Gary and Maureen's mountain getaway in Guffey, Co
Our getaway is powered by a 130W Kyocera PV Solar Generator
In the background is ’39 Mile Mtn’, one of Colorado's 100 most prominent peak...so defined by how far it dominates its surroundings.
Well House and Trailer
The little brown building in the back is the well house where we have a generator to pump the water. The trailer is equipped with appliances that run off of AC or DC electricity. The furnace draws 3.9 amps and burns propane. So we have everything we need to be comfortable.
Power Storage
The ‘gas tank’ of electric power is 2 Trojan T105 6V deep cell batteries that together, in series, provide 12V and 220 Amp*Hrs. So, for instance, the furnace
could run continuously for about 2.5 days, even if the batteries WERE NOT being replenished by the solar cell. In practice, even during the cooler part of the camping season, the PV charges the batteries at twice the rate the furnace uses power on sunny days. This leaves plenty of power for computers, lighting, etc. There are 2 fused circuits coming off of the positive end, one for the trailer’s DC bus, and the other to a 400W inverter that puts out modified
sine wave AC power.
could run continuously for about 2.5 days, even if the batteries WERE NOT being replenished by the solar cell. In practice, even during the cooler part of the camping season, the PV charges the batteries at twice the rate the furnace uses power on sunny days. This leaves plenty of power for computers, lighting, etc. There are 2 fused circuits coming off of the positive end, one for the trailer’s DC bus, and the other to a 400W inverter that puts out modified
sine wave AC power.
Charge Controller
The Xantrex C12 Charge Controller makes the system virtually maintenance free. I only need to make sure the batteries have sufficient DI water, and this unit takes care of everything else.
The front 10 acres is pasture and the back 10 acres is wooded and hilly.
Looking north from our gate, Colo State Hi 9 leads to Hartsel, Fairplay, over Hoosier Pass to Breckenridge, then Dillon, and then down the Blue River where it terminates at Kremmling. Our lonely stretch is the least traveled part of Co Hi 9.
Kit Carson and John Fremont favored this route as a short cut into South Park from the Canon City area
Looking south from our gate, Hi 9 goes to Canon City.
Highway 9 can be seen in the distance from our hideaway up by the well house
All covered up for the winter of ‘2012-2013’. In years past, we have camped from as early as March to as late as November. I still come in and check on things the rest of the time (sometimes on snowshoes when we’re blessed with lots of snow).
UPDATE 01/26/14: The little trailer stayed covered up all last year due to health issues for Maureen. I'm glad to report that 2014 looks promising as Maureen's health has improved remarkably. We look forward to getting back on the land and hunting for crystals and gems on a couple of conspicuous rock outcroppings. We are incredibly blessed to have a peaceful patch of land on which to ponder it all.
UPDATE 01/26/14: The little trailer stayed covered up all last year due to health issues for Maureen. I'm glad to report that 2014 looks promising as Maureen's health has improved remarkably. We look forward to getting back on the land and hunting for crystals and gems on a couple of conspicuous rock outcroppings. We are incredibly blessed to have a peaceful patch of land on which to ponder it all.