Here is what I have learnt so far in 2020. Number one the first of the month is not a good time to go to a Verizon store…apparently all the new plan options are announced at the beginning of the month and every old grey haired fart was lined up to do a plan upgrade. Of course I was one of those old grey haired farts in the line up as well and I was able to get double the data on my monthly data plan as well but it was a hour of my life that is just gone…like seriously. The second thing I have learned today, and it’s not even noon, is that the UPS stores aren’t real good at fixing UPS created screw ups, you may remember that I received a wrong item back in December, and that our UPS driver was to bring a return label for, but he didn’t for any one of a plethora of reasons way too long and tedious to even start to get into. So today I went to a UPS store to try to just get a replacement label and drop the package off, let me just say that none of that took place, even though I had a tracking number, apparently that could not take place. And now even though I had just blogged about how I was going to try to be more tolerant of Stupid…here it is noon on the 2nd of January and I have failed in my quest to be more tolerant 😦 So after a long call telephone call with John C. at Amazon customer relations, and after John C. had assured me that they were able to email me a copy of the UPS shipping label, the same label that UPS said could not be copied….

Well it appears that John C. has been unable to to fulfill his promise, as the email I just received has again not got me the elusive shipping label, since I still have not received a shipping label and the package is to be returned by the 6th of January here we go again…so for my sixth attempt to return the item that they shipped to me by mistake, I have decided to attempt another email…and my new approach is to basically just ask for the return address so I can just fill out a new shipping label, that way I can pick a courier that is maybe just a little more helpful than UPS, we will see…so right now it looks as if this saga will obviously have to be continued.

Update…I may have touched a nerve…maybe…just saying.

So I’m just going to declare January the 2nd as a successful day with a small victory after a couple hours of frustration. So just a quick update, batteries are doing a great job, handling over night, solar is is bringing in over twenty amps of power at mid day of which about half is going to recharge the bank. Miss Laurie has came down with a cold 🥶, so she is self medicating with over the counter drugs, the temperature in Yuma is a nice at 70 or 21 degrees, with full sun, the BLM land is about as crowded as we expected but other than some rail and road noise it is a great spot to spend a few days.

New Year’s Day is a moving day for the Buchanan’s, Thunder has not ran since we settled in here on December the first. Today will have us heading north on AZ-85 to Gila Bend and Interstate 8 where we will head west, todays end destination is BLM land near the VFW Post 8242 on US-95 near Yuma. I expect we will make a stop at Dateland for one of their world famous date shakes on the way across I-8 to Yuma, total distance will be only around 162 miles, but I expected driving time will be about three plus hours, partially because the first 60 miles is two lane highway, and then there will be a fuel stop in the Yuma area before heading to the BLM land. And because we would like to be settled in full daylight our time of departure will need to be about 11 o’clock this morning, we are almost packed, last showers on full hookups, dumping the tanks, are the quick part, the goodbyes are the most difficult and time consuming part of any departure.

There are a number of little items that I need to check on, for one I need to start and run the generator, I have not started it since the oil change was completed, and it may be needed to recharge the new battery bank if the solar can not get the job done, I also need to check the battery charging from the alternator on Thunder, and make a determination if any kind of a voltage limiter is required, I do not expect any issues but we still need to check it.

Our stop in Yuma will have a number of tasks to complete, first I will need to get our Verizon hot spot fired up again, then I have an item to send back to Amazon that our UPS driver was unable to make happen so a trip to a UPS store will be required, we will most likely make a trip to a Costco in California for the restocking of supplies before a month of boon-docking, and last but not least a chance to visit with Gilles and Francine who we have not seen since last year in Florida. We will also be taking in a couple of movies while in Yuma, Miss Laurie wants to see new Star Wars movie for sure and if time allows we will try to see if we can take in a second show.

And of course this will be the first real test of the new battery bank and our ability to recharge with our solar system. My expectations are high for the recharging, but this will be our first, indication whether we have enough solar panels to handle the task, or if some additional panels will be required. But that will be a slow process over some time starting with different parking locations and tipping the panels or not, that’s why we have a month or so because it could take that long to figure it all out…just saying.