And speaking of solar…I’m seriously thinking about getting another enclosed trailer to carry a motorbike, bicycle, and other things I can take out of the basement of the van. Maybe a nice 6×10 tandem axle with brakes on one axle. If I do then I can put two 300 watt solar panels on the roof of the trailer and integrate them with the two 100 watt panels I have on the roof of the van. 800 watts of solar should do me just fine! I’d have to change my mppt charge controller out as the Renogy one I’m using now can only handle up to 600 watts safely. We will see….more after the break.
Decided to spend another night here in Rachel….it’s super quiet and nice to talk to folks who stop by. I also adjusted my charging amperage on my inverter/charger to furnish 25 amps to the lithium batteries when charging. Before it had been set to deliver around 12 amps and was taking forever to charge the batts. I read where lithium batteries like a higher charging amperage than regular AGM batts.
A Little Review…Honda Handi 3000i Generator
I LOVE my little generator! It weights 78 pounds so I can easily pick it up and slide it in the basement of the van. Very quiet with its high impact plastic body panels (no metal to resonate). In the ECO mode is just purrs along when charging the batteries and other stuff. When I run the A/C (I have a Soft Start installed in the A/C unit) it runs at full power but still nice and quiet. It also runs about 4 years on one gallon of gas 🙂 About $2300 on Amazon…here’s a link.
I May Have Discovered Paradise
Lordy Lordy…I decided to head down to the Valley of Fires State Park for the night near Lake Mead instead of staying another night in Rachel. I scoped out this cool boondocking spot on the way out of town.
Of coarse I had to stop by the ET sign to get a photo with the van!
Turned onto NV Hwy 93 and headed east…OMG…as I was passing Upper Pahrabnagat Lake I saw some of the most beautiful campsites I’ve ever seen. U TURN! This is paradise…totally free…and only a few other campers…I’ll let the photos do the talking…I’ll be here a couple of days before heading to Lake Havasu City again to pick up some Amazon packages (new stuff).
Here’s the GPS coords…..37°17′59.31″N 115°07′19.81″W
Life is Good
Good night from Pahrabnagat Lake…I had a big pot of beans and weenies for dinner.
The Rocks Are On Fire
23 Jan 0800….I’d heard about the Valley of Fires State Park from many folks on the travel forums and Youtube videos. I was heading back to Phillip’s place in Lake Havasu to pick up a couple of packages and the park was on the way. It was a beautiful drive from last night’s campsite on the lake to the park. The road skirts Lake Mead and is stunning…and almost no traffic…my kind of road.
Got one of the last spots at the Arch View Campground in the park…surrounded by awesome rock formations and very quiet. It cost $10 to enter the park and another $10 a night if you’re camping. The campground has no hook ups but does have vault toilets.
MY site had no connectivity so I hiked up to the top of the rocks and got enough of a signal to call mom to see how she’s doing. She’s almost 90 and still is doing well enough to live on her own…good for her! I’ll see her again the end of next month to take care of things the needs done and enjoy her company. She’s been a good mom to me and my two sisters all our lives.
25 Jan…Headed to Lake Havasu this morning…can you guess what the packages I had coming contained…yep…my new satellite TV system for the van! Phillip and Susan are gracious enough to let me ship things to their place…much appreciated! It took a couple of hours to do then install…super easy…and call Dish to get the thing activated. I opted for the basic package plus any local stations in the areas I stay…cost $54 a month and I only pay monthly when I use the service…nice.
The unit is the Dish Playmaker made by Winnegard….appears to be well made. The bundle I got included the Wally receiver…about $290 from Amazon. It has four feet for mounting so I used more of my beloved 3M VHB tape to secure it in front of the A/C unit. There was not enough room at the rear of the van to put it with all the other crap I’ve got stuck to the roof 🙂
26 Jan 0700…Headed back to Death Valley for a few days before I go to Johnson Valley outside 29 Palms Ca for the off road races…more after the break.
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