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.

Baby Steps

Every day I try to learn something new about my rig. As you can see, last winter I dealt with snow. My water came through a hose, which I kept under an insulated box kept warm with a light bulb.
After I built that, I never suffered frozen pipes again.

Now, as I plan to head south, I'm trying to figure out the fresh water holding tank. According to the owner's manual, these guys need to be sanitized on a regular basis. Hummm, well. I've owned it nearly two years and have not sanitized anything yet.

Wow. So, after opening the side door to the holding tank, I prepared a solution of 1/4 cup bleach to one gallon of water. Got out the funnel and poured it in. As expected, it leaked out beneath the motorhome. You see, I figured there must be a drain at the bottom of the tank, but where?
Turns out, the drain is positioned directly over the spare tire. Stupid, I know.
I crawled under. How do you plug this drain? Now, quit laughing, you experts. My fingers got wet as I felt for a plug.Water sprayed out, no plugs. I considered shoving gum up in said drains.
But, I didn't. Instead I asked my son-in-law, who owns a slide in truck camper what to do. He showed me how his system was rigged then asked me, "Wasn't there some kind of outdoor water faucet thing under the bed?"
"Under the bed?" I replied, skeptically. "I don't remember. How do you remember that? We looked at 33 campers, 2 years ago."
"Try looking."
I did. It was there, sure enough. So, I crawled inside the box that supports the bed, turned the knob until it quit turning and crawled back out. Then, I added another gallon of water to the holding tank.
Voila! It didn't leak.
Holy guacamole. I did learn something today.
Now, tomorrow, I will follow up and flush this system.
Stand back, you might get wet.

Reply to Mobiltec, What's the Generator Doing?

Well Larry. November should be perfect weather down there.

Okay, the bottom line on the Generator.
You previously asked me, "What does the generator do when you try to start it?" and I said, nothing. So yesterday, I went to verify the nothing, by pressing the in house generator button. It clicked a couple times, then turned over and started. I stood back, shocked out of my socks...listening. Came to my senses, ran to the shore power and unplugged then returned to the motorhome to assess what the revived thing could do.
The house lights all work...but they did on house batteries anyways. That's no proof a load is being carried by the generator, I thought. So, I checked the outlets and found they didn't work, nor the frig or microwave. But both air conditioners did, as well as the galley fan and stove top fan!
So, I figured we do have something going on.

Today I checked and replaced two burnt out 12 volt fuses, and now have 12 volt adapter (cigarette lighter type thing). My 175 watt inverter now works, which is very tiny but will recharge a phone or laptop. Sadly, I have learned those small inverters deliver 'unclean' electricity and could damage sensitive equipment.

My goal is to write this winter, so being able to charge my laptop daily is essential to my mental well-being.

I got the name of a generator guy today. New tires installed. My Les Schwabb guy said brakes both front and back are great, and the wheel bearing are fine as well. Ready to roll.

I posted this here so my readers can learn as well. I've quit saying I'm no good with mechanical things.I guess you've proved even I can get comfortable under the hood.

Home Aspects

So after the motor part of the RV is under control so that you can actually get this thing on the open road, legally motoring down the highway, there's the longer than expected list that makes this box on wheels home.

Here's a list of the things I've bought so far, from kitchen to basement. Of course I owned a couple items, which I list first:

books, dvds, pens and paper
black milk crate that served as the book shelf
a mug
a plate
a backpacker's cook-set
a quilt and fleece throw
clothes
hand weights
hand tools (basic repair kits in car)

Items bought so far:
coat hangers
sheets and pillows
bedding set
throw rugs
waste can
scrub bucket
dish soap and scrubbies
sauce pan with lid
saute pan
stove lighter
bowls
mugs
8 forks
4 butter knives
4 teaspoons
4 tablespoons
paper plates
serving tray
cookie sheets that fit the smaller oven
baking pan
large mixing bowl
pot holders
food
spices
towels, bath and kitchen

As you can see, most things are kitchen related and alot can be found at thrift stores. However, I've noticed, you can get better deals at discount stores like Walmart. I went fairly cheap and can upgrade as time passes.

As I talk to various friends about my need for this personal space versus living with others, I find most are very supportive. Yet once I was accused of having 'baggage' . I've been thinking about that and conclude, as I get older, maybe this so called baggage is actually wisdom. There comes a  time in life when we've been there and done that enough times to shy from the flame. Is that baggage, or wisdom? I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Home on Wheels

Newly purchased bedding in deep rich purple help bring the decor together, pulling off the hint of the same shade up front. The shades are drawn in cold weather. Raised to let sun heat the interior. This 34 foot Fleetwood had no slides, but simplicity is my motto.

Kids have a way of putting you in perspective. Thankfully, these blunt talkers like having time to practice decorating graham crackers with white frosting and trail mix in anticipation of the holiday season.

I was astounded to find the only door was on the side. There are no doors for the driver or front passenger. However, there is an emergency exit out the back bedroom window. After checking out various other Class As, I saw this was not uncommon. Bottom line? You can't accidentally fall out!

 The back up camera is a must. Take it slow, where ever you go.
Oh, and the gas tank is accessed behind the licence plate. Who knew?

Looking towards the back bedroom, you can see there is plenty of seating. Both chairs and couch have seat belts. The microwave, sink and oven are across from the table.

I love all the storage and haven't even begun to fill half of it, though all my stuff is now inside (barring the Search and Rescue equipment I keep in the Geo in case of call out.)

I'm excited to say the rig is completely paid for and fully insured.

Have Motor Home, will travel. 

Motor Home and I Survive

Photos to come, but just to touch base, I have survived two nights in my new motor home, in spite of Idaho's record cold. Two below this morning!

The propane tank is full, as is the gas tank (who knew that gas went in the hole behind the license plates!) An emergency run into a local dealership, over ice, in the wind was needed so my LP leak detector could be fixed. Turned out to be a wire not properly grounded. Two nights ago, after just getting it home, the solenoid had burnt out after being previously hard wired. Yikes. Does it end?
Please say yes.
Starting to have second thoughts on expenditures, minimalist that I am, I muttered to the salesman, "Its like a black hole for time and money."
The Salesman replied cheerily, "Like owning a puppy."
"Might give it up for adoption," I laughed.

But, the bed is ultra comfortable with matching purple comforter and signature sheets. Ok, I could   get used to this.

Its winterized, though. My water comes from a jug instead of  a hose. Can't get crazy here. Just one step at a time. From tent to trailer is a sweet upward move.

Electric and WiFi enabled, things are looking up. A shopping trip and hundred bucks later, there's groceries, cookie sheets, scads of coat hangers, paper plates, cups and towels, fluffy pillows and coffee. Never never forget the coffee.

The process continues.

Buying A Motorhome

There's nothing easy about buying a motor home. First of all, you'll want to figure out what you're going to use it for. Or maybe like me, the future stretches out uncertainly and all you know is you need a place to put your stuff, and a bed you can always count on.

A very nice class C is shown above. Its located in Maine. I drove across the country, though, in my Geo.

Now, here in Idaho, I've visited and stepped inside another 33 motor homes. Some were Class C. Some were Class A (the kind that look like a school bus). None were trailers or Class B (a van conversion thing.)

Some had slides, providing a lot of additional floor space, yet adding weight and possible complications like fuses and electrical outages. I know you can crank the slides in manually.

I looked at rigs old as 1988 and as new as 2008.  Bottom line, I went with a 34 foot Class A, Coranado Fleetwood. Its immaculate and fully paid for. Done deal.

It has complete insurance and AAA for the first year. Who knows what I'll decide after I get used to this rig.

The stats:

I visited and heard the speils of seven dealerships for a total of 22 rigs.

I tried Craigslist and found two complete scammers, a piece of junk by a private seller (water logged so bad I feared to even drive it) and one missing random things and overpriced.

One rig, parked along the highway was inspected and defended by the seller. It reeked of cats and dogs. The linoleum rippled. No go.

I visited two Consignment dealers, whose income depending on selling at a percentage, and inspected another eight units. A lot of trust goes into the purchasing process. Its important to feel the person doing the selling is not lying. When and if you catch them in a lie, trust goes out the door. Move on.

Some rigs are winterized. All but one dealership was as is, no warrantee. Bottom line, bring a friend, bring family, bring your top inspection genes. Ask questions. Tons of questions. Check everything, every corner, every tire, every appliance. Then check again. Ask to see each 'basement' storage unit under the main floor. Touch the insulation. One dealership opened the spare tire box. I felt the insulation. Sopping wet. "We got a lot of rain last week," was his excuse. My tent doesn't even leak this bad. Forget it. 

Now that I own a motorhome, I can travel to seasonal jobs or stay in the area.
I'm not sure how much survivalism goes into owning a camper, but I'll keep you posted. Seems like a lot of folks are looking at this lifestyle either for retirement, traveling, or seasonal jobs. It does open up possibilities.