Wrapping up

Clicking the pics will show you one of the Quartzsite Fleamarkets I went to today.

Some folks don't realize that long before Quartzsite became an RVing town it was a gold mining town, and there's still evidence of that scattered around the area.

To finish up the blog post from yesterday. Your electrical equipment will probably vary considerably from mine, so the amp numbers from yesterday are just a rough idea of what you can expect in your situation.

The solar system I put together that you see today is different from how it was when I first started full-timing, mostly because I went from thinking I would boondock some of the time to wanting to boondock most of the time.

And obviously, what it takes to comfortably boondock in nice weather during the Summer for a week or so when your solar panels are putting out 100% is entirely different from boondocking comfortably long term during the winter, under various weather conditions and your solar panels are putting out a little better than half of the amps they do in the Summer.

So over time, I have added more solar panels than I started with and a better battery bank. So I can boondock and not just survive, but be perfectly comfortable.

 At my age, I have no desire whatsoever to "rough it" and set my goal to long-term boondock and be pretty much as comfortable as I would be in a home without wheels. No, I don't have an air conditioner that works when I'm boondocking, but you might be surprised at how few times I've cared that I couldn't turn my air conditioner on. And if it gets so hot that changing locations won't help me, I can always go to an RV Park as a last resort and plug-in. Remember, I have no personal rules against checking into an RV Park; I simply prefer boondocking.

Were all unique and have different wants and needs, and the solar system I described to you yesterday that's on the Arctic Fox right now is what, over time, has proven to be comfortable for me to live in all year. My system may be way too much or way too little, depending on the lifestyle you prefer.

My little Bronco slide-in camper that I spend time traveling around the Colorado mountains in has four 100 watt solar panels on the roof. They have proven to keep me perfectly comfortable in the week-long mini-vacations I spend on the road in the little Bronco during the Summer. This is partly because I'm not full-timing in it, and partly because the solar panels take in more sun during the Summer because it's higher in the sky, so  four panels and two 12 volt AGM batteries are suitable for the job.

What about a generator? For many people, that's the answer, but I don't own one and have seldom felt the need. I don't particularly appreciate having to listen to other people's noisy generators running, so I don't know how I would stand it in or right next to the Arctic Fox. I much prefer the peace and quiet of the solar system because, if set up correctly, it goes about providing my electrical needs without any effort or input from me, and that fits my lazy lifestyle perfectly.

                                                theboondork

I went wandering around one of the many Quartzsite flea markets this morning and as soon as I saw this 5 foot wide Geode I knew it would make a great bathtub for the Arctic Fox.

But unfortunately it turns out it's bigger than my bathroom, won't fit through the door, too quartzey to comfortably sit on, and actually I don't bathe that often anyway.

But I'm still considering getting these two three-foot tall carved stone lions to sit outside the front door while I'm boondocking. They would make a striking decoration, show the world how much class I have, and with any luck scare the neighbors away.

What could an RV'er do with two 5 foot long, life-sized, carved wooden Galapagos Tortoises? What COULDN'T you do?

You could add some feng shui to your living room by setting them both right in the doorway to keep the evil spirits out. By placing a couple of boards on their shells, you would have a decorative coffee table. Lay a sheet of plywood on top of them, and you get a dining room table that will be the envy of the RV Park.... let your interior designer imagination run wild.

There's just no end to the useful things that RVers can find at a Quartzite fleamarket.

I saw a vintage generator for sale that could power a small town and probably register on seismographs on both coasts. I'm sure it would be absolutely perfect for anyone boondocking next to me.

If you buy all the things that you need for your RV, you will have to buy another RV just to haul all the stuff around.

I'm lucky I got out of here while I still had a dollar in my pocket, and an empty cupboard in the Arctic Fox.

I think as a rule of thumb for RVers, you never have enough flags, and you never have enough rocks. Fortunately Quartzsite flea markets can solve both of those problems.