Hitching Up, Baby!

Backing up your tow vehicle to hitch onto your trailer is always problematic, especially when you're alone. There's no one to provide you with information on how close the hitch ball is to the receiver unit on the trailer. What to do...?

There are a number of gadgets out there from magnetic balls on sticks to fancy and expensive backup cameras. There is also the free baby monitor.

Yes, a baby monitor! If you have two units like an iphone and an ipad or similar Android devices, which can 'speak' to each other via Bluetooth, then using a free baby monitor app you can send video from your trailer hitch (called the 'baby') to you in the tow vehicle (called the 'parent'). Watching the screen, you can tell where the ball and receiver are and flawlessly inch your way right to the perfect spot without having to constantly get out and check and re-adjust. The only time I have to get out now is to adjust the height of the receiver unit if I have left it too low to drop onto the ball once I'm in place.

Another use for the baby monitor is when backing into a parking site or camping spot. In this case mount the 'baby' unit on the rear of the trailer (I do this using a cheap suction cup device) and monitor where you are backing into via the 'parent' unit in the car. You will probably have to play with the 'baby' device to get the best view in the 'parent' screen, but once you get the hang of it, its easy to set up and use.

Thank you baby!

The Cost of Speed

One of the fastest cars at the Autumn Classic Car Races at Le Circuit Mont Tremblant last weekend was this orange coloured McLaren. At the moment seen in the photo it was probably going around 150 miles per hour, perhaps a little less having left the pit straight and beginning to set up for a series of corners just up ahead. It might be a fun car to own, but then I got thinking about his fuel consumption...

Driving the 280 kms to Mont Tremblant I had left later than expected and consequently pushed it a bit more than usual, averaging roughly 90 kph along mostly multilane highways. I was a bit shocked to notice my gas consumption was high, 12.6 liters per hundred kilometers (lphk) in fact. Without a tow, my car averages just over 9 lphk at that speed, so towing Big Trill was making a big difference. Or did it...?

On the drive home, there was no rush, so I backed off the throttle and lowered my average speed to around 80 kph. By the time I passed through Montreal I noticed consumption was running around 8.6 lphk, a drop of 4 lphk! The cost of going just 10 kph faster was dramatic!

The road from Montreal to home heads gradually up a series of long hills, so consumption increased again,  giving me an over all figure of 9.4 lphk for the trip home. Still a healthy drop from the outward trip of over 3 lphk. While that might seem much, over a longer trip, the savings can add up when a liter of gas can cost $1.40 and sometimes more. There is definitely a cost to speed! I think I'll cancel the McLaren purchase...

Trilling Races!

Big Trill and I headed off to Mont Tremblant this past weekend to see some vintage car racing amidst the coloured splendors of a Quebec autumn. We were joined by a 1973 Winnebago 'Brave' motorhome for the event. While we parked at a local campground at night, we used the 'Brave' as a base of operations during the day, positioning it with a view of the race track so we could wtach the action in the shade and closeness to  basic facilities...

Each morning of the weekend there was fog hanging low over the track , but this worked in our favour as we could park with a commanding view long before other spectators arrived to crowd us out.

Once the air cleared, the views of the surrounding hills were gloriously colourful, sunny and warm. Perfect for relaxing to the wailing of race car engines tearing up the track below us. Luckily I only do this every 30 years or so. I don't want to know how the millionaires living in the area manage to put up with it. When the track was first built it was miles from anywhere. Who would have guessed that it would later turn into a world class ski and summer resort area...?

As the morning fog lifts, the first cars appear on the circuit. The racing begins. We settle in for a weekend of pretending we're still kids and adulthood is a trap...

Hot Water!

With the weather turning colder, it's time to think about ways to keep warm. For the fun of it I got out one of these portable solar shower bags and have left it on the camper roof for the day. We'll see how much heat it puts out this evening when the temperature is expected to drop to freezing and below. 

At worst, hopefully I won't have to heat water to wash dishes!

Housekeeping...

One of the first things to learn when camping in a small trailer is that whatever mess gets created is out there for all to see...

Does this mean I'm about to become a tidier person? Time will tell I suppose! This photo shows what the first week has produced. Will week two be better or worse?

Power Watch

It's been dark and rainy the past few days so the battery has done most of the work powering Big Trill. When getting up in the morning I noticed two things. First, I had forgotten to turn my outside light off. Second, with it using 1 amp of electricity each hour, the battery voltage was hovering around 12.1 which is about 50% capacity or so. Normally the voltage is around 12.6 or higher and the battery charge is above 80%.

When the fridge turns on it draws 2.5 amps for a short period, but the voltage remains constant. 

Once the fridge turns off and the sky brightens up a little the voltage goes up a little, a good sign! This has been the pattern during this period of rainy days.

The good news is the 50 watt solar panel has been able to maintain power and can do so probably indefinitely if I'm careful with my power consumption. 

The Road!

The road has been calling for a while now so it was only a matter of time before wheels began turning and big Trill rolled down the driveway to set out on her trial run. 

Here she is in her first campsite. Solar up and running, water working and we've settled in with no trauma to speak of. Water is nearby so I went for a swim and enjoyed a few beers with the locals. Life appears to be good!