THE REALITY OF LIVING OFF GRID

[GotSmart]

My first RTR was in 2015. I hired a camp mechanic to change my steering box in my 1991 Dodge Ram van. I took the part back and cleaned up the splines. It was not designed to be hammered on. After installing it  myself, I went to Blythe CA for an alignment. The first please tried to charge double saying It was a Rv.  I checked all the fluids, and added radiator fluid. Then went to another shop. 



 picked up the van, and made it 1/2 mile before the white smoke started coming out of the exhaust pipes. There was water in the right side of the head. I had heard rumors about Ehrenberg, so I had the van towed there. I was on State land, but within walking distance from the laundromat. 

Then I took the motor apart with hand tools. I was lucky, as the motor was a 1969 318. Lots of cheap parts. The folks at RTR donated $60 to help. After getting the head cleaned and magnafluxed, it was determined that only the head gasket needed replacing I called my rich brother to borrow $40 and was turned down. I had just spent two months packing his workshop for free. Family 

Then the Sheriff shows up. BLM land started 1/4 mile away.    I was trespassing.  He walked around my van, and saw that everything was neat and clean. My motor parts were stacked and covered.  My cat was giving him the stink eye. I asked if I could get another week as I was waiting on funds. The only reason he was out there was a complaint about the panhandling people stockpileing a huge pile of junk. I was obviously not one of them so he said he would check on me in another week. 

Two days later it was together well enough to limp into camp in Ehrenberg. I spent the next week straightening out the vacuum lines and getting ready to install my solar. I was still running on vehicle charging for the batteries.