Our Not-So-Sunny Experience at the Solar Ark

OK, so clearly I have been stalling this post for quite some time now and driving you all mad wondering "What is going on with those two?"

"Have they fallen off the grid entirely, never to be seen again?"

"Are coyotes still savoring the last fleshy bits of them?"

"Do they just suck at blogging?"

Well, there is certainly some truth in that last one.  Sorry.  :(

But, really, the long delay in making this post is mainly the result of needing some time and perspective in order to write clearly about our great disappointment in our experience at the Solar Ark.

After all the trials and tribulations of our journey halfway across the country, 

we finally arrive and set up camp at the Solar Ark:

A mere week later, here we are fleeing (if one can call it that, at 12 mph):

Let's back up just a bit, shall we, and figure out this tragedy/travesty happened.  To really begin at the beginning, we have to go back a bit more than a year ago to when we first contacted Arvo, the owner of the Solar Ark.

He had placed an ad in caretaker.org for work exchangers (or "wexers", for short) to come and learn-while-doing solar, wind, water catchment, chicken poop methane production, and permaculture.  During our initial phone conversation, we made it clear we were looking first-and-foremost for an opportunity to learn solar energy systems, but were basically interested in everything EXCEPT permaculture (since we felt we already had a pretty good grasp of that); Arvo made it clear that he would teach us about all the Solar Ark's systems as we helped with them, but there would be some requirement for us to help with the gardens.  We assured him we would be happy to do some gardening, as part of our work responsibilities, in order to get the incredible education we were certain we would get from him about solar energy, etc.

Red Flag #1:   When a person with whom you are going to work-exchange  recommends-- in the initial phone conversation-- that you do a "pre-visit" or have a Plan B, and complains that the wexers they get are often lazy and cannot handle doing a little physical labor, RUN!  What we do instead: smugly think of how we are totally going to knock his socks off and start making plans to go.

Besides the red flag (which we only identified in hindsight), it sounded like a fair work exchange and a great opportunity, but we were not yet financially or mentally ready to take the leap-- primarily because my contract at the college was renewed, so such a leap was not yet being thrust upon us!  We had told Arvo we would get in touch if and when we could give him a more solid time frame for our visit.

So, fast-forward to February of this year, when the college informed me (yes, a month before the wedding) that my contract was not going to be renewed for this fall.  After the wedding fun/madness had passed, we again contacted Arvo to ask if he was still hosting work exchangers this summer, and he replied in the affirmative.  We told him we were looking for an RV and would make contact again once we found one and had a reasonably certain E.T.A. at the Solar Ark.

After buying Baba G ("The Beast"), we called Arvo to let him know we could be there by late July or early August.  But he insisted that "earlier was better than later"-- in fact, he made it clear that it was very important we get there by July 1st.

Red Flag #2:  When someone for whom you are going to work-exchange pressures you to bump up your time schedule, JUST SAY NO!  What we do instead: tell Arvo we will do our best to get there by July 1st.

So, instead of taking our time and behaving like somewhat sane newlyweds about to become unemployed, completely turn our lives upside down, and move halfway across the country-- in an RV!  With problems!!--, we RUSH RUSH RUSH to try to adhere to someone else's time frame.  Never again.

Looking back from a survivor's perspective, I can see now (of course, Nate saw it then) how completely insane it was to try to (1) wrap up our jobs; (2) move out of our apartment; (3) move into the Bowdens'; (4) sell or donate most of our belongings, including Nate's beloved Boston Whaler "Delores";

 

(5) clean and repair and prepare an RV in desperate need of major TLC for an ultra-condensed version of our life with three cats (and their litter box... blech); and (6) drive away from everything and everyone we had been attached to, and off on a road trip with a steady stream of necessary repairs... in FIVE WEEKS!

To make matters worse, for nearly the whole prep phase, it rained and rained and rained some more, making us feel like we were headed for Noah's Ark, instead of the Solar Ark.

When it wasn't raining, it was threatening to rain, so we had to keep tarps and bungees at the ready at all times.  Looking back, we still cannot fathom how we got everything done-- in the rain-- in a mere five weeks.

But, recall, Gentle Reader, that five weeks was nowhere near within Arvo's desired time frame for us.  On the phone, when we (ok, I) had agreed to "shoot for July 1st," I was saying we would try to do all of the above in TWO WEEKS.  By now, you might be wondering what the hell I was thinking.

Yeah, me too.  Where were you people, when I needed an intervention?!  =:-O

My best and most honest answer is that, in a year-plus of scouring the web for an opportunity like the one at the Solar Ark, I had not found anything even close.  So, I was thinking that, if we couldn't hit Arvo's deadline, we might lose the whole opportunity and have a major setback before we even got started with our big plan to start a school for sustainability (more on that in a future blog).

(And why was July 1st so crucial, anyway?  We never did get any solid answer from Arvo about that... and we certainly didn't find any evidence of tardiness-related disasters when we got there.)

So, I said we'd shoot for July 1st.  We shot for it, all right.  And missed.  Several times over.  And hit each other with all the misfires.  :(  By the time we hit the road on July 19th, we were exhausted, exasperated, and extremely grumpy.  Not the way to start a once-in-a-lifetime road trip we had been referring to as our "Honeymove."

And, right up until we got there, we thought the Solar Ark was totally going to be worth it.

Let's just say, we do believe if we had gone there a few years ago, we might have had a very different experience.  Back then, Arvo was teaching organized classes on solar, etc. to groups of students from a nearby community college... and getting paid for it.  So (we are guessing), the whole gestalt of the Solar Ark would have been more organized, more peaceful, more financially secure, and more of a real learning experience.

But, alas, we arrived on August 1, 2013.  Thank goodness a couple of fabulous college girls (majoring in permaculture/horticulture) from Arkansas arrived just after we did: we don't think we would have made it as long as we did without Olivia and Danielle!

Here is Danielle at the Farmer's Market in Chama, NM:

(How do I not have any pics of Olivia???  Olivia: send me a pic of you at the Ark so I can include it!)

Red Flag #3:   When your first instinct, upon getting the full tour of the facility you intend to live and work at-- potentially for several months-- is to run back out the way you came in... RUN!  What we do instead: switch ourselves into some kind of mental "safe mode" which dampens our senses a bit and allows us to get through the one week we did make it through.

So, c'mon, you are probably saying to yourself: what could have been so bad?

Firstly, the greeting committee at the gate is a fleet of beat-up, non-to-semi-working vehicles:

Secondly, the non-human animals at the Ark, with the exception of one flock of truly free-range chickens, were underfed and overexploited. I have no pictures of them: it was just too sad. All the cooped hens were so stressed out, they were missing LOTS of feathers: this is a well-documented stress sign in birds.  The dogs, whose job it was to guard the chickens at night, also seemed to be kept in a constant state of near-starvation, so much so that two of them got in a vicious, bloody fight that left Nate with a nasty bite mark on his calf from trying to break it up!

Thirdly, the human population of workers at the Ark was also overexploited and stressed out, though quite well-fed.  One intern, John, who returned for another go after being at the Ark last year, seems to be running the place mostly single-handedly: he knows all the systems (yes, the ones we wanted to learn) very well and was pretty much in constant motion for the whole week we were there.  As we already mentioned, Olivia and Danielle arrived later the same night we did, so the four of us were beginners at everything except the gardening.  In other words, we did not need to learn a whole lot about the gardens, but that was the task we were assigned to, roughly 95% of our time.  We had all come to learn solar, and none of us were doing anything but gardening... until Danielle confronted Arvo and basically demanded some solar lessons.  You go, girl!

After a week of gardening and collecting eggs from stressed out chickens (to make money for Arvo), going mushroom hunting (which sounds lovely, doesn't it?  Sadly, it was more of a forced march with shouted orders and very little education from Arvo...), impromptu moral support powwows with the girls, a couple of begrudging solar lessons, and ultimately just trying to avoid the negativity cloud that surrounds Arvo, the girls said it was time for them to be on their way back toward home... and we decided that was our cue to leave, too.

We really hope the Solar Ark makes a comeback: it has so much untapped potential and is in such a beautiful place in the high desert of northern New Mexico, that it is just heartbreaking to see it in its current state.  In the mean time, though, we really hope the website will be updated (it was already supposed to be, but it has not been) to more honestly reflect the internship/work exchange opportunity, which is essentially to learn to garden using permaculture principles and to make money at farmers' markets.

Up Next: Two Fabulous Natural Home Tours!

The Many Trials of Baba G

As promised, a bit of back-blogging about our road trip from the Keys to New Mexico...

Act I Scene I: The protagonists are heady with optimism about the journey ahead.

Act I Scene II: The shit hits the fan.

So, let's just suffice it to say that the rain that was plaguing our preparation efforts in the Keys somehow followed us all the way from our temporary home at the Bowdens to the Solar Ark in New Mexico.  (Thank god we got the roof sealed BEFORE we left!)

We stopped to see Art & Barb in Naples, FL (causing what we are certain must be quite the "buzz about town" in their peaceful, quiet neighborhood).  At least we only stayed, leaking various vehicular fluids onto strategically placed cardboard, for one night.  Art was quite the trouper, waiting up for us until the wee hours of the night (3am, if we recall correctly), and Barb fortified us with an awesome breakfast the following morning before we unceremoniously ate and ran!

Then, having bailed out completely on our plan to swing east to Melbourne to visit Marianne (sorry, Baby Bird), we pointed ourselves straight for Bainbridge, GA to see Ace & Kathie.  Again, we arrived incredibly late, ruining the fabulous seafood feast they had planned for us.

(that, by the way, is a real, unaltered image of a deep sea fish called a blobfish 

(Psychrolutes marcidus), which looks about as sad as we felt!)

But, we managed to squeeze in a nice visit the next day, touring both our RV and theirs (a much younger Winnebago with slides... slides!!!).  They gave us several incredibly useful RVer things, including a pair of walkie-talkies that have been saving our tails ever since: we really don't know how we got along without them for that first little bit of our journey.  Thanks so much!

Then, it was off to Saltillo, MS to visit my brother Curt and his wife Teresa (and see my mom and dad, who drove down from Ohio to bring Curt a trailerful-- that's a word, right?-- of stuff he has been storing at their house for, um, well... who knows how long).  I have not seen my brother in eight years, which I still cannot quite fathom.  Tempus fugit.   It was so nice to catch up a bit, and we ended up actually spending a few days there, instead of the less-than-24 hours we had initially planned.  I also got to hand off several boxes of stuff (mostly holiday decorations... ok... mostly Christmas decorations) that I just couldn't bear to part with, and I am hopeful we will be able to use once we build a house.  Thanks so much to Curt and Teresa for graciously letting us spend a few days parked next to their house, shamelessly sucking their power and even more shamelessly working on the RV in the driveway of their new home!

 Act I Scene III: The protagonists believe the worst of their troubles are behind them, but the RV gods have more in store for them on their cross-country odyssey.

So, yes, that is Nate with Baba G at a Cummins/Onan generator service facility just outside Little Rock, Arkansas.  As we drove from Florida to Arkansas, and despite the constant rain, the outside temperatures continued to climb, which meant we needed to run the generator for the roof AC (since the dash AC is totally frozen up... and not in the good way). Nate had already disconnected a terrible Hades-like underbed heater that was piped directly in to our engine cooling system and was broiling the cats as we drove, so at least we didn't have a heat source inside the RV.  With that evil thing disconnected and the roof AC running, the temperature inside the RV was quite pleasant.  But, alas, the generator died after a very brief run, and we could not get it started again.

So, we found the Cummins/Onan place and made a beeline for it from Saltillo.  And, what a break!  Two great things happened: we found ourselves in the hands of a fabulous mechanic, who gave us a little "Generator 101" lesson, which revealed that our set-screw was simply cranked down too much, so the generator was putting out 75-ish Hz alternating current, instead of the 60 Hz all standard electrical devices, including our roof AC, expect and need in order to run properly.  Oops.  Thank goodness the AC simply shut down under the incorrect electrical frequency: it could have died for good.  :(

The second great thing that happened is that we got to spend a free night camping-- with water and electrical hookups, no less!-- in their parking lot for the night!

Our Cummins campsite.

The next morning, with renewed optimism, we pulled back onto I-40 W and headed for Oklahoma.

Act I Scene IV: A riddle: what goes up and down hills, from dawn until midday, and then won't start again once you've stopped to pee at a rest area?  The answer: Baba G.

Yeah, so apparently the Chevy 454 Big Block is a unforgiving, hot-ass beast.  Thank goodness for our little Honda Civic (not being towed: we now know that would NEVER EVER work), which Nate drove to several nearby-ish (heavy on the -ish) parts stores to procure a new starter and a new relay solenoid.  We (ok, mainly HE) replaced them both, and still no ignition: just that terrible, dull click that tells you something is still wrong in the circuit.  So, Nate was at his wits end and then I had the genius idea of taking the (very shiny, rust-free, and generally new-looking) solenoid he had just swapped out from under the hood and using it to replace the (rusty, old, beat-up looking) one under the doghouse (in between the front seats inside the RV).

And, then, the old girl started right up!... a mere four-plus hours after she died.  I think we win the award for longest rest area stop ever.  :-{  In any case, we were back on I-40 W and made it to a cool little campsite on a river island somewhere in central OK... neither of us remembers quite where.

The next morning, we hopped back on I-40 and headed for the Texas border, where we stopped for gas, and... (do you have any awful guesses about what happened next???)... Baba G wouldn't start.  Again.  Holy hell.

On the bright side, we knew exactly what was wrong.  We were cooking starters to death, primarily because the start is located (you are going to *love* this) DIRECTLY UNDER the exhaust manifold.  For those of you who are not vintage 454 afficionados, this is the hottest place next to the engine block and an absolutely asinine place to put a(n apparently) temperature-sensitive starter.  So, off went Nate again, in the Civic, to get ANOTHER starter.  And, after he brought it back, and installed it (next to one of only two RV/truck pumps that we blocked for well over two hours), we were once again on our way west.

The funny thing about all this is that there IS a heat shield made for this starter, which totally makes sense, given its location.  There is even a part number on file just about everywhere.  But, Nate could not find one ANYWHERE.  12 NAPAs in three states: every parts store had the starter, but no one had the heat shield that would prevent one from needing replacement starters insanely often.  Hmm... can anyone say "planned obsolescence?"

Finally, we made it out of Oklahoma (which we now believe might just mean "death to starters"), lighter in the pocket, but with two starters (yes, we kept the one we swapped out as a spare, believing it could come in handy once it cooled off enough), and jaws clenched waiting for the next challenge.

We were certain that challenge would come from our first real camping adventure, at a place Kathie had recommended, called Palo Duro Canyon (a Texas State Park).  While it was a crazy steep grade for Baba G (when you mention "10% grade" in front of Nate, his eyes still get sort of crazy and distant and he breaks out in a barely perceptible sweat), she got in... and more importantly, OUT, without a hitch!  The campground was beautiful, but we still felt the intense pressure of being THREE WEEKS LATE to the Solar Ark, so we took off the next day without really spending any time de-stressing at all.

NEXT UP: We FINALLY make it to New Mexico!

We hit the road... and the road hit back (aka "The Long Road to Chama")

Baba G chugging her way uphill in New Mexico, near the Solar Ark!

Apologies for the long delay between posts, but Nate and I (and our feline RV prisoners Tigger, Pete, and Fink) have had quite the wild ride over the past month.  

I have already overstayed my welcome at the Three Ravens Cafe' this afternoon, fighting two interconnected viruses on my computer (boo) for the past three hours and now 50 minutes past closing time.  :(  So, for now, just know we are alive and well and parked at the Solar Ark.  The nearby town (Chama) is incredibly quaint and cute and the Solar Ark is amazing in so many ways, including its eccentric owner Arvo and his ravens.

So, I promise to post more on Monday, when we will be back to the Three Ravens for a bit of a breakfast treat.

Until then... hugs and kisses to you all!
~Sherri and Nathan

Who Is This "Baba Ganoush" Character, Anyway?

So... Nate and I thought it would be really smart and fabulous to follow up our big wedding day with...

(no, not a fetus) Mom...

(no, not another cat)  For gosh sakes', people...

(no, not a dog, though that is coming soon)

... a really old RV full of inspiring potential and terrible surprises!  And her name is "Baba Ganoush!"



Doesn't she look innocent?  Hah!

We bought her less than two months after the wedding, from a family of "Bulganadians," as we are now calling them, since they are Bulgarian Canadians (see their blog at http://www.thelifenomadik.com/ for their whole amazing story!): Mira, Ivo, Vic, and Maya would have certainly been our closest friends, had they not been coming just as we were going... but we are certain our paths will cross again in the future!

Anyway, we bought "Baba G," as we have taken to calling her, and we are still in love with her and excited about all the places she will take us, even though she has been torturing us a bit, as of late.

She is an older girl (1988), though she has a 2007 engine (or we wouldn't have even considered hitching our future to her)... and she has been dinged up a bit by previous owners (before Ivo and Mira!), so she had exactly four spots leaking on the roof.

We knew this, going in.

We just didn't really GET IT.

So, as it turns out, roof leakage is the WORST thing that can happen to an RV.

But, luckily for us, we have great "Google Fu" and found the one product that can fix what ails our girl: Eternabond Tape!  This is what it looks like:

It's basically a really goopy, gray putty attachment surface on the bottom with a slick white surface on the top (water beads off it!).  The problem is that you are supposed to prep the HELL out of your RV before you can apply it.  So, for four long, hot, humid, scorchingly sunny days, we have prepped... and prepped... and PREPPED...

And, at last, on July 3rd (yes, that is two days after we were supposed to already have been at the Solar Ark in New Mexico...), we started to lay the tape:

 And, now, on the 4th of July, we have taped all four sides!

Woo Hoo!

OK, so what's up with the tarp, you astute readers ask.  (Damn you, astute readers.)

Yeah, so we still need to finish taping the vents, skylight in the shower, etc... which is not happening tonight, as there are steaks coming off the grill in mere minutes, and we (I) have already had a few Painkillers.

No, I don't have a pill problem,

Here is the recipe for Painkillers, the official drink of the US Virgin Islands:

• 2 parts orange juice
• 1 part pineapple juice
• 1/2 part cream of coconut (Coco Lopez, etc.)
• 2 parts golden or dark rum (we like Flor de Cana!)
• Freshly grated (microplaned, really) nutmeg
• 1/2 Key lime or one wedge Persian lime

Mix rum and juices and pour over a full glass of ice.  Microplane nutmeg on top and squeeze in the lime (then drop the whole thing in: you want those lime oils!).

Enjoy and join us for our next update:  Hitting the Road!

The Adventure Begins... with a Wedding!

Hello and welcome to Nate and Sherri's first blog post ever!

Glad you found us.  ;)

Here... at long last... are just a few pictures from our fabulous St. Patrick's Day wedding:

It all begins with a bride in the hold...

...and a groom waiting (hmm... just what is he drinking?) above deck.

Nate approves of the green (!) gown.

We do!

It was quite the blustery day!

Bride and Bowdens

Groom and Bernauers

Nate attempts a hernia...

The fabulous getaway BMW, loaded with Guinness cans, thanks to Daniel & Don!

We really appreciate the sacrifice, guys.  ;)

Irish flag name tags for the reception guests.

Denny, our Officiant, making it official with his brand-new Notary stamp!

Our witnesses and two of our photography team, Terry and Marianne

You can dress us up...

Nate's Aunt Barb, Uncle Art, sister Shawna, mom Diana, and dad Mike.

Nate's parents with Uncle Ace and Aunt Kathie.

Nate's parents with Uncle Bobby and Aunt Laura.

 Such a happy, mischievous groom

 The bride's change of wardrobe gave her a little more, er, freedom to move.

 The Bowdens backyard: the most gorgeous setting for a reception, ever!  :)

 Ace kept the campfire going through the whole reception!  Thanks, Ace.

 The Vicans: Justin (Photographer #1), Shawna, and Maddy

 The Guest Tree (now we have all your thumbprints... hehehe...)

 One of Nate's beautiful bottle lanterns that he made, just for the reception.

 I mean, what kind of people hang a disco ball from a tree... for their wedding reception?  =:-O

 The Groom holds forth with Don and Eli in the Drink Tent.

 Well, here we are, right back where we started: Sherri and Daniel cut the rug (well, ok, the lawn) while Nate gets ready to cut in!

We have MANY more wedding pics and video to post once we hit the road.

"What road," you ask?

The road from Sugarloaf Key (where we are staying with Nate's folks until we get our new-to-us 34'-long RV "Baba Ganoush" road-ready, rain-proof, and packed with as much as she can hold) to northern New Mexico!

We thought (as recently as a couple of weeks ago) that we would be pulling out of the driveway and into our big adventure by, well, um, today-ish (yes, haha, very funny...).  However, "Baba G" had other plans for us: we really do feel like homeowners now that we have her.  You know, the endless "to do" lists and each item's associated pricetag, the unexpected structural failures (can we call a leaky roof an "unusual indoor water feature?"), the surprises (mostly fungal) hiding behind the walls and floors, and the stress of a (mostly) self-imposed deadline to JUST BE DONE AND ON THE ROAD ALREADY.

Have I mentioned that we were supposed to be in New Mexico at a place called "The Solar Ark" by July 1?

Have I mentioned that we have a truck, a car, and a boat for sale?  =:-O

This too shall pass.  It simply must.

NEXT UP: Just who is this "Baba Ganoush" character, anyway, and why is she holding us hostage in the Florida Keys?