Solar Panel

I was hoping to buy another solar panel in Phoenix at Sun Electronics.  But I didn't.
1.  Sun Electronics is NOT a retail store.  It is a warehouse, and no one was in the warehouse.
2.  After spending $300 on my axle, I decided to forgo the panel and get one when I can afford it.

So, right now, I have one pair of batteries in service, and one pair "resting". 

Thanks to Kelly and Theresa

These two folks and their adorable pug have been great neighbors since Crown King Road.
They invited me to join them in E'berg, way out from what's already way out!  :)

In fact, they've become good friends.  I truly enjoy their company.  They like their solitude, and we give each other space. 

Kelly actually seems to like to help me with stuff! 

Friends like them are rare.

Axle and Battery issues

Axle

Somewhere between Pueblo , CO and Page , AZ , I bent the axle on my trailer. 
I believe it happened when I backed in to the tiny campsite near the Entrance to Mesa Verde National Monument.  I believe my wheel was stopped by a very low stump, and I kept pushing back for a moment too long. 

The clue that it was bent was that the outside edge of the tire was almost bald after about 120 miles or so of driving!   The next day , I went to a tire store that worked on trailer axles and the guy told me that the axle was bent.  He turned the tire around so that I could make it to Ehrenberg, AZ. 

My friend Kelly is going to help me take it off, (I'll be handing him wrenches!) and I'll drive to Phoenix to get a new one and move the hubs on the old one, and put them on the new one.
Since the one I have is a "drop axle", and I'll be getting a straight axle, I'll get a 4" lift!

Battery

I've been having battery problems since around Labor Day.  I've gotten a new MPPT controller, thinking it was the controller.  I've let it charge and not used it .  

When I was in Prescott, AZ (Crown King road) , I took them to a chain battery store to check them out, and ended up with 4 NEW batteries.  

Here in E'berg, I found that the multimeter reading for volts does not agree with a reading from a hydrometer.  I'm still not entirely sure that that is the problem that some folks diagnose it.  It probably is, but some articles from those same people say otherwise. 

So... still in troubleshooting mode. 

When I go to Phoenix to get the axle, I plan on getting another panel at Sun Electronics ... they have great prices. 

Views from where I'm staying in AZ

Thus proving the theory that this is terrain that only a full-time boondocker could love. What you can't see in these pictures is that the BLM, has at this time, chosen to NOT enforce the 14-day limit and has not for more than a year. THAT'S the big attraction for folks like me. I have time to work on my trailer, and truck, and not have to worry about getting kicked out.

Also, during the winter, the weather is very pleasant. I think it got close to 80 yesterday, around 2. But it's about 50 degrees now, with a slight breeze.

Thanks to Weldon'

My friend Weldon has been such a great help to me, I just wanted to recognize him here.

I've called on him in so many weird situations,  and he has always come through.   There have been many,  but the time he drove 140 mile round trip to rescue Lacy while I was being taken into custody for an unpaid ticket was one of the best.   If not for Weldon,  Lacy might have gone to the pound.

 He later told me he did it for her.   That was A-ok with me.  :)

Tarp Sunblock

My attempt to provide a "tarp sunblock" to me and Lacy.

I always try to point the front of my trailer due west. That way my side door and window are on the North. Which helps keep that side a little cooler. However, the South side is like a solar panel, except it just generates heat. So, since it's still kind of warm in the afternoons here, I thought that the trailer would stay cooler if I let the tarp reflect the sun's heat. We'll see how it works. I know, it wouldn't pass the "trailer trash" criteria... I couldn't stay in an RV Park anyway!  

A little sunset for your viewing pleasure. 

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Lake Havasu, AZ and Van Build Party 2017

I spent the night outside Lake Havasu City, AZ, at the Van Build that Jamie of the Enigmatic Nomadics YouTube channel puts on. I got to tell Jamie thanks for all the information and inspiration. Lacy made the rounds at the campfire later on, and made lots of friends.

We're heading for Ehrenberg, hopefully to get my axle fixed.

Pointer to Jamie's video about the Party

https://youtu.be/ZVHgTbCaRdg