Heavy rain this evening. Around 69 degrees. Temperatures will remain steady through daybreak and then drop to 59 degrees in the morning. Tomorrow will see the mercury stick around 58 degrees all day with heavy rain until evening. Then clearing and the temperature will drop to the mid-40s by nighttime. Hypothermia weather. I’m not closing my windows tonight but by morning I might.

Went grocery shopping and picked up some supplies. At Lowe’s got a replacement candler bulb for the one fixture over the stairs. Eight years ago I bought a 7.5 watt mini florescent 40 watt equivalent candler bulb for the fixture but eventually the mercury got used up inside and it either was producing very little light or none at all. I was worried about tripping on the stars. I replaced it with a 7.5 watt LED bulb which is super bright and equal to a 60 watt incandescent candler bulb. I don’t really need that much light but the fixture is only on occasionally and a 40 watt equivalent bulb would only save a watt per hour.

Also picked up a 3 pack of 60 watt equivalent LED bulbs which use 8.5 watts. Used them to replace a old CFL in the bathroom which had started to get dim. Put two of them in the fan upstairs to make my bedroom brighter in the morning – and kept the existing 60 watt florescent I had in there. I wanted brighter lights upstairs to make it easier to get up in the morning. I only really use that fixture briefly in the morning, and the brighter LED bulbs draw only as much power as the florescent bulbs they replace.

Lowe’s has a really good selection of LED light bulbs of all sizes, costing what compact florescent bulbs cost like  five years ago but break resistant and nice and bright in cold weather. LED bulbs seem actually brighter in colder weather although their warm white color temperature seems to shift to closer to daylight color as phosphorous tends to be less effective. I bought my first LED bulb for camping during November 2013, to avoid the light loss from using compact florescent bulbs outdoors during cold weather of hunting season.

Speaking of LED bulbs I also got a set of mini LED spotlights to use a new my truck cap to better light up the gun rack and shelf at night when camping. The LED light bars I installed give a nice hue in red, green, or blue but I want to better spotlight my gun at camp as I think it would look cool. Also got a power bus with switches so I can control all the lights in my truck cap from one location. Will install when the rain stops.

Also bought a few groceries I needed.

Still researching amp meters for the accessory battery. The analog ones I looked at don’t work with external shunts. The digital ones do, however I’m under impressed with the quality and don’t like how most are unable to show a reverse current flowing out of the battery. I guess this is a low priority.

National Grid says I use 34% less energy than the most efficient neighbors in my neighborhood with similar size houses. Not surprised, because besides using energy efficient lighting I don’t have air conditioning or television and rarely use my laptop at home. Most of my energy use is the hot water heater, electric stove and refrigerator. As a renter those costs are largely fixed but I try to take short showers, keep ice in the freezer and use the microwave instead of oven whenever possible.

Got the maps of the Monongahela National Forest and Jefferson National Forest. I thought the George Washington National Forest was part of the Jefferson National Forest map but it’s not so I may have to order it. The maps seem very detailed with most of the major truck trails and recreational facilities on them. I would like to see the George Washington National Forest more likely than Jefferson if only because it’s more in northern Virginia rather than the southern part of state which I’m less likely to get to. Maybe I can find a map with both George Washington National Forest and the Shenandoah National Park, because I may also want to visit there.

Kind of excited about the trip, even though I haven’t actually requested the time off from work yet, and still really haven’t finalized the plans. I don’t really need to make that many plans though as camping in the woods avoids the need for reservations.