theboondork's RV blog

Boondocking In A Sandstorm

1/31/2016

It was a strange day today, this morning and until about 3 o'clock it was 70° and bright blue skies. But by 3 o'clock the wind was starting to blow really hard the skies clouded up and we had a dust storm. And now I'm sitting here at 6:30 in the afternoon and the wind is shaking the trailer, there's thunder and lightning and the rain is coming down in sheets. I knew there was a cold front going to come through but I didn't realize it would have such a sudden and dramatic effect on the weather, it's supposed to get down into the 30s tonight, and only up into the 50s tomorrow.

Dust storm while Boondocking in Quartzsite Arizona

Dust storm outside the Arctic Fox Boondocking at la Posa West

The storm Quartzsite Arizona Boondocking

A dust storm blows through la Posa West

I always get a little concerned when it rains hard around here because after all the BLM puts all of us RVers in dry washes. I am at this moment boondocked in la Posa WASH. We all know these dry washes flood occasionally, I'm sure you've seen pictures on the news of cars and trees floating down a dry wash, well that's where we RVers are camped. They tell us that these dry washes almost never flood except in the summer, and of course nobody in their right mind would be here in the summer. But it's that word "almost" that keeps me on edge when it's raining hard.

My big project for tomorrow is to have a spare key made for the lock that I lock up the Arctic Fox hitch pin with so that nobody can hitch up to the Arctic Fox and pull it away while I'm gone somewhere. Unfortunately this key is not a normal key it's a round cylindrical key that hardware stores don't normally make. But there's a locksmith in town that has all of her equipment in a van so that she can come to you if necessary. But I'm told she normally parks next to the laundromat so that's where I'll go tomorrow with my key problem.

theboondork

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Walking Around A Boondocking Neighborhood

1/30/2016

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I took a walk around the neighborhood today, and I hate to say this but lately it's been to HOT for walking unless you do it in the morning. That's supposed to end on Monday, a cold front is coming through and were only supposed to get up into the 50s Monday and Tuesday, Brrrrr.

I had my camera with me so I took a few pictures of my neighbors and here's what I got.

Infrared palm trees Boondocking Quartzsite Arizona

Infrared Palm trees in Quartzsite Arizona

Infrared Arctic Fox Boondocking in Quartzsite Arizona

I took a couple of infrared pictures just to see what the desert would look like. Normally I only take infrared pictures in places where there's a lot of vegetation, because it's the green plants that show up white. Everything else except the sky looks pretty normal.

Pickup truck class C Boondocking Quartzsite Arizona

I saw this class C RV built on a pickup truck. At first I thought it was a very big slide in but it's not it's actually built in. I've seen pickup truck class Cs before but I don't remember seeing one this big and this nice. I remember a long time ago Toyota built a very small one based on their little pickup trucks.But I don't remember seeing one this big in this nice.

Tiny house Boondocking Quartzsite Arizona

Looks like somebody is in the process of building a tiny house, as you can see they're still tarpaper on the roof. I've never seen any rules about what you can do in an LTVA so I guess building a tiny home here is a pretty good idea. You pay $180 for six months, build your home in that length of time, and then hitch up and pull it away, not a bad idea really.

DO IT IN THE DIRT GANG, Boondocking Quartzsite Arizona

We have a neighborhood gang living just down the road from me. They look like they were pretty tough customers...... 60 or 70 years ago. But I think over time they have forgotten what it's like to "Rule the Hood". I've experienced several of their "Drive-Bys"and all they do is smile and wave. I think they're missing the point of being a gangster.

theboondork

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QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ARCTIC FOX

1/29/2016

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Guy flying over the Arctic Fox the other day.

My answer to Mark regarding a couple of simple questions has become so long that I'm just going to make it a post in the blog.

Good to hear from you Mark.
It would be easier to tell you what options I don't have. I bought my Arctic Fox off of the lot so what I saw was what I got, I didn't really mean for that to rhyme but it actually works pretty well.

I didn't get the built-in vacuum cleaner.---I have a regular push it yourself vacuum
I didn't get 2 air-conditioners.---- if it gets too hot for one air-conditioner I'll move.
I didn't get the generator.---- I had always planned on using solar.
I didn't get awning toppers for the slides.---- their noisy in the wind and hard to clean under.
I didn't get the TV for the bedroom.--- I spend too much time laying down as it is I don't need another excuse.
I didn't get heat pads for the holding tanks.----If it gets that cold I'll move.
I didn't get the 50 amp service.--- You will need it if you get two air-conditioners, it's better to just move.
I didn't get the leveling system.--- It's expensive, it's heavy, it's something else to break, and leveling just isn't that hard to begin with.
I didn't get a satellite dish.----I'm trying to watch less TV not more.

Things I'm Really Glad I Got.

Double pane windows, don't leave home without them. Not only are they better insulation for heat and cold, they also help keep the sound of your neighbors generator out of your living room.

The Reese Airborne Hitch is great, I believe Northwoods uses a different brand now, But the concept is the same. It not only makes the ride in the truck smoother, but things don't get bounced around in the trailer as bad either.

When it came to the solar and what I should do and how I should do it, I pretty much followed everything Handy Bob said. I listened to other solar experts on the Internet and in person and for the most part they only disagreed with minor details of what Handy Bob said.
Handy Bob said to make sure the wire coming from the roof down to the solar controller is big, so I put in a number four wire. He named a couple of solar controllers that he trusted and I got a 60 amp MorningStar solar controller. He also said that he felt like the MPPT controllers were tougher on your batteries and they may not last as long. So I gave up a few extra amps that it might produce and got a regular controller. He said keep the wires going from the controller to the batteries as big and as short as possible. I forget the size of mine but it's big and about 2 feet long. I forget what he said to set the voltage of the charge controller at, but if I remember correctly it was fairly controversial because people tended think it was too high, but whatever it was that's what mine is set at. The controversy was that his high-voltage would boil the water out of the batteries quickly, so far I haven't experienced that. I water my four batteries every two weeks and I'm still using the same gallon of distilled water that I bought a year ago. He recommended keeping the solar panels flat on the roof instead of tilting them, so all six of mine stay flat.

And you're right Handy Bob does not suffer fools lightly.

So what is the connection that you and I have to Colorado, and I hope it's got nothing to do with that embarrassing episode involving me and the Denver Bronco Cheerleaders!

theboondork

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Boondocking In A Sandstorm

Walking Around A Boondocking Neighborhood

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE ARCTIC FOX

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