google.com, pub-1183232341631896, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 We Discover Canada And Beyond: October 2016
My RV Cook Book, "Tinfoil Cooking" is now published on Amazon!

Check it out Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Amazon.de, Amazon.co.uk or any other site worldwide! For a luxury coilbound version on 80# stock go to my cooking website AndersCooks.ca


15 October 2016

Boondocking


Boondocking or Camping Without Services.


Enjoying dinner with friends while boondocking on Coyote Beach, Baja Mexico.
Enjoying dinner with friends while boondocking on Coyote Beach, Baja Mexico.
Boondocking or camping without services is a lot of fun but you should be prepared. If you plan to boondock there are certain things that will be very nice to have.

On our fifth wheel we had a solar system installed. The system we have is by GoPower and is called Solar Elite. We had it professionally installed.

The system includes:

  • Two 160 watt panels for a total of 320 watt.
  • 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter for AC power
  • 30 amp pulse width modulate digital regulator
  • 45 amp smart battery charger
  • 30 am pre-wired automatic shore power/inverter AC switching kit
  • DC inverter install kit
  • Inverter remote on/off
  • 50 ft of MC4 output cable and all mounting hardware.

Inverter installed on the wall in the pass-through compartment.

Remote in the trailer to turn the inverter on.

Two solar panels on the roof of our trailer. Nice to have when boondocking.
Two solar panels on the roof of our trailer. Nice to have when boondocking.

Another view of the inverter in the pass-through
Another view of the inverter in the pass-through, part of our solar system

We now have four of these 6 volt batteries. Lots of storage for boondocking
We now have four of these 6 volt batteries. Lots of storage for boondocking

Our trailer from above showing the solar panels on the roof. A must for boondocking
Our trailer from above showing the location of the solar panels on the roof.
We also installed two new 6 volt deep cycle flooded batteries. This year we have added another set of batteries and now have four 6 volt batteries. This will be sufficient for most campers.


If you have an RV that is older then 2015/2016 (like we do) you should definitely change all the lights to LED lights, this will make a hugh difference.


Go through your RV and see how many you need and order them on Amazon or where every you prefer to shop. You will be surprised at how many lights there are in your unit.


Having some kind of solar system is pretty well a must if you plan to do a lot of boondocking. If you don't, you pretty well have to run your generator every day and it might not be appreciated that much by others if it goes on for longer periods.


With our system we run our Nespresso coffee maker, hair dryer, TV, computers and just about anything.


It is really nice to just turn one switch and there is power in every outlet.


We often camp on Coyote Beach ( Baja Mexico). At the beach there are two local fellows that will sell you water, but otherwise there are no services.


The "water man" provide you with a 45 gal plastic barrel and comes and fills water when you need it. The cost is about US $10.00 per fill. You then have to have some way of pumping the water into your RV if you use a RV.


A 12 volt pump will do that just nicely. We added a 1/4 of a cup of bleach to each tank we filled up. We do not drink this water, but use it for all cooking.


If you don't have water readily available you have to have some other way of getting water to your RV. This can be as simple as a bucket and carry water from a creek.


What else do you need? You will need a blue boy or grey boy. This is a little wagon to transport your waste water away. We have a SmartTote LX 4-Wheel waste tank. Ours is the 27 gallon one.





Our trailer, boondocking on Coyote Beach
Our trailer, boondocking on Coyote Beach

Gray water disposal setup.
Gray water disposal setup.
If you are considering the 35 gallon one, remember even the 27 gallon is very heavy (225 lbs) when it is full and can be tough slugging in sand and soft ground. Better to make two trips or empty more often.


On Coyote Beach you dump the black water into the outhouses and rinse with the grey water.


Many people will dig a pit by/under the RV for the grey water and keep it covered with palm leaves.


Before you discard wastewater of any kind, make sure to know what the rules are in that area and do it responsibly.


When you boondock you learn quickly to conserve water and power. There are many ways of doing this. Use a small plastic container for doing dishes. Use a solar shower bag for rinsing off when you come out of the water or otherwise having a shower. Take sponge baths instead of showers and I'm sure you can think of a few.

Life is good....

Boondocking at it's best. Coyote Beach, Baja Mexico
Boondocking at it's best.



Baja Mexico Trip 2015-2016. Part 7


Coyote Beach on the Bay of Conception or Bahia de Concepcion, BCS Mexico


Panorama of Coyote Beach, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Panorama of Coyote Beach, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
Boondocking (dry camping) on Coyote Beach is an incredible experience. Coyote Beach is located about 20 km south of the town of Mulege right on the Bay of Conception in the Sea of Cortez.

The Bay of Conception or Bahia de Concepcion is the largest bay in the Sea of Cortez also called the Gulf of California. It is located half way down the Baja Peninsula on the east side.

The Bay of Conception is about 32 km long and hosts a variety of fish and other marine animals. The water is wonderful for swimming, but you have to be careful, there are some Stingrays in the sand.

A sting on my foot by a sting ray
Keeping my food in hot water
I know from experience. I got stung while playing around with a Frisbee in the shallow waters. This does not mean you should not go in the water, just shuffle your feet as you walk in the sand and they will take off. The stingray does not seek you out, it's just if you step on them.

If you do step on one and get stung it is very handy to have a snake kit with you so you can suck out some of the venom.


Since I'm pretty allergic to bee stings and all kinds of stuff we keep two kits with us. One in my back pack and one in the trailer.

The following is what I was told to do after my wrestling match with the Stingray (my sting was on the top my left foot, and cut right through my boot): As soon as possible, we used a suction extractor to suck out some of the venom. We did this twice for a bout 2-3 minutes. We were told to never try to suck the venom out with your mouth for any type of sting or bite.




Bite and Sting Kit with an extractor or suction device.
Bite and Sting Kit

Suction device used to suck out some of the venom from a sting ray sting
Suction Device from the Bite and Sting Kit

The mark on my foot from the Sting Ray
The sting on my foot.
I was told to put the food in as hot water as possible and this really eased the pain tremendously.



I had to have the foot in the hot water (keep adding hot water) for two to three hours. You will know, if you take your foot out of the water too early, the pain is pretty awful.



Further I took an antihistamine and two Advil.


The next day I was fine. If you do get stung, make sure the stinger did not break and there is not a piece left in your foot or leg.









Boondocking on Coyote Beach

Boondocking or camping without services is a lot of fun but you should be prepared. If you plan to boondock there are certain things that will be very nice to have.

Boondocking on Coyote Beach, Baja California, Mexico
Our trailer boondocking on Coyote Beach, BCS.
On Coyote Beach there are two local fellows that will sell you water. They provide you with a 45 gal plastic barrel and come and fill water when you need it. The cost is about US $10.00 per fill. You then have to have some way of pumping the water in to your RV if you use a RV. A 12 pump will do that just nicely.

On our fifth wheel we have a solar system installed. The system we have is by GoPower and is called Solar Elite. I had it professionally installed. More info in our blog on Boondocking.

Liz and I hiking above Coyote Beach, Baja Mexico.
Liz and I hiking above Coyote Beach, Baja Mexico.
We love Coyote Beach and the surrounding area. The little town of Mulege is very friendly and you can get all the basics here. Good meat you still have to go to a bigger city to get. We stock up in Ensenada once we have crossed the border. Ensenada has a Walmart and Costco.

Going out fishing early morning.
Going out fishing early morning.

We got a bunch of trigger fish
We got a bunch of trigger fish

Filleting trigger fish on Coyote Beach
Filleting trigger fish.
Most of the time down here we go for our morning hike before it gets too warm.  We take the truck and go into the back country and explore little wonderful towns.

If you like fishing, it is plentiful. If you like swimming the water is fantastic. Paddle boarding is becoming very popular. If you have a kayak of some kind, bring it along. A small sail boat is a blast down here. Snorkeling is high on the list for fun things to do.

Wildlife watching is pretty good, with Whale Sharks coming into the bay and all kids of birds.

The day on Coyote Beach starts early. Most of the time we are up before the sun rises with coffee in hand. This is around 6 am. The sun sets around 6 pm and it is pitch black by 8 pm. This is also referred to as "Baja Midnight"

There is a local "Cantina" or restaurant that has a dance every Thursday night with dinner.... it is just wonderful. There are a lot of artists down here and you can also attend many different art shows.

There are many local people that come and sell souvenirs, produce, fish, shrimps and ready made food. Please be friendly to these people, most are absolutely wonderful. Many of them and their families will not eat unless they sell you something. They work really hard. We usually buy what we need. If we don't need anything we say "No necesito, gracias", with a smile. This means, I don't need anything thank you. Much better then just saying NO.

When buying from the locals or vendors on the beach you will need small bills, so keep this in mind when you head south. You can take out local currency at bank machines in Mulege and most other towns of size.

We have made many friends here and created many memories.
Dinner on Coyote Beach with the moon coming up.
Dinner on Coyote Beach with the moon coming up.