Two weeks in the desert was about right. We have relaxed in the sun and have finished lots of home maintenance stuff. Evenings are getting cooler and we are getting a bit antsy to move on. We might make this stop again sometime.

On our travels back from the Desert Bar we caught up to a motorhome impatiently following a pickup truck waiting to pass on the busy two lane road. When we came to a passing lane, uphill, he blew past the pickup.  Guess emblem on the back was correct, 600 hp, Really?  That’s twice what ours has.

Head east off AZ95 in the middle of the desert just North of Parker AZ. You will be met by warning signs “Caution, road not routinely maintained”. No worries. Just keep rolling through rock strewn potholes, washboard sections, and soft sand in the many washes. Continue for just under 5 miles at maybe 10 miles an hour (in a car…the regulars in dune buggies and pickup trucks make much better time) and you will be rewarded with your first view of The Desert Bar/Nellie E Saloon.
We checked it out back in 2011 but couldn’t resist another visit. It hasn’t changed much…looks like more solar panels but general décor is pretty much the same; rustic work-in-progress. There is a great outdoor stage and lots of seating with views of the desert in every direction. The local band was entertaining, the food delicious and the drinks reasonably priced. We’ll probably keep dropping in whenever we pass this way; as long as it is Saturday or Sunday in October through April and between high noon and 6PM. Operating hours are as unique as the setting and the ambiance. Try it if you have the chance. It has a street address too, 38499 Nellie E Saloon Dr.

Two 160 watt solar cells faced into the Arizona sun.  We are learning if that is enough to satisfy our power habits. Kent installed the panels on the roof including a tilting mechanism so we can optimize the exposure angle.  We have meters and readouts so soon should know if they keep the batteries fully charged.  We don’t have enough inverter to run the microwave without the generator but we hope it will support everything else…except the air conditioning of course!    We shall see.

Prints were clear, instructions in every Ziploc bag with screws, connectors, tie wraps and glue filled shrink connectors all sub-divided into steps.

First real step to pull the wiring through the coach. Seemed simple enough.  There are already many wires that run from the fuse panel located beneath the bed forward to the control panel next to the door and refrigerator.  The refrigerator and furnace cabinet runs full height floor to ceiling, seems like a plausible route.  OK to keep the voltage loss to a minimum this baby requires 6 gauge wires, not exactly the easiest stuff to run but I must say the wire supplied in the kit was supple and of good quality but it still is big.  So the route was under the bed, through a short wire chase, under the shower, through another chase behind the toilet, under the pantry, under the furnace then up along the side of the refrigerator to the control cabinet.  The other part of the run was to bring another pair of  6 gauge wires from the roof down through the refrigerator cabinet through the rotary disconnect and then over to the controller.  Oh and then there was the battery temperature sensor which runs from the controller down through the refrigerator and furnace cabinet, through the storage cabinet under the floor, along the frame and forward to the battery.   This little adventure consumed 18 of the 20 foot temperature lead supplied and the 6 gauge wire turned out to be 28 feet used.  All these spaces and cubbies have been used extensively for wires and insulation before this project started.  Lynn and I both ended up with arms back in little narrow openings feeling for or pushing wires and coat hangers.

The actual panel install was a piece of cake. Set them in place and mark locations.  Pull the adhesive covering off the feet and screw them down.  The rooftop electrical connections were made to be heat sealed with a heat gun or a cigarette lighter, but with a lot of patience and a solder gun we were successful without causing any fire.

We have used the system 3 days so far, two have been cloudy by Arizona standards and they system is keeping the batteries charged.  Feels good not to run the generator 1 hour a day just to maintain the batteries.   Something we have wanted to do for a while and now we are up and running.   A Big “thumbs up” for the install kit assembled by AM Solar.

It is early for the desert BLM LTVA (long tern visitor areas) but we couldn’t resist stopping for a few days. Days are hot, 95F+ but there is a breeze and the evenings cool off nicely.  A few diehards are here for the winter already but there is still plenty of room to stake a claim and have great dark skies for star watching.  A couple weeks will likely be enough for our fix of dry heat.

Big Bear City, CA.  These folks take their beer seriously.  Many attendees bring their own super steins and have the choice of nearly a dozen brews, many of them imported German.  The star beverage, Warsteiner, “Life is too short to drink cheap beer”.  Maybe a beer savvy reader can confirm or refute its star quality?  By 2 in the afternoon they had gotten a pretty good start at things…it switches to over 21 only at 6PM then runs til midnight.  They’ll be carrying a lot of them out I suspect.  We enjoyed the bratwurst and apple strudel and lots of people watching.

Bottled courage got a few people on the mechanical bull that probably had no business there. Fido rode the bull for tips and to embarrass those who left the bull quickly.

Stein holding contests and two “man” long saw log cutting contests made for a lot of fun too.  A fair polka band kept things moving on the dance floor.  It was a fun stop for us and most assuredly would be a good time for all you beer aficionados out there.