Start of the Oil Industry

 April 5, 2025

When I think of the oil industry, I tend to think of places like Texas and Oklahoma. However, the oil industry had its humble beginnings in Pennsylvania in the 1850's. Whale oil had become expensive, and the search for an alternative oil for lamps was underway. 

Samuel Kier distilled kerosene from crude oil. Kerosene was much more stable than other "burning fluids" attempts for lighting lamps. Zoom in on the tombstone in the photo below to get a glimpse why kerosene was viewed favorably.

So the question was whether you could find and produce enough crude oil to make kerosene for oil lamps. The answer was a resounding yes as Edwin Drake discovered near Titusville in 1859.

Thank you Uncle Dave for the suggestion to stop here. 

Think the family was a little bitter?

The first well

Replica of well housing

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Covered Bridges and a Coffee Pot

 April 1 - 2, 2025

US Highway 30, the Lincoln Highway, was the first transcontinental highway. Our stop in Bedford, PA, allowed us a glimpse of the past. From kitschy architecture to art deco gasoline stations, the county has a number of sites along the highway noted in its travel guide. We glimpsed a few on the way to the Flight 93 Memorial.

The county is also home to a number of covered bridges. A self-guided auto tour will take you to twelve of them. 

The pioneer village was still closed when we were there. You see how crowded we were at the campground. Ha! It's part of the advantages and disadvantages of traveling in shoulder seasons.

Bowser Osterburg Covered Bridge

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A Somber Visit

 March 31, 2025

We left Virginia and headed north. We had reservations in Niagara Falls in two weeks. The challenge was finding open campgrounds in the interim period. Many didn't open until later in April or even the beginning of May. We found a campground in Bedford, PA, about 30 minutes from Flight 93 National Memorial, which was a place we wanted to visit. 

It was a tough visit emotionally. Memories of that fateful day were brought back to the forefront. The exhibits included news reports showing the second plane hitting the Twin Towers and the baffled news reporters as they realized that the incidents were deliberate acts of violence. The exhibits (no photos allowed) included details of each passenger and crew member as well as recordings preserved by family members. I chose not to listen to the latter, feeling it would be too overwhelming.

I overheard parents visiting the memorial trying to explain to their pre-school children the importance of the site, what the exhibits were, why they were looking at field, why they needed to be quiet, etc. "What happened to all the people?" 

Tower of Voices

Mementos in honor

Memorial Plaza

Hemlock gate indicating crash flight path

"A common field one day. A field of honor forever."

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Jeep Air Suspension Compressor

Harold's Maintenance Corner:

Our TOAD (the vehicle we tow behind our RV) is a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited.  The Limited trim level was the lowest that is approved by Jeep for recreational towing with all four wheels on the ground.  We chose it to reduce the PITA factor on travel days. 

The Limited trim level came with a Selec-Trac 4x4 system that offers a "neutral" setting for flat towing, allowing the Jeep to be towed behind an RV, while also providing 4x4 capabilities for various terrains.

Bad compressor in situ. Two nuts were really challenging to remove. ARGH!

 Recently our dashboard displayed the dreaded "SERVICE AIR SUSPENSION IMMEDIATELY" warning.  As I do not own a full function OBD2 compatible diagnostic tool which costs north of $2K, I drove our jeep to the local dealership where they charged me a $179 diagnostic fee to investigate the issue.  They told me that our suspension air compressor was failing and needed to be replaced soon. They wanted $4,261 to complete the replacement, which I thought was a little steep. The local auto parts store wanted $2,171 for the part which was an OK deal, but a quick search at Rockauto.com (no affiliation) would sell me the part for $729 delivered. WOO HOO now for some corrective maintenance.

The new and old air compressor assemblies complete with valve block.

I had the part shipped with the intention of installing it at the Auto Skills Center at the next military base we stayed. However, Elizabeth's cousin Kenneth offered the use of his lift. So, I was off to the races.

Our TOAD up in the air in Kenneth's garage.

The removal/replacement procedure went smoothly, but apparently, I inadvertently drained the nitrogen tank that is used by the system as a booster. The suspension would not air up.

Removing those two difficult nuts.

Kenneth, being a farmer, is quite adept at being self-sufficient and offered his assistance.  He pulled three gas pressure regulators off the shelf that he had purchased at an auction for just a few dollars each and his air conditioning gauge set. He kluged up what we needed to connect to his argon tank and get it down to the 150 PSIG that my tank needed to be pressurized.THANK YOU Kenneth for pulling me out of the jaws of defeat. BTW I left 24 cans of thank you in his shop refrigerator.

Charging the pressure tank which is mounted under the floor behind second row seats.

Interestingly the fill port on the pressure tank has the same quick coupler fitting as the low pressure port on modern automotive air conditioning systems (R-134a). I wonder how they got away with this? This also explains why I needed to use Kenneth's AC manifold.

Now what toy can I buy that costs $3,532 or less?  Maybe a Nathan AirChime K5LA 544 Train Horn Kit for our RV???????? Toot toot.

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Cash, Check or Charge

Harolds Maintenance Corner:

Old part on top, new installed.

On our entry door has a 2-Section Articulated Arm that keeps our door from opening too wide with a built-in hold open mechanism (POS-I-LOC HINGE®).  Due to living in our RV full-time, it sees more use than most RVs and was no longer holding the door open. This presented me with an opportunity to conduct some corrective maintenance.

Worn area on hold open spring

I called Newmar to check on price and availability of the part.  I was quoted $315.00 including shipping. I thought that was a bit pricey. So, I did a little internet searching and found out that our rig has a 3000 series door manufactured by PTL Engineering. A quick look on their website showed a price of what they call a Door Check of only $119.76 delivered. A $195.24 difference!!!! SOLD!

A small army of screws waiting their turn.

The part showed up just a few days later.  I borrowed a ladder and Binford screw gun from my father-in-law and got it replaced in short order.

Removing the 16 screws with Binford power, they were installed manually to avoid stripping the threads.

Now what toy that I can buy costs $195.24 or less?  Maybe an official Red Ryder, carbine-action; two hundred shot range model air rifle, with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time!

Wishful Thinking

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