The Quest for Power Continues

First, a swift over view of the current situation.

I've never run out of power, but hoard it like a penny pinching miser. My lights are LED bulbs, I power up the laptop when I'm focused on writing, and recharge the phone while scouting Quartzsite, when ever possible.
I use my water pump to access the 60 gallons in my holding tanks when ever necessary, but usually keep it off. The propane frig uses a trickle. So really, I'm good with one 100 watt solar panel.
But what about box fans? The over head fans and stove top fan work great, but I seldom use them.

Two days ago, I called a highly recommended electrician. He came by my rig to figure out why my 7,000 watt generator would not provide any power to the outlets. He and his buddy both figured it would be a simple matter of hunting down some flipped switch, some malfunctioning breaker box.
After turning the entire camper in side out, we found there indeed was no transfer switch, no wiring at all, no junction box, to direct current from this high powered machine into the right places. Sure, it could run the air conditioners. But, while testing, as happened before, the beast coughed to a halt after running ten minutes.

So. Wow. Embarrassed, I said, the thing used to run. He checked the fuel pump and said, once I got that fixed, he'd return to install the proper access junction box. A very outstanding man, he charged me nothing for all this troubleshooting. He left and I restored my rig to order.

I called the recommended generator guy. So far no response. I shopped for additional solar panels. The quote was the price of an expensive Honda Generator, 2100 watts, and get this. Only included on solar panel-160 watts-mounted on the roof and wired into my existing house batteries. A regulator completed the package. I would keep my current pure sign inverter.
I told the solar guy no and left.

Here in Quartzsite you have a cash and carry economy. Bring cash, or plan on using a debit card at the bank or ATM machine.
I debate my options while I look forward to my new summer job in Idaho. Apparently its so early in the season, events are just cancelled willy-nilly.
You go with the flow, or go not at all.
Interesting.

Things I Learned-So far- In Quartzsite

In spite of all appearances, this boon-docking thing is harder than I thought it would be. I've hiked some and so far, have not encountered any snakes.
While putting normal systems in place, I've learned a bunch of things.

To keep it simple, let me innumerate them here.

1-Getting the best possible campsite is a toss up. Do I want to kill the car by driving over rugged roads to the best off grid view ever?
Or do I want to locate someplace convenient to town so I can utilize the library, stores and host of fun activities.
Yesterday, I chose the later. Its working much better.

2-Its all about water. Wash dishes in a small bucket in the sink, then wash the car with that water Wash the hair and be shocked by how much dust it collected in three days. Wash the counters daily, and be shocked by the film of dirt. Hummm. Forgo soap, as much as possible. And, use jugs to transport water rather than unhooking the home (RV) very often.

3-Sunset comes fast. Always bring a flash light and water.

4-Adjust the solar panels and keep them free of dirt. No house power also means all the water in the holding tank is unavailable. It means the propane frig won't run, either.

5-Use the silver insulating panels on the outside of the windshield, not inside. This prevents heat from entering in the first place.

6-Sit with feet in a bucket of water to cool off, then use that bucket of water to wash the layers of dust off the fender of the car.

Below, you'll see some activities that were performed way back in the last campsite possible in the South La Posa Campground. The batteries turned out to be fine. They just needed overnight power-charging, which was done at a local mechanic's shop.
After they were reinstalled, the generator started from the outside switch. The switch on the dash, however, refused to start the generator. The air now works, as before, but the outlets still do not.




7- Locate every town resource and ask questions. I found the post office, community center, QIA (a public building used for all sorts of fun activities) two dollar stores, and library. Everyone here seems quite friendly and helpful.

And lastly, as most women know, beware of new friends. They can seem nice until you disagree with them. True colors come out when you least expect it.
But all is well. I'm not called the female-survivalist for nothing.