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Solar Upgrade, Hauling E-Bikes and a Very Shiny RV


September 15-21, 2019 — During the third week of September we spent time in our former home area of central Wisconsin. We visited with friends and family, completed a solar upgrade on the RV, gave it a good outside scrubbing, rode our e-bikes, and took time to enjoy the changing colors of the almost-fall season. 

Even though we kept busy all week it was still relaxing and enjoyable. Being able to complete the solar upgrade this week along with the suspension upgrade and maintenance (oil changes on the RV, car and generator) that was done the previous week was nice to mark off the to-do list. With these projects finished we now feel ready for the upcoming trip south for the winter. 

It seems almost a travesty to even be mentioning winter when, technically, the calendar this week still indicates summer. Anyone that is familiar with the upper Midwest climate knows that once September hits snow and cold soon follow. Brr! We are hoping it waits until we head south in early October. 

We wrapped up the week in Woodbury, MN by hanging out with our son, daughter-in-law and two wonderful grandchildren. We look forward to spending next week with them as well and will be enjoying watching our grandson, who just started kindergarten this year, show off his skills at soccer and swimming lessons. We’ll have to wait a few years to watch our two year old granddaughter do the same. 

All nights this week were free stays at the homes of friends and family.

Mile Driven – RV

Miles Driven – Car

After a nice bubble bath we shined up the Vegas with Turtle Wax Ice Seal N Shine. The product was super easy to apply and the results look great. The whole washing and waxing process did take the two of us most of a day but oh so worth it. 

Look at that shine. We almost needed sunglasses to cut the glare!

There was a forty five minute window between Sunday NFL games, so we used that time to take a quick 7 mile ride on the Lectric XP e-bikes. These bikes are a blast!

After much experimenting and spouting a few colorful words we settled on a new arrangement to transport both e-bikes in the Kia Soul that keeps the bikes safe and secure while allowing room to transport other items like groceries, laundry and folding chairs. Hopefully with practice, loading and unloading will become second nature and only take a few minutes. 

Sadly our time at Jeni’s RV Resort and Spa in central Wisconsin ended and it was time to check out. The days flew by so quickly! We had a great time and look forward to returning next summer. The site is actually driveway parking at our friends Jeni and Kevin’s house but it’s more fun to call it a Resort and Spa. 

Cloudy skies lead to beautiful sunsets like this one just north of Wausau, WI. We almost missed it as the days are rapidly getting shorter and the sunsets are so much earlier. Wausau is on the 45th parallel with sunset during the third week of September at approximately 7:00 PM which leaves only 12 hours of daylight. 

We added 200 watts of additional solar to our Thor Vegas motorhome giving us a total of 600 watts to go along with 300 Ah lithium battery bank. The system allows us to boondock almost exclusively while having enough power to meet our needs a majority of the time. The extra 200 watts should give us a boost during periods of multiple cloudy/rainy days and when the sun angle is lower in the sky. We love the freedom of being able to park off grid while still being able to use the microwave, laptops, TV’s, blender, hairdryer, etc. 

Thanks to friends Kenny, Jaime and Kylee for your wonderful hospitality in allowing us to park in your driveway and loaning out a few tools so we could complete the solar upgrade. We definately are looking forward to coming back soon!

Fall officially starts soon and central Wisconsin is ready for it with maturing corn fields and yellow, orange and red leaves on the trees. 

Wayside Park in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin offers a free RV dump station and drinking water compliments of the local Kiwanis Club. The park is conveniently located just off of the main highway next to the water treatment plant and is easy to access with any size RV. Thanks Chippewa Falls!

Another great week is in the books. Stay tuned to next week to see what fun Minnesota has in store for us. See you then!