Lake Mead National Recreation Area

 
 

 

After some of the weather calmed down from the wind and rain, we had a few days of bright sunny days before more bad weather set in. Of course, I set out wandering around with my camera. I found some things that were new since last year, like a life jacket borrowing station. I'm not sure how that works, since it's locked. 
　

In the same area, there are two rolls of large plastic bags - one for recycling bottles, cans and plastic and the other for trash. I'm sure they're helping, but people still litter. We found soda cans just a few feet from a trash bin. Really? They couldn't walk a few feet?

As you can see, the scenery is great here, although somehow we find lots of stuff to do besides taking photos. Here's the great scenery not far from the camping area. Even my campsite is photogenic.

 

 

 

 

 

Refrigerator Stopped Working!

About a week ago, I came into the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, where I spent a couple weeks last year and had great weather. This place is so beautiful and is a quiet place to relax and enjoy.

I have been here about 10 days now and the weather has not been cooperating like it did just about the same time last year. There have been several days of overcast, sometimes rainy, cool weather. During the first week, there were some violent winds that kept everyone inside.

I think it was the second day I was here I noticed that my Dometic refrigerator was not working. Panic set in, since these units are very expensive to replace or to have worked on. I checked to be sure that there was propane in the tank and that both tanks were turned on, just in case one was low. Usually I can go outside and hear it light up and start cooling, but with the wind, I couldn't hear anything except wind noise.

I gave it a few hours and checked again - the temperature was still going down. I sat and thought about all the things it could be. I knew I had propane and I didn't smell any of the tell-tale ammonia smell that everyone talks about when the cooling system blows up. The only thing I could think of (that didn't cost lots of money) was that possibly the wind was just not allowing the burner to kick on and stay on.

Hoping that the wind was the culprit, I just tried to keep myself busy until the wind calmed down about 9 PM. Then I went outside, crossed my fingers, and put my ear to the outside panel where the burner was. YES!! I could hear the burner going - and hopefully cooling the fridge!

It took a while to cool the unit down, but I was so happy it was working again. I guess my theory about the wind turned out to be the problem. I knew the wind was blowing on that side of the RV, but I have experienced high winds in the past with no problems. It must have been just the right angle to get into the vents on the outside panel.

So if you have high winds on the refrigerator side of your RV, and your fridge stops working, don't panic and call the RV repair man until the winds are over! Luckily, it was late in the day, so I wasn't going to call anyone until the morning.

I'm just so happy my fridge is happily cooling along and keeping my food fresh!

Nelson, Nevada

The photo above is not in Nelson, but is down at the end of the road from the mining town.  It's part of the extensive Lake Mead Recreation Area.

The mining town has many buildings that are in quite decent condition, some of which are still inhabited.

This is the entrance to one of the mine shafts, but it's a teaser because you can't go far!

There are many artifacts of the mining business as well as tools and equipment scattered around.

 

There were dozens of vehicles in various stages of deterioration in the area. A few had been modified by someone with a good imagination.

I am amazed at this next car - a three piece back window - totally intact.  I'm sure someone restoring one of these vehicles would love to have this!

Solar!!

 

 

For those of you who may have read my previous blog about the solar panels, I purchased a few months ago in Quartzite, I'd like to update my opinion about their performance. I have had the opportunity to boondock for multiple days at a time, most recently for about 2 weeks.

I purchased a set of 2, on a hinge, with the controller built in on the back. The controller tells me the battery level, what's being input and any power usage at that time. The two panels total 120 watts, although there are units available in different sizes, both smaller and larger. I have the largest marine heavy duty wet battery I could buy that would fit in my 5th wheel.

I just spent 12 days at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in Nevada, with no hookups. The panels were out every day and kept the battery topped off each day. Well, all except for one day that was total overcast, so the panels didn't have a chance to get any sun at all. The day after that was mostly sunny, with a few clouds moving by, but the panels had the battery topped off by about 4 PM that day.

I am very happy with the performance of these panels, since they top off the battery every day unless there is total cloud cover. I do have LED lights for the most part, but I have been able to use the stereo, use my inverter to charge the computer, phone, camera batteries and my eReader. I have also been in other boondocking areas for several days where I was also able to watch TV, as well as doing all the other charging. I can do all this without worrying about my battery level. And all this is without the noise of a generator and the extra problem of carrying gas.

I am so extremely pleased with this setup that I am thinking of selling my Honda EU2000 generator. Meanwhile, I might hang onto it for a while longer. Of course, I'll have to put up with taking it out and starting it every so often.

Depending on how you boondock and what appliances and electric draw you have, results will vary. I don't have a blender, toaster or other small kitchen appliances to use my power.  I don't use a hair dryer or curler, which would require lots of power.  If you have lots of power-hungry equipment, you'll get different results and will need more than what I have. I have seen RVs with way more solar panels than I have, so they must have heavy usage. For the way I live, which is very comfortable for me, this is all I need.