A Wet Welcome to California 2012

We awoke on Saturday to a rare dripping rain in the desert outside Quartzite.  Like many folks we were moving on and this seemed to be a good day to start.  Rain in the desert falls on dust, which turns to mud.  It took us about an hour to breakdown and stow our stuff. We bid our friends safe travels, we will meet up with many of them next weeks as we start our Chapter #8 trip to San Felipe, MX.

Driving West into Kalifornia, all traffic must stop for inspection by the state authorities who inquire if you have guns of fireworks on board.  The cost of this must be in the realm of a Bazzilion dollars per year.  Are you wondering how many admit to having illegal contraband during this suspection?  Could tis be Kalifornia’s method of using Darwinism to keep really stupid folks out?  How did the Legislators get in?

 

We next drove California RT78 south for about 80 miles of winding hilly road through the desert.  It was a pleasant drive, would have been great fun in a sports car as compared to out 18,000lb beasty.  80 miles is a long way on a secondary road with NO facilities, Food, Fuel or C.V.S stores.

Roadside signs circa 1945 were no to inviting either!

 

Imperial California is at the states southern extremity.  As such it’s primary industry is agriculture and dust production.  There are huge farms growing various legal crops that are 100% dependent on irrigation from the Colorado River.  You can spend the rest of the week studying this political nightmare it here.

Imperial received about 1/2” of rain just prior to our arrival.  This is a very rare event, comparable to Boston getting 24” of snow in October.  Why?  They have no drainage system in place!  The Fairground camping area which was dead flat had standing water on about 25% of it.  I almost lost Anne-Marie when she stepped out to guide me in.

 

I had to play nasty with the 4 wheel drive on the Blue Beast to spot our unit on high ground.  It was all worth it, after 2 days in the desert with minimal water and electricity we are very welcome here. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This evening there is a boxing match between the Police and Fire departments, I’ll donate the $15 ticket price and stay in.

Go West Young Man 2012

After 2 weeks in Quartzite, its time to move west into California’s Imperial Valley where we will make final preparations for Chapter 8’s Mexican Connection trip to San Felipe, Mexico. We will be staying at the Imperial Valley Expo Fair Ground.

The temperature extremes have been weird this year out here.  Low 30’s at night have frozen the water hose in Texas and daytime highs in the high 70 are common here.  We’re not suffering too much, it’s a dry heat :-0 

The group on the right are being lectured on the travel routine and requirements of Mexican travel. The big point being No Weapons or ammunition and No Drugs,  The penalties for possession are Draconian and the U.S. Government will turn a deaf ear to your request for assistance.

Quartzite hosts several HUGE shows in their giant tent each season.  This week the RV & Camping show will end after 2 a week run.  There have been hundreds of vendors selling every thing from million dollar motorhomes to LED light bulbs. 

 

We splurged yesterday and bought 2 large LED fixtures for our living area and over the sofa.  They use 1/10 the power of the lights we are replacing and do a better job.  This was after I paid my $5 premium to GMAC for Mexican Coverage on our 5th wheel.  Sadly, they will not cover the truck.  We also must purchase Mexican liability {From a Mexican Company!}, this will cost about $15.day.

Also at the outdoor flea market is Beer Bellies Adult Daycare where one can take on needed hydration and food while listening to the fellow on the acoustic guitar sing ‘I Wish I Could Kiss My Horse’ type songs.  Can your lunchtime compete with that?

 

And you thought the Hippies all went home during the 70’s!

We got back to Boomerville in time for the Desert Pot Luck.  Anne-Marie made frosted pumpkin bars, which disappeared so no picture, I did get a shot of the Sour Babies marinating in Vodka!

Antlers and hides, you can find anything here….

Our Solar Project 2012

Last year at Quartzite, we lived very nicely on the power generated by our 3000w Boliy Generator.  We ran it about 4 hours an evening to keep our batteries { 2 @ 12v deep cycle} charged while we cooked dinner and watched TV.  We used about 10 gallons of fuel (Cheap) and had to shut down a quiet time in a few campgrounds to be good neighbors. 

I spent a lot of time reading and talking to folks that use solar power.  Many are very proud to NEVER run a generator, insisting the only thing they cannot do is run an air conditioner.  My favorite source is Handi Bob’s Blog.  Bob is rather anal with regard to not using a generator, he lives in the far north using his solar, he is a wealth of information.

To start our project, I installed 2 Trojan T105 Golf Cart Batteries, these have 205AH of capacity and will tolerate deep discharge.  They are the Gold Standard of wet cell batteries.  Other batteries such as lithium and AGM (Low Maintenance designs) are very good performers at 3x the cost. Cost = $84 x 2

To the rear of the Batteries, I installed a 45A 3-way charger maintainer for use when we have 110v available.  It is important that these batteries be kept at full charge and that they be equalized about every 30 days.  Cost = $120

I than installed a Bogart TM2025rv battery system monitor.  I think of this as a fuel gage.  It monitors the condition of charge and the rate of charge/discharge of the system.  The meter is presently showing 558a charging. Cost = $185

I installed all of the above in late fall of 2011.  The reason being that I hand to compile data BEFORE I could make informed decision on our usage and needs.  We also changed most of our lighting fixtures over to LED bulbs, these actually draw about 10% of incandescent bulbs, lighting is a very considerable part of the electrical budget it turns out.

I next pulled #4 wire from the battery compartment, thru the crawl space, and up onto the roof.  I terminated it in a 4” plastic box using a full tube od Dicor sealer, messy buy very effective.

Decision time, do I install the solar panels and charge controller?  I’d really like to, than I face the realization that I do not have the physical ability of the proper tools to pull this off.  I also want to get the proper panels with a matching charge controller.  This is a place to buy quality and not be too concerned with getting the last dime off the table.  Read Bob’s Blog above and you will see how expensive equipment is wasted when improperly sourced and installed.

We were directed to Starlight Solar in Yuma, AZ by some Chapter #8 friends, they are a small company marketing products and doing custom installs such as ours.  Mounting the panels has 2 most common methods: Flat is most common and cheapest.  Tilted adds $200 and improves performance about 20%.  Flat panels must be shadow free, not easy to achieve when sun is low in the winter.  You must climb onto the roof to raise tilted panels and park in the proper orientation to see the Southern Sky.

Starlight has a 3rd option call a rack.  The panels are assembled onto stilt like legs which makes them shadow free as they are above all of the roof’s protuberances.  We have a friend that has been using this system for several years.  A hidden advantage is that the racks may be easily removed to add to another rig.  These panels are ‘high voltage’ which reduces the wire size requirement and improves the efficiency in the end. Cost installed = $1400 Note: their output is guaranteed to stay at 80% for 25 years!

The end in this case is the mysterious Blue Sky Charge Controller that converts the 20+ volts from the roof to a more usable 14.3 volts {at a higher amperage} to charge our battery.  Remember the picture above that showed us charging at 558 watts, that’s not too shabby for a system sized to 480 watts! Cost= $341

How does it work? Fine! We have been dry camping in Arizona desert for 2 weeks, using lights and watching TV for about 4 hours during the evening with 50% battery left in early am when the solar system sends our charging machine back into the sky.

You may notice that we spend about $2100 on this upgrade, note that 30% is federal tax deductible and there is no Arizona sales tax (11%!) on solar.

We have also added a 1000w pure sine wave invertor that allows us to power up SMALL electrical devices such as TV and various chargers.  If we need microwave or toaster oven we run the generator for 1/2 hour or so.  It’s cloudy morning as I write this, we are charging about 10% of capacity, I will no doubt run genny about 4 hours this afternoon.

The Desert Bar 2013

Anne-Marie and I have been ill the past week + with the same respiratory thing that has a whole bunch of folks being out of sorts.  We are staying in the desert near Quartzite, AZ which is the 3 month winter home of a bunch of RV people.  The group we are assembled with is called, The Boomers.  About 80 folks who tend to come and go about 2 per day.  We have 4:00 attitude adjustment and 9:00 am hikes in the desert {these I am not in favor of as The Indians were known to leave their old folks to wander in the desert.} .  These folks are waiting for the 8:00 pancake fest.  You may note they are warmly dressed, it was an unseasonable 40° last week.

We gather around a campfire and share snacks along with adult beverages at 4:00 pm.  This group last week was small due to the cold, this week we have about 60 folks as it is much warmer.

On Saturday we made a visit to The Desert Bar in Parker, AZ.  This is a solar powered bar about 4 miles into the desert.  It is only open Friday thru Sunday, during daylight hours in the temperate seasons {Think Winter}.  They have live music, cold beer in killer pastrami sandwiches as this fellow Boomer will attest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As usual, the photos in the link above will give much better views than my efforts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My major grief this week besides the great plague we are co-suffering is that my DISH TV equipment has gone belly up and no amount of phone technical help has solved it.  This is frustrating as we pay about $80 month for this service which along with I-net is one our major enjoyments.

Please comment as you like on this blog and communicate via e-mail.  DO NOT send files as our service here in the desert and more so in Mexico is very slow & expen$ive.

Massive Mind Fart Reported in Arizona Desert 2012

It has been reported by usually reliable sources that one of the 50 campers in ‘Boomerville’ awoke to find his water gage indicating –0-.  This may have been caused by a ‘Kinked hose’ as alleged by the old fellow in the camper or a sudden visit by water seeking extraterrestrials.  It has also been noted that there was a 1/2 Bottle of Barton’s Reserve.  Typical of a Shriner to have more Booze that Water.

So, 1st item this morning is to hook up and drag the camper to town for some water.

Sue & Charlie Schaffer showed up yesterday after having their solar installed.  They came to dinner which was Left Over Pot Roast {Better as left over}.

Been wicked cold, below freezing at night with 30+ mph winds.  Will be better as the days go on…

Cold to Freezing in The Far West 2012

 

After my run in with Sheriff Fife, things couldn’t get any worse, could they?  We meet these folks in a small campground in Dillion, TX.  They have been full timing for 9 years and were on route to Corpus Christy, TX and warm weather.  The snow on the ground didn’t impress me as it was warm enough out to socialize in sweatshirts.  That would change!

 

When you leave Texas, you go into New Mexico, The Land of Enchantment.  Cold but enchanted.  I’m sure this is going to get better.  The road continue to be excellent, my mileage went down to 8mpg, than I realized we’d been pulling grade for about 300 miles!  After going over the Continental Divide, it returned to 10mpg.

We’ll be in Yuma, AZ {Far South West} where our solar project will be completes for us by, Startight Solar.

Texas to Yuma is 1,100 miles 2013

I guess I’ll start this entry at the end.  We ran 1,100 miles in 4 days, doesn’t sound like much but when towing 12,000 pounds it is plenty for this fellow.  95% of the roads are as straight as an arrow and have 75/80 mph speed limits.  This screen shot shows me cruising at 74mph in an 80mph zone on I-10.  I have 603 miles to my next exit and the road is a straight line.

Not without some excitement.  There are two way to lower the TV antenna; The conventional way is via the handle in the bedroom, the other way is to blow it off the roof.  Our choice was the later, giving us a topic of discussion fro the next few hours.

 

 

This activity has caused my lower back to make it’s unhappiness known.  Stacked onto that is a visit from a respiratory infection.   We have both had a flu shots {hope you had yours} and will just lay low for a few days in Yuma where me are ensconced on BLM land about 5 miles out of town.

We are allowed 14 days at these sites for $0.00, this Yankee loves it!  There is a ‘Host’ who has hookups, we dry camp which once learned is no real problem as we have modified our rig to do it with ease.

This afternoon, 500 watts of solar panels will be installed.  Should cut generator use by 90% 

 

 

 

Our next stop will be in Quartzite.  Please, no e-mails with attachments as I-net is very slow in the desert and Mexico.

Meeting Sheriff Fife while Moving West January 2012

We left Georgetown at 9:00am Saturday.  The last 3 days had been cold and wet, good for them as they in a serious drought.  We are headed for Yuma, AZ, 1100+ miles. 

We traveled about 100 miles on State Route #29.  This is a 2 lane west bound country road the meanders thru farm lands, small towns, past big ranches the gates of which cost more that a good automobile.  The road is posted 70 mph, I tow about 64mph.  This because at 18,000 pounds it takes me about 200% on a normal stopping distance if a bull decides to cross the road to revisit a local loose cow.

State Rd #29 took us thru a small town called Mason.  I was interested is all the signs: Mason Building Supplies, Several Mason Churches, Mason Funeral Home, Mason Thrift store, Mason Police Department.  Oh look, one of them would like me to stop and chat!  It’s Sheriff Fife {No, not Barney.  That would be too good to be true}.  During our discussion, he whispered in my ear that 64 in a 55mph zone was not an upright and regular thing to do.  I was contrite, telling him that was most impressed with all the local ‘Mason’ references.  You may remember the PINK PAJAMA incident at The Mason House of Detention which was central to the town.   Brother Fife could arrange a visit is I didn’t mend my way and observe the bylaws of the town.  He gave me an autograph on a warning citation which I will treasure, we parted on the level after passing a certain friendly & brotherly grip.

At the location where SR29 merged onto Route 10W we stopped at Cooper’s BBQ.  BBQ place abound here, most are like this one with huge smokers the turn out wonderful BBQ.  Beef tends to be dry and needs sauce, pork ribs and sausage is grand.  Note the large oven on the left side of this picture.  That is were there is a large hardwood fire, the smoke is directed to 7 individual smokers assuring they never get too hot.

 I-10  is posted at 80mph.  I stay in the right lane at 74mph as the would blasts past at 85mph.  This road is flat with gentle hills.  We see the beginning of Wind Farms, I am at a loss as to why most of them are not turning???

Fort Stockton, TX is 340 miles from Georgetown, we slide into town at 4:00, which allows me a few minutes to take a photo of our rig in the snow and prepare a long awaited Adult Beverage.  Note that the door is open.  It’s 50°+ outside, the show is the remnants of a 6” very unseasonal fall a few days earlier.

Todays blog you will note has few pictures, towing 340 miles in 7 hours leaves no time for pictures, I don’t like to do that.

I will post this on Sunday when I find a Wi-Fi provider {Think Golden Arches}, there is no Verizon here.  This reminds me, please do not send us email with attachments, they are very slow and expensive to receive.  Text is welcome at all times, that may also take a few days to get to us.