Don't Be Like Me

Yeah, we are do stupid stuff, and I am posting about the stupid stuff I did last night so you don't make the same mistakes I did.

So, a few weeks ago I joined a program called Harvest Hosts.  Basically, for about $40 a year you can camp for free at wineries, brewerys, farms, some museums, and a few other types of places across the country.  It is a step up from Wal-Mart camping, as they are in great locations, and if you like these kinds of places like we do, then they are places you are stopping at anyway.  It is mostly dry camping, but some places do have electric hook-ups.

Last night was to be our first experience doing this.  We had not been camping yet this month, and while it was a Sunday night, this is a local winery and we could just head home early in the morning and go off to work.  That is, all in theory.

We pulled in at about three in the afternoon and the winery could not have been more wonderful.  The manager walked up to where we would be parking for the night and recommended a few level spots in a nice field on a knoll above much of the surrounding countryside.  We had some good wine, great brick oven pizza, listened to a very entertaining guitarist, and as the afternoon wound down we headed back the the T@Bpole and relaxed in the shade for a while.

The sun was starting to set and I decided I needed to plug my phone in the tow vehicle (TV) to charge it a while as it would be our 4am alarm.  This was fateful as when I opened the TV I find it had no power.  This is not good.  Then I figured out what happened, I had put the car in accessory mode to put the windows down before going into the winery and forgot the turn the ignition back out of it.  Yes, the stupid things we do when we are sober.

Now it is dark, the winery is closed, everyone is gone, and we are in the middle of a field with a dead TV.  I could have called AAA, but no, I had a solution.  I pulled the battery out of the T@Bpole and connect it to the TV battery.  I knew it would not be able to jump the TV, but I left it on there for about 15 minutes and it gave enough of a charge to turn the car over.  Good news, I now have a running TV, but for how long?  We decided it might be prudent to pack it put and head home, if the TV didn't start back up at home, at least we had another and an auto parts store just a few blocks away.

We leave it running and break camp.  We were minimalist, so it took all of five minutes.  I load the T@Bpole's battery back in the box and hook it up.  I plug the T@Bpole into the TV, and no lights!  Now I am really confused.  I look a the battery again and find the problem, and second mistake of the evening, I reversed the polarity when I put it back in.  That can be a big problem, I quickly disconnected it and corrected the polarity.  Still no lights, no power.  I check the fuses, and nothing.

At this point I give up.  It is pitch black out and I am not about to start taking everything apart in the dark.  We decide to unhitch and head home, leaving the T@Bpole at the winery.

I headed back at o'dark this morning (yes, the TV seems to be starting fine now), extra tools in hand.  It was still dark when I arrived, so I waited for the sun to rise.  Once I can see, I pull everything out of the tongue box and check the wiring going into the battery box.  When it was sold to me by Miller Trailer it already had a battery cut-off switch installed.  What I did not realize was that Preston also installed a 30amp fuse between the battery and the switch to protect it.  Sure enough, this fuse was totally burned out, a bit melted even.  Good news, it probably saved the converter, so a nice couple dollar investment there.  I actually had one with me, replaced it, and was back in business.

So, I guess the moral here is don't play with the battery in the dark.  Lesson learned the hard way.

Oh, I did at least take a few photos of the place, such a great location: