Our RV Adventures

It hardly got into the 50’s today, but at least it didn’t rain. So there is that. But it pretty much killed any thing I wanted to do outside. And tomorrow should about the same, but with rain.

But that did give me a chance to play with a couple of my other new toys. I picked them up at Brandi’s on Saturday, but today was the first chance I had to check them out.

The first one was a new DashCam.

A118 Full HD 1080P Car DVR Dash Camera

I’ve been wanting one for a while, and had checked out quite a few of them, but this one came out on top, and getting to play with it showed me why.

It’s very small, less than 3 inches long, and only about an inch and a half wide. But it records in full HD 1080p video, and has a built-in mic that can be turned on or off. And it’s only $80.

It will record about  5 hours on a 32GB micro SD card (not included), and does so in 1 to 5 minute clips (your choice). It does it like this so you don’t end up with one humongous 32GB file that’s too big to do anything with. At the end of the 5 hours, the video loops back and starts recording over the earlier stuff, unless you’ve told it not to in the settings. The files are time/date stamped, and if you buy the optional GPS module (I did), the videos are also geo-tagged with your location.

It also has a lot of neat features, like a G-sensor that will sense a crash and save any video from being overwritten from that point.

The video quality is very sharp and clear, with a 170 degree viewing angle. I’ll try to get it installed tomorrow and show you some video tomorrow night.

The only problem I foresee is in mounting it, or at least mounting it in two different vehicles, since it only comes with one mounting kit. But I’ll work something out.

My next new toy is also a tool. Well, kind of. It’s a Bluetooth Code Scanner for trucks and cars.

Vgate Bluetooth OBD2 Scan Tool

It plugs into your diagnostic port under the dash, and then connects to your phone or tablet, using one of several apps.

If any of you are familiar with the Silverleaf VMSpc computer interface like Nick Russell and I run on our diesel engines, like below,

this is something very similar to that, but much, much cheaper. The VMSpc interface is several hundred dollars, but this one is $11.

The best way to start is to install the Torque app on your Android or iPad. Then you just plug the Scan Tool into the diagnostic port under your dash, start your vehicle, and connect your tablet’s Bluetooth to the Scan Tool’s signal.

At that point you can start to build your own virtual dashboard, just like you can on the VMSpc.

Here’s a sample.

And you can have 7 pages of different gauges to scroll through. You can  also log all your readings and email or share them.

And just like the VMSpc, this app lets you read and reset Check Engine light codes, and other parameters. The basic Torque software is free, and there are a number of other auto apps that will work with the unit. Check it out.

Here’s more info from CNet on the Torque app.

Later, after Jan made me put my toys away, we all headed up to La Grange for dinner. But I knew Nick would want to stop off at the Timeless Texas Classics classic car place.

We visited here back right before Christmas, but I won’t post any photos this time because they would just be repeating what Nick will post. So check his blog out at the Gypsy Journal.

For dinner we went back to the Sealand Seafood restaurant in La Grange. Well, Jan and I went back. It was the first time for Nick and Terry, but everyone really enjoyed it. Great Seafood.

On our way home, we made a stop at the Wal-Mart before getting back to our rig’s about 7pm. Nice day.

Tomorrow night will be our last night together for a month or so until Tucson, so we wanted to eat somewhere special. And we all quickly agreed that the ‘somewhere special’ should be Little V’s Vietnamese Bistro back in Katy, where we just ate this past Saturday.

So, yes. It was that good.

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Thought for the Day:

“Clothes make the man. Naked people have little to no influence on society” ~ Mark Twain.

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The promised rain never materialized today. Instead it was sunny and in the mid-70’s. What’da they know.

I broke down last night and ordered a quadcopter like the one Nick has. Can’t let him get too far ahead of me. Besides, I figure he’ll break his at some point and want me to fix it, so this way I’ll have some advanced knowledge about it.

That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.

UDI U818A 2.4GHz 4 CH 6 Axis Gyro RC Quadcopter with Camera RTF Mode 2

So this morning I went over to Nick’s to practice flying his. I mean, I don’t want to practice using mine. I might break it.

I was surprised at how easy it was to fly, much easier than some of the small ones I have. And it was probably easier due to the fact it WAS bigger. A good bit bigger.

In fact it’s more than a foot across, and very stable. For only $61 it’s a great deal.

I had mine sent to Chris and Linda’s down in Friendswood, so we’ll be able to pick it up when we get down there Wednesday. Like Nick I also ordered some extra batteries for it, so I won’t have to wait between flights.

Later in the afternoon, since the weather was still pretty clear, I decided to wash and wax the rig using my new pressure washer.

After filling the solution tank with the wash/wax concentrate, I used the high power wash to thoroughly wet down an area, then switched to the mix position to spray the wash/wax on. Then using my telescoping soft brush, I scrubbed the area down being sure not to miss any spots. Finishing up, I switched back to the high power setting and washed all the dirt and suds off,

Doing about a quarter of the rig side at a time, I worked my way around all 4 sides. The concentrate that came with the washer seems to work pretty well and doesn’t leave streaks when it dries. The shine looks pretty good, but I don’t think it’s quite as good as the Zip Wax Concentrate I’ve used before. So the next time I do the rig, I probably use the Zip Wax.

For dinner tonight, Jan fixed up a batch of her famous Nachos, made with both fresh and pickled jalapeños, to go along with our leftover Mexican from Los Cabos last week. Really, really good.

Then later, I fixed us sundaes with Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla and several different kinds of chopped up Hershey’s Kisses. The perfect dessert.

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Thought for the Day:

Remember Nick Russell’s latest Big Lake book, Big Lake Burning, is out. Get it now before they’re all gone.

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