Saw this the other day on the Home Depot site.
Looks like a good starter system. Only 400 watts. Needs battery(s) and an inverter. I have the inverter, and the battery should cost a couple hundred more, at most.
Total price tag. Around $800.
A propane generator would be less, of course. Why not do that? But that would make too much sense.
Friday, September 28, 2018
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
Off-grid 9.26.18 ( videos )
Found some of my videos off the YouTube site.
Took a few screen shots and added it to the list of pics on the separate web page to this blog.
One of them here.
Such a blue sky.
Took a few screen shots and added it to the list of pics on the separate web page to this blog.
One of them here.
Such a blue sky.
Monday, September 24, 2018
The Future of Fish Farming May Be Indoors
Could fish farming be an option for me?
Not on this scale. ( no pun intended )
Not on this scale. ( no pun intended )
The Future of Fish Farming May Be Indoors https://t.co/1MEfbGaFMQ via @sciam— Greg Meadows (@BootsandOilBlog) September 24, 2018
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Ars Technica: Inside the eight desperate weeks that saved SpaceX from ruin
From failures to success. It changed the industry.
Inside the eight desperate weeks that saved SpaceX from ruin https://t.co/aQkZgcN6sg— Greg Meadows (@BootsandOilBlog) September 23, 2018
Off-grid post, 9.23.18 ( locating the last pin )
A few notes about the pics. The sight line I observed while at camp, is estimated
here on two pics. One pic, the line is more north than the other.
The yucca tree that was used as a waypoint on the GPS is right at the property line for the northern twenty. Actually, it may be a little bit south of the property line. Perhaps a little east of the half way point across.
Another waypoint not shown here is near the eastern boundary line in the north twenty. At that way point, there are two yuccas that seemed to be joined together I called them the double yucca.
The double yucca line can be used to locate the last pin.
A definite plan can be devised in order to find this last pin. It seems to be located in the border area of some relatively barren area and some vegetation.
A tree was set as a waypoint to the west of this projected pin location.
Estimated distance from garmin? From the bush waypoint, it is 168 feet. This is closest landmark that has a waypoint in the garmin.
The yucca tree that was used as a waypoint on the GPS is right at the property line for the northern twenty. Actually, it may be a little bit south of the property line. Perhaps a little east of the half way point across.
Another waypoint not shown here is near the eastern boundary line in the north twenty. At that way point, there are two yuccas that seemed to be joined together I called them the double yucca.
The double yucca line can be used to locate the last pin.
A definite plan can be devised in order to find this last pin. It seems to be located in the border area of some relatively barren area and some vegetation.
A tree was set as a waypoint to the west of this projected pin location.
Estimated distance from garmin? From the bush waypoint, it is 168 feet. This is closest landmark that has a waypoint in the garmin.
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Off-grid post 9.22.18, Milestones
With respect to cabin location: two spots are possible. One is in the possible cabin location
marked in the GPS waypoints on Garmin, and the second is a projected position
based upon the canopy waypoint.
If the canopy location is used, a few preparations are in order. The wreckage
of the shack has to be moved out of the way. Secondly, a way has to be hacked
out of the vegetation that may block the way. Of particular concern is the very
large thorns that may puncture tires. The last thing I want is a flat tire out there.
As for the possible cabin location, vegetation will also have to be removed.
Either way, vegetation has to be cleared. That is the milestone that must be
reached before construction is to begin.
Second milestone is to get an inspection from the state for septic plan. Septic
plan needs to get approved before occupancy can be granted. No sense building
something that you cannot live in. That has to be squared away early on.
A third milestone is to decide whether to use my travel trailer, or build a cabin
from scratch.
If I were to build a cabin or use the trailer, I can make use of a pathway that
I used for the shack. As mentioned, the shack needs moving out of the way. Besides
that, there is little vegetation along a long, straight line. I like ideas that
involve little work. By the way, the shack in the canopy location mentioned above.
Here is a pic of the pathway, with the pin at the existing shack location. This is subject
to change based upon actual visual locations when I get out there and mark these spots
with the Garmin. In other words, these are approximations.
 |
| The yellow print is hard to read. It merely points out that there is room for a turnaround in order to maneuver the trailer into position. Probably would want to back the trailer in. |
Friday, September 21, 2018
Off-grid post, 9.21.18: Working on some plans
Since this is volume II of the off-grid posts, the rationale for the partition may thus be explained...
Up to this time, no commitment to building anything permanent has been made. Up to this point, everything has been an experiment.
Now, there has to be definite and final plans for actually implementing the goal of moving in this place as my residence.
Perhaps that is too much even now, after more than four years. I cannot really commit now. This is thus to be called---- a commitment to commit.
If we were to look ahead, the actual building and occupation could be volume III.
Volume III is in doubt, is what I am saying. It is contingent upon a number of things going right.
Those contingent items are, to put it succinctly, money and health. Without both, this project isn't going to get off the drawing board.
Up to this time, no commitment to building anything permanent has been made. Up to this point, everything has been an experiment.
Now, there has to be definite and final plans for actually implementing the goal of moving in this place as my residence.
Perhaps that is too much even now, after more than four years. I cannot really commit now. This is thus to be called---- a commitment to commit.
If we were to look ahead, the actual building and occupation could be volume III.
Volume III is in doubt, is what I am saying. It is contingent upon a number of things going right.
Those contingent items are, to put it succinctly, money and health. Without both, this project isn't going to get off the drawing board.
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Off-grid post, 9.20.18 ( locating the last pin using GPS waypoints )
Back at work with these waypoints to Google map pics. I think that I have gotten about as much out of this that can be gotten.
I made a couple plans to find the last pin. There are six pins outlining the property lines, and I have located all but one of them. The last one is the one most remote, so that partly explains things.
The last time I was on the property was in Feb 2016. It has been a rough two and a half years. But I digress.
When I went out there, one of the goals of that trip was to find that pin. Obviously, I failed. Upon review of what happened, I concluded that my skills with the Garmin needed improvement. Not to mention that the estimated location of the last pin was probably off a bit. Finally, the method of finding the last pin could have been improved upon. This project is a culmination of that effort. Hopefully, finding the last pin now will not prove to be too difficult.
Allow me to segue into something even more generic. That is the subject of how to plan for such trips. Each trip is costly because of the long distances involved, and all the costs associated with traveling have to be figured in.
Consequently, the tendency is to get too ambitious about what can be achieved on each trip. I have taken a lot of stuff with me on some of these trips. A lot of things like that have proven not to be very useful.
It is even more important now to maximize the utility of a trip due to financial constraints. A reminder to myself here is to not let myself try to accomplish more than can be accomplished on this next trip. That is to say, if a next trip even happens.
For this is not a high priority item in the budget. The project is on hold for now.
I made a couple plans to find the last pin. There are six pins outlining the property lines, and I have located all but one of them. The last one is the one most remote, so that partly explains things.
The last time I was on the property was in Feb 2016. It has been a rough two and a half years. But I digress.
When I went out there, one of the goals of that trip was to find that pin. Obviously, I failed. Upon review of what happened, I concluded that my skills with the Garmin needed improvement. Not to mention that the estimated location of the last pin was probably off a bit. Finally, the method of finding the last pin could have been improved upon. This project is a culmination of that effort. Hopefully, finding the last pin now will not prove to be too difficult.
Allow me to segue into something even more generic. That is the subject of how to plan for such trips. Each trip is costly because of the long distances involved, and all the costs associated with traveling have to be figured in.
Consequently, the tendency is to get too ambitious about what can be achieved on each trip. I have taken a lot of stuff with me on some of these trips. A lot of things like that have proven not to be very useful.
It is even more important now to maximize the utility of a trip due to financial constraints. A reminder to myself here is to not let myself try to accomplish more than can be accomplished on this next trip. That is to say, if a next trip even happens.
For this is not a high priority item in the budget. The project is on hold for now.
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Off grid post 9.19.18 ( translating Garmin gps coordinates to a google map coordinate )
Yes, this is very time consuming. It is a great way to pass the time. I get so
absorbed in it, the time flies by incredibly fast.
As mentioned yesterday, I took my Garmin handheld GPS device with me on my trips
out west to the property. With it, I saved many waypoints on the device, which
guides you back to the same spot at some future point in time.
With these waypoints, a translation to Google maps is obtained, and from which I can get some ideas from the terrain as viewed from satellite.
Also, I can make a pictorial representation of the land that can be posted as a
graphic. In other words, a pretty picture.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Off grid post 9.18.18 ( Garmin v google maps )
Today was spent calculating a lot of GPS coordinates, and using them to access
Google map satellite views of my property. Likewise, a route to the property
was constructed by using all the waypoints from the handheld GPS device.
The GPS device does not have a format that is convenient to use with Google Maps,
hence all the calculations. There is a conversion page, but that isn't 100%
easy to use either. I had to figure out how to get the latter part, the minutes
and seconds, to match up with a format that would make the conversion so that
Google could use it.
The format that was needed for the webpage to convert looked like this:
N31°18'25.68" W105°20'2.16"
However, the GPS would give a decimal minutes format. In other words, in the
above coordinates, for north latitude of 31 degrees 18 minutes, the remainder
of the coordinates would be in decimals. This looks the same as above, but it
isn't. You have to multiply the number in the GPS coordinates by 60 in order to
get seconds. You have 60 seconds in a minute, see?
To get back to the GPS handheld format, divide 25.68 from the example above for
latitude, and you get the original format in fractions of a minute. (.428)
This took me several hours today in order to do all this work. The results are
a lot of screen shots of where the waypoints that were in the GPS device.
Now I have a lot of pretty pics that I can post online, if I wish to.
Monday, September 17, 2018
Rock Candy Mountain
I've added a new gadget to the blog. It is an actual picture I took of a mountain that you must pass by in order to get to my 40 acres.
I nicknamed it Rock Candy Mountain after the song. It is a joke.
Maybe the joke is on me, but I am all business on this one. This is business. So, what I am doing here? Well, I want to make the project work. For that, I need to find some funds.
One thing that I have been doing is to prepare an Ebay listing for selling off a part of these 40 acres.
If I could pull that off, it may be possible to finance the rest of the venture with the funds thus obtained.
All I need for my purposes is about 5 acres. It would be real easy to fence off that part, and let a buyer take over the rest.
It is probably a long shot to find a buyer willing to go in on this deal.
Not that it would cost a lot, I am only asking what I paid for it. For 35 acres, that would be about seven eighths of 21k bucks. About 18 k bucks and some change.
Maybe not one person would be willing to go in on this, so it could parceled up in pieces. Perhaps up to eight parcels could be divvied up this way.
That may not be feasible. I'd have to check it our. Right now, I am just going to sell off half of it, and the other pieces may follow afterward.
I nicknamed it Rock Candy Mountain after the song. It is a joke.
Maybe the joke is on me, but I am all business on this one. This is business. So, what I am doing here? Well, I want to make the project work. For that, I need to find some funds.
One thing that I have been doing is to prepare an Ebay listing for selling off a part of these 40 acres.
If I could pull that off, it may be possible to finance the rest of the venture with the funds thus obtained.
All I need for my purposes is about 5 acres. It would be real easy to fence off that part, and let a buyer take over the rest.
It is probably a long shot to find a buyer willing to go in on this deal.
Not that it would cost a lot, I am only asking what I paid for it. For 35 acres, that would be about seven eighths of 21k bucks. About 18 k bucks and some change.
Maybe not one person would be willing to go in on this, so it could parceled up in pieces. Perhaps up to eight parcels could be divvied up this way.
That may not be feasible. I'd have to check it our. Right now, I am just going to sell off half of it, and the other pieces may follow afterward.
Boots and Oil Blog: Plenty wet around here due to rain
Boots and Oil Blog: Plenty wet around here due to rain: There was a shortage of water, now there is more water than I know what to do with. I found another thing I could do with all this rainwat…
comment:
This is cross posted from the other blog.
It has a place here because it is related to what I am attempting to do with my off-grid project. I need to become expert at the use of water, and this is good practice.
Out west, there is a lot less water. But if I play my cards right, I might well have all the water I need even out there.
comment:
This is cross posted from the other blog.
It has a place here because it is related to what I am attempting to do with my off-grid project. I need to become expert at the use of water, and this is good practice.
Out west, there is a lot less water. But if I play my cards right, I might well have all the water I need even out there.
Sunday, September 16, 2018
BFS or BFR. Can't keep up with the acronymns
It looks a little like the shuttle, but without the wheels.
SpaceX Have Redesigned The BFS & Found a Passenger. https://t.co/of65adFEx0 via @YouTube— Greg Meadows (@BootsandOilBlog) September 17, 2018
Saturday, September 15, 2018
An idea from Facebook ( subdividing the property )
Updated,
9.15.18:
The new account is there all right, and it may be possible to sell on it. I have a listing in draft mode, but no pictures available to put up there.
There are a few videos of my time there on the property, plus some pics of my shack, but that may not be useful for selling this parcel of land.
Just add it to the to-do list when I visit there the next time. That may be awhile before I can get out there and take some pictures.
9.14.18:
The Ebay account was lost for some reason. I cannot log on. I think it was deactivated due to non-use. Okay, I can create a new account. Or I think I can.
the original post is below:
9.13.18 @ 3:30 pm:
This post will be brief. I got the idea recently to sell a portion of the land
I have out west. The thing that is new is that somebody on the Facebook page
said something about Ebay.
It was like a Homer Simpson "Doh!" type moment.
Why didn't I think of that? I have an Ebay account. It will allow me to sell
things. Perhaps I can sell my land that way.
Like I said, I don't have to sell all of it. If I could get down to just five
acres, I would have money left over to do other things.
It would be a big help.
9.15.18:
The new account is there all right, and it may be possible to sell on it. I have a listing in draft mode, but no pictures available to put up there.
There are a few videos of my time there on the property, plus some pics of my shack, but that may not be useful for selling this parcel of land.
Just add it to the to-do list when I visit there the next time. That may be awhile before I can get out there and take some pictures.
9.14.18:
The Ebay account was lost for some reason. I cannot log on. I think it was deactivated due to non-use. Okay, I can create a new account. Or I think I can.
the original post is below:
9.13.18 @ 3:30 pm:
This post will be brief. I got the idea recently to sell a portion of the land
I have out west. The thing that is new is that somebody on the Facebook page
said something about Ebay.
It was like a Homer Simpson "Doh!" type moment.
Why didn't I think of that? I have an Ebay account. It will allow me to sell
things. Perhaps I can sell my land that way.
Like I said, I don't have to sell all of it. If I could get down to just five
acres, I would have money left over to do other things.
It would be a big help.
Friday, September 14, 2018
SpaceX's news
This one goes down the pipeline and back again.
Here's what I mean.
I link from here to Instapundit, which is the link above. After posting this, I am going to link it up to my Facebook page. From the Facebook page it could easily end up back here. Or will it?
Anyway, if the story gets out, it's all to the better.
Elon Musk has some problems right now. Hopefully, that won't mess this up. Because reusable rockets are a big deal. Battery powered cars??? Meh.
I have written about this subject. Lots of the posts are imported to this blog. To find them, click on Green, Clean, Mean Driving Machines topic.
Oopsie! Haven't got that set up yet on this here blog, But it is on the other.
Here's what I mean.
I link from here to Instapundit, which is the link above. After posting this, I am going to link it up to my Facebook page. From the Facebook page it could easily end up back here. Or will it?
Anyway, if the story gets out, it's all to the better.
Elon Musk has some problems right now. Hopefully, that won't mess this up. Because reusable rockets are a big deal. Battery powered cars??? Meh.
I have written about this subject. Lots of the posts are imported to this blog. To find them, click on Green, Clean, Mean Driving Machines topic.
Oopsie! Haven't got that set up yet on this here blog, But it is on the other.
A reminder
I have a Facebook page called "People for Space Colonization".
Just trying to get the word out, ya know.
Just trying to get the word out, ya know.
Thursday, September 13, 2018
Some links added to right sidebar
Another short post to inform anybody interested that there are some new links on the right sidebar.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
Trailer v. Cabin
This post will go into the Construction subseries of the off-grid series of posts.
Since this is volume two of the off-grid series, I should mention that this is
the first of this subseries for volume two.
Up to this point, I haven't decided on how to proceed. Unless there is something
built out there, nothing will ever come of this project.
At this point, there are two alternatives for building. One is the cabin, and
the other is to bring my travel trailer out there. There are pros and cons of
each plan, but no chance of doing both.
Consequently, a choice must be made at some point. Of course, the choice could
ultimately be made to sit tight. Let's call that plan C.
The reason for writing this post is that I have been thinking of systems and
procedures for implementing the construction plan. One plan was to have myself
and my brother go out there and build a cabin quick and maybe dirty. Maybe
you could call that plan B. It is B because I am not counting on getting him
out there. Secondly, I am not so sure, as he is, that everything can be done in
only one weekend.
Plan A could be to---take the trailer out there and start building the infra-
structure. It would need a number of things that could be connected together
once it is all in place. Whatever else needs to be done can be finished off
while living on the property. I could do most of this myself, and then call
on my brother to finish the rest.
Plan A seems the simplest and easiest plan for moving. Not to mention that I
could also get help with that as well as B.
The thing that causes me to hesitate is the security issue. I am just not too
comfortable with leaving it out there for days at a time.
Plan C is the easiest of all plans, if that is the issue. Also, the cheapest.
Basically, I have been following plan C. Plan B seems least likely in some
respects. The longer I wait, the less likely that I will build a cabin out
there. If I go, it may well be with the trailer. If I wait too long, no
move is likely at all.
If it is plan A, I need to make a scout mission to go out there and select a
site for the trailer. It cannot be where I built before. Too close to the road.
It may need some vegetation removed so as to be able to maneuver the trailer into
position. Indeed, an entire pathway may need to be laid out. The footers for
the posts can be dug out too on this mission.
Plan A can be aborted, if I wish. If I cannot manage that much of it, maybe
I shouldn't even make the attempt. Flexibility may be a strong point to that
plan.
Shouldn't Plan A be Plan B? Since C is the default decision, C ought to be A.
It is A because it is my preference. But C is the reality. My preference may not
be feasible.
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
Management of water resources
Today's blog post will be about septic systems. That is because I found my book
that I wasn't looking for. This relates to my organizing effort mentioned on
my other blog.
So, what did I learn from reading it? Nothing new really. Just things forgotten.
For my purposes, a composting toilet may be required. Don't know if the authorities
there will allow an incinerating toilet as a substitute. I could always use
both if the incinerator isn't prohibited.
Let's assume that a composting toilet is used instead.
It needs to be placed on the southern side of the house, with a window that will
allow sunshine in. That is because the little microbes will need to be kept
warm and then they can do their job. The window will use the greenhouse effect
to warm up the bathroom.
Some composters may have a warming mechanism included. Nevertheless, a warm
spot will be better.
Aside from that, the book also discusses graywater. That is one area in which
I think I am making great progress. I am recycling some of it now, and perhaps
even more when I get around to making my solar distiller.
The solar distiller may need to work with worse water than I thought. I am finding
that reusing nearly clean graywater is making the bad water even worse.
If a composter is used, there is no way to flush it. That means it must be
evaporated. If it is evaporated, it can be condensed back into clear water as well.
I've done a lot of experimenting with this stuff. Just recently, I noted that
by adding chlorine to the above mentioned nearly clean graywater, I get a deposit
on the bottom and the water may be clarifying a bit. That is why I got the
squeeze bulb thingie, so I can pipette the water out, and deposit it in a container
for reuse.
So things are looking good for this part of my project.
Monday, September 10, 2018
Water works
Hello once again.
It is going to take a bit of self-discipline to remember to put something up everyday. But be aware that I am always thinking about this, and trying stuff.
Today's project was to make use of all of this rainwater of late. There was several gallons that needed to find a use, so to speak; and I found one.
I did some laundry. One catch to this, though. It has to be cleaned up a bit before you use it. You cannot use slightly dirty water in order to get something clean. That required the use of my filters. You can imagine then, that to gather up the water and filter it entailed a good deal of work.
Well, the laundry is done, and I am well-pleased with the result.
This is the kind of thing that I will have to do out west, because there is no water service out there. I will have to haul the water in. If it rains, I will have to do something like this in order to make the water usable.
Gotta be a better way though. Manually going through just a few gallons of water is more work than you can imagine.
It is going to take a bit of self-discipline to remember to put something up everyday. But be aware that I am always thinking about this, and trying stuff.
Today's project was to make use of all of this rainwater of late. There was several gallons that needed to find a use, so to speak; and I found one.
I did some laundry. One catch to this, though. It has to be cleaned up a bit before you use it. You cannot use slightly dirty water in order to get something clean. That required the use of my filters. You can imagine then, that to gather up the water and filter it entailed a good deal of work.
Well, the laundry is done, and I am well-pleased with the result.
This is the kind of thing that I will have to do out west, because there is no water service out there. I will have to haul the water in. If it rains, I will have to do something like this in order to make the water usable.
Gotta be a better way though. Manually going through just a few gallons of water is more work than you can imagine.
Sunday, September 9, 2018
Off grid post, 9.9.18 ( multiple topics )
As I have mentioned elsewhere today, I am considering a proposition that may assist me in this project.
Two big stumbling blocks remain. I think I have a solution for my water problems. That solution is hauling the water in. But hauling large amounts is not what I'd like, so I have managed to come up with a procedure by which large amounts of water will not be necessary. That procedure is radical water management. I am down to less than five gallons per day. This has been accomplished over the two year period since I have left Houston.
Two gallons per day means a trip to town to buy the water from one of those water dispensing kiosks. That is no big deal. Three five gallons containers will do that trick, and I have the containers already. I need to make a trip to town once a week anyway, so going into town is no big deal.
The other problem is electricity. I think I am well on the way to solving that problem with the same kind of solution: radical conservation. It may be combined with using the assets that I already have, as opposed to buying new ones. The van can charge up my batteries. Plus I have a car.
Solar can supplement this resource, which could help ameliorate the cost of burning gasoline. But I think that solar is highly overrated. I won't buy a butt load of solar panels and batteries. Perhaps three or four deep cycle batteries and maybe a six 100 watt panels should suffice. Even that cost seems extravagant. Hence the use of the vehicles to recharge.
Sewage may be handled with a composting toilet. Also, the option of using an incinerating toilet may still be available. Not likely to dig out a septic tank, as the cost is a concern.
I haven't worked out the construction details for the shelter. Right now, I am leaning towards a canopy that I could build. It will shelter the trailer. I will take the trailer out West, and continue living in it as I have for the last two years. The canopy will help in climate control.
Bringing the trailer out there introduces a problem, that is the security of the trailer. I don't like the idea of leaving it out there when I head to town. So, I will take it with me to El Paso. I will dry camp in El Paso for a few days each week in order to make extra bucks.
The latest idea is to refurb the van for Uber ops. If I could do that, it may open up the possibility of selling the car. The funds from that can go into the van.
Finally, there is the problem of paying down my debts. The idea I have for that is to sell 20 acres of my 40 acres. There's an idea for you. If there's anybody reading this blog who might be interested in buying 20 acres, then I will make it available to you if you're interested.
I would sell it at my cost. I paid 21k for the land, but it is being financed. I can obtain funds to obtain the deed, provided that someone is willing to buy up front.
There are details to be worked out for sure. I am not going to try to swindle anybody. The price is no higher than what I paid. I am not asking for the interest I have already paid. That is, you can have the 20 acres for a little over 10k.
I don't need the acreage, and I could use a neighbor. That's the deal.
It is a long shot, but I don't have other options. It's that, or keep it, and be burdened with keeping up with land that I probably will never use.
For the buyer, you get a lower than market price. You get a neighbor to help you get established, if that is what you wish to do. If not, my presence on the land may upgrade its market value. Over time, it may become more valuable and salable. In other words, it can be an investment.
If you are a long time reader here then you know what I am trying to do.
That's the proposition. Leave a comment somewhere I can find it, if you're interested. My email address is bnoblog@yahoo.com.
I will monitor this address for awhile, but if you don't respond, then I will consider that as being a no.
One more thing. There is a facebook page as well. I am on the Sierra Blanca community page, which is private.
Oh, and another thing. You can comment upon a webpage. I still get emails from it, but I don't have the webpage handy. When and/or if I can find it on the other blog, I will post it here.
Two big stumbling blocks remain. I think I have a solution for my water problems. That solution is hauling the water in. But hauling large amounts is not what I'd like, so I have managed to come up with a procedure by which large amounts of water will not be necessary. That procedure is radical water management. I am down to less than five gallons per day. This has been accomplished over the two year period since I have left Houston.
Two gallons per day means a trip to town to buy the water from one of those water dispensing kiosks. That is no big deal. Three five gallons containers will do that trick, and I have the containers already. I need to make a trip to town once a week anyway, so going into town is no big deal.
The other problem is electricity. I think I am well on the way to solving that problem with the same kind of solution: radical conservation. It may be combined with using the assets that I already have, as opposed to buying new ones. The van can charge up my batteries. Plus I have a car.
Solar can supplement this resource, which could help ameliorate the cost of burning gasoline. But I think that solar is highly overrated. I won't buy a butt load of solar panels and batteries. Perhaps three or four deep cycle batteries and maybe a six 100 watt panels should suffice. Even that cost seems extravagant. Hence the use of the vehicles to recharge.
Sewage may be handled with a composting toilet. Also, the option of using an incinerating toilet may still be available. Not likely to dig out a septic tank, as the cost is a concern.
I haven't worked out the construction details for the shelter. Right now, I am leaning towards a canopy that I could build. It will shelter the trailer. I will take the trailer out West, and continue living in it as I have for the last two years. The canopy will help in climate control.
Bringing the trailer out there introduces a problem, that is the security of the trailer. I don't like the idea of leaving it out there when I head to town. So, I will take it with me to El Paso. I will dry camp in El Paso for a few days each week in order to make extra bucks.
The latest idea is to refurb the van for Uber ops. If I could do that, it may open up the possibility of selling the car. The funds from that can go into the van.
Finally, there is the problem of paying down my debts. The idea I have for that is to sell 20 acres of my 40 acres. There's an idea for you. If there's anybody reading this blog who might be interested in buying 20 acres, then I will make it available to you if you're interested.
I would sell it at my cost. I paid 21k for the land, but it is being financed. I can obtain funds to obtain the deed, provided that someone is willing to buy up front.
There are details to be worked out for sure. I am not going to try to swindle anybody. The price is no higher than what I paid. I am not asking for the interest I have already paid. That is, you can have the 20 acres for a little over 10k.
I don't need the acreage, and I could use a neighbor. That's the deal.
It is a long shot, but I don't have other options. It's that, or keep it, and be burdened with keeping up with land that I probably will never use.
For the buyer, you get a lower than market price. You get a neighbor to help you get established, if that is what you wish to do. If not, my presence on the land may upgrade its market value. Over time, it may become more valuable and salable. In other words, it can be an investment.
If you are a long time reader here then you know what I am trying to do.
That's the proposition. Leave a comment somewhere I can find it, if you're interested. My email address is bnoblog@yahoo.com.
I will monitor this address for awhile, but if you don't respond, then I will consider that as being a no.
One more thing. There is a facebook page as well. I am on the Sierra Blanca community page, which is private.
Oh, and another thing. You can comment upon a webpage. I still get emails from it, but I don't have the webpage handy. When and/or if I can find it on the other blog, I will post it here.
Saturday, September 8, 2018
off grid post 9.6.18 ( van conversion ??? )
Updated,
9.8.18:
A wild idea. Is it possible to do a conversion of a cargo van to a passenger van? It would not be the kind of passenger van that hauls a lot of people. I could haul five people counting the driver. The back part would be used for my off grid purposes. The front part would be for Ubering.
Uber would have to okay the van. Several thousand bucks would have to go into refurbing the appearance aspect. Then, you would have the seats that would be added in back.
Would a custom van shop do the job, and for how much? I wonder.
9.7.18:
It sounds too complicated to do the car in the trailer idea. Another idea was to use a larger vehicle as an Uber vehicle that can also pull the trailer into town and back.
The insurance wouldn't be much more than now, or so I am hoping. However, gasoline expense would be more.
Operations wise, I would pull the trailer into an RV place and "dry camp" for a few days while I work. Then drive home. I would need to make enough money to cover the costs, or it doesn't make sense.
Not to mention that there would be a large expense in buying another vehicle. Selling the two I have now would partially cover that, but it would not eliminate the difference.
Original post below:
This post will categorized in the general category of off grid posts.
It will have to become a habit of writing here because I haven't been writing much here until very recently.
Trouble is, how do you make a post out of the littlest things? This stuff here is little. But the devil is in the details.
That said, today I learned a couple things from knowledgeable people on matters of importance. One thing was about insurance, and another was about towing a trailer.
Insurance won't cover a car if it isn't being driven. Or so I heard. So, if I were to tow my car on a trailer for purposes of working in a location over a hundred miles away, and I got into a wreck, the car would not be covered under the car's policy. I would need a separate policy for that, you see.
More expenses. This does not help.
The second thing I learned was that you shouldn't use overdrive when towing. You might think I should know that since I drove all those years for a living. But it wasn't this type of driving. The reason for concern about using overdrive is that it makes the transmission work harder, and the heat will build up and cause problems.
Saving on repair bills does help.
As a concept, I could buy a trailer that was covered, and it could cost north of 5k bucks. Then insure it for what I want to do, and I would have to make enough to pay expenses so that it would be all worthwhile. There may not be enough money in that kind of business to make the concept work.
The reason for a covered trailer is that I could take the trailer with me, plus my stuff. The stuff would be in the van, and the car would be in the trailer. When not hauling the car, I could transfer my stuff from the van to the trailer. While on property, I could live out of the trailer. A Spartan existence, no doubt, but could that work?
I've been thinking about it.
9.8.18:
A wild idea. Is it possible to do a conversion of a cargo van to a passenger van? It would not be the kind of passenger van that hauls a lot of people. I could haul five people counting the driver. The back part would be used for my off grid purposes. The front part would be for Ubering.
Uber would have to okay the van. Several thousand bucks would have to go into refurbing the appearance aspect. Then, you would have the seats that would be added in back.
Would a custom van shop do the job, and for how much? I wonder.
9.7.18:
It sounds too complicated to do the car in the trailer idea. Another idea was to use a larger vehicle as an Uber vehicle that can also pull the trailer into town and back.
The insurance wouldn't be much more than now, or so I am hoping. However, gasoline expense would be more.
Operations wise, I would pull the trailer into an RV place and "dry camp" for a few days while I work. Then drive home. I would need to make enough money to cover the costs, or it doesn't make sense.
Not to mention that there would be a large expense in buying another vehicle. Selling the two I have now would partially cover that, but it would not eliminate the difference.
Original post below:
This post will categorized in the general category of off grid posts.
It will have to become a habit of writing here because I haven't been writing much here until very recently.
Trouble is, how do you make a post out of the littlest things? This stuff here is little. But the devil is in the details.
That said, today I learned a couple things from knowledgeable people on matters of importance. One thing was about insurance, and another was about towing a trailer.
Insurance won't cover a car if it isn't being driven. Or so I heard. So, if I were to tow my car on a trailer for purposes of working in a location over a hundred miles away, and I got into a wreck, the car would not be covered under the car's policy. I would need a separate policy for that, you see.
More expenses. This does not help.
The second thing I learned was that you shouldn't use overdrive when towing. You might think I should know that since I drove all those years for a living. But it wasn't this type of driving. The reason for concern about using overdrive is that it makes the transmission work harder, and the heat will build up and cause problems.
Saving on repair bills does help.
As a concept, I could buy a trailer that was covered, and it could cost north of 5k bucks. Then insure it for what I want to do, and I would have to make enough to pay expenses so that it would be all worthwhile. There may not be enough money in that kind of business to make the concept work.
The reason for a covered trailer is that I could take the trailer with me, plus my stuff. The stuff would be in the van, and the car would be in the trailer. When not hauling the car, I could transfer my stuff from the van to the trailer. While on property, I could live out of the trailer. A Spartan existence, no doubt, but could that work?
I've been thinking about it.
Thursday, September 6, 2018
Greenpeace argues for ongoing use of fossil fuels?
In arguing against nuclear power as a climate mitigation tool....— Ben Heard (@BNW_Ben) September 5, 2018
Not straw-manning, spinning or paraphrasing. Please read.
https://t.co/KItNNcRXvM
Air conditioning uses 10% of world electricity. A/C demand will triple by 2050. ThorCon can help.
Thorcon is a company dedicated to making molten-salt nuclear reactors a reality in the near future.
Molten-salt reactors are safer and cleaner than conventional solid fueled, water cooled reactors.
Molten-salt reactors are safer and cleaner than conventional solid fueled, water cooled reactors.
Air conditioning uses 10% of world electricity. A/C demand will triple by 2050. ThorCon can help.— Thorcon Power (@ThorconPower) September 5, 2018
Nicely written article in this publication I had never read. https://t.co/JgfMlv0Abu https://t.co/JgfMlv0Abu
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Boots and Oil Blog: TEAC8
Boots and Oil Blog: TEAC8: Kutsch touches upon what I have been pounding on time and time again. There is this strong tendency in Western Culture to give up. We sto…
TEAC means Thorium Energy Alliance Conference. This last one is about a year old now. The pace has slowed down, and I hope that is not a bad sign.
However, as this video points out, China is a world leader in this space. This is definitely a bad sign.
Plenty of good videos on Kutsch's site, but I had to go to the YouTube site in order to embed it here. What gives with that???
Things may be picking up soon with real tech, as opposed to PR.
TEAC means Thorium Energy Alliance Conference. This last one is about a year old now. The pace has slowed down, and I hope that is not a bad sign.
However, as this video points out, China is a world leader in this space. This is definitely a bad sign.
Plenty of good videos on Kutsch's site, but I had to go to the YouTube site in order to embed it here. What gives with that???
Things may be picking up soon with real tech, as opposed to PR.
Getting serious about space resources?
Transterrestrial has link to an article about that.
It seems a bit of a hit piece to me. Citing it as a bit of pie-in-the-sky doesn't help, but hurts.
One plan that might be considered is the use of the moon or Mars as a base for mining expeditions. These expeditions might be able to be used for trade goods, which can support a colony.
It's the way it was done on the frontier. Why not in space?
It seems a bit of a hit piece to me. Citing it as a bit of pie-in-the-sky doesn't help, but hurts.
One plan that might be considered is the use of the moon or Mars as a base for mining expeditions. These expeditions might be able to be used for trade goods, which can support a colony.
It's the way it was done on the frontier. Why not in space?
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Stunning designs?
Space dot com has a bit of a hype going on. It is click bait, I imagine.
Without reading the article, I'd say it was more like an appearance thing than a practical thing. If you want something that might work, consider the ideas from the Schwarzenegger movie Total Recall.
In that movie, the main part of the colony was under ground. There was a dome that was installed to keep air pressure in and the rays out. But there rays weren't shielded enough, according to the script.
Anyway, a Mars colony is likely to be underground. There would be a place for sunshine, but it would have to come through something that was heavily shielded.
Without reading the article, I'd say it was more like an appearance thing than a practical thing. If you want something that might work, consider the ideas from the Schwarzenegger movie Total Recall.
In that movie, the main part of the colony was under ground. There was a dome that was installed to keep air pressure in and the rays out. But there rays weren't shielded enough, according to the script.
Anyway, a Mars colony is likely to be underground. There would be a place for sunshine, but it would have to come through something that was heavily shielded.
Collected nine gallons of rainwater
Last night, it rained at least an inch. It filled up my collection bucket, which holds maybe seven gallons. Then, after pulling out a bunch of water, it rained again today.
So far, that is nine gallons. Maybe a gallon and a half remaining.
Even though I collect nine gallons, I discarded several gallons that I didn't want to mess with. Not that it couldn't be used, but I simply do not have the place to put all this water.
The idea occurred to me that I can flush out the fresh water tank of the trailer, but this was a big enough job as it is. You may not agree, but to me, this was work.
I had to screen out the water, which might have debris in it. The water I have at this point isn't filtered yet. But that has to wait.
Gotta be an easier way to do this. One thing is clear, I need to work on my water collection system.
So far, that is nine gallons. Maybe a gallon and a half remaining.
Even though I collect nine gallons, I discarded several gallons that I didn't want to mess with. Not that it couldn't be used, but I simply do not have the place to put all this water.
The idea occurred to me that I can flush out the fresh water tank of the trailer, but this was a big enough job as it is. You may not agree, but to me, this was work.
I had to screen out the water, which might have debris in it. The water I have at this point isn't filtered yet. But that has to wait.
Gotta be an easier way to do this. One thing is clear, I need to work on my water collection system.
Monday, September 3, 2018
Off grid post 9.3.18 ( rainfall catchment )
Off grid post 9.3.18: Note : Cross posted ( actually linked back to here ) from my other blog--- Space City Speculations . It should be noted once again that I...
comment:
Okay, still working out the bugs. It does seem to be working properly. Just click on the link above to see the entire post on the primary blog. But remember... you will only see this post.
Update:
Deluge! It rained hard just awhile ago. I am going to have more water than I can use or store. Got water out the wazoo. Checked outside the door, and there's a couple gallons in one of the collection spots alone. Wow.
comment:
Okay, still working out the bugs. It does seem to be working properly. Just click on the link above to see the entire post on the primary blog. But remember... you will only see this post.
Update:
Deluge! It rained hard just awhile ago. I am going to have more water than I can use or store. Got water out the wazoo. Checked outside the door, and there's a couple gallons in one of the collection spots alone. Wow.
Announcement: I will be posting more on my second...
I will be posting more on my second...: It seems that the Boots and Oil blog has become quite political. I would rather not force everyone to read everything here on this blog any...
comment:
Hurray! It is now operational.
Update:
Not quite. I need to explain something. The link above will go to the Boots and Oil blog, but will only show the post linked to here. To see all posts, click on the header at the top of the screen. The top of the screen has the new name of the blog. Click on that to get the home screen.
Now you can view only those posts associated with this blog.
Hopefully that makes things clear.
comment:
Hurray! It is now operational.
Update:
Not quite. I need to explain something. The link above will go to the Boots and Oil blog, but will only show the post linked to here. To see all posts, click on the header at the top of the screen. The top of the screen has the new name of the blog. Click on that to get the home screen.
Now you can view only those posts associated with this blog.
Hopefully that makes things clear.
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