Closing Out Our Time in Quartzsite and Battle Born Batteries

As we close out our time in Quartzsite, AZ, we focus on the sunsets in the desert as God puts on a spectacular show almost every evening!

Most of the "Q Tribe" regrouped back at our camp on Plomosa road so we sat around a propane campfire catching up on our various adventures while apart.  We also had Donna & Mark from Oregon join us.  We enjoyed the opportunity to get to know them.

So happy Wes & Kelly were able to rejoin us after a mechanical problem with their rig had them towed to Blythe! 

The circle returns and Wes is now using his new 200 watt solar suitcase to keep his batteries charged.

 It's hard to stop taking photos of the sunset skies over the desert.

Our neighbors, Helen & Heinz, parked by "Helen's Cactus" just like they've done
for the past 10 years as they avoid the Canadian winters!

Wes & Kelley and Mike and Joie's rigs
Both bought 200 watt solar suitcases while in Quartzsite.

New to the circle, Mark and Donna's 5th wheel rig

So we finally made the leap and bought two lithium batteries, a 2000 watt Victron inverter, and battery minder from Battle Born Batteries.  We first learned of them while at the RV Nomads premier in Wellington, TX last October.  They were a sponsor of the event and gave a presentation that we attended.  Al's been researching batteries since then and knew we wanted to go with their system.  He's talked to several people who already use these batteries including Kathy & Dave.  This upgrade will give us 3 times more usable amps then we currently have!

While at the Battle Born booth at the Big Tent in Quartzsite, we ran in to Lisa & Dan of @Always on Liberty.  They also gave a presentation at the RV Nomads event last fall and were quite humorous.  They are retired US Coast Guard members and so they are now "always on liberty (leave)".   Also in the photo is Sean Nichols, co-owner of Battle Born Batteries. 

Lisa and Dan invited us back to their rig later that night to see their electric arrangement.  They were not parked very far from us so we took them up on their offer.  Dan showed Al how he powers his 5th wheel for extended stays in the desert.  Another couple were camping with them and we remembered meeting them at the RV Nomads event too.  They are Matt & Dianna who are seeking to visit all 400+ National Parks in the US.  Matt helped get our Chevy out of the mud when it was stuck last fall.  Small world!

Now Al needs to decide if he'll replace our one lead acid battery with the new equipment himself or have it professionally installed.  I think there will be a lot of YouTube videos in his future as he researches this project.



It's been interesting how our paths cross with people we've met previously on the road.  We've only been full-timing since August 2nd, 2018!  One couple, Tom & Lori, we ran in to at the RTR and we previously met last April in Pahrump, Nevada where we were attending an RV-Dreams Education rally.  Great to see them again!

Well, January came to a close and it was time to move on to our next stop, Mesa, Arizona.  We made it 9 nights of boondocking/dry camping without any trouble.  That's a new record for us!

Just a few more sunset photos captured by Al:

Now who's ready for some baseball?



Links to people mentioned in this entry:
Kathy & Dave:  OffOurRockerRV.com
Lisa & Dan:  alwaysonliberty.com
Matt & Diana:  adventurousway.com
Mike & Joie:  @OurMobileBackpack
Kelly & Wes:  @RoadHoundAdventures
Tom & Lori:  tomandlorirvlife.com