Last days of boondocking always turn into project days for us. The batteries are managed, the tanks are counted down, and there's this window before pack-up where you can knock out the maintenance you've been ignoring. This time the list was overdue: every AC filter and ceiling fan in the rig needed cleaning, and after the A/C trouble we had in the previous episode (thank you to everyone who sent tips, we read all of them), airflow was suddenly a subject we cared about a lot.
The filter cleaning we should have done sooner
We started with the living room AC, then the bedroom unit. Pulling the filter screens is easy on the Brinkley: drop the return grille, slide the screens out, and try not to look too closely at what's on them. Ours were coated. Months of dust, cooking, and two humans living in a sealed box will do that, and a clogged filter makes the AC work harder to move less air. That's a bad deal when you're running on solar.
The trick that made the job painless: wash the screens with water, then let them dry completely before reinstalling, and while they're out, vacuum the coils and the housing you normally can't reach. Ten minutes per unit. The airflow difference was noticeable the same day, and we felt equal parts satisfied and embarrassed about how long we'd waited.
Then we kept going: bathroom fan, kitchen fan, and the ceiling vents in the office area. The bathroom fan blades had a fur coat. If you full-time and you've never wiped yours down, we promise there's a before-and-after moment waiting for you.
Packing up in the heat
All of this happened during a hot stretch with no generator on board, so we were juggling solar the whole time: which appliances could run, when, and how much battery we wanted in the bank before travel. Boondocking without a generator is completely doable with enough solar, but it makes you very aware of every amp on days like this.
Pack-up itself went smoothly, with one moment worth repeating as a safety note: when you're disconnecting and raising the front jacks, keep people and hands clear and go slower than feels necessary. We walk through our habit in the video. Nothing went wrong, but jacks and hitches are where RV injuries happen, and a routine is what keeps it boring.
We were also juggling a time zone change against checkout time, which is a very specific kind of full-timer math: it's 10 a.m. here, but is it 10 a.m. where the rig is supposed to be tonight?
The casino overnight we didn't plan
The original plan was a Harvest Hosts stop. On the road we changed our minds: a casino along the route had a big pull-through lot, cheap breakfast, and no tight maneuvering at the end of a tiring day. Sometimes the right call is the easy one, so we pivoted.
Verdict on the casino overnight: the parking was excellent, the breakfast was solid, and the slots were exactly as fun as losing money slowly ever is, which is to say we lasted about twenty minutes. But the lot was quiet and level and we slept great, which is the entire job description of an overnight stop. We'd do it again without hesitation, and we'd still skip the slots.
If you want to see the filter gunk, the pack-up, and Fabiola's honest casino review, watch the full video on YouTube. We also send a short weekly newsletter about where we are and what broke this week. The signup form is on our newsletter page.