Labor-Intensive Camping
I spent yesterday goofing with the trailer, since the Top Speed Shootout event I missed has now been rescheduled for October 10-14. With the SCTA World Finals going October 1-4, I decided to stick it out here in spite of Wendover’s relative lack of amenities – like oh, say, a barber shop. I’d normally stay only the 2-week limit and move a distance away, then return for the next event, but another camper assured me that the BLM is well aware of the needs of running these events, and will not hassle people staying longer as long as they don’t present problems. Good campers = a local blind eye to the systemwide rules.
A longer stay means that the trailer really needed to be repositioned true east-west to allow maximum exposure for the solar panels. It does make a difference, because at this time of year, the sun never goes straight overhead and a true E-W position will grab considerably more sun than being off-kilter and either resetting the panels a couple of times a day or leaving them horizontal. I can tell by the voltage readings I’m getting. The frequent clouds don’t help, since I’m grinding the iMac pretty heavily each day.
The other motive for relocating is that I’m on a slight slope, and the fridge uses more propane if it’s off level just a tad. So, I hitched up and weaseled around a few feet this way and that until I reached trailer nirvana. Too bad I didn’t get sufficiently paranoid about solar power cables and ropes while doing it, since I ran over a Read more…
Strolling Amok 