....if you look close, you'll never see it.....

movie....Off The Grid: Life on the Mesa

http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/off_the_grid_life_on_the_mesa/

This documentary (rated R for the F word) made for a good hour plus of entertainment. It helped me further appreciate the water resources and proximity to town....and the local gathering holes in Montello. This isn't exactly Montello, but it's as close as any documentary will come to relating my experiences thus far.....

Two of my favorite comments come in the first three minutes:

"I'm my own man here. I don't have to conform to anybody. I can live it like I want it." .....Stan

"What day it is, and what month it is, kind of irrelevant out here. Doesn't really matter if it's Tuesday or Wednesday or October or September, none of that really matters." ......Maine

Enjoy!

Water Storage / Hauling

I pulled the trigger on a water storage and hauling solution. Thanks to JT and Russ for inspiration and sourcing on this project. I wound up purchasing the containers from two different sources. JT recommended "Smith and Edwards" in Utah (just north of Ogden and south of Brigham City off the freeway) as a good source. KSL.com also turned up another supplier in SLC. Both suppliers containers were used and both claimed "water potable". I was less than confident in the SLC container suppliers claim of what had been in the containers originally. The smell coming from the inside of the container was too chemically obtrusive for me to feel good about drinking from them. When I balked on the purchase, he plummeted the price to $30 and asked me to try it out. I bought one from him and will use it for fuel or something else I'm sure. There is just no way I can refuse that kind of container for $30.


On the way back up to Logan, my buddy Mike and I swung into "Smith and Edwards" and picked up three more containers for potable water use. S&E claimed they had previously been used to store coconut oil and were washed four times. I believed them, as the containers smelled and looked fantastic. The current plan is to seal in the top and sides with foamboard/plywood and bury at least one to prevent winter freezing. I'll use the other one for transporting water from town and increased storage in the warm months. Also, the containers have a six inch access hole in the top with a screw on/off lid. The bottom of the containers have about a two inch ball valve for easy gravity feed draining and the whole container sits on a platform that is forklift friendly.





I was previously looking at an in-ground 325 gallon cistern. Going this route I feel as though I lost nothing and gained more water storage, a hauling method, and saved a ton of cash.


P.S.....trailer wheel bearings apparently last about 10 years with heavy use and no maintenance. I was about 25 miles from home when I pulled off the side of the road in Fruitland and found the inner bearing on the trailer had disintegrated, leaving only the now useless outer bearing on the spindle and one loose fitting wheel! I wasn't about to leave my water containers on the side of the road for any length of time, so Mike and I made the correct call (for us) and continued the final 25 miles at a much reduced rate of speed. The cargo made it home, but somewhere along the way we lost the outer bearing as well. I had no clue a loaded trailer would pull so well without bearings!!!! (the little voice in your head will only remind you to do something for so long before it says "I told you so")

In retrospect, I would do the same thing again, but I seriously don't recommend it to anyone. Thanks again for coming along Mike. It was a good day!

it's amazing how well a castle nut and cotter pin work together to keep a wheel on a spindle...that big gap between the castle nut and wheel hub should not be there....lots of slop!!!

More progress....framing....sliding glass door.

I finally framed in the front wall of the second container and installed the sliding glass door. Not a project I recommend undertaking by yourself, but all turned out well. I also intended to pound a bunch of tires, but the frozen ground made this project almost impossible. I did pound one tire, but expended way too much energy and decided the project could wait for warmer weather.




The sunsets were again amazing and the company as well. I was excited to bump into JT and Sandy at the Cowboy on Tuesday night. I thought Sandy had left town already. Jay's conversation was enjoyable as always and the bantering between JT and Jay was nothing less than amusing....you guys kill me!!! Crossing paths with Bill and Curt were also very welcomed events. I'm learning lots of things about myself with this Montello adventure...especially the solo trips. I very much enjoy my solitude, but there is also something very sweet about watching someone off in the distance headed your way for a visit. It makes me smile!!!




Here's more pics than anybody probably cares to look at, and in truth, they're more for me to reflect on in the future....I'm enjoying that a lot these days!

Jeremy, sorry it took so long to post interior updates. I pulled the bunks out of the back left corner and moved the wood stove in their place. Toilet is still in the center and a crude shower curtain setup is in the back right corner over the shower pan. The blue water tank sits a top the sink and the pile of goods on the floor represents a damn urgent need for shelving/cabinets! Storage is about three or four line items down on the current agenda! I still need to reinforce the second container with beams so it will withstand a loaded roof and install a large water storage system. All things in time I guess!

On a side note, the small blue propane canister next to the wood stove is for a small plumbing torch. This is the only way to light a fire!!!!!!!!




With zero storage/organizational luxuries installed, I will unequivocally comment that one 20' shipping container is PLENTY of room for a minimalist to live in. With an efficient storage system design, I'm confident this small space could work well for two people over the long term. A second container would be nice for power tools, building supplies, firewood, etc....but by no means necessary. A small shed and low/no cost alternative solutions are readily available.

The front 2/3rds of the container is now open space for lounging. Over on the left is the Mr. Heater mounted on the wall (hose is plumbed through the wall to a large propane tank outside). I also improvised a makeshift table on this trip for the cook stove so it would be close to the propane supply. This was my last of three days and the sun was shining well into the container. No heater buddy needed this day. In fact, I had to crack the door because Curt's little PeeWee was getting overheated!







This is the most snow I have seen in Montello and I hear it was more than usually sticks on the ground. I made it out to my place in 2wd with a heavy cargo load providing traction. After unloading and lightening the vehicle, I had to use 4wd to get out. Can't wait to get back out there....and SOON!!!!

Propane - Mr. Heater Update

I went back out to Montello Tuesday morning for an impromptu stay. The temperatures were considerably colder with highs in the teens and lows below zero. The Mr. Heater finally warmed the container to a comfortable temp after 24 hours on high (9,000 btu)....much too long. Thus, a larger heater will be needed on subsequent trips, if propane is the sole heating method, to quickly elevate the temperature to a proper comfort level. With this additional experience, future trip protocol will include firing up the wood burning stove upon arrival and using its greater BTU capability to bring the container temps up to a satisfactory level. From there, I'll switch over to propane to maintain.

One of the by-products of the propane combustion process is water. This is great in the dry desert because it acts to humidify the air in your living space. Unfortunately, my living space is so air tight that the moisture builds up heavily on the sliding glass door and yields a layer of ice in the morning. I'm still sold on the convenience of propane and am researching/thinking about a vented heater setup. I'm leaning towards the simplistic idea of using BBQ heating elements and fabricating a retrofit venting system for the wood burning stove. We'll see how this experiment turns out in due time!