00:00.00 archpodnet We go welcome to the show. Everyone Paul how's it going man. It feels like it's been forever. 00:07.90 Paul Well, it has been forever I mean I've been what traveling around the world around the Middle East ah about half the last year I mean I feel like I'm the world's worst. Ah co-host right now. Because I'm never ever ever around. But I'm back now I've been back for just over a week from Iraq this time again and doing fine. It was a good trip. Have you been Chris. 00:30.21 archpodnet Ah I've been doing good and I and I have to argue with ah you being the world's worst cohost because you're out there just building content. That's what you're doing So you know yeah I'm just over here like reading news articles. But you're. 00:38.36 Paul Ah, thanks, Nice catch. 00:40.90 archpodnet You're you're doing archeology and and building content. So there you go, we'll take it. Um, no, we're we're doing well we're in ah North Carolina and as we are the end of the year the last three years we spend it over here because my wife's family is from Charlotte so we spend that time we spend the holidays out here and then. 00:56.29 Paul Even. 01:00.15 archpodnet We're headed back over the West Coast and southwest for the start of the new year so that should be fun and yeah, we're just enjoying life I don't know did I had I bought this new Rv before you left I don't know but we we swapped out our old Rv and bought a new one. So I don't know if you knew that. But. 01:18.49 Paul Yeah, yeah, the last time. Ah well maybe it was not the last time but sometime this summer when we actually recorded together. You'd mentioned that how's it going with it. You liking it. 01:24.91 archpodnet Yeah, yeah, for sure, it's going Great Yeah, it's really, it's really awesome. It's It's ah, a little. It's a few inches shorter but it's bigger inside because the slides go out further but it's um, the it's It's just it's got so many. 01:36.32 Paul E. 01:41.54 archpodnet Modern amenities whereas the older one just did not it was still hanging on to some old tech and this is a 2022 and not only is it a 2022 but they also you know put in some ah just put in some some more conveniences that we like and that we were wanting to do to the old ones so you know rather than. Upgrade all the systems on the old one. We just bought one with upgrades already installed so there you go? Um, ah yes, so we put some we put some led lights underneath I know we put some melody lights underneath which actually. 02:02.75 Paul So how many upgrades have you done to the new one so far any and of course. 02:17.26 archpodnet Not only just like looks cool. Um, but also it actually helps with critters we've had occasional in the last. Ah Rv we had mice inside occasionally at certain campgrounds because they just find little holes and they get up inside and you put these led lights that can kind of glow and maybe even change colors a little bit overnight. Um, and it you know it looks neat underneath the ah rv I'm not going to deny that. But also that light is is is critter deterrent. So that's really the primary reason behind that. But then we also had our lithium batteries from the old Rv. We took those and we installed those just ah last week and took out the 6 lead acid batteries in and put in our six lithium. So that's good. Um, and then we're having this rv actually came with six hundred watts of solar on the roof and we're having another eight hundred watts installed on our way back to Arizona. There's a factory There's an install place in Alabama that we're going to swing by. 02:51.89 Paul Um, oh. 02:54.81 Paul M. 03:09.44 archpodnet And they're going to put that in. So after that I think we'll be done for a little while because we just wanted to get our solar and our batteries back up to where they were before so we can do some good bo docking and then ah and then go from there because yeah, we're spending almost two months off grid for the most part. 03:19.20 Paul E. 03:25.87 archpodnet In January and February with with some minor exceptions. It's some short parks stays. But yeah, we're going to be in Mill and nowhere Arizona for weeks on in January we're spending February in Mexico at a no services campground right on the Baja Peninsula right at the north end of it on the water. So. But there's no services there whatsoever. So we're totally off grid in that little campground. Um, so yeah, it should be a should be interesting to say the least. But yeah. 03:54.76 Paul Sounds like fun I mean congratulations on this I was really wondering what you're doing about power because I knew you've spent so much time and effort and thought and care and money on beefing up the power on the old one is kind of you're just a betting and all that now I guess not. 04:01.80 archpodnet Oh my God Yeah yeah. 04:11.61 archpodnet I know I know yeah we did bring some of it over and it did feel hard to to do all that because we just did some of that back in April but you know like with all things. Um, we hadn't really intended to buy this rv at the time we did. We had been looking at upgrading. But um, it's ah. 04:12.22 Paul You brought some of it over. 04:28.66 archpodnet I don't know in the end. It's a better choice because now we can upgrade our vehicle as well because this is a diesel rv with a ten thousand pound towing capacity whereas the other one was gas with a £5000 so now we can upgrade that and get get places that we can't go with our little car. Um, once we get something that's a little more robust. So. 04:33.00 Paul Even. 04:47.75 Paul Yeah I was astounded that that old one was gas I was just really floored by that when I learned it. 04:48.14 archpodnet Um, anyway, yeah yeah I know is shocking. It did it did all right? But yeah, this one just gets way better fuel efficiency on the diesel even though diesel. 05:02.29 Paul M. 05:03.25 archpodnet I Bought a diesel right? as gas prices dropped through the floor and diesel basically stayed the same if not went up so that's awesome. But either way we're getting way better gas mileage and more more distance out of a tank um than than the old one. So I'll take it but all right. 05:20.89 Paul Yeah, it's between gas and diesel. Um, when I was in Saudi this summer between the first rotation and second rotation we returned all the rental cars that we had and got new ones so we switched out from having a variety of different 4 by 4 suvs that were all gas. To having a hilux that was a brand new one that was diesel and we had to break in the engine which was kind of fun doing that off-road. Um, but the difference and mine two gas prices in Saudi aren't at in any way compromise they understand what they are in the Us but the difference there was the gas ones we were gasing up every day and a half. 05:39.84 archpodnet Oh yeah. 05:47.34 archpodnet Ah. 05:58.69 Paul For around sixty bucks and we drove that brand new diesel for three days and then filled it up I mean it was on vapors at the end we had like Eleven kilometers left we filled it up for $11 ah 06:01.14 archpodnet Ah. 06:10.35 archpodnet Oh my god nice nice. That's pretty good. Yeah, those highlexes are cool. That's a Toyota right? and they don't sell it in this country. 06:15.30 Paul Three days for $11 versus day and a half for $60 it was just ah, it was shocking the difference. 06:27.85 Paul No, they don't sell them in the states the closest the Tacoma but it's a slightly different bet ah frame rather ah same basic idea and basically utilitarian pickup truck. Ah but very nice and just just a few little details that made it extra cool like the ah. 06:31.46 archpodnet Yeah, right, Very nice. 06:45.37 archpodnet Oh yeah, nice. 06:45.71 Paul Air conditioned seats which Wow that is exactly what you want after ah after a hard day of climbing up mountains in the desert. 06:54.28 archpodnet Yeah, the man I've never had a field vehicle with air conditioned seats. But I have had field vehicles that had Auto start and I would crank up the air conditioning when we shut off in the morning and then as soon as I could see the vehicle. I started cranking up that Auto start just to just to get the vehicle started and get that air conditioning started. That's the best I've ever had but air conditioned seats I've never even I've seen like you know luxury vehicles and stuff with air conditioned seats. But I've never actually tried them I was like. 07:12.40 Paul Me. 07:23.12 archpodnet I Understand how heated seats work but the air conditioned seats I guess it sounds like they work pretty well don't they. 07:28.11 Paul Oh yeah, incredibly comfortable. 07:33.73 archpodnet Yeah, well, that's um, that's really cool. So all right? Well you know what this is going to be ah, a little bit shorter episode. We're just catching up with Paul why don't we take a break right there and then we'll come back and talk about your recent time in the Middle East and and how all that went so we'll do that on the other side of the break.