Allen Farm Intruder Alert System

Decades ago, there was a comic strip (Calvin & Hobbs) about a mischievous 5 year old (Calvin) and his stuffed tiger (Hobbs). One Sunday cartoon edition started as follows: 

The setting: Calvin and Hobbs are walking in the woods.

Calvin: Hobbs, I've been thinking.

Hobbs:  On a weekend?!

Calvin: Well, it wasn't intentional...

So starts the story of the Allen Farm Intruder Alert System (AFIAS).

Background:  Beth & Frank live on Frank's family's farm near Fredericksburg, VA.  Full of history, the farm -  The Allen Farm - I'll call it (not the family's affectionate name for it) is somewhat of a paradise amongst the growing Fredericksburg area. Today, cattle & crops are no longer raised on it.  The grandmother's house is replaced. While the original family (Frank's and his siblings parents') house remains, siblings and other relatives now live on the farm where cattle & crops once stood.  One nephew and his family has three rescue dogs.  The dogs love to bark.  And when I was left unsupervised, I would walk the farm road and these dogs would go off like clockwork.  I'm convinced that one of them eventually knew when I opened an exterior door of Frank & Beth's house to do a morning stroll despite being out of line of sight and blocked by a house.  One morning, like Calvin of Calvin & Hobbs fame, I made a mistake and started thinking...

Welcome to the introduction of the Allen Farm Intruder Alert System, henceforth known as AFIAS.

This alert system obtains our highest 5-star rating.  AFIAS has surpassed our highest expectations for any intruder alert system. Based around a trio of sensors, the system passed every one of our extensive suites of intruder test scenarios. AFIAS did not fail to alert in any scenario. Basically, we found this intruder alert system to be infallible.

Sensor rating:

Sensor 1:  This sensor gets our highest, 5-star rating.  Equipped with the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) package and the latest knowledge & learning processes, this sensor never failed.  This sensor, being AI based, never needs upgrading. This sensor contains & demonstrated sensor engagement despite lacking line-of-sight information.  This sensor can be used as a stand-alone sensor.

Sensor 2: 4.5-star rating. While not AI capable, this sensor contains the latest knowledge & learning processes. This sensor is upgradeable. This sensor ensures any alert from sensor 1 is heard through any covered complex.  This sensor can be used as and is suitable as a stand-alone sensor.

Sensor 3: 2.5-star rating. Using off-the-shelf knowledge & learning processes, this sensor works well as a companion to Sensor 1 or 2 and is extremely useful in ensuring any alert by sensor 1 or 2 is heard anywhere in any covered complex including any remote corners not covered by sensor 1 or 2. This sensor is not upgradeable (hard to teach an old dog new tricks) and must be paired with sensor 1 or 2 to work effectively.

AFIAS is awarded our highest rating and is highly recommended where any intruder alert system is necessary.

Oct 16, 2024 Update:

Our time in paradise at the Allen Farm is over. We're on our way to Lagrange, IN to pick up our trailer. We really enjoyed our time extensively testing the AFIAS and overnighting at the Frank & Beth Bed and Whatever-you-want-to-eat-you-can-fix-yourself. We love you guys more than you know! Below are pictures Beth sent us of the farm for you to see their little bit of paradise near the Washington, DC bedroom community of Fredericksburg, VA.  

We're sorry we didn't get to see everyone and hope to visit with those we missed on the way back up next spring.  Once we have the trailer and are restocked, we'll head down to Springfield, OH, then over to Huntington, WV, and finally down to High Point, NC.  Further stops are planned (OK, reservations) for Stone Mountain, GA, Birmingham, AL and down to Gulf Shores, AL for the winter.  At least that's the plan.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us. David

 

Back in Fredericksburg

We're back in Fredericksburg, VA for 2 to 4 weeks while the trailer gets some well earned TLC back in Indiana.  We're invaded Beth & Frank while we're here. Hopefully, they can stand us being around for that 2 to 4 weeks! We don't have any camping/RV reservations until November 15th. So if we're out early, we're gonna be winging it.

We're fine. Doc appointments all next week. Donna got her rental car yesterday, and she's already out visiting this morning. We'll try to see as many people as we can while we're here.

Thanks for stopping by and checking up on us. More later, David

September Update

The above photo is taken last week from the big picture window at the LSR Preserve after a second wave of snow on the mountain tops.  Our volunteer time at Grand Teton and the LSR Preserve is over.  Our last day was Friday - September 20th.  The LSR Preserve closed for the season today - September 22.  We intend to come back for next year at the LSR Preserve, if possible.

Now we're on our way to Lagrange, IN for trailer service. So far, so good. We're on our second night out. We've experience way better weather than anticipated. Trailer hanging in there & we still have all our wheels. So far no mice in our traps, so no stowaways for now. No check engine light for the truck. (FYI - we spent the whole summer with truck check engine lights for various codes.) We're getting about a mile per gallon than we use to while towing.  We also back in the world of reasonable diesel prices. We'll see how the next few days go.

So that gets you up to date with us.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  David

   

Mid-August Update

We're fine.  Our dog-days-of-summer are about over. We've had some rainy weather over the last week. Made for some dramatic views of the mountains - none of which I managed to get a picture of. Been a busy park. 

Park is moving into its fall period.  Our daily schedule (when volunteering) will adjust in a couple of weeks.  We have no experience with it as a visitor.  Consequently, we've no idea of how it affects our daily work routines. We know that evening ranger-guided hikes will end.  It seems it affects the interpretative rangers more than the volunteers. We'll learn more Monday.

It's been a summer of the check engine light for our truck (now over 128,000 miles). We usually get a check engine light early in the season while visiting Yellowstone NP. This time the light keeps coming back. (Maybe it's upset we didn't take it to Yellowstone??) 

Only the first code it threw affected driveability. The next code took a couple of trips to the shop to solve. We're currently on the third code which has everyone - including Ford engineers - stumped.  It's indicating a fuel trim error.  After three loops through the resolution/repair process, all parts test fine.  Put it back together and the truck throws a fuel trim error code. 

Ford engineers suggested new injectors as they've only experienced this symptom with two other trucks (with 6.7L diesel engines) and the code cleared after new injectors.  Figured it'd be safer to travel back east with the trailer if we have new injectors, so we'll try it.  If that fails, we'll take the truck to Grumpy's Diesel in Pensacola when we get to Gulf Shores in December. Or the truck breaks down somewhere along the way, and we find out the real problem! If it wasn't for that little check engine light, you'd never suspect the truck has a problem.

That's it for us. Here's some pics from the last few days.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us. David

Picture taken by Hannah Boaz (view is of Death Canyon)

Mid-July Update

Grand Teton Natl Park file photo

We're fine.  We're told that Yellowstone and Grand Teton are more visited than last year (but less than 2021).  Being our first season volunteering in Grand Teton, we don't know - but it's BUSY!

Volunteering at the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve is busy, but satisfying. We're out in the woods more. It gets hot at the parking lot. Jump Rock is jumping with people. Bugs are out in full force in the woods. Moose are around.  We've seen elk along Gros Ventre road just east of the Gros Ventre intersection. Bears are active. Bison are out. People still stop in the middle of US89, get out of their vehicles, and take pictures of the bison. (Apparently, pulling completely off the road to take pictures is a foreign concept to many visitors.) People still don't take protecting their food seriously. One young bear has already had to be euthanized because it began to approach and swat at people for food. Wildfire smoke has arrived diminishing the view of the tetons. Wildland fire danger is high. Finally got to see pine martens. Visited Leeks Marina several times so far for pizza & breadsticks. We can still find a parking space and picnic table for lunch at Colter Bay. All the campgrounds are full, yet we still receive daily phone calls to the park (we rotate answering the main park phone line between the various visitor centers each day) trying to find a campsite. And despite being in this area for five summers, I'm still amazed at how little I really know about the park.  

That gets you up to date.  We're here to mid-September. Thanks for dropping by and checking in on us.  David

Jenny Lake visitor center - this is the bear that was fed and had to be euthanized.

Mid-June Update

Lake Creek Trail, LSR Preserve, GRTE

We're more or less getting into the swing of things. Lots to remember, but we're getting there.  Getting use to working the parking lot. Of the three days per week we volunteer, I tend to be roving on two of them.  That keeps you real active when you rove and work the parking lot on the same day!

Been hot for this time of year - high 70s/low 80s.  Aspen are leafed out. Pines and firs are in full pollen mode.  You can see the pollen as it blows across the trails, roads - even when in the forest. It's all a pretty landscape, though. Strange as it sounds, we'll drop below freezing Monday night. Maybe even Tuesday night.  We're told we'll be back to normal by late next week.

For those of you that haven't heard, the Teton Pass had a big collapse Friday night, the 7th of June. the road had started to develop major cracks a couple of days earlier and was temporarily closed to fix those. A day or so later, a mudslide closed the pass. The full collapse came a day later. After a late snow event the last part of May, the hot temps created a rapid snow melt that took out the pass. The biggest impact is the extra long commute it created for a lot of Jackson workers who commute from western Idaho. A temp road is expected over the next few weeks with a full repair late this year.

In other news, as I've mentioned in previous posts our truck likes to throw the check engine light almost every year we arrive in Jackson Hole. Turns out this one was persistent. Turns out that the mass air sensor was out of tolerance. A reprogram of the PCM seems to be the solution.  Check engine light hasn't returned since, and it's had plenty of time to do so. We think it'll hold.

Anyway, that catches you up with us.  Thanks for dropping by and checking on us. We'll post more later, David

June Update

Grand Cathedral as seen from the Teton Science Center, Kelly, WY

I always thought the four letter acronym for Grand Teton National Park was GTNP.  Turns out it's GRTE.  Who knew? (OK, besides people who work here!)

Newbie training is over. Now we really learn about the park (or backstage magic as I like to call it). Big park. Huge staff - though I'm confident they could use more. Probably close to 400 people when you include volunteer staff. (We were told, but I didn't write it down.) Then there's the concessionaires. The employee loop in Gros Ventre Campground isn't full at this time, but we're told it'll be full by July. Thankfully, everyone wears name tags so I can remember people's' names!

We've gotten snowed on twice since arriving with the last one requiring some time to clean it all off the truck. Morning low temps are now trending above freezing each morning. Idaho Falls weather staff indicate our highs may reach the high 70s later this week. 

Aspen are leafing out. Cottonwoods are leafing out. I expect the cottonwood "snow" at any time. We haven't seen any large wildlife, yet.  It's gotta be around here as each morning we leave there's several wildlife tours parked along the road with field telescopes and binoculars all in use.

Interesting how things work.  With the exception of 2023, during every season we've spent in Jackson Hole our truck has presented a check engine light in May after our arrival. Usually it goes out in a week or so.  This year it held true to form.  Arrive May 17th, truck presents the checking light on the way home on May 20th. During the week it cleared once and return about 5 minutes later.  Yesterday, June 1st - as if on queue - the light goes out and stayed out the whole day. We'll see what today brings!

That brings you up to date on us.  Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us! Hopefully, we'll have something exciting to post about next time, David