Camping at Quartzite

[Ravella and X]

But I want bread and am more than willing to pay for it. Why not sell some loaves?  Sounds like you could have a little underground business going out there.

Maki is right about work and fun. Also, sourdough is a big part of my small bit of good I give to the universe. Making it transactional would deprive me of that, and also deprive me of the privilege of feeding some percentage of the people I have given bread to. Also, aside from the satisfaction I get from giving it away, I feel like I get good back for it. Sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly.
Cammalou, you will get bread, no worries
Maki, your bake is next, when I finish the boule I'm eating now.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

 

[Ravella and X]

I see all kinds of shiny cars and trucks and rigs on my walks. My black SUV is absolutely covered in dust. It looks unloved. My little trailer is getting a tan cap, too, though it is still shiny in the sun.

How do y'all keep your stuff clean out here?

 

[bullfrog]

Paint everything desert tan! Lol!!!

 

[user 423]

My black SUV is absolutely covered in dust. It looks unloved. My little trailer is getting a tan cap, too

Embrace that Desert Rat look...

 

[ckelly78z]

I gave up on black vehicles long ago even in relatively dust free environments (NW Ohio). I can't imagine the dirt, and the heat from a black car in the desert....good luck keeping cool, and clean.

 

[maki2]

I received my fantastic artisan made loaf of sourdogh bread from Ravella. I have taken a photo but need to downsize it before I post it.


Still camping at Q but busy doing chores, busy this afternoon getting orders from my Etsy store ready to put in today's mail. I did put up some shade cloth yesterday, not so much because it was hot inside my trailer as that has not been the case here in ! as it has not been hot at all.But I still wanted to put some shade on the side that has my fridge on it as that gets the southwest sun explosure in the afternoon and always will because of where my solar panel is located. Quartzsite was a great place to find just the right size of shade cloth to fit the length of my sidewall. it does indeed have grommets at least every 18 inches but unfortunately they are not even close to being evenly spaced apart, some are closer to 12 inches, others are 18 and some are who knows what. Oh well eventually I will be modifying it for a not overly tall sidewall pole setup so that it creates more of a covered patio with room for a table and chair underneath but it will do for now. i have way to many projects going on my build to worry about perfecting the shade cloth arrangement at this point in time. The fridge location is now shaded and that is good enough for this next month's time. But I will purchase the poles from the store where I got the shade cloth before I move down south to Imperial Dam later in December.

 

[tx2sturgis]

How do y'all keep your stuff clean out here?

aaaahhhhahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahah.............




You're kidding, right?

 

[maki2]

IIf you are mostly concerned about the tanks freezing you can buy 12v tank heating pads to attach to them. 
Perhaps there is also a thermostat switch that will sense the temperatiure to turn them off and on.

But do alsoo install an outside ground sensing thermometer as well as an indoor sensor with the readout by your dashon your dash as an advance warning system to alert you to freezing cinditions whiile you drive. That way if you needed to stop for a while to turn on the furnace long enough to get everything well above freezing then drive for another stretch, take another warm up break, etc . That will wotk OK and keep things asbove freezing instead of trying to run the furnace while you are driving.  You need a break now and again anyway. Fortunately there are a variety of alternatives available to you.

 

[Freelander]

Where'd the posts go?

There are several that are missing.

 

[Freelander]

Never mind I found it.

 

[Gypsy108]

Can you use a garage tent similar to this at Quartzite ?

https://www.shelterlogic.com/shop/autoshelterr-1020-open-box


I'm trying to find a cheap mini van and thought this would protect from the elements & add privacy too....

 

[maki2]

Can you use a garage tent similar to this at Quartzite ?

https://www.shelterlogic.com/shop/autoshelterr-1020-open-box


I'm trying to find a cheap mini van and thought this would protect from the elements & add privacy too....

You can buy all the parts to make one that is the perfect size for the van you decide to buy. from various vendors right here  in Quartzite.

So just wait until you get here and have time to drive around and see what people are using in the way of shelters over their minivans.

Your bigger issue is trying to haul it with you wherever you go so you want to keep it minimized in size. That will be easier to figure out when you arrive and see examples. Privacy is not a huge problem, you can put up shade cloth which helps obscure people looking into your van. Plus at night in the winter you will want to put up window coverings an hour or two befor sunset to help retain heat during the early evening hours. The orientation you psrk in helps with privacy and getting winter heat gain from the sun.

 

[Gypsy108]

Thanks for the info Maki2 :heart:    But i want it kinda big so i can put my "outhouse" in there too....haha....i guess i want to create my own little private world...until i get more used to things........and i would have a roof storage container to store it in.....also many people will be waiting in line for one to be custom made.....i don't want to wait....

 

[tx2sturgis]

You can set one of those up but most people who do, provide a substantial brace for it, like the side of a motorhome or large 5th wheel....because desert winds can get pretty strong sometimes and might shred that thing like a paper bag.

 

[Gypsy108]

How about if I get a strong regular tent with the bottom in and drive my car inside that ?

 

[bullfrog]

You will get your vehicle all scratched up when the wind slams the side of the tent and poles bend and break. About the only tents that survive in the desert are ones that flex, bend but don’t break. Like a spring bar type. Burning man events use them with lots of modifications. There are lots of YouTube videos. I have had to drop our Kodiak spring bar type tent a few times in 60 MPH winds because the floor started to fly up in the middle and throw stuff around (10’x14’x 6’ tall).

 

[maki2]

Thanks for the info Maki2 :heart:    But i want it kinda big so i can put my "outhouse" in there too....haha....i guess i want to create my own little private world...until i get more used to things........and i would have a roof storage container to store it in.....also many people will be waiting in line for one to be custom made.....i don't want to wait....

You can make it whatever size you want, big or small.

 

[bullfrog]

We had a family of four year before last that tried to hold down an Easy Up type shade structure that broke one of the four metal legs and drove it into the mother’s shoulder several inches. Basically anything large enough to park a car in that is temporary with material in most cases will become a big sail and take off, rip or break. If the wind doesn’t destroy it the sun will over time.

 

[crofter]

Most tents will last a season before the floor and zippers are gone. Easy up shades are exceptional in that many will last a weekend.    -crofter

 

[maki2]

Thanks for the info Maki2 :heart:    But i want it kinda big so i can put my "outhouse" in there too....haha....i guess i want to create my own little private world...until i get more used to things........and i would have a roof storage container to store it in.....also many people will be waiting in line for one to be custom made.....i don't want to wait....

You have convinced yourself that I have no clue what I am talking about. Yet I am here, right on the spot in Quartzsite camping on BLM land, , going in and out of the stores that sell the very items people around here are using to put up shelters over their vehicles of varying sizes. I have been looking at how those systems go together, inspecting tthe strength and quality of the components. Seeing what is being used to stabilize and secure them. I am by trade a professional assembler noot jusst of little things but of huge things as well inclding jumbo jets. So unlike many people I intensely focus on how things are made and how they go together and ehat the stress pints are as concerns sructural integrity. I have also owned and put up a portable garage tarp wall shelter for myself in years past that was more than large enough for your needs. But apparently without any experience you know way more about it than I do. That is fine. Buy whatever you think will work for yourself based on your intuition and then come out here to the desert where quite strong wind gust are not that unusual. Or just wait until you get here and see for yourself how basic and simple it is to put the componenets together from pieces you can iwalk nto the store and buy right here in Quartzsite. They will even sell you the pliers you need to tighten the screw clamps.