Our visit to the Bruin Lake Campground of the Pinckney Recreation Area was intended to be a little quiet and boring. Our loop of Lake Superior and subsequent re-entry into the USA and visits with friends left us with a list of stuff that just needed to get done. We even passed on a wonderful…
We’ve recently completed a circle tour of Lake Superior, and we had a great experience. One surprise in our journey was the shipping traffic on the Great Lakes. I knew shipping on the great lakes was a thing, but I had not considered how we might learn about it or experience it during our journey. Fairly…
When we had our house in Holland, we were just close enough to the water that we’d hear the ships sounding their horns coming into drop off loads of gravel and again on the way out.
It became a game – we’d hear the horns, drop whatever we were doing, jump into the car and try to find the ship.
Ideally we’d catch them going through the channel back into the big lake – where you can stand close enough that they pretty much block the whole horizon.ReplyCancel
We just got back from visiting the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie. Although we did not know about the phone number to call for ship schedules, nor about the Boat Nerd website, we were blessed to see a lake tanker, RCMP boat and a Soo Locks Dam Tour boat go through. Fascinating! The visitor’s center was also worth going through, especially learning about the depths of the various lakes. Lake Erie is the lake closest to us and we were surprised to learn it is the shallowest at an average depth of 62 feet. Travel is so educational! Love following your adventures!ReplyCancel
While we would have loved to receive this item for free to review, we actually spent money to purchase it. This post contains Amazon affiliate links which help to fund the blog in a small, small way. Thanks for helping us out! Most backpacking requires a way to filter water. Despite looking clean and clear, most…
In one of my church meetings this past Sunday (Elders Quorum, for Mormon readers), everyone in the room introduced themselves by name and answered a question to help us get to know everybody. Last Sunday in the same group, they asked everybody what their favorite meal was. This time, we all shared our favorite alternative…
With the solar mounted on top (part 1, part 2) and the wires run to the forward compartment (part 3), there was only one thing left to do. The next step in my project was to connect it all up! Underneath Cara’s bed is the wiring panel where the battery is connected to the rest of…
Alright! Now I know that I can do this myself. Nice series of articles. Really liked the pictures.
I do have a portable 200w fold out that I charge with and a know that the angle of the panels and the declination makes a big difference as well, but we can’t keep moving our Airstream around to follow the sun. Do you believe you will ever add the tilt up brackets? I know Rich Luhr and he just has 2 panels (flat mounted) on his 31 footer and has never had to use a generator (or carry one). So, it is a detail and I’m not sure that I’ll consider it either. We are not big consumers of Amp hour.
Actually, our Zamp Solar 200w fold out charges our two stock 27 batteries up after a night of use. I know I’ll go over-kill on as many panels as I can fit on our 2015 27ft Serenity… so I’ll probably just run with them flat. Not even sure how I’d tilt them as we don’t carry a ladder.
Great article. Please f/u with an article on how the user interface works in real life, the amount of Ah you collect, your storage capacity as you use it with your particular habits, what you might have done differently or options for others, etc…
Thanks for spending the time reporting,
Agreed, great group of articles. We are considering going full time out onto the road and this would be a huge consideration. Like the previous comment stated if you could document actual usage and storage that would be great. I work online and have need for electricity. I would like to do some boondocking and this would help make that happen.ReplyCancel
Hello! I saw you guys today on I 94 heading East. Please stop by Dearborn to see the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village!!! So much history, fun and education! Please!
I think your adventure is awesome and I can’t wait to read your blog. Let us know if you need a place to camp/ stay tonight. We have 10 wooded acres in Saline ( and a house).
Thanks so much for messaging us!! We had to cut our time short in MI to fly to Utah for extended family visits, but we’ll be back!
[…] Sam Vs. the Off Season Canoe Rental […]