Overlapping Priorities:

I began to write the preceding portion of this journal on January 27 and completed its first rough draft (above the “Months later”) on February 1. Back then I had thought I might actually complete that iteration of the journal within a few days, send it out and put it on the web site just like in the old days late at night from the front seat of our mini-van. Didn't happen. It was not until July 5 that I got back to it. What happened? I have looked over events that occurred back then and I think the following email to my solar advisor may provide a clue:

Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 6:40 PM
To: 'Mark Doppke'
Subject: RE: Affordable Solar Order : 18732

Hi Mark,

I just finished driving 3 grounding rods into bedrock, 3.5 ', 2.5', and 4' which is as far as I could get them with my sledge. I will cut them flush and tie them together with grounding wire which will then run up to each device inside and then out the roof to the 4 panel tracks. Telling you this to make sure I'm doing it right.

Bear with me; I almost always overthink things expecting them to be very complicated and then usually find then to be much simpler then expected. I am unable to avoid that. Though it makes it difficult to get started I usually end up doing a good job.

I'm even having trouble deciding how each of the 5 devices should be arranged relative to each other. I now understand that the inverter has to be as close to the battery bank as possible, but also it seems the charge controller needs to be close. Left to right with the inverter on the right (above the batteries), how would you attach them to the wall?

Also the wiring. I looked at the #6 wire at HD and it is much thinner then I expected; about the same as the cable that came with the panels. One thing that confuses me – what wire goes between the 5 boxes and what wire goes to the batteries from the inverter? I thought the latter would be nearly a half inch thick, but you seem to indicate that everything is the narrow #6 cable.

Should the wire between the boxes go through a metal conduit, attached to the side of each box? Or should I just staple the wire to the wall, including the ground?

On the roof I had thought I would just bolt the tracks directly to the shingled roof into the beams, the tracks going verticle because the roof is 10' wide and 6' high, which means everything will project an inch or two all the way around. But your diagram indicates that I should use some rectangular standoffs so the tracks would not actually contact the roof. The standoffs that came with the system are round tubes about 4” long. With the extreme winds we get at times, I was thinking the tighter the better. What say you?

Thanks, Van

This appears to be where my head went. FYI, I know now that there are a few misconceptions in the above email, so ignore them. I have written an in-depth article depicting the complete installation of the solar system. It is front and center on the 2007 Joshua Tree web page. In February I also made a lot of trips to AutoZone where I had purchased a dozen deep cycle batteries and a variety of cables – you have to get the cables right. Basically I worked all day every day on that project and on a few others, which I will explain. Eileen flew out of LAX on the 26th, so it was a busy month. Then things got busier.

Getting On-Time To 6 AM Flights:

We did things a little differently this year getting Eileen to LAX. In previous years we would get up before dawn, load Eileen, her luggage and Molly's cage, and head for LAX. Each time it would totally amaze and frighten me as to how many desert dwelling Californians were up at that time and heading in the same direction that we were going. I would look forward to a quiet leisurely 143 mile drive in the van and it would turn out to be anything but that. Invariably we would just make it in time with attendants rushing Eileen and Molly into the plane just ahead of the closing door. Thank God she easily profiled as a harmless blond white near-senior.

Last year we put ourselves a little closer to the airport by spending her last two nights at the Hotel Laguna, only a 52 mile drive in the van. That worked better, especially since the flight out was not until 11:00 AM, but it still ended up a mad rush. Everywhere else has 2 rush hours, morning and evening, 5 days a week. LA has 5 rush days. This flight had her arriving at Logan at 7:30 PM after dark in a snow storm, not such a good thing when lugging a dog cage, dog and baggage around looking for the prearranged limo.

This year we booked a room at The Los Angeles Adventurer, 4229 West Century Boulevard, Inglewood, California, near LAX. The following is a review that I wrote after I began typing this paragraph, and before I finished it.

Yahoo! User Reviews
Relaxed atmosphere, clean rooms, amenities, price
By Van, 07/23/08

My wife liked the place and she is finicky. The room was newly renovated and clean; no mildew. Lots of outlets; no problem charging everything.

The price, good reviews and 2.4 miles from LAX is what got us there. Arrived on a Monday at noon from our winter home 143 miles away choosing to stay the night here rather than making a 2 AM rush in the morning.

The approach to the place was disconcerting due to the less then ascetic neighborhood. The marquee does not exactly say “Los Angeles Adventurer” so we missed it on the first go-around even though our GPS said “You have arrived!”. The marquee is a classic; something of Flash Gordon 50's flashback suggesting an off-beat character that sets it apart from the chains nearby.

When we pulled in there was a convention of young people from Detroit arriving at the same time, so there was no place to park. I parked on a red curb, went inside and told the clerk we were parked illegally. She gave me a card that got us through the tall locked gate around the corner to the right.

That gate provided an unexpected transition from the LA highway hubbub to another quieter place of cottages, lawns and a tropical jungle of enormous old trees and floral vegetation. We parked in a lot between the obligatory long stucco buildings. One of those roofs was lined with solar panels, a definite plus, and the lot had a surprising number of high end cars, like their owners knew something about the place. The tall iron fence surrounding the property pretty much neutralized any concerns.

We carried our bags along a short path between the trees that opened to a large sunny swimming area and an adjacent covered patio of gardens and tables draped in red cloth with cushioned bamboo chairs around them. A raw bar wrapped a corner of old polished wood, brass and glass. A pool table sat ready for a leisurely game. A bank of computers in cubicles were set against a distant wall beyond the other end of the pool.

Though we had reserved a room online I asked for a quiet room away from the lobby. She reassigned us to suite 237 at the far west end of the place, about as far away as you can get. However we never heard or saw the Detroit crowd again; the place was quiet and relaxing for the rest of the day and night. One of the rooms in our suite was on the Century Blvd side. Closing the door between eliminated the muffled noise of traffic. The entry door and large picture window looked over a sunlit wrought iron stairway, well lighted at night, surrounded by more tropical vegetation reaching high into the sky in the long narrow space between the buildings. Decelerating passenger jets passed overhead as they approached LAX but well to the south so that they were not heard as we slept that night.

We enjoyed a pleasant meal at their in-house but out of the way Fair Seas Restaurant. It began with a complimentary hot fluffy and tasty loaf of bread. The chef visited with the diners to ask how we liked our meals. Eileen's fish dinner was nothing to brag about, but then a New Englander really should not expect much in LA. My garnished meat loaf was very good and the meals were arranged nicely. The attractive colorful and well designed atmosphere was inviting and relaxing. Our waitress earned a good tip.

Eileen spent the evening reading and watching TV. I spent it on the gardened patio downloading email into my wireless notebook and working on my journal. Then to a comfortable bed.

Our 5 AM drive to the airport was casual and uneventful, the reason we had stayed the night to begin with.

I have been keeping a journal on my website since long before blogs and I was adding this experience (5 months late) when I ran a search to get the address of the place and to confirm some details. In the process I discovered a few bad reviews that were so far out of our own experience that I decided to add my 2 cents. Those were some good hard working and receptive people I encountered there; they deserve a thanks.
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BTW, if you are into a bit of travel now and then, you may enjoy these insightful and been-there-done-that pointers, aka: "... memories of an amazing experience" many times over:
50 Best Travel Tips from 10 Years of Travel

This time we were in the Prius, a little easier (and cheaper) to get around in. We explored the back roads and byways of Hollywood in the car and on foot, avoiding the tourist spots. When people see a Prius they assume you belong there; no second looks like you might get in the van. It was pretty much like any other California town that we had explored, a mix of nice private walled off palatial dwellings and average or even neglected ramshackle cottages on stilts covering the heavily wooded and/or carefully manicured hillsides, most fenced in. Light greenish flows of sprinkler water seeped from those hillsides and meandered across the sloping shaded streets. Many of the higher streets were gated, with guards.

After seeing Eileen off the next morning, it was a relatively easy drive home. Likewise for Eileen when she arrived in Boston mid-afternoon.

Copyright © 2008, Van Blakeman