We left after talking on the phone with Engel support because the fridge does not work on 12v...
While the LRCV was getting these stub leak and indicator problems fixed etc, the fridge had both 240v and 12v leads plugged in. That was fine: the engel circuit senses the higher voltage power source and ignores the lower one. The 240v input is simply converted /inverted down to 12v for the fridge to run on. Engel support said the fact that the unit is fine using 240v shows there is no on board problem....
However the fridge will have no display when on 12v battery source only if the battery power is low. It turns itself off so as not to pull down a battery too low and possibly make it difficult to start your vehicle. So Engel support were helpful and simply suggested that after a good bit of hwy running the alternator would recharge the depleted 12v level up to "optimal", and automatically turn on and begin reaching the set temp level while we drove.
We drove to Adaminaby ver 2.0 and then into the Brumby NPark (our favorite camp to date). It was mostly overcast and rain could be seen out on the ranges. And it was very windy. The LRCV sat ok in corners as the shockies were set to 8, a hard setting, for bitumen, to handle high speed corners.
A dramatic "Ah hah" moment then followed when we reached the dirt track of the NPark and adjusted the shockies down to setting 0, soft setting, for corrugated tracks and off road conditions -the slower bumpy stuff. The LRCV then felt like we were driving on carpet. I love the effect: cheers for those Tough Dogs. This was a top-heavy vehicle feeling very comfortable with dirt tracks in mostly High range 3rd and 4th at mostly 50 to 70kmph.
When we arrived at Blue Waterholes the usual brumby and usual campground grey kangaroos were hanging around like gulls at the beach, waiting on any freebies. But we gave none and they ignored us. I chopped some gumtree timber provided and the newly sharpened old Plumb USA axehead with the newly fitted handle that had been waiting patiently for its debut since I fixed it up over a year back (I think). The (smoky) fire going meant it was cuppa time and then Maggie was set up level after propping one side of the vehicle using a couple of rocks under driverside tyres. We used the 6inch level with its bubbles to get to a rough version of level anyway. North-south was spot on, east west was off a fair bit but I didn't care as we would be travelling again in the morning...
[It was perfect blue sky weather the 2nd day. The cloud cover from the cyclone sys up north blew over and the overnight stars were so clear it was just brilliant].
We saw the Milky Way stars after midnight, but it was not because our sleep was disturbed by the noisey (or nosey) Brumbies like the last camp we had here in 2016... and it wasn't possums or dingoes (we heard the dingoes as usual)... it was two asian utes and one had a camper-trailer. Up to this point our campsite was perfectly abandoned by others - it was ours alone. Being alone out there mid-week, 2 weeks before easter, and being a non-school holidays period, is common I suppose. Not surprising as it is at the end of 20km or so of dirt road, some open grassland quicker stuff where any traffic can be seen approaching for a km in the distance, and some closed in tight twisty rocky ridge ascent and descent stuff.
Kay looked out the Maggie "window" and described the scene. Said campers used the long drop that was 50m away with its all steel floor and squeeky doors. The diesels idled for a few minutes, then decided to camp somewhere back up on the ridge that overlooks the main campsite, maybe 700m away in a direct line, a separate/alternative grassy campground. After the midnight arrivals went up the ridge we heard no more noise, just a single re-visit by a lone brumby before sun up. We later met the not-so-happy campers and the story was they had planned to arrive before sunset of course but their long drive in, a northern approach offroad from the Tumut direction, was blocked by treefall somewhere on the famous Broken Cart Trail. Time for Plan B... they had to backtrack a long way and re-approached by bitumen on the Snowy Hwy, from Tumut on our west, after dealing with detectives. Classic stuff. When back at Tumut they needed refueling, pretty badly. It was after dark, everything was shut and a house they were given contact with for someone with farm diesel - well it turned out it was being staked out for weed. Did I mention our midnight campers were all under 30? Uh huh.
That was the first 24hrs of "the short trip" (resumed). We left home after midday Thursday 30th March, the day Wayne picked up his Perentie GS from KLR with its new R380 5speed installed. We got very happy txt messages and pix on the phone from Wayne before we lost mobile net. A KLR photo from underneath had been posted on facebook Wednesday night. Very very very nice to say the least.
To be continued..
