Nothing comes easy off grid

Spent our Saturday finding, cutting, and hualing wood. Have enough for at least two weeks. When we finished, and started to get cleaned up and make dinner, wouldn't you know it... No power.
So the next three hours was the strangest hrs of the day. With 12v of power at every point in the system, but not a working light????
Turns out to be a faulty main switch...

Oh the fun of off grid living!

A great day followed by an even greater night.

Yesterday was great and last night continued the greatness... While the wife finished up makeing the Christmas gifts, we had a chance to do a deep 8hr charge on the batteries and I am happy to report that they are holding a charge. Last night was yet another cold night, dipping into the high 20's. The furnance worked great and we had plenty of heat throughout the night. Even have juice left over!
Its amazing how the simple things in life amuze me!

All in all a good productive day...

Had sometime to get a few things done. Put some new tires on the gray suzuk, new alternator (don't have to use a solar panel anymore... Redneck hybred). After the work was done, we started the quads, letting little one drive around for an hour. Also got the trailer out and working for the ATC, we'll use it to gather firewood in hard to reach areas. So I wanted to test it make sure it would work... So I got a test dummy... I mean driver to try it out!

It could have happened anytime....

It wasn't the coldest night, just cold enough, for us to have a complete battery failure this morning. Woke up around 6am to the furnace making a "funky" noise. That noise was the death of our batteries. I teasted them and don't get a single volt... I'll wait till I get a chance to give them a good charge before making the official call of DOA.
On another note, we reached dew point last night, which laid a blanket of frost over everything. Almost gave it an apperance of a white Christmas! Thankfully no pipes froze, and it really didn't get that cold in the house. Only 44° which is warm compaired to the 24° outside.

Enjoying an Arizonian December day

While we didn't get much in the way of snow, the local mountains got a fair amount. So off to go have some fun!

First winter storm....

Found out the winter rm, needs a little more work on water management. We have a few leaks. Jeeps did an awsome job on the slick, muddy dirt roads, and the icy snow covered fwy. Been raining at the ranch for 18 hrs. I hear the rain will be truning into snow later tonight!

Always a fun time at the ranch...

Or I could say, off grid living lesson... I think I'm up to 104?

Living off the grid, it's the attention to details that really count... Like to check the bolt that connects your trailer (loaded down with gas cans) to the hitch... Failure to do so could cause the trailer to take flying lessons... I know from experiance.

But all is well... and the trailer isn't too damaged, only needs to be rewired (and I can't blame those damn dogs for it) and a new rim, one was bent pretty bad....

On another note, been doing a lot of research on solar power, and I think we will have more reliable power source by feb next year. Which I say fingers crossed...

I'll keep you all posted.