California Bans 1-lb Disposable Propane Canisters

Camping

What’s Up With That? 

Guess what? California just made history! They’re the first state to ban the sale of those disposable propane cylinders. Starting January 1, 2028, you’ll only be able to buy refillable propane canisters and cylinders in California. So, here are a few questions to ask:

Is this just another crazy move from the Golden State, or is it something we should actually cheer about?

Why did they make this decision?

And what are the alternatives?

I’ll break it all down for you!

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My Friend Craig Wisner Lost His House in the Eaton Fire

General Talk, ,

I’m reaching out to you today to ask for your help with a friend of mine, Craig. The wildfires in Southern California have been devastating, and Craig and his family have been hit particularly hard.

Craig is a high school teacher, but he’s more than just a teacher – he’s a mentor to many young people. And now, he and his wife, Lusi, are facing a huge challenge. Lusi’s mother lived nearby and lost her home of 36 years to the fire. Craig and Lusi are her main caregivers, as she’s elderly and has memory issues. And to top it all off, their two children are in college, so they’re juggling a lot.

I know this is a tough situation, but I’m confident that Craig and Lusi will bounce back. It won’t be easy, but they’re strong and resilient. The sooner they recover, the sooner Craig can get back to being the amazing teacher and mentor he is.

So, if you’re able to help out in any way, please click the link below. Even a small donation can make a big difference. Thanks so much for your time and consideration.

You can donate here at GoFundMe.

If you aren’t sure this is a good cause worthy of your support, read on.

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Backup Your Computer Data! 3-2-1

The Digital Life, , , , ,
Image courtesy of Backblaze

Hey, this is a backpacking and camping website, right? So, what’s the connection between So, what’s the link between backing up your computer and these cool hobbies?

Most of us snap pictures during our backpacking and camping trips. Some folks even record videos. Others bring along music and other stuff to keep them entertained.

You know, we create a whole lot of digital stuff these days – photos, videos, computer files, music, and movies. Any data stored on tablets, smartphones, or computers is fair game.

Now, here are some questions to ponder:

Do you back up your data?

If you do, does your backup plan sound solid?

This post is all about backing up data, which raises even more questions.

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Patagonia and Black Friday

General Talk, ,

And so here we are — another Black Friday approaching — and after all these years I still don’t know what to make of it.

I know why it exists. It exists so businesses can make money. Lots of money. In a short period of time.

Is it a good thing? No, not for me. For others; I guess they have to decide for themselves.

This isn’t the first time I have written about the Black Friday phenomenon. I have shared my rants many times over the years. However, this year, I’d like to point out something different. A different company. Patagonia.

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ProPride Weight Distribution Jack Upgrade

Camper Mods, Camper Upgrades,

Recently I posted a 25,000 mile update on our ProPride trailer hitch along with some maintenance tips. This got me to thinking about something I have wanted to do for about 3 years — replace the Weight Distribution Jacks that came with the hitch. This new version, which ProPride calls the v2 WD Jack (version 2) was released about 8 years after we purchased our hitch.

ProPride now includes the v2 jacks with a new hitch. The original version 1 jacks are no longer sold by the company, although they still have repair parts for them.

Why did I wait 3 years? Because there was nothing really wrong with the originals, other than it was somewhat difficult to remove the plastic propane tank cover. The old jacks did have a couple other idiosyncrasies, but they we’re deal breakers for me.

In this post I’ll discuss the installation of these new WD Jacks, which has already been a great upgrade. It will probably only interest those owners of ProPride hitches with the original version 1 WD Jacks, but some folks may appreciate my approach to solving problems. 

But first a few preliminary comments for the uninitiated —

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Book Review: The Secret Knowledge of Water, by Craig Childs

General Talk

 

Back in September of this year I reviewed three of my favorite “desert” books. All three were written over 50 years ago. Here I review another that is worth adding to your library.

The Secret Knowledge of Water was written about 25 years ago (originally published in 2000). Like the other three books, this one is also timeless.

The cover includes a wonderful quote from the book:

There are two easy ways to die in the desert: thirst and drowning

For those of us who have lived and explored deserts extensively, this dichotomy says so much.

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Ultra-Fab (tongue jack) Customer Service for the Win!!

Camper Upgrades

 

Ultra-Fab Phoenix 5500 installed in the summer of 2020.

This is story about excellent customer service.

I spent the last 18 years of my career working with companies to improve their customer satisfaction. The biggest problem I faced was the fact that most companies do not truly believe that outstanding customer service builds consumer loyalty and retains their current customers. Nor do they truly believe outstanding customer service attracts new customers.

Most companies pay lip service to customer service and simply pretend they take care of their customers. I know this for a fact. I spent 18 years working to convince companies that great customer service is the road to success and company growth. Too many companies just don’t get it.

Ultra-Fab gets it!!

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ProPride Hitch 25,000 Mile Update and Maintenance Tips

Camper Upgrades

Gosh, how time flies. We’ve had our ProPride Hitch for 11 years and it is the best investment we have made for towing. The best being defined as safety and convenience. 

On our last camping trip we past the 25,000 mile mark with our ProPride trailer hitch. 

For a detailed explanation of how this hitch works, see my ProPride 20,000 Mile Update post back in 2021.

You might observe that in three years we have only towed 5,000 miles. It doesn’t seem like much, but most of our trips are around 300 miles round trip. Given that we camp a minimum of 2 weeks, and usually camp for a month at a time, we are averaging 3 months of camping per year since we retired. 

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The Weatherman vs. Fall Camping (part 2)

Camping,

After two weeks in the Sequoia National Forest we packed up for the second leg of our month of camping.

We still had over 50 gallons of fresh water on board. After hooking up the trailer to our truck, we drove a short distance to a water spigot in the campground and topped off the fresh water tanks. To off-load our black and gray water holding tanks, we had to drive about 30 miles to a dump station in the town of Isabella. We also stopped at a super market to get some fresh vegetables and other food items. A final stop, at a gas station to fill up the Ford F-250 and one of our propane tanks, completed our pre-trip tasks.

Destination: the Mojave Desert about 300 miles southeast of our first campsite.

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The Weatherman vs. Fall Camping (part 1)

Camping

We enjoy camping in the fall better than any other season, with the exception of those desert wildflower “super bloom” spring-time years. We especially like to camp in the fall in areas that are popular in summer, but usually mostly empty in the fall. After Labor Day the crowds in these areas mostly disappear and the weather is still nice.

We left home a couple weeks after Labor Day and headed to the lower elevations of the Southern Sierra Nevada in the Sequoia National Forest. There is a US Forest Service campground we like that sees few people this time of year. The campground is in a transition zone where high desert meets fir and pine trees.

The weatherman forecasted daytime highs in the low 80° F range and declining into the lower 70s in his 10-day forecast.

He was wrong.

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