My yard...

This is a photo of my yard last night with the solar lights going.  I got a good shot with the flash, because it was almost dark.  The flash must be picking up what was left of the red sunset?  It looks kind of pink.  My little Walmart solar lights are all lit up.

As I was crossing over to the couch to close the window, I saw a pretty big coyote walking right along side my rig!  He was about five feet away, slow and confident.  I grabbed my camera, but by that time it was too dark, and I couldn't get the settings right, and they all came out too dark.  Wow, that was exiting, and I'm sure glad we were already back from Katie's last potty break.  I've got to play with the camera at night more, so I can get the settings quicker.

Some of you commented on Katie waking up so late - YES, Katie is a wonderful sleeper, and sometimes sleeps until 9 or 10 am. I get up, fix my coffee, get on the computer, and then an hour or so later she pokes her head out of the covers and I get her down to go outside.

Good morning... are you awake little Katie?

I put one of my little quilts over us last night, and we were as warm as could be.  Those little quilts really make a difference. The side showing here is the back of the quilt.  I actually made it to be a wall hanging, then it became a table cloth, then a lap quilt, and now it's also a comforter when needed.  It's the first quilt I made, and has been pretty handy.

We both got a little mixed up with all the time changes we've had, between Pacific and Mountain time, and Daylight Savings and then Standard time, so sometimes I'm not sure what time our bodies think it really is.  Today I was up at 8 and she was up at 9.  I'd rather each of us sleeps an hour later, though, because it would be warmer then.

Update on the heater:  This morning it was 48 in here when I got up, I turned on the heater, opened the windows and vents again, and its taking about a hour to bring the temperature up 10 degrees each hour.  I have the heater set on low and I just closed the kitchen window.  Tomorrow I'll try a different approach, move the dial to medium for awhile, or keep the windows closed and keep the vents open.  I guess it's a balancing act, once you get the right balance, things will heat up faster and then I'll know how to set it.  We'll get there.  Also, when the sun is shining in the couch window all morning, that helps, too.  Not so much this morning, though.

Update on the Solar:  Yesterday was clear and sunny all day, and even though it's November and the sun is low in the sky, we had a really successful day.  I don't know if this makes a difference, but I have my computer and Sirius radio charger plugged into my little inverter, which is plugged into the 12 volt plug in the coach.  So they are using the coach batteries, but through the 12 volt plug instead of being plugged into the wall.  That way I don't have to keep the solar inverter button turned on all day.  (If that is a bad way to do this, please let me know.)  I monitored the regulator readout on the wall, and it had good readings all day. The batteries were at 100% until the sun got low. Then the volts slowly went down and the amps coming in also slowly went down.

I hope I'm saying all this correctly.  Those of you who understand this stuff will know what I'm saying, and I guess the rest of you, like me, wouldn't know if I've got my lingo down right or not and probably don't care. :)

I fired up the generator when I used my coffeemaker, toaster oven or microwave, which were very limited times, then I turned it off.  The regulator indicator for Volts isn't supposed to go below 12.1 or 12.2, and a couple of times it was getting there, so I turned the generator on for while to bring it back up and charge the batteries, and then turned it off.  We were almost completely living off solar all day.  I'll bet in the summer I won't have to charge the batteries at all.

If I didn't want to use my generator, I would use the gas stove/oven to make coffee, toast, or cook meals, and maybe only turn it on a little to get the batteries charged when needed.

At 9:00 pm when I went to bed, I had a reading of 12.5 v on the regulator, 81% battery charge and of course zero amps coming in.

This morning at 8:00 am, the regulator was at 12.6 v, the batteries were at 93%, and there were, 1.5 amps coming in.

Right now, at 10:00 am, I have 13 volts, 100% charged, and 5 amps are coming in.  We have cloud cover this morning, it's thin, but will probably make a difference as the day goes on if it stays cloudy.

To those of you who know and understand solar systems, does all this sound okay?  Is it working properly, and am I okay to be using the 12V plug instead of the house plugs to have my computer on all day?  Or should I be plugging into the electrical outlets and turn the inverter on?

This is all very interesting to me and it's starting to make sense.

Here's a little diagram I lifted from my daughter-in-law, Trish's, Face Book wall.  This about says it all, doesn't it?

From Me and Katie, have a wonderful Monday, everyone!  :)

Loving the life!

WELCOME to my new Follower, Wanderin'!  I've been following Lloyd since I first started reading blogs, and I've learned a lot from your posts, and always love your photos!  I'm happy you're officially following me and Katie.  Welcome aboard, Lloyd!  :)

We're doing well here in our little camp.  I was up early, and it was cold this morning!  It was 50 degrees in The Palms when I awoke, and I turned on the new heater to warm things up.  The sun was just starting to come up, and having the sun coming in the window helped warm things up, too.  I'm still not sure about the catalytic heater and how much I need to open windows when it's running, which seems to defeat the purpose of having a heater on.  I opened two windows again this morning, and two ceiling vents, and the rig warmed up very slowly.  I don't want the Carbon Monoxide alarm going off, so I may be letting too much cold air in, I'll have to open just one vent and one window tomorrow and see what happens.

Katie was awake and wanting to go outside at 8:00 this morning, which is really early for her.  I didn't let her out for her last potty break last night; she was already asleep up in the bunk and I didn't want to wake her up, so that's probably why she was up early today.

I put rocks around our site today.  I like the way it looks.  I brought everything in a little to make sure I wouldn't be infringing on a future camper's site.  I like it better this way.

Here's the heater all lit up this morning:

Some Quail in the site next door:

Katie and I took a long walk this morning to see the area, and we climbed down into the wash and up into the parking lot where the show is set up in January.   This is the wash with a gravel roadbed:

Here is the parking lot where the show will be.  We are literally yards from it, as long as they don't fence off the area on the edges.

We scared some quail walking by their bush, and they all went scurrying.  They are the prettiest  birds:

Tonight's sunset photos:

From Me and Katie, have a great Sunday evening, everyone!  : )

New Catalytic Heater, new campsite, and a Visitor!

WELCOME to our new Followers, Rick and Kathy Rousseau!  There's no info listed, so I can't plug your blog, but if you get one, let me know!  Welcome aboard, Katie and I are happy to have you along on our adventures.  :)

Katie and I had visitors today - Susan and Angel from Sacramento!  They were visiting family in Arizona, and were driving right by us here in Quartzsite on their way home, so we decided she needed to swing over and see us.  We had a delightful visit.  Susan is hoping to retire and start full-timing in her fiver in January -  she already has applications out for workamping in a couple of nice resorts for summer and over next winter.  She definitely has it together.

Susan and Angel

Her little dog, Angel, is SUCH an angel. I have to admit Katie wasn't a very good hostess.  There were a few growls and some teeth bared, but mostly she just stayed on her pillow and left Angel alone.  They were okay outside, but in The Palms, Katie wasn't so happy.  Here's another picture of Angel - she is so photogenic.

Hi, Angel face

This morning I decided to walk around the area and see if there was a better place for us to camp, since I couldn't get TV, I might as well have a good spot.  I can see my TV programs on HULU on the laptop, so I'll keep up that way.  We walked around and found a really nice place at the edge of this LTVA, closest to the area where the large RV show happens the last week in January.

I was told this area will get really crowded as we get closer to show time, but the rule is you can't park within 15 feet of another RV, and the way this site is situated, I have a road in front, and bushes on either side, and the wash behind me, so I'm pretty sure I won't get anyone too close, and if so, well, that's the way it goes.  I'm pointed right to the West, which is perfect for my solar panels, and I have a nice view out the kitchen window of the bushes behind us.  I really like this spot, and I think I'll do without the TV to be here, at least for now.

This campsite already had a nice rock campfire circle, I cleaned it up a bit, and put a line of rocks behind The Palms, and tomorrow I'm going to gather rocks to lay out our campsite area.  I've always thought that looked so homey, but I've never done it before.  I put out a chair, table, my American flag, and some solar lights.  This is the first time I've really set up a campsite area since last June at Santee Lakes, when I knew I was staying for a month.  On the right side of this photo is a depression in the sand that an RV wouldn't want to park on, on the left are the bushes, behind is the wash with bushes, and where I'm standing in front of The Palms is the road.  So this campsite is kind of delineated by the natural barriers.

A couple of people have invited me to join their circle of RVer friends, one in the South Camping area and one in the Tyson Wash Camping area, but I think I'd rather stay here and visit them sometimes.  I love being invited, though, thank you!  I may change my mind later!!!  :)  But if I stay here, I can walk to the RV show.  I couldn't get any closer.  In January I may eat those words because of crowds and noise and lights, and decide to move.  We'll see...

One of the benefits of pointing west is that we get the morning sun in the window over the couch.  Katie loves it. 

When we had the solar panels installed, Ron and Arron also installed a new catalytic heater for me.  I hate to be cold, and I know the Arizona nights are cool even when the day is warm, and I wanted to be able to use minimal propane, which is accomplished by a catalytic heater.

Some are installed on walls or cupboard doors, etc., if you have room, but I didn't want to do that because it would take up valuable space.  I have enough space, but nothing to spare. Ron said he likes to install these heaters on a tethering hose. There's a small quick connect setting that was placed right under the refrigerator, and the heater is attached to a three foot hose.  I just click the hose end into the quick connect and we're good.  I can point the heater toward the front of The Palms to get the whole living area, or toward the kitchen to warm the kitchen and bathroom quicker.

Wave 3 Catalytic Heater

It's easy to start, and warms immediately.  It's the kind of heater you can stand in front of like a fireplace, and I'll bet Katie will be laying in front of it on cool evenings and mornings.  It's completely quiet, I kept looking back to see if it was still on.  I'm going to have to get used to that.

I've used it a few times now, and it's a pretty nifty setup.  I can keep it connected, it's small enough to not be in the way at all, or I can disconnect it and store it in a cupboard.  During hot weather when I'm not using it at all, I'll put it in a storage area or in the cupboard.  I have to get a cover for it, Ron said the cleaner is stays, the longer it will last.

I'm really happy that I had the heater installed, and that completes the list of things I wanted to do to upgrade The Palms and allow us to boondock for as long as possible.  It's nice to have the Wish List done.

From Me and My Dog, have a great Saturday evening, everyone!  :)

Quartzsite!

We took off this morning from the casino and headed toward Quartzsite.  We crossed over a pretty one lane bridge that was kind of neat:

Commenters have mentioned how brave I am, being a solo female traveler, etc., and it may seem that way, but believe me I'm not.  Most times I'm probably more nervous than the rest of you, but I decided a long time ago that if I let that stop me, I'd literally do nothing.  So, I don't think about it, act as if I know what I'm doing, and  just keep going, and I'm really glad I can do that.  Most times I'm okay, it's just new things that I'm doing that make me a little nervous.  I do all the research I can, and then I hope for the best.  Like going to Quartzsite.

I didn't know how in the world I'd find a place to stay in Quartzsite, it's so big and there are so many areas.  People who have been here know how simple it is, but for those of you who haven't been here, it couldn't be easier.

All along the 95 there are signs like this one below.

Each area has signage, and there were tons of areas I passed before I got here.  Most were BLM lands where you can camp free for 14 days.  Then you have to leave, and move at least 25 miles away, and after 14 days, you can go back, or move to another spot.  That's so the desert can "heal" and won't show the wear and tear of campers.  That sounded kind of interesting, and I may try out some of the BLM camping areas, but I wanted to check out the Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) to see if I wanted to get a season permit that costs $180.  It's good from September 15 through April 15, and you can stay in one spot the entire time, or move from LTVA to LTVA, leave for a while and come back, etc.  So, I passed up the other places and kept going. 

It was very nice desert scenery all along the road, even some Saguaro Cactus, which I didn't expect to see up here.

Once you get here, right before the town of Quartzsite, there are four sections in the La Posa LTVA, two on each side of 95, and all right before the town.  You can stop at any of them (they each have a little brown building right off the road, very visible) and the volunteers will answer any of your questions.  If you buy the permit, it's good at any of the LTVAs in Arizona and California, which are all near the border of the two states.  The volunteers were really helpful.  Of the four areas in La Posa, only one has a dump station and water spigots for fresh water.  That's the first one on the right.  So all the LTVA people go there to dump and get water.  You need your permit to get past the volunteer building to the dump station.  I stopped at the one on the left side of 95 and bought my pass, then went across the street to dump my grey and black tanks and fill up with fresh water.

I asked the volunteers which would be the best area for me, since I wanted to visit the January Quartzsite RV event and I don't have a car. They suggested the second area on the left, which borders the town right where the tents are set up.  They said it will be a nice walk, but not too much.  One of my neighbors here said it's a short walk to the show from here.  I can see the place they sent up the tents from The Palms. So if I stay in this area, I'll be nice and close and I'll be able to easily walk over.

This is the brown building I went to for my LTVA permit

 And... our very nice Volunteers, Lois and Ellen

Here is the RV site I chose - actually you just drive around until you find a spot you like, and park.   I don't get TV here, but I'm not sure if I'll get it anywhere.  I do see some antennas up, though, so tomorrow Katie and I are taking a walk toward the antennas to see if they're picking up the signal.  If so, we're moving!

Facing west toward the setting sun, per solar instructions.

View out the couch window

View out the dinette window

I expect that as the year comes to an end, and into January, this area will fill up.  I should probably find a spot that ensures an open area on at least one side.  Maybe tomorrow I'll do that.  Then if I DO stay here the whole time, I'll be set.  You can leave your place for five days, but then you have to come back or you may lose your spot.  I might check out some other places, but leave a chair and table here.  Then if I find a better place, I can come back and get them.  If I want to leave for a few days just for a change of scenery, I can go to the BLM areas and stay for free for the five days, then come back.

Here are the sunset shots I took tonight:

 After the sun set in the west

 Can you see the glow on the mountains in the east behind the RVs?

That's what I learned today about boondocking at Quartzsite.  It couldn't have been easier - the drive was straight through on the 95 from Yuma, the areas were well marked, the volunteers were helpful, and it was super easy to find a spot.  Probably any spot in any of these areas would be a good one.

Anonymous said in a comment, "You must have way more money than most of us. You have really spent the bucks!"   Well, I don't know, Anonymous, how much money do the rest of you have?  I probably have more than some of you, and less than a lot of you, and a lot less than I did have.  How much money do you have?

From Me and Katie here in Quartzsite, have a nice Friday evening, everyone!  :)

The SOLAR installation

Here are the two Kyocera DK135 solar panels that were installed on Wednesday:

We slept in the covered work area, with two other rigs that had their people in them overnight.  I didn't meet the owners of the rig next to me, they were very quiet and kept to themselves.  I met the other couple, though,  Nancy and John Wayne; they said Ron is a friend, along with his family, and they have been coming here for years. They have been full-timing for more than 20 years, and are on their third rig.

I enjoyed talking to them both, and we had a couple of good conversations.  Here's Nancy feeding Katie a treat. 

Katie with Taz and Stitch and Nancy

Here's Ron, the owner of the shop, he was great to work with.  He's been working on RVs for 30 years, and installing solar for 20 years.

Ron fabricates all the wires, hoses, and connections himself. All his installs are done the same, if someone calls and needs information on what he did, he can always talk them through a repair or warranty on the phone. He's had people call from other countries, and was able to talk them though the fix.

In case you need a good shop for anything at all relating to RVs, I would highly recommend:

Ron Wicklund, Owner
D & R Family R.V.
6344 W. Orangewood #7
Glendale, AZ 85301
623-842-1265    drfamrv@q.com

Ron has a new employee, Arron, who did most of the work on The Palms.  He's been a mechanic for a while, but is new to solar, and he seemed intent on getting everything right.  Ron checked from time to time, made corrections and suggestions, and the final job was perfect. And here's Arron working on the wall panels:

The little black gizmo is the remote, I push the button and the solar is switched on.  The batteries are 91% charged, it was night when I took this, but I hadn't used much.

This is the Inverter and another new generator switch, and 

the in-house water filter I didn't know I had.

Ron got some filters and put one in for me.

Geez, Mom, the house is a mess!

Ron also asked me about how I am going to fill my new batteries.  I didn't realize that because the 6 volt batteries are taller, the other shop took out the sliding tray the old batteries were sitting on, and now I can't fill the cells without removing the batteries.  He took off the cell covers and put on a new cover that's part of a fill kit.  I just have to insert the end of a little hose, put the other end into the gallon jug of distilled water, and pump the little balloon thingie on the hose until it won't pump any more.  All the cells will be full.  I'm really glad he had the fill kit, I sure don't want to be taking out the batteries myself to refill them.

Ron solved some issues I didn't even know I had, but he saw and fixed them for me. I like shops that notice things other than what you specifically came in for.  I'd rather have them taken care of now than have to stop later somewhere else that wasn't recommended. 

At 4:00 all the work was done and paid for, and I asked Ron where would be a good place to do some boondocking that night to test out my systems. He checked with John Wayne and Nancy because they are boondockers, and they suggested a good place to go. Ron came back to the rig and wrote down directions for me, and we headed toward Buckeye Hills Recreational Area -  we blogged about that yesterday.

So, yesterday morning we left Buckeye Hills and headed for Yuma, AZ, looking for some sun:

A little sun in the distance.

Sun coming through, but it didn't get much better than this all day.

Last night we stayed at Paradise Casino in Yuma.  They offer one night free parking in their dirt lot next to the regular parking lot.  There were a lot of RVs here, but the area is so large the RVs each had a lot of space. It's a nice setup for an overnight and very quiet.  I went to their restaurant and ordered the Thanksgiving dinner and an extra salad for around $12.  Quite a deal for a fresh turkey dinner with all the trimmings.

 This church is right up the hill from where we are parked.

There was a beautiful sunset last night. One of the sunsets that have all kinds of colors, red, pink, yellow, gold, it kept changing until the sun was gone.

Today we are heading toward Quartzsite.  I want to see what it looks like and find a free space to park for two weeks to see how the solar does.  Yesterday I did have to run the generator, but today I have had my computer, TV and printer on since I woke up, just using the solar.   There were 4.4 amps coming in at 9:00 am, and now it's 11:00 am and we have10.1 amps coming in.

I'm unsure about the coffee maker and microwave. Yesterday I couldn't use them with the solar, but maybe it was the cloud cover.  Or maybe I'll need to fire up the generator when I use those, which is okay because they get minimal use during the day.  I'm hoping to meet up with other RVers in Quartzsite who have similar set-ups, and maybe they can answer some of my questions.  I could call Ron, of course, but that would be too easy.  :)

On to Quartzsite!  From Me and Katie, have a great Black Friday, everyone!  :)