JdFinley.com

Fulltime RV Living Adventures

What a Drive

This past weekend I relocated “home” from the Flaming Gorge Recreation Area (very near Manila, UT) to the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area (Rabbit Valley) a few miles northwest of Grand Junction, Colorado – right on the Utah state line. The Flaming Gorge area is spectacular – I loved every sight. Another amazing little tidbit… [Read More]

Noise??

I’m the one constantly harping on people about making noise!!  I love nature and the peace and quiet that it offers.  I really don’t like generators, loud conversations, loud music, loud televisions, dogs barking – anything that makes noise that isn’t natural.  Waves lapping the shoreline, a breeze blowing thru the trees, birds chirping –… [Read More]

Is solar power for you?

The topic of solar power on an RV comes up very regularly. Instead of repeating the same thing over and over, I thought perhaps documenting it might be helpful and consume less of my time. I am most certainly not the sole source of this information – this same information is all over the Internet… [Read More]

Clark Canyon Reservoir – Part 3

I’ve been back at the Clark Canyon Reservoir south of Dillon, MT for the last week and a half. This is the same area that I visited back in June (here and here). Once again, it has proven to be a really great spot. This time, I setup at the Cameahwait campground. There are two… [Read More]

Phantom 3 Video Platform

vimeo.com/13813563

I ordered and received a DJI Phantom 3 from “Camera Professionals” via Amazon.com. I am VERY HAPPY and in love.  What an unbelievable piece of engineering! My hat is off to DJI – incredible job boys! I have to first echo several important things that I have read recently. 1. Start with a trainer quadcopter/drone/UAV. … [Read More]

Solar Panel Mounts

Several people have asked for more details, especially photos, of my solar panel mounts. These mounts were originally referenced here during the system installation on my Newmar Dutch Star. I have had zero issues with these panel mounts. The two panels have been mounted with the solar panel mounts as shown below for six months… [Read More]

Solar Power and Clouds

A commonly held belief is that solar panels do not produce electricity when there are clouds nor in anything but direct sunlight. Meaning; the nay-sayers like to tell people that solar doesn’t work unless it is bright sunshine. Perhaps this was true with the early photovoltaic panels but it isn’t true anymore. Maybe a bit… [Read More]

So Happy I Could Eat Sardines

I am sooo happy!! I just finished a 4 mile mountain bike ride. Four Miles???  You say?? Yes, four miles.  I know, not exactly impressive.  However; I have had a less than productive summer – ha, YEAR!!  when it comes to cycling. It all started with this @#&*^@#$# broken arm last October. Just about the time… [Read More]

Windshield Wiper – Broken Tapered Knurl

I previously mentioned my windshield wiper problem here. The symptom was that the passenger side wiper arm would go way too far to the outside and the arm itself would slap on the glass.  Then it would not return as far to the center as it should. The problem turned out to be a broken… [Read More]

Reflectix Windshield Sun Shade Insulation

I’ve mentioned this to a few folks and they’ve asked for details so here we go… Before building my constructing my own windshield sun covers, I was using a roll of Reflectix on the inside of the windshield to cut down on the heat. Reflectix is a reflective insulation commonly used in building construction. It… [Read More]