We left dreary Texas a day behind our friends, Bridget & Pat. They wanted to arrive in Q by Friday, as they were meeting up with people, but Bill wanted to give the clients on his final TX install an extra day to make sure they understood everything and all was working well, which it was!
We took three days to get to Q, we stopped at two Walmarts along the way for our over-night stays, both are frequented by RVers, as they welcome us in their parking lots. First one was in Fort Stockton, TX, and the second was Deming, NM. To make it to Q on day three involved a really long drive day of over 400 miles. We usually do not like to go that far, but we (ok – mostly ME) was anxious to arrive, I had about enough of driving and couldn’t imagine doing more on a fourth day!
We took a really beautiful route around El Paso on Rt 375. As most of you are probably already aware, I HATE just driving through the middle of a city and will route us miles out of the way to go around. I get very nervous with all the on/off ramps, people cutting us off, people not knowing how to merge, etc. I had read my chosen route was hard for big rigs, due to the grade up and then back down. The grade up is not usually marked, this one was no exception, but the way down was about 4 miles at 8%. Bill said the truck did great, the exhaust brake holding at 45MPH, only needing the regular brake once. The payoff for taking this route was the fabulous views! I snapped a couple of pics – not too bad for not even looking at the camera, just holding it up and snapping away.
Our first stop in Q was La Paz RV Park, catching up with Bridget & Pat and also Steven & Linda! There were others also staying there, staging before the Boondock Rally. Bill introduced himself to the owners of the two rigs he would be doing installs for while we are here in Q. Both were attending the rally, which was really great.
We stayed at La Paz for 2 nights, long enough to dump tanks and fill with fresh water before finding our way to the site of the Boondock Rally, about 16 miles away. We had coordinates and were told there would be signs. When it was time to go, we had a caravan of three rigs heading that way, Pat & Bridget, Bill & I, followed by Steven & Linda. We arrived a short time later, got parked and set-up for the week long rally.
Boondocking rallies tend to be much less “formal” than Howard & Linda’s Educational Rallies. They have seminars, specific to boondocking (which, by the way, is camping without hook-ups, relying only on solar and/or generators for electric, and whatever water you have in your fresh tank for water) but a lot of it is having the experience with others to learn from one another. The group, consisting of 42 rigs, was fairly evenly split between experienced and non-experienced boondockers. Some had solar, some did not. During the seminars, tips were given on how to conserve your electric and water usage, as well as resources on finding good boondock spots. Howard went around to those requesting help, giving them individual help and tips, based on their specific set-up. Three and a half years in, Bill & I are now considered experienced full-timers, and also boondockers, since we have done it many times. When we attended our first boondock rally back in February 2015, we were still newbies! We’ve come a long way!
Along with the seminars and learning, there was also plenty of fun! Gorgeous sunsets too!
One of the fun things was we headed to Los Algodones for the day, joined by Steven & Linda, and our new friend, Jodee. (Jodee’s husband, Bill, stayed home with their dog) Bill & I were the only ones that had been there before, so we introduced them to the Purple Pharmacy and Liquor store, as well as the shopping. We enjoyed a great Mexican lunch and returned home with lots of goodies, including tequila. What a fun day!
Since a bunch of us at the rally had Instapots, and others wanted to know more about them, both Linda’s decided one day to have an Instapot demo. Pat set up his two gennies and ingredients for recipes were gathered. I gave, to those that wanted, a taste of my yogurt. Everything was delish! Linda P made Chicken Marsala, while Linda D made pork chops. There were others, but those were my favorites. Linda P was supposed to also make potato salad, but when she handed me the strainer with the potatoes and eggs, (which were cooked at the same time), to rinse and peel, the handle came off and stayed in my hand while everything else hit the ground. I was stunned! No potato salad!
One of the best parts of rallies is Happy Hours and eating together. Our first evening, Howard & Linda provided hamburgers, hot dogs (including turkey burgers/dogs), salads, etc. One attendee brought a beautiful cake to share – was almost too pretty to eat! Howard & Linda started the tradition of people arriving that day don’t cook. Bill and I have been treated to many a delicious meal, and served many a meal because of this great tradition.
The rally was wonderful fun for all, except maybe for my awesome hubby, who worked the whole time installing solar for one of the attendees. Don’t get me wrong, he is enjoying installing solar, but attending a rally, watching from someones roof, isn’t the same. He does get a lot of satisfaction, in the form of happy clients, though, and that’s no small thing. He takes a lot of pride in making sure everything looks neat and tidy, and works perfectly. Best part for him is teaching the client how to monitor their new system. I almost typed “how to work their new system,” but that wouldn’t be correct, as the systems just work, all on their own. There really isn’t anything to do, except monitor the battery bank.
As always, fun times cause time to pass very quickly, and before we knew it, it was time for us to say goodbye to most of our friends. Bill & I, along with Steven & Linda and Darrell & Dawn (Bill’s next install) headed back to La Paz RV Park.
We do enjoy being in the desert and boondocking, but after a week, it was nice to have hook-ups. Taking a regular shower, doing some cleaning, etc. is much easier with FHU’s.
While Bill worked, I caught up on some stuff, did laundry, nothing very exciting. Linda & Steven did the same.
Our last group meal was out at Les & Sue’s. They didn’t attend the rally, they could actually easily write a book on boondocking, as they spend 4-5 months each year out in LaPosa South. Anyway, they invited us, along with Steven & Linda, Vicki & Harry, Steven & Dianne, Red & Pam and their friend, Stan. Sue puts out a great spread, loves to cook up a storm! What a feast! Thanks Les & Sue!
While we were there, I was excited to see a hummingbird! We were also treated to an amazing sunset! It was great to spend time with everyone!
Our time in Q drew to an end quickly as soon as Bill finished up his install. Another happy client! We weren’t going that far, into SoCal for another desert experience!
We are happy each of you has chosen to join us on our adventures! If anyone is interested in adding solar to your RV, please contact RV Solar Solutions. To ensure you don’t miss a single post, please sign up below for an email each time I hit publish! You are also invited to Like and Follow us on Facebook and Instagram! We love hearing your thoughts, so please comment below.
As usual Kelly, you have a way with words! Nice write up! It was great seeing you again and look forward to the next time we meet up on the road!
Thanks! It was awesome seeing you guys and we so appreciate your hospitality! Hope it isn’t so long before our next visit!
Looks like y’all had a great time, Kelly! It’s good to see how busy Bill has been installing solar. We all know how great his workmanship is, so I’m sure the customer is happy at the end of the day. Glad you got to meet Jodee and Bill also! 😊
We did have a great time and FINALLY meeting Bill & Jodee was part of that! Bill sure has been busy so far, but he’s enjoying the break now!
We attended Howard and Linda’s Boondocking Rally 2016 in Florida. We had a great time. Our original plans this year were to head west so we were excited about the possibility of attending a Reunion Rally or their Spring Rally, but we have a new grandson that will arrive in May (near Buffalo, New York) and he wants to meet us, so we are heading east instead. Since we’ll be in the area, we plan to add a 2-3 month visit to the New England area.
We haven’t done a lot of boondocking, mostly overnight stops, but we hope to do more once we get a chance to spend some time out west, or anywhere else we find a place to try it. Hopefully 2019!
We just added a combo washer/dryer to our rig. I noticed you too have the clothes stand. We purchased one of those as well. So far, I’ve set it up inside with the windows open and it’s worked well. Since we are making our way back to our home base in Kansas, after spending 2.5 months in South Texas, we’ve been stopping along the way to visit friends, family and doing a lot of sightseeing, so we’ve not tried using it outside yet. Great idea to tie it down and of course things would dry much faster outside. Thanks for the tip!
A friend of mine bought a hummingbird feeder they were able to attach to the window of their RV with a suction cup. She regularly had hummingbirds. I’ve been going to purchase one but haven’t done it yet. They are fascinating to watch. We had several at our home, so we’d love to continue that now that we are full-time.
I enjoy following along on your journey. Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Hi Cheri! Thanks for reading! We always enjoy rallies with Howard & Linda, which is why we will also be attending the Reunion and Spring rallies that are coming up!
I totally agree, a grandbaby comes first! We don’t have any yet, but now that our daughter is married, we are looking forward to the day!
I do LOVE my “dryer” and it needs to be tied down when outside because it will tip even in the slightest breeze with all those clothes on it!
I actually own a hummingbird feeder, but it got left at my friends house by mistake! Can’t wait to get back to that area and pick it up – and see my friend, of course!
Thanks again for reading and checking in!
Looking forward to seeing you both at the next rally, and afterwards for “Pam and Kelly” time. It’s been too long!
WAY to long!
I recognize that man on top of that Columbus! Bill & Kelly we are SO HAPPY with the great work that Bill did. Our new solar set up has changed our way of Rving after 4 years of full hook ups. We are very happy and very thankful for the both of you!
Sue, Brian and Ruby (who owes her life to Bill!)
Hey Sue! We are so happy you like your new solar system! We wish you many happy boondocking trails! Also – so glad Ruby is ok! (Can’t even think about the alternative!) Hope our paths cross again!
Great recap. Mark & I ( your Landmark cousins) enjoyed meeting you both. I’m sure our paths will cross again. Enjoy your journey 😀
It is always a great day when we meet fellow Heartlanders! Maybe we will catch up at a Heartland rally someday!
Great fun to finally meet you and Bill!! Thanks for getting us all through our little Mexican sojourn. Dang those were good margaritas 🙂 Is the hanging 5er a bird feeder? Too cute.
As much as I felt like I knew you guys already – meeting in person is the best!
And yes – the hanging 5er is a bird feeder – I meant to add that in a caption – guess I forgot! It was homemade by Les!
I hope to be a future solar install customer of yours. I’m taking the wait and see path before making the move. Figure after a while we will know our typical electrical needs while off-grid. And how much we end up liking, or not, boondocking or overnight stops in a parking lot or two.
I’ll have to hit Bill up someday for some ideas of how to equip our trailer when we purchase it knowing solar will come later. Such as batteries to start off with or taking a guess at an inverter size. Might send you an email later on the topic.
Mark
Hey Mark! I’m sure Bill would love to install your future solar! It is a good idea to be out a while and decide how you will travel. Sometimes what you expect isn’t what happens. We weren’t really sure about solar until we did a couple of trips without it and the 2 batteries that came with the rig couldn’t keep the residential refrigerator going all day.
I’m sure Bill would be happy to answer any questions you have, when you are ready.
Kelly, looks like a lot of fun. Great pictures. Hope everything else is going well. We test drove a dually today. Getting closer. Have a great weekend and safe travels.
Rallies are always great fun! I’m sure you will get to one someday!
Test drove a dually? How exciting! What did you, and Frank, think? They sure are BIG!
Yes you are right about that, they are big. It was really nice. Very comfortable. I think we are going to look a little more than decide which one to buy. Have a good week. It is still so cold in Marylanf. I am ready for warm weather.
Lots of fun times at the rally. It was great seeing old friends again and making new ones. Safe travels and hope to see you down the road next season!
Thanks Steve! It was great seeing you and Dianne! I agree – the rally was so much fun! Safe travels home to Canada!
Great post. Love the picture at the end with the sunset and that super cool bird house Les and Sue have!! Whew you guys have been busy 😄
We have been! Les made that birdhouse for Sue! Meant to say that in a caption but forgot. See you soon!
Loved the summar and the pictures. So happy to see you guys at the Reunion Rally!
Thanks Debbie! Was great to see you guys and spend time together!