“Find the ones who see who you are and keep them close enough so you remember.“
~The Story People
The week started out with cooler weather. I guess I’d gotten spoiled because the “cooler weather” meant highs in the low to mid 60’s during the day. Being so close to Christmas, that didn’t seem like such a bad deal. Chase was parked adjacent to me, so we often hung out or played a game during the day, and we had a bonfire every night. Chase is on a very different schedule than I am, but that worked out well for me. I got up between 6:00 and 7:00 each morning and had lots of alone time to check e-mails, read headline news, listen to podcasts and have a second cup of coffee before getting out of bed. Chase slept in most days and didn’t come out of his van until around 10:00, giving Cosmo and me a chance to go for a walk or play ball for a bit.
I’d been fussing with my coach battery for a few months now. Without going overboard with more electricity details, my coach battery (different from the battery under my hood which starts my engine) is for running the DC powered things in my van, like my lighting, my water pump, my heater fan (Yup. It got down into the upper 30’s this week and my propane furnace kicked on a few nights) and the solenoid that does something to keep my propane fridge running. The coach battery charges when I drive or when I turn my solar generator to AC power. I can disconnect it when I turn my solar generator on to AC power, and I did so for the past few months to conserve energy in my lithium batteries (part of my solar system). Since I got my solar suitcase, I’ve been turning the solar generator to AC more often to try to charge the coach battery. I left it on all day Sunday (lots of sunshine) and when I went to bed, the coach battery seemed to be fully charged. When I woke up Monday morning, the coach battery was totally dead. I think I damaged it by letting it get so low during the last few months. So I drove to Solar Bill’s and in about a half hour they had it replaced. I need to pay attention and not let the power drop below 50% or I risk damaging it. I have to say, it is pretty nice to not have to be juggling electricity. All systems are go.
Although I’ve needed to put on a hoodie some days, the winter sunsets have continued to be breathtaking.
### ### ###
With electrical issues in the rear-view mirror, I decided to spend some time on other neglected projects. Two years ago, my friend Richard helped me replace my air conditioner in the back of my van. There were gaps around the top and sides, opening to the outside, so we cut pool noodles to fill in the gaps. They jiggle loose as I drive over rocky terrain, and they not only let in a lot of dust, but with the cold nights we’ve been having, I could feel a cold breeze sometimes when I got in bed. I bought expanding foam, but hesitated to use it thinking it would be quite ugly to have that showing in between the air conditioner and the noodles, so I decided to cut strips of reflectix to cover the noodles and foam. I pressed the strips in while the foam was still soft, and it acted as a glue to hold it in place. The reflectix looks much better than the mess created by the foam and it also acts as an extra layer of insulation. It looks so much better and keeps out the dust and wind.
On Wednesday, I drove over to Ehrenberg and went to lunch with Bonnie for her birthday. We went to a Chinese restaurant in Blythe, CA (just over the Colorado River from Ehrenberg). We had a good time. I spent the night in Ehrenberg and was surprised by a text from my friends Neil and Eddie who were passing through on their way to Phoenix. I gave them my coordinates and they popped by my campsite for the night. We had a campfire and spent some time catching up. I’d last seen them in Flagstaff in June. In the morning, we hung out a bit, and then I went to the Ehrenberg Post Office to pick up a package and drove back to Quartzsite. I had a campfire with Chase that night and watched the Geminid meteor showers. They did not disappoint.
Lessons From The Road: Some weeks there are issues to be dealt with; some weeks, everything is smooth sailing. This week has been beyond smooth sailing, and I took plenty of time to soak in life on the road with no worries, nothing needing to be fixed, everything working properly. I’ve never been good at being in the moment. I spent much of my life worrying about the future or fretting over the past. As I get older, and as I have fewer things to worry about on the road (no mortgage, no electric or water bills, no job) I have learned to spend less time worrying about future or past woes and instead use that time to be grateful for and enjoy where I am in the present. I’m happy most of the time.
I’ve also learned, especially in the winter, to be more fluid and flexible in my plans. I love being able to drive easily from Q to Ehrenberg in about 20 minutes. Quartzsite has no real grocery store and the tiny markets have limited vegetarian choices and are extremely expensive. I travel every week or 10 days over to Blythe, CA (5 minutes past Ehrenberg) and shop at Albertson’s or Smart and Final. On my way in and out of The Magic Circle in Q, I am able to fill up my fresh water tank (my leak repairs are still holding) and dump trash for free. In between the two towns is the cheapest gas in the area, so I make sure to top off my tank there when needed. I have friends in Ehrenberg and in Quartzsite, so traveling back and forth gives me a pleasant change of venue and the opportunity to connect with my nomadic tribes.