Securely Erecting The Wind Generator.

Our Location today is at the La Posa South, LTVA, Quartzsite, Arizona.

Click on the pictures to Enlarge

We were both downstairs by 7:30 again this morning which is unlike Kathy’s normal sleep pattern. I kiddingly told her that she’s getting ready for Daylight Savings Time when we get back to Ontario. I’d finished my second Coffee, my inside Chores and after dressing to keep warm was heading outside by 9:45.

You can see last night's Rain pooled on our Tonneau Cover.

Before starting to work on the Tower today I had other things to do. The first was to top off the Gasoline in our Honda Generator which I’ve been using to power the Welding Machine that last few days. Amazingly it only used Three Gallons for all that time it ran.

Wayne holding the Tower in place while I brace it.

The next chore was to check and switch out One of our Propane Tanks that was Empty with our Spare Tank.

Attaching a Guide Cable to the Tower.

We have also been using lots of Fresh Water from our Tank so I managed to pump the last Half a Barrel into the Trailer. That will hold us until this weekend.

Lowering the Power Cord.

I was busy cleaning the Tower Pieces that I created for our Wind Generator when Wayne came over for a chat. He likes to see what I’m doing and it also gives me a chance to run some Design Ideas and Concerns by him because he also had a background in fabricating. By partially assembling the Tower we were able to put the issue of strength to rest but considered the need to use Guide Wires.

Staking the Guide Cables into the ground.

Ken who also worked in the Trades came over to see how things were going and when I discussed the need to strengthen the Frame he discounted it but let me know that if I needed help to let him know. Heck I could have had an entire crew working for me.

I had everything cleaned and painted before Kathy called me for Lunch. She said it was just Leftovers but that’s always music to my ears. It was the Leftover Homemade Chicken Noodle and Vegetable Soup, along with the Leftover Bread from Coyote Fresh Foods grilled with Cheese and Yogurt with fresh Blackberries for dessert,

Thinking that it had warmed up after lunch I dressed slightly lighter to go back outside. When I went back outside it didn’t take long to go back inside to add my sweater to protect me from the Cold North Wind. As soon as I started assembling the Tower on the ground Wayne came right over to give me a hand as Kathy went over to visit with Sue.

Raining in Quartzsite

After getting the Tower standing level in place we found that I still needed Turnbuckles and Cable Clamps for the Guide Wires that I had. Since we had to go to town Wayne cautioned me that Herb’s might not be open due to it being Presidents Day. He suggested also getting Swim Noodles for the bottom of the Guide Cables so they might be seen in low light conditions and eliminate us walking into them.

Can you see the end of the Rainbow over the center RV?

Getting ready to leave we had not even put the Truck in gear when we look at the Clouds over Quartzsite. Those were Rain Clouds and there was nothing in the Forecast about that this morning.

Dark Sky, Bright Mountains and the Rainbow.

We were happy to see Herb’s Hardware was open. Kathy had the job to look for the Swim Noodles and I had all the Hardware to take care of. We were barely inside the door when the Rain came down hard enough to hear it on the roof and then it stopped. John helped us get everything but the Swim Noodles which he suggested trying the Dollar Stores.

Looks threatening.

We checked both the Family Dollar and Dollar General with no luck so we stopped at the Big Market Grocery and Hardware Store. They did have some Pipe Insulation that would work as a temporary Safety Feature. 

It was past 4:30 by this time so we decided to stop at McDonald’s for a quick supper.

Looks like someone with a long nose.

As we were heading back towards La Posa South the Clouds looked like our Home was getting a good washing. When we turned off Arizona 95 into the LTVA there were Thick Black Clouds filling the Sky with the colours of a Rainbow touching the Mountains toward the north. We managed to get a few pictures as we headed for Home.

As soon as I started putting things together Wayne came right over wanting to give us as much assistance as possible. After we attached the Turnbuckles to the Cables I climbed to the roof to attach them to the Tower. If we had thought to add the Cables before standing the Tower it would have been much easier.

While I added the Feathers to the Generator on the Roof Kathy and Wayne had a short visit and were looking at some Scary Cloud Formations that resembled those you get prior to a Tornado. With the steady breeze blowing I felt frozen while working on the roof. The moment I lowered the Wind Generator in place the breeze stopped. “Really?”

Notice  the Windsock no longer moving as
I lower the Wind Generator in place.

By the time I got down on the ground Kathy was getting chilled so she went inside while Wayne and I secured the Guide Lines. We also used the Multi-Meter to verify the Wind Generator was doing its job.

After a round of Hot Chocolates and Cookies to warm us up a bit we each had a Warm Shower to finish getting the chill out of our bodies.

The Moon trying to peek through the Clouds.

We have errands to run tomorrow so it will depend on how late we get back if I get the Charge Controller hooked up to the Wind Generator. I’ll give more details on this in a couple of days. Thank you for following along and feel free to leave a comment.

Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

Pictures by Kathy.

Krackers

Words of Inspiration

Who so loves believes the impossible.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning, English Poet