Sawtooth Canyon Campground | BLM | Barstow | California

This was my campsite at Sawtooth Campground, a BLM camp as well as a destination for rock climbers in the area.  This particular BLM is no fee, even though they have the fire pit and table shelter shown, as well as a BBQ that is out of the photo.  Most BLM areas charge a fee if there are any type of amenities, but I enjoyed the free part.  I ended up staying here about 8 days since there were lots of days with high winds and I don't tow in those conditions.  The day before I left, there were high winds all afternoon, some predicted to reach 60 mph.  Seems that the entire area was under wind alerts.

I talked to a few of the climbers and found that there is actually a guide book of the area called New Jack City.  Back in the 1980s a few climbers came out to the area and set up areas that could be climbed.  They put in connections so that people could climb up and clip a safety line as they go.  Obviously I didn't get all the lingo correct!

On this wall, there are two people climbing, with their spotters below, keeping a tension on their lines for safety. 

As they go up, they search for tiny ledges to grab with their hands as well as pushing up from ledges with their feet, they have special shoes. 

In the photo below, there are 3 people on this wall, and one in the foreground taking a photo of one of them. 

Totally unrelated to climbing, this man came in my last day there with his RV - a man powered little rig with more solar panels than I have!

Lake Havasu City | Again

I set off yesterday to camp at a site just over the border from Arizona into California.  When I arrived at the planned campsite, I was not impressed.  Not with the scenery or the area.  I sat for a minute and then thought - this is why I have wheels.  I decided there was a camping area not too far away that I visited last year.  I could just run up there and I know I'd be getting a nice place.  And it was on my way to where I wanted to end up eventually.  So, I set off and went up to Lake Havasu City.  The scenery was great on the way, I could see the Colorado River between rock formations, so I was happy I had decided on the change.

 

 

This is the view from my camp and I'm really intrigued by the rig on the right.  He has lots of toys in there.  Last year, there were campers who had a campfire every night and the man played guitar and sang.  I was hoping that they would be there again, but unfortunately, they have either left or were not in the area this year.  However, I met a few of the campers, and their dogs, and everyone seems very friendly and nice.  Of course, that's typical.  This is boondocking again - love the price!  Of course, this is why I bought solar panels!

 

 

 

I set up camp and later found that my fridge was in the hot sun all day.  This morning, I decided to turn the rig around so it would be in the shade most of the day.  It's really not that hard or time consuming when you have no hookups to deal with.  I also learned that my level gauge on the outside is off by a little.  I went in to see if the fridge was level and it was, regardless of what the gauge says.   I want to make sure my fridge stays happy - they aren't when they're not level and they're very expensive to replace!

POWER!!

After having lived with solar panels (as well as a wind generator) on my sailboat down in the Caribbean islands, I know solar energy is a wonderful thing! Bright sunny days gave me lots of power from my 3 little panels (75 watts each, small by today's standards). With the tradewinds, the wind generator took up the slack and I had a nice bank of T105 Trojan golf cart batteries for storage. As long as it was breezy and bright, I was fine!

People who have been living on land have not embraced solar or wind generation the way travelers have, including some RVers. I was in west Texas before I saw those giant wind generators, multiple generators in a large field. New Mexico had some wind generators and I also saw some large solar arrays.

Now that I'm in Arizona, I have seen many areas with hundred of solar panels set up facing the strong sun. This southwest weather is perfect for solar since most days seem totally cloudless. I have yet to see any wind generators here, but I'll be looking.

Today I saw the most amazing array of solar power gathering equipment. The giant panels I saw today didn't even look like regular solar panels, they looked like curved mirrors. When I first saw them, they looked like the photo above, facing the morning sun. The entire complex was fenced in with 6 foot chain link fences topped by rows of barbed wire. When I drove by a few hours later, they had been tilted facing directly overhead to get the full benefit of the sun. The rows of panels seemed to go right to the mountain at the horizon.

 

I stopped at the security gate and found out that construction on this started in 2010 and was not completed until last year. The guard I talked to had no idea of the cost of the project. The complex covers over 6 square miles and produces 280 megawatts, most of it going to Arizona Power. I did a quick search and found out that California is starting construction on the same type of system. This is a seriously impressive system.

 

I'd like to get some for my 5th wheel, but installed flat on the roof is not the most efficient way.  One of my boondocking neighbors had 3 that he set out and they traveled in a nice box on the back that he built himself.  I'm still thinking about it.