this morning. Tomorrow is the first day of the Balloon Fiesta. I suspect that tomorrow’s mass ascension should be spectacular.

Yesterday, I went and picked up my volunteer packet. Besides my lanyard, passes, party tickets, and promotional books, I got a fleece vest and a jacket. The picture is the back of the jacket. 

My first shift is tomorrow morning at 4:30am. I met with the group leaders today to find out where to go and what I’ll be doing. 

Albuquerque, NM

Wednesday - We arrived at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta (AIBF) around mid-morning. They found our registration but couldn’t locate the packet of parking passes. Probably as I registered for the RV parking separate from volunteering. They gave us a nice elevated location so we would have a nice view of the landing area. 

As an experiment, I just placed the StarLink antenna on top of our slide under the slide topper. So far, it seems to work fine with download speeds of over 300 Mbps. I was thinking of setting it up on the roof but this is easier as I don’t need to climb up on the roof. 

All of the parking is N-S so the solar panels can’t be tilted. They are peaking at under 400watts so not very good. We will be running the generator quite a bit while we are here. Dry camping. No power, water, or sewer for the next 11 days.