Starting Again

Back for round two!

I learned a lot my first trip here, and I believe I have solutions that will work this time around!

First off, the trees have GROWN IN! And the ticks are relentless. The trip here was incredibly enjoyable and it was a joy watching the trees increase at every junction of the journey. Starting at the top left and going clockwise, you have Iowa, the border near Decorah, north of Madison, then the road entrance to Mulberry Lane. Doesn't the air just look fresher??

When I arrived it was a whole different world. If you remember, I purchased the land in November, the trees were already leaf-less and the undergrowth had dissipated. I hadn't seen it with the trees grown in until this trip; and I fell in love with it even MORE.

My neighbor 2-doors down (not THAT neighbor) had introduced himself to a friend of mine and shared his recollection of how I had introduced myself back in 2015 when I had moved in. He said I came "skipping down the street" with "the biggest smile" and was chipper with my introduction. If you know me... I don't skip. and "chipper" is a stretch most days. When I tell you that I was chipper on my walk down to the river to see it last night, it is an understatement. I was giddy with just so much happiness. If my knees and back wouldn't yell at me, you would have seen me skipping.

Do you see the tiny tree growing out of that rock across the way?

This trip is a lesson in problem solving. Part of the reason I went home a week early last trip was because I learned the camper does not have working outlets when not plugged into electricity. What that meant was to power my laptop and satellite internet, I needed to run the generator my brother has so graciously let me borrow. Even though it is a quiet generator, when you are up here it just hurts your soul to have more noise than just the trees whispering in the wind. So I came home early and did my research.

I purchased a Jackery 880 Powerstation for more than 50% off along with a 200-watt solar panel bank. The Jackery has the power to charge a computer 11 times over on a single charge. Once I get it set up well, I should be able to have continuous power supply through the Jackery throughout the day for both my computer and Satellite internet. Putting together this post is a test to see how much energy the Jackery will give on a full charge (I will let you know at the end).

Two other purchases that are out to prove themselves to me is a RV fridge fan that my director at work insists works some magic to keep all the things in the fridge (no temp control) from freezing. The other purchase was two Moultrie Edge Cellular Trail Cameras. Instead of connecting to internet, they connect to the closest most reliable cell phone service to upload photos. One is set up near where I will build the house, and the other is on the driveway, but is having some connection issues I will need to work through.

Over the last few weeks while I have been gone, Wisconsin Power put in power transfer stations all down the road. I appreciate them putting it all underground, but now the road has spots all down it where it has collapsed in on itself. This will be something I will pay attention to as I get a driveway put in and get further down the building road. But, I will be contacting a local electrician to come and put in the base for a power station to be set up so my camper and property can have power.

Finally, I went into town today to get supplies to be good for the week. I visited my local ACE-ery (ACE Hardware and Grocery Store) for some tools, no trespassing signs, groceries, and water to refill my camper and 10-gal IGLOO cooler. While there, I needed a laundry basket as the one I had gotten from Dollar Tree apparently was a one-time use thing. My options were either a duck or a monkey. Obviously there was no difficult decision there.

**If you stuck around long enough for the Jackery report out, for the 1hr and 20 minutes I have been on my computer and had my Starlink internet running, the Jackery used 12% of its stored power and is at 88%. Based on that information without virtual meetings, a fully charged Jackery could power an entire work day! Now I just need to get a system together that can have it connected to the solar bank while also powering the technology. The only issue stopping that is creatively placing the solar bank somewhere on the roof of the camper and having the short cord come into the camper to connect to the Jackery.

Sounds like a problem a hike in the woods can help me solve ;-)

Off to don a hat, hiking shoes, and some bug spray.