I THINK I COULD EASILY BECOME A SLABBER SOME DAY………

SLABBERS ENJOYING A FINE MORNING COFFEE

The barking dog at 5 a.m. woke me up just in time to hear the crowing Rooster half an hour later.  I have always found crowing Roosters kind of a nice way to wake up.  Not so much barking dogs.  In fact, I think Slab City has more barking dogs per square inch than anywhere else in the world.  And yes, we do have the proverbial train whistles in the distance here too:))

OUR RIG WITH JIM & RENE’S 5TH WHEEL IN THE BACKGROUND

 

A SLAB CITY RESIDENT HANGS OUT A PAIR OF SOCKS TO DRY 

Slab City is mainly known for it’s cluttering piles of rubbish & junk, but I have to tell you, the area we are in is free of all that.   No white plastic shopping bags caught up in shrubs and trees, no rusting car parts, no tumble down shacks and best of all the ground is not littered with millions of shards of broken glass.  Wished I could say that for other great scenic boon docking spots we have frequented.  But, more about the Slabs later.  And, more in a later blog about cleaning up a campsite where one is staying!!!!

 

YES, THERE ARE PEOPLE LIVING IN ALL THESE PLACES

Our morning dawned clear & bright as is usually the case here in the Southwest.  Not a cloud in the sky.  Saw Rene heading out for a walk with their dog Wyatt.

One would wonder how thousands of tiny sea shells would end up here in this very hot scrubby desert region but I suppose this was once an ocean bottom centuries ago.

We Jeeped ourselves a short distance to Solar Mike’s Sun Works place.  Nothing had changed & things looked the same as when we rolled out of there with our new solar system just over 4 years ago.  Cordial Mike was out right away & suggested we bring the coach over & he would look at things right away.  Bonus.  And, when we got there it didn’t take him long to track down our problem.

SOLAR MIKE FINISHES A MORNING COFFEE BEFORE SETTING TO WORK

 

KELLY & THE MOTORMOUSE KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THINGS

After our first few months on the road years ago we determined very quickly that RV Parks were definitely not in our future.  In order to keep ourselves out of those places we would have to go with solar power.  Kelly spent a lot of time on the Internet back then searching out information on solar installers.  She read a lot of reviews & the one place that kept rising to the top of the heap for reliable & trustworthy solar installations was a fellow in Slab City California.  We had never heard of a Slab City but this Mike guy at Solar Works had a lot of good reviews so  when we finally decided to go solar we headed for California.  We have never regretted that decision and today was a good example of why.

 

Would have been easy for some unscrupulous solar installer to pull our rig into the shop & come back half an hour later with, “yep, your batteries are shot and you need 4 new ones.”  Mike checked our batteries & said, batteries are good so that’s not your problem.  All those dollar signs I had seen floating around & about to depart into the great credit card store in the sky suddenly reversed themselves & immediately came home to roost.

CHECKING THE SOLAR BOOST MONITOR

Nope, it wasn’t the batteries…..it was an inline fuse that has a direct bearing on our solar boost from our two panels on the roof.  The fuse assembly had melted itself preventing any power from our solar panels reaching our batteries.  With the installation of a new heavier duty fuse Mossmagator we were immediately up & running again in Solar Land.  Could easily have been a $700.00+ bill but thanks to Mike’s honesty we got off with a simple $35:))  Yes Toto, there are still some honest & trustworthy people left in the world.  Thanks for again treating us fairly Mike:)) 

 

MIKE SHOWS US THE CULPRIT WITH THE MELTED ONE ON LEFT AND THE NEW MAXI FUSE INSTALLED ON THE RIGHT 

Decided we’ll hang around the Slabs for a few days & take in the amazing sights.  Well, amazing enough that tourists come here on the week-ends driving quickly through with their cameras pointed & clicking out the car windows.  If we see any going by we’ll maybe shoot em a moon or two.

Aside from a few Hello’s, maybe a couple Howdy’s & a nod of the head here & there I really haven’t spoke to anyone living at the Slabs aside from Solar Mike himself.  For a slant on the human side of Slab City I would refer you to a fellow on our sidebar.  The MOBILE KODGERS.  He has written some fine human interest stories about a few of the residents as recently as a week or two ago.  You can pick up one of his stories HERE & work your way back if interested.

I would say today is the hottest one we have experienced this winter since leaving home back in November.  What a treat it is not to have heaters on all night.  Most of our afternoon was spent in a semi relaxing Zombie like state stretched out in our anti-gravity chairs.  Groovy:))

Before I forget….Leonard Knight, the creator of Salvation Mountain here at Slab City has not died.  His close friend and caregiver died recently and many confused that fellow with Leonard.  Leonard Knight, the last I heard, is in a nursing home facility. 

A TELEPHOTO VIEW OF SALVATION MOUNTAIN FROM SLAB CITY

Question about how we anchor our satellite dish (when I remember to do it)  We use THE CLAW.  What I like about this device is the fact it is all metal.  No plastic parts!!  Using a simple ratchet strap the tripod can be cinched down snuggly & securely to the ground.

A VERY HANDSOME LITTLE FELLOW INDEED

We have met some very talented Bloggers in our travels.  Some readers may remember our meeting DEBRA ARGOSY last December while at the Ranch.  Debra is on our sidebar & writes, FIND AN OUTLET.  You will find her well written posts always very thought provoking.  Debra is also a fine & talented painter.  Stop by her Gallery here at……DEBRA'S ARTWORK.

TONIGHT’S SUNSET SEEN THROUGH OUR RIG’S WINDOW >>>

GROANER’S CORNER:((  An actor had been out of work for 15 years because he always forgot his lines. Then one day he got a phone call from a director who wanted him for a big part in a play. All he had to say was “Hark! I hear the cannon roar! After much worry the actor decided to take the role. Opening night arrived, and while he waited in the wings, the actor muttered to himself “Hark! I hear the cannon roar! Hark! I hear the cannon roar! The time for the entrance finally came and as the actor made his appearance, he heard a loud brooooom! He turned around and said, “what the hell was that?”
SUNSET OVER CALIFORNIA’S SANTA ROSA MOUNTAINS AS SEEN FROM THE SLABS

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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL.

stargeezerguy@gmail.com

SOLAR POWER INSTALLATION DAY

WEDNESDAY DEC. 19/07
Our body clocks still have not adjusted to the California time zone so we were awake waaaaay to early this morning again. Packed up the motorhome, took down the satellite dish & drove the short quarter mile over to Solar Mike's Sun Works for 8 a.m.

Mike & his 2 workers didn't waste any time getting started & it wasn't long & the two solar panels were on their way up onto the roof. As the day progressed it became clear that this is a very involved procedure. The 2 aging coach batteries had to come out & 4 new ones went in. No easy task considering the coach was only designed for 2. Modifications had to be made & it was clear the fellows new exactly what they were doing. Solar panels have to communicate with batteries & batteries have to communicate with an inverter & the inverter communicates with a couple of wall monitors in the coach so there is a lot of wiring involved. Not a simple undertaking considering the small spaces of a motorhome. Panel monitors have to be mounted, switches & fuses have to be changed, etc, etc. The two young fellows worked non stop while Mike helped out & supervised the more technical aspects of it all. Two 5th wheels rolled in to book solar installation appointments. Sun Works is a very busy place.
All the while this is going on there is a constant ebb & flow of colorful characters http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy coming & going at the Sun Works. Mike's place seems to be the hub of all that is well & good about Slab City. People are dropping in needing parts for this & that. Some are seeking advice for various things & one fellow was looking for a welder. Another guy dropped off a whole case of lettuce which Mike in turn handed out to everyone else dropping by. Solar Mike is an easy going laid back sort of fellow who takes everything in stride & it's obvious he is well respected by the Slab's residents. He's been here since 1986 & has been doing countless solar installations ever since. We found his name over & over on the RV forums from people who have had him do their solar work over the years.
If you come here expecting to find a big Sun Works neon sign out front of his business & a big brick building with 2 or 3 bays plus a fancy schmancy waiting room with a staff or people manning an overstocked parts department, you are in for a HUGE surprise. I think Mike's business is the classic example of, Keep It Simple!! A couple of ancient buses (early 70's), some tired old lawn chairs, a palm frond lean-to & an assortment of bits & pieces, some storage bins, & a whole lot of solar panels & batteries make Mikes business & home kind of a cozy little place with a creative little cactus garden, solar oven, colorful flowers, & an ambience found only here California's Slab City desert. The new & the old live & work comfortably side by side. Mike's old office bus may date back to the 70's but the modern computer, satellite internet & other new age technologies are all right up there in to-day's fast paced world. Remember, there is no electricity here in the desert & all this is driven by a combination of solar panels, batteries, & inverters. And sun of course!! Quite a clever & resourceful fellow.

The town of Brawley, California is about a half hour drive south of Slab City so we decided to take the car & motor on down there for some groceries in the early afternoon while the fellows were working on the coach. Brawley was a surprise for us because we had expected another tired & dusty little tumble down western town. Tall palm trees lined the streets, lush green manicured grass adorned well landscaped & expensive homes. Land was cleared for a new super center Wal-Mart & we even saw a McDonalds. Nice looking town.

We were back to Slab City about 4 & the crew was still working on the installation. The sun was setting before they finally finished & started up the system..........and found a problem!! Seems the used inverter may not be functioning correctively so Mike said he would trouble shoot the problem in the morning & determine what is not working. That was fine with us because we're in no hurry to be anywhere.
Our water tank was nearly empty so we drove the short distance into Niland & filled up the tank from a water faucet behind a gas station. Back to the Slabs & parked near Mike's place for the night. Nice out with a big three quarter moon & mild temperatures. Lights twinkling on the horizon must be the town of Brawley. Thanks for the big juicy hamburgers to-day Brawleytown:))

TONIGHT WE SLEEP IN THE DESERT SOMEWHERE WEST OF CALIFORNIA’S CARGO MUCHACHO MOUNTAINS

SOLAR MIKE LOOKS ON AS OUR TRUSTY BAYFIELD BUNCH BANKER WRITES OUT A CHECK FOR TODAY’S NEW BATTERIES AND CONTROL MONITOR

Our spotty Verizon internet signal seemed to re-vive itself by morning and I was actually able to publish Wednesday’s post in about 20 minutes.  That finally catches me up with actually publishing my posts on the day I write them again.  Fingers crossed that we have no more Verizon connection problems.

YEP, GONNA BE A GOOD DAY

It was not a quiet night in the Slabs but it’s the Slabs and we were too tired to let anything bother us.  Well until somebody went flying by on a noisy dirt bike waking me up at 4 a.m.  And that was the start to my day.  Of all the off-road vehicles it is the sound of dirt bikes I detest the most.

SLAB CITY HAS BUS SERVICE AND BELOW A FEW FOLKS AWAIT IT’S ARRIVAL

I HEARD SOMEONE PICKING ON A BANJO AND SPOTTED THIS FELLOW

MANY HUMAN INTEREST STORIES HERE IN THE SLABS AND I ALWAYS WONDER AS I WALK AROUND WHAT STORIES THESE PEOPLE COULD TELL BUT NOT LIKELY EVER WILL

THESE TREASURED PETS HAVE FOUND A QUIET RESTING PLACE AND I WONDER ABOUT WHERE THEIR LONG GONE OWNER RESTS NOW

SUNRISE AT SLAB CITY

Drove the rig a few hundred yards over to Solar Mikes at 8 and our battery exchange was soon underway.  Jordan, one of Mike’s workers did the installation and brought us up to speed on some battery info and maintenance. 

IT’S NEARLY 8 A.M. AND SOON WE’LL SEE SOLAR MIKE WONDER OUT WITH COFFEE IN HAND

BY GOLLY THERE HE IS NOW:))

OUR NEW GREEN DEEP CELL INTERSTATE BATTERIES ARE LINED UP AND READY TO BE INSTALLED

KELLY’S RIGHT IN THERE SUPERVISING THE INSTALL

“GREEN SIDE OUT JORDAN GREEN SIDE OUT”

KELLY’S STILL DOWN THERE SHOWING JORDAN HOW TO HOOK THOSE NEW BATTERIES UP

When Mike’s other worker Billie checked out our Go Power controller a further problem was found and upon further sleuthing a burn mark was spotted on some disconnected wiring.  The Go Power controller was old so we decided to update our system with a newer technology Go Pro.  Billy did that installation and we were soon good to go.  Again, two thumbs up for Solar Mike and his ‘Sun Works’.  

BILLIE CHECKS THE NEW BATTERY NUMBERS AND THEY WERE NOT THE NUMBERS HE WANTED TO SEE

MIKE AND BILLIE TRACK DOWN THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM

KELLY CHECKS TO MAKE SURE MIKE’S GOT IT FIGURED OUT

THE NEW MONITOR IS WIRED AND READY TO BE MOUNTED

ALL EYES INCLUDING PHEEBS ARE ON THE INSTALLATION OF THE NEW MONITOR

Always a genuinely friendly welcome here and Mike gave us great break coming in with a final bill less than he had originally quoted us.   Thanks to Mike, Billie, and Jordan for work well done:))

KELLY SAYS GOOD-BYE TO PHEEBS AGING SLAB CITY PAL ‘GRANNY’

BILLIE AND JORDAN WERE SOON BUSY WORKING ON ANOTHER RIG’S SOLAR INSTALLATION

WE SAID GOOD BYE TO 3 OF MIKE’S FORMER EMPLOYEES AS WELL

BYE GUYS AND THANKS FOR EVERYTHING……THAT’S MIKE IN THE BIN

It was 11 a.m. when we rolled out of Slab City back along an old rickety asphalt road to Niland.  Turned south and headed down highway 111 to number 78 and swung our nose into the East and headed us on through Glammis and the Imperial Sand Dunes. 

WE ROLL BY SALVATION MOUNTAIN ON OUR WAY OUT OF SLAB CITY

WE ALWAYS SEE A LOT OF VISITORS HERE AND A LOT OF THE FOLKS ARE ORIENTAL

HEADING DOWN 111 THROUGH FIELDS OF GREEN AGRICULTURE

Lots of off road vehicles flying around in the many Lawrence Of Arabia like sand dunes.  Over the years I’ve managed a few nice mobile photos driving through these sand dunes.  Did I mention it was a beautiful warm sunny California day as we drove another favorite road section of mine with enough gentle ‘whoop-de-doos’ in the road to make a land lubber seasick. 

HEADING EAST ON 78 THROUGH THE IMPERIAL SAND DUNES AT GLAMMIS

LOOKS LIKE A GROUP OF OFF ROADERS UP THERE ON THE RIGHT

PLEASE EXCUSE THE WINDSHIELD REFLECTIONS

NOTICE THE MANY TIRE TRACKS UP AND DOWN THE SAND DUNES

Continued east until we reached Ogilby Road northwest of Yuma then headed south for about 20 miles until we reached our day’s destination, pulled off the highway into the desert and cozied ourselves up close to a dry sandy gravel wash and a few Palo Verde trees.  More peaceful free time coming up for us over the next little while.  We will be re-visiting some old haunts, finding new ones and if ‘The Holy Cheepers Batman big Wall’ isn’t up yet at the border we might even find ourselves in Mexico.  Wouldn’t be the first time………………

TONIGHT WE SLEEP SOMEWHERE WEST OF CALIFORNIA’S CARGO MUCHACHO MOUNTAINS

THIS HERE WILL BE HOME FOR A FEW DAYS

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Here’s A Few Simple Home Remedies::

1. Avoid Cutting Yourself When Slicing Vegetables By Getting Someone Else To Hold The Vegetables While You Chop.
2. Avoid Arguments With The Females About Lifting The Toilet Seat By Using The Sink.
3. For High Blood Pressure Sufferers: Simply Cut Yourself And Bleed For A Few Minutes, Thus Reducing The Pressure On Your Veins. Remember To Use A Timer.
4. A Mouse Trap Placed On Top Of Your Alarm Clock Will Prevent You From Rolling Over And Going Back To Sleep After You Hit The Snooze Button.
5. If You Have A Bad Cough, Take A Large Dose Of Laxatives. Then You'll Be Afraid To Cough.
6. You Only Need Two Tools In Life: Wd-40 And Duct Tape. If It Doesn't Move And Should, Use The Wd-40. If It Shouldn't Move And Does, Use The Duct Tape.
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You might be a Red Neck if::
- You've ever given a set of Tupperware ice tea glasses as a wedding present.
- Your dungarees expose more than half of your butt in the back because the weight of your pocket knife.
- Your idea of heaven involves two shotguns and a keg of beer.
- You picket your horses on your lawn so you won't have to mow it.
- You're wearing a camouflage jacket and clipping on your driver's license pic.
- You stop to flirt with the person running the drive through at McDonalds.
- You save old kitchen appliances for target practice.
- You save old kitchen appliances for children's Christmas presents.
- Your gun cabinet takes up half your living room.