Seriously...?

Road is good to go - but... 

I am a bit overdue for a supply run and decided to also do a couple loads of laundry since the coast was clear now.  Got all packed up and - my truck battery was D.E.A.D.  Tried putting a charge on it and still nothing.  Since I never remember when I last replaced a vehicle battery, I've made a habit of writing the install date on it with a Sharpie.  Seems this dead one was put into service on 8/19/17.  Oops.  Five years was really pushing it.  Placed an order for a new battery at AutoZone in Alpine and a friend just happens to be there today and will bring it to me either tonight or tomorrow.  Also getting some new top post battery terminals as the old ones are in pretty bad shape.  87,94,65,0,B

Going long...

Just ordered today.  Long range transmitter for both telemetry and RC signal.  I also ordered a different RC transmitter to work with this system.  It's actually quite brilliant in that the unit that mounts on the RC transmitter connects with the ground station software on my laptop via Wi-Fi.  This will allow me to view mission progress in real time and control mission parameters via the ground station and manual control if needed via the RC transmitter - all from up to 40 kilometers away.  That extreme distance is advertised for airborne vehicles with direct line of sight so I expect the performance for my land-based rover will be considerably less.  That test will be an upcoming video.   83,89,65,0,C

The Hard Way

A little over 2" of rain this past week has taken its toll on a couple spots on Mailbox Road. Someone who just bought property out here learned about road conditions after a good rainstorm...the hard way. Got her unstuck yesterday. As of today, I can't get through - but upon closer inspection, it looks like I can reasonably fix the bad spots enough to get my truck through them. I am going to work on them by hand tomorrow. Hopefully the road crew will be out to thoroughly fix all the problem spots before I spent too much time slaving away with just a shovel... 85,88,61,0,B

Reminds me of someone...

Proverbs 6:12 A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. 13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; 14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. 15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy. 16 These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. 

Danny Huynh

I have been thinking about how I might detail the rover - leaning toward post-apocalyptic/steampunk vs space-age/modern.  Saw this on a friend's Facebook feed this morning and I find this guy's work very interesting.  Problem with finding something like this that I really like is to not just copy it - but to be inspired by it and figure out how to incorporate some of the aesthetic in an innovative way.  

77,82,70, .03",B

Waiting game...

It never fails - don't really need to get out but can't get out so I want to get out.  When I will be able to get out again depends on how much more rain falls in the coming days.  I prefer to wait until someone else successfully tries the road, so I repositioned my driveway camera to keep an eye out for the first vehicle to pass by.  Looks OK here but I know from experience that it is probably pretty bad further on.  The Wyze Cam motion detection feature will catch and record the first brave soul to make an attempt.  "Not a drop fell today" but another good chance of a downpour tomorrow afternoon.  (UPDATE:  got more rain from 8PM to midnight!)  If there is no evidence of any other vehicle traffic by Sunday, I will send the drone out to take a peek.  78,90,79, .59",B

State of the Water Supply

Total rain so far this year is 4.41" - and I have 17,400 gallons on tap as of today.  It has been a while since I was this close to topping off all 20,000 gallons of my storage tanks.  The last time I was full to capacity was 2016 when I got 12.26" of rain over those 12 months.  76,82,70, .23",B