Condensate Line Fix

Posted on August 2, 2016 by Ben

This isn’t an RV fix, but it was interesting anyway. The house A/C air handler’s condensate drain line became clogged. The installer of the line installed a handy cleanout location at the top of the tee, but the first junction is a 90 degree bend so I couldn’t get a snake past it to clear the clog:

The solution was to modify the drain line by adding a ball valve so that the line could be isolated from the air handler. I also added a fitting to the cleanout that allows for the attachment of a garden hose:

With the new drain line assembled, I flushed out the clog using water pressure from the adjacent water heater’s drain spigot. With the ball valve closed, all the water had to flow through the clogged line, not back through the air handler. After 30 seconds of flushing the line with slowly increasing pressure, I removed the hose, opened the ball valve, and capped my new cleanout:

Flying Randall Airport

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Ben

This morning I got up before dawn and drove up to Randall Airport near Middletown, New York. As I arrived, two hot air balloons were taking off. I set up my wing and prepared to launch:

Liftoff of flight #107:

I circled to gain altitude before crossing the runway:

And away:

My destination for today was this ancient lake bed known as the Black Dirt Region:

Winds at 1200 feet above the ground were smooth and blowing at 9 to 11 MPH from the west, but as I got down lower, shearing and perhaps rotor made for bumpy flying so I didn’t get lower than 200 feet above the ground:

On the way back I flew over this harness racing track. A horse and cart are visible on the leftmost edge of the track’s grey “lane”:

Returning to the airport:

Circling around for final approach:

Once I landed, I took a closer look at fellow PPG pilot Paul’s Emergency Response Studio, parked here at the airport:

I love the translucent wall section and the geodesic homage to Buckminster Fuller:

This bumper garden and trellis is fantastic:

Erie Canalway NHC, etc.

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Ben

The kids received in the mail their Junior Ranger badges for the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. During the trip, We had passed through the corridor but not near a visitor center, so the kids completed the workbooks and submitted them remotely:

We’ve started to get the house put back together, which included re-hanging the triptych I made from a photograph I captured of Death Valley National Park from Zabriskie Point at dawn. I just have to straighten the three panels:

Iona Island and the NHPA

Posted on June 26, 2016 by Ben

The kids recently received in the mail their Junior Ranger badges for completing workbooks that taught them about the 50th anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act:

Today David and I went for a longish bike ride to Newburgh and back. Along the way, we rode up to the gate restricting access to the abandoned Naval munitions factory on Iona Island:

Of Junctions and Ends

Posted on June 24, 2016 by Ben

Back in April, I mentioned that our three-year RV trip is over, and we plan to settle in Phoenix, Arizona. For a variety of real estate, income tax, and personal reasons, we’ve now decided to move back into our house and re-settle here in New York. It seems that there are always decisions to be made, and sometimes you plan to turn one way but in the end turn the other way:

While finishing up our homeschooling year, I’ve found time to get back into riding with my old crew. We rode up to the top of Bear Mountain last week:

School schedules are such that we’re hoping to be able to do short fall and spring trips, as well as longer trips in the summers. Stay tuned!