“I am not some stone commission
Like a statue in a park
I am flesh and blood and vision
I am howling in the dark
Long blue shadows of the jackals
Are falling on a pay phone by the road
Oh, all I ever wanted
Was just to come in from the cold.”
~Joni Mitchell
Last weekend Matt took me on an adventure to Crystal Mountain. It is part of KOFA (King OF Arizona) Wildlife Refuge. With my OSHA approved flip-flops on, we did some minor mountain climbing and spelunking. I did much better than I expected without shoes. We went crystal hunting and managed to bring home a few choice gems. We also posed for some photos.
Sunday morning Matt started the colossal chore of replacing my house battery. The old 55-amp hour one came out (with a struggle—it was very heavy and in a tight space. We rigged up a pulley and I lifted with a rope from above while Matt lifted and guided it out of the metal box it rested in down below.) That part of the process was straight forward. Most of what followed was outside my scope of practice. The new 100-amp hour battery was an inch taller and an inch longer than the original one. It could not fit in the box beneath my “garage.” Matt went at it with a grinder and several types of saws. I watched hopefully as I saw the floor of my van being sawed away, but soon Matt had cut the box apart and reassembled it, and the battery was ready to be dropped in. We used the same system to get it lowered as we did to get the old battery raised. Now it just had to be connected. It would have been as easy as reattaching all the previous wiring, except I’d bought a battery monitor that needed to be connected and hung on the wall with my other solar monitor. Matt hooked it up and I threaded the wires through a tiny hole in my seating area. In the process, Matt discovered a major problem with two grounding wires and replaced them, and after only about 5 hours of work, the entire new system was installed and working well. I didn’t know just how well until the next morning.
Without going into too much detail (much of which I don’t fully comprehend anyway) my new system is not only accepting all the power of the sun, but is actually storing it as intended. The end result is that I can run my van on the house battery overnight without depleting it, (and thus not setting off my propane and CO detectors due to lack of power), and instead of waking up to 70% power on my lithium battery stack, I now wake up to 92%. It is a game changer.
Then on Wednesday, we tackled my new awning. By “we” I mean MattGyver; I handed him tools, bolts and duct tape as needed and held things up as he screwed things in. It didn’t take long, but unfortunately, by the time he was done, the wind was howling and I didn’t dare try to pull out the awning and risk it becoming a kite. But by Friday, the wind settled and I pulled out my new awning and put up sides, making a wonderful addition to my van.
The weather turned much cooler this week. The abundant sunshine felt good on my skin most of the week, but the cold air from the north made long sleeves and long pants a necessity. The nights dipped down to the low 40’s. We had a campfire on Wednesday to welcome the full moon.
The coyotes came out most nights and when they howl, Cosmo howls. And when Cosmo howls, so does Matt’s dog Sunny. I have started to howl along with them some nights. In fact, I’ve started howling when I pass friends on the dirt roads that run through LaPosa South. It feels like a greeting from one wild creature to another. (Try it, it’s fun.)
Lessons From The Road: Each season, my definition of “Nomad” changes. When I left Delaware nearly 5 years ago, I thought it meant that I would just keep moving, stopping to eat and sleep. I can’t forget the first stop in the Badlands of South Dakota where I stayed for 3 or 4 nights. It was heaven on earth to not have to pack up and drive every day. I sat outside in the sun, explored, and just enjoyed the freedom of having nothing that must be done. A year later, 3 or 4 days became a short stay. I’d stock up on food and fill my fresh water, propane and gas tank before settling in to a new spot with the goal being to stay for up to 10 days before running out of something necessary for survival. Now, during this stay in Quartzsite, I have established a more permanent base. With awning out and tarps up, I have enclosed some of the great outdoors and expanded my living space by almost double. It means having more to pack up if I decide to move, but it also means that staying put is much easier and more comfortable. Instead of 10 days feeling like a very long stay, I think it will be the norm rather than the exception.
The refurbished electrical system allows me to not worry about running out of juice. If you are plugged into the grid, you probably rarely think about it. But think back to the last time you had a power outage. Now imagine that being a possibility several times a week if you don’t ration your electrical use. Having a 90% charge become the low point instead of the high point is a luxury unimaginable to me a month ago. Having an outdoor space to sit out of the cold wind or harsh sun is another new luxury. And my new space, not to mention my new massage table, has allowed me to feel comfortable doing massages on the road. It’s a great bartering tool and a nice way to connect with fellow nomads with tired, aching muscles.
Life is good.
That’s all I got
Love you like a dog
See you down the road,
Scott