Base camp established -- Doldrums and routine 5/9/17. (Page 1 of 7)
Posted: 8/22/2016 10:12:40 AM EDT
[Last Edit: JC10311][Edited]
After three long months of planning and prepping, my move to AZ is FINNALY under way. I dragged my travel trailer from St. Louis to St. Johns passing everything on the highway . . . except a gas station, arriving about 1:00 PM and set up camp.
Of course, the most important task was to get the ham radios up and running. The mast mounts to the bumper using a flag pole adapter. 
I have five major objectives for the next ten days: 1. Get a 40' container dropped so I have some place to put all my stuff when it gets here. 2. Get a driveway cut in. 3. Get a temporary propane tank set and connected to the trailer. 4. Get a small shed set up where I can put the generator, batteries, inverters, breaker boxes, and still. 5. Get the solar panels set up. They'll be moved once the house is done, but they have to withstand storms now. DAMN, it's quiet out here. The one neighbor that was about 1/4 mile away has pulled up stakes. My next nearest neighbor is over a mile away. It's nice to know that the neighborhood watch is active, though. 
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The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Slight change of plans. Instead of getting a container and shed I bought a 10x20 lofted barn. It should be large enough to hold all my stuff while I build the house and then be converted to either a shop or guest quarters. For $5,400 delivered I couldn't pass it up. That's well under the cost of the shed plus can, and has much more curb appeal. It's supposed to be here in 7 to ten days. Just enough time to get an area flattened for it.
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The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Do you have water on site? If no well what is the depth for finding water in your area? I ask because a lot of places in AZ have no water or very deep aquifers making wells impossible. Shipping in water to live on is not the best plan in my opinion.
Best of luck and stop by the home town shoot in October to meet some of the crew. |
Tough times breed strong people, Strong people create good times, Good times breed weak people, Weak people create tough times
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Originally Posted By Rich_V:
Do you have water on site? If no well what is the depth for finding water in your area? I ask because a lot of places in AZ have no water or very deep aquifers making wells impossible. Shipping in water to live on is not the best plan in my opinion. Best of luck and stop by the home town shoot in October to meet some of the crew. There's no water on the lot, but there is a community well about three miles away, and it's free to property owners. My latest acquisition (yesterday) was a trailer and 275 gallon tank that I can drag to the well and bring water back. Once I get the house built, I'll put in a 500 gallon tank. Why? I don't know. I only use about 10 gallons of water a day when I decide to shower, and less that 5 gallons when I don't. 
A new problem cropped up yesterday afternoon. The propane regulator on the trailer committed suicide. Luckily I had a spare that I was going to use to convert the generator to propane. Ten minutes later I had heat, hot water, and a stove again. Accidental prepping at its best. 
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The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Originally Posted By PHOENIX13:
Maybe I missed it, but how much land did you get up there? This thread lit a fire under my ass to find land for camping and whatnot. I have 75 acres. The biggest selling point for me was that it's bordered on two sides by BLM land, so it's almost like having 1,350 acres all to myself. The private lots on the other two sides are vacant, so there are no neighbors to contend with. My lot is shaped like Utah, or it would be 80 acres. The south and west are BLM and the east and north are private. It slopes down very slightly from the north west to the south east -- about 20' over the whole distance. The Little Colorado river valley and White Mountains are to the south east, giving me a GREAT view. ETA: Bare land in this area is stupid cheap, but don't plan on having ANY utilities, EVER. There are lots that have utilities, but the price goes up, of course. Now for the shameless plug. If you're looking anywhere around St. Johns, talk to Pattie at Mountain Valley Realty. She really knows the area and knows how to make great deals. She got me the land for $2,000 less than I was going to offer. |
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Originally Posted By CSNeoM4A1:
What about cell service on your land? Cell service and Internet are good. Not great, but good enough. There's a Verizon tower about six miles away and line-of-sight, so I'm getting four bars even inside the tin box. You have to be careful though. There are lots of places where service is bad to nonexistent. I checked service with both phone and the Jetpack before signing the contract. |
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
I know exactly around where you are. Looked at some large plots there back in fall of 2014.
Ended up purchasing a smaller plot 10 miles outside of Show Low instead. Was already gridded for electricity, and capable of digging my own well on site - as well as a community well. Your posts are making me realize how much I can't wait to start building on it. Best of luck to you. |
"They are not men. They are weapons."
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Nice place OP. Do you have any plans to do anything with the land or just leave it as is?
Any plan for a garden? I imagine that would be kind of tough having to haul water and what not but might be doable if you recycle your grey water and catch rain water. If you need a bigger tank for hauling water, I've got a 500 gallon tank I could give you a good deal on. |
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Originally Posted By JC10311:
Slight change of plans. Instead of getting a container and shed I bought a 10x20 lofted barn. It should be large enough to hold all my stuff while I build the house and then be converted to either a shop or guest quarters. For $5,400 delivered I couldn't pass it up. That's well under the cost of the shed plus can, and has much more curb appeal. It's supposed to be here in 7 to ten days. Just enough time to get an area flattened for it. I'd definitely like to see pics of the shed when you get it. That seems like a good price, was it a private sale or a local company? |
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Originally Posted By AR-SNIPER-15:
I'd definitely like to see pics of the shed when you get it. That seems like a good price, was it a private sale or a local company? Originally Posted By AR-SNIPER-15:
Originally Posted By JC10311:
Slight change of plans. Instead of getting a container and shed I bought a 10x20 lofted barn. It should be large enough to hold all my stuff while I build the house and then be converted to either a shop or guest quarters. For $5,400 delivered I couldn't pass it up. That's well under the cost of the shed plus can, and has much more curb appeal. It's supposed to be here in 7 to ten days. Just enough time to get an area flattened for it. I'd definitely like to see pics of the shed when you get it. That seems like a good price, was it a private sale or a local company? Local is a relative term. I bought it off the lot in Show Low from Arizona Portable Buildings. It's 100 miles away, but that's about the closest I could find one.
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The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Originally Posted By Corporal_Chaos:
Nice place OP. Do you have any plans to do anything with the land or just leave it as is? Any plan for a garden? I imagine that would be kind of tough having to haul water and what not but might be doable if you recycle your grey water and catch rain water. If you need a bigger tank for hauling water, I've got a 500 gallon tank I could give you a good deal on. I do plan on having a garden, but that's about it. Other than a 1,000 yard range, of course. 
I agree on using gray water for the garden and other outdoor purposes. I've planned to have a spit system in the house so that gray water can go to a cistern and black water can drain onto my neighbor's land. JUST KIDDING! |
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Originally Posted By JC10311:
I do plan on having a garden, but that's about it. Other than a 1,000 yard range, of course.
I agree on using gray water for the garden and other outdoor purposes. I've planned to have a spit system in the house so that gray water can go to a cistern and black water can drain onto my neighbor's land. JUST KIDDING! Originally Posted By JC10311:
Originally Posted By Corporal_Chaos:
Nice place OP. Do you have any plans to do anything with the land or just leave it as is? Any plan for a garden? I imagine that would be kind of tough having to haul water and what not but might be doable if you recycle your grey water and catch rain water. If you need a bigger tank for hauling water, I've got a 500 gallon tank I could give you a good deal on. I do plan on having a garden, but that's about it. Other than a 1,000 yard range, of course.
I agree on using gray water for the garden and other outdoor purposes. I've planned to have a spit system in the house so that gray water can go to a cistern and black water can drain onto my neighbor's land. JUST KIDDING! Look into a constructed wetland if you want to attract game and put the black water to use. Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructed_wetland |
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Originally Posted By Tim_McBride:
When you get your tank setup if you've never done a pump/pressure tank setup and want to let me know. I lived on haul water the entire time I lived north of AJ. The last two houses I've built had wells, so I'm pretty familiar with pumps and tanks, but thanks for the offer. I'm already exhausted trying to get all this crap done in ten days. |
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Originally Posted By Tim_McBride:
Look into a constructed wetland if you want to attract game and put the black water to use. Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructed_wetland Originally Posted By Tim_McBride:
Originally Posted By JC10311:
Originally Posted By Corporal_Chaos:
Nice place OP. Do you have any plans to do anything with the land or just leave it as is? Any plan for a garden? I imagine that would be kind of tough having to haul water and what not but might be doable if you recycle your grey water and catch rain water. If you need a bigger tank for hauling water, I've got a 500 gallon tank I could give you a good deal on. I do plan on having a garden, but that's about it. Other than a 1,000 yard range, of course.
I agree on using gray water for the garden and other outdoor purposes. I've planned to have a spit system in the house so that gray water can go to a cistern and black water can drain onto my neighbor's land. JUST KIDDING! Look into a constructed wetland if you want to attract game and put the black water to use. Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructed_wetland Very interesting. Dealing with black water has been the stickiest problem. |
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Here's a stock pic of the building on the lot. I'll take interior pics when I get the building.
The Barn |
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Originally Posted By mmsSierra:
Welcome to Arizona! When are you going to invite us up to your land to add some lead to it? Saturday. 
I won't be here permanently until the middle of October. I still have stuff in St. Louis to clean up. |
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Originally Posted By JC10311:
Very interesting. Dealing with black water has been the stickiest problem. Originally Posted By JC10311:
Originally Posted By Tim_McBride:
Originally Posted By JC10311:
Originally Posted By Corporal_Chaos:
Nice place OP. Do you have any plans to do anything with the land or just leave it as is? Any plan for a garden? I imagine that would be kind of tough having to haul water and what not but might be doable if you recycle your grey water and catch rain water. If you need a bigger tank for hauling water, I've got a 500 gallon tank I could give you a good deal on. I do plan on having a garden, but that's about it. Other than a 1,000 yard range, of course.
I agree on using gray water for the garden and other outdoor purposes. I've planned to have a spit system in the house so that gray water can go to a cistern and black water can drain onto my neighbor's land. JUST KIDDING! Look into a constructed wetland if you want to attract game and put the black water to use. Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructed_wetland Very interesting. Dealing with black water has been the stickiest problem. Essentially: Black Water -> Septic style tank ->1st wet land pond -> (Grey Water comes in ) 2nd Wet Land Pond - > Garden. The Wet land ponds take the place of the leech field in a traditional septic. If you have to deal with permitting, approach it to them as 'eco-friendly' 'water conservation' |
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Now OFF GRID!
A new-found friend came over this morning and helped me get the solar panels setup and all the associated stuff connected. It's still a temporary installation until the utility barn shows up, so don't give me too much grief. The camp is starting to look like the typical AZ hermit camp. 
The system is set up for 24 volts, using a Schneider 4024 inverter and a Morningstar TriStar 60 amp charge controller. It will run the air conditioner, but it beats up the batteries. |
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Originally Posted By freeride21a:
Welcome!!! Now go into town to El Camino and get a zappy burger with green sauce. Bastard!!! You didn't tell me that the main ingredient was Ex-Lax!!! It tasted great  , but didn't stay around long.  
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The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Originally Posted By JC10311:
Bastard!!! You didn't tell me that the main ingredient was Ex-Lax!!! It tasted great , but didn't stay around long.
Originally Posted By JC10311:
Originally Posted By freeride21a:
Welcome!!! Now go into town to El Camino and get a zappy burger with green sauce. Bastard!!! You didn't tell me that the main ingredient was Ex-Lax!!! It tasted great , but didn't stay around long.
LOL sorry.. I did not have the same experience that you did. For sure though, it is a high fat, high calorie meal. IIRC it is named after a guy who used to work at the power plant there, Coronado Generating Station(CGS), who would customize his order every time till the just put it on the menu. I used to work for SRP down here in the valley, who runs the plant there, and went there for IT stuffs. |
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Originally Posted By freeride21a:
LOL sorry.. I did not have the same experience that you did. For sure though, it is a high fat, high calorie meal. IIRC it is named after a guy who used to work at the power plant there, Coronado Generating Station(CGS), who would customize his order every time till the just put it on the menu. I used to work for SRP down here in the valley, who runs the plant there, and went there for IT stuffs. Originally Posted By freeride21a:
Originally Posted By JC10311:
Originally Posted By freeride21a:
Welcome!!! Now go into town to El Camino and get a zappy burger with green sauce. Bastard!!! You didn't tell me that the main ingredient was Ex-Lax!!! It tasted great , but didn't stay around long.
LOL sorry.. I did not have the same experience that you did. For sure though, it is a high fat, high calorie meal. IIRC it is named after a guy who used to work at the power plant there, Coronado Generating Station(CGS), who would customize his order every time till the just put it on the menu. I used to work for SRP down here in the valley, who runs the plant there, and went there for IT stuffs. FAT?! I thought those were chunks of Tofu.
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The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
What's in the box?
I'm prewiring the power center so that all I have to do is mount the whole thing to the wall when the barn shows up. 
The gray three-prong cord goes to the generator to top off the batteries when the sun isn't shining. When I do the final installation I'll change this to a 220 volt cord. The 12/2 w/ground (Yellow) goes to an outlet. The DC switchgear box is fairly simple. I do need to add a DC breaker for the wire coming from the charge controller. 
The inverter's output goes to the breaker box. 
The meter on the system gives a good snapshot of status. 
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The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Originally Posted By anthem_of_the_mind:
Very cool OP, glad you're here. Thank you. I am so glad to be here. I've been on the property for six days and still haven't walked the whole thing. I'm also looking forward to a full day of sun sometime.  I hate running the generator.
Here's what I'm working with. Where oh where to put the range? 
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The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!!
I pulled a bone-headed mistake when installing the system. I reversed the polarity from the battery bank to the inverter. The 250 amp main circuit breaker is TOAST, and it looks like it looks like it destroyed the charging circuit in the inverter. The inverter side still works, but the monitor shows 0.00 amps from and to the batteries. Screw me! Stupid, stupid, stupid, and I suspect expensive. |
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Originally Posted By JC10311:
AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!!! I pulled a bone-headed mistake when installing the system. I reversed the polarity from the battery bank to the inverter. The 250 amp main circuit breaker is TOAST, and it looks like it looks like it destroyed the charging circuit in the inverter. The inverter side still works, but the monitor shows 0.00 amps from and to the batteries. Screw me! Stupid, stupid, stupid, and I suspect expensive. Ouch... |
Originally Posted By FluffyTheCat:
I'm doing it for the children.
I want to flood the streets with military grade weapons.
I'm doing it for the children.
I want to flood the streets with military grade weapons.
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Originally Posted By BikerScout:
Are you south of St. Johns? The only terrain the looks like that is towards Lyman Lake and west towards Concho. BikerScout Sunny AZ Anything good to say about Concho? This thread has me looking at properties
Just wanna camp and shoot! |
asking GD for advice on cops is like asking a pedophile advice on raising children
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Originally Posted By BikerScout:
Are you south of St. Johns? The only terrain the looks like that is towards Lyman Lake and west towards Concho. BikerScout Sunny AZ I'm north of St. Johns, about five miles west of the Witch Well Tavern in Red Sky Ranch. |
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
FRRRREEEEEEEEEDOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM! 
75 acres have you? Have M79/M203, Will Travel! 
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Is it that we have so often been told that violence is not the answer to everything that we fail to realize it IS the answer to some things?
Nemo Me Impune Lacesset.
Don't Californicate Arizona.
Nemo Me Impune Lacesset.
Don't Californicate Arizona.
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Originally Posted By GSL:
We're having a hometown shoot in a month if you're up to traveling to central AZ and would like to meet some of us Unfortunately, I'll be back in St. Louis for 30 days to close up the apartment and get all the rest of my stuff packed for the move. My final departure from Fergudeshu will be on October 17'th with arrival back here on Oct. 20th. I will certainly host something here once I get moved in. With BLM land to the west and south, it's like having 1,300+ acres to play on.
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The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Awesome - please keep updating!
I've considered buying some land out that way. What's your take on crime out there? I've heard of hooligans out there vandalizing and stealing from unattended properties. I'd like to build a cabin out there, but won't be able to be there full time for a number of years. I'd love to buy something like this: http://www.landsofamerica.com/property/179-CR-N7104-Richville-Arizona-85936/3379104 |
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Originally Posted By IndiaPaleAle:
Awesome - please keep updating! I've considered buying some land out that way. What's your take on crime out there? I've heard of hooligans out there vandalizing and stealing from unattended properties. I'd like to build a cabin out there, but won't be able to be there full time for a number of years. I'd love to buy something like this: http://www.landsofamerica.com/property/179-CR-N7104-Richville-Arizona-85936/3379104 I was worried about crime as well, but I haven't heard of anything on the ranch. Lot 179 is pretty deep into the ranch, but the plus side is that the community well would be fairly close. If you're serious I'd be happy to scout out the lot and post some pics. Be aware that the POA does have a restriction on "excessive shooting." I don't know what that means, but step across the road and you're on BLM land where no one can stop you. Same for me. The south and west sides of my property adjoin BLM land. The POA does a reasonably good job of keeping up the roads. They pay more attention to roads where there are permanent residents. ETA: I highly recommend Patti Rabbi at Mountain Valley Realty. She saved me a ton ($2,000) on my property. She really knows the area and is a no BS kind of person. ETAM: If you IM me an e-mail or e-mail me, I'll send you the whole ranch lot map. |
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Today was VERY expensive, but the driveway and a gravel pad to put the barn on are DONE! The driveway is 150 yards long and 10' wide (mostly). The barn pad is 20' x 30'.
Before: 
And . . . the work begins: 
The barn pad begins: 
One more load to go: 
It was getting dark when they were done, so I'll get a final pic tomorrow morning. 70 tons of crushed basalt total went in. Problems with the first tractor delayed the project for a couple of hours. Now I'm just waiting for the barn to be delivered. Hopefully next Tuesday or earlier. |
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism.
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
Karl Marx [Sound like anyone you know???]
|
Originally Posted By JC10311:
Today was VERY expensive, but the driveway and a gravel pad to put the barn on are DONE! The driveway is 150 yards long and 10' wide (mostly). The barn pad is 20' x 30'. Before: http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=91514 http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=91515 http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=91517 And . . . the work begins: http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=91519 http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=91518 The barn pad begins: http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=91520 One more load to go: http://www.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=91523 It was getting dark when they were done, so I'll get a final pic tomorrow morning. 70 tons of crushed basalt total went in. Problems with the first tractor delayed the project for a couple of hours. Now I'm just waiting for the barn to be delivered. Hopefully next Tuesday or earlier. What was the cost, if you don't mind? Thanks. |
asking GD for advice on cops is like asking a pedophile advice on raising children