The Slabs

It’s the kinda’ place you either love or hate. Because I’ve lived in the desert before — and we had a few of our own ne’er-do-wells — it feels like coming home to me = very comfortable. Annie cowgirls up pretty good but it’s a wee bit outside her comfort zone. It’s a lot more scenic here than I expected — cool looking mountains in all directions. To say I could quite easily remain here for the rest of my days is an understatement.

Those looking to live ‘slow’ and small and cheap can learn a lot here at The Slabs. Folks building with found and used materials are everywhere. Fulltimers (aka “Slabbers”) use IBCs which have either 220, 275 or 330 gallon capacity. These are on a 6′ elevated platform and for $25 a truck will deliver 150 gallons of water — presumably pumped into the top of your tank and you can gravity feed to your RV pump from there. There is also a 250 gallon option (?$40?) that you can work up to. This is a significant convenience for those without reliable transpo.

To discharge the waste water back into the ground, they say “a kid” will dig a hole for 25 or 30 bucks. A pallet goes over the hole with plastic on top. Then the loose dirt is piled over the plastic and the downstream end of your RV dump hose. Easy breezy and no odor! I’d be more inclined to divert the gray water for watering plants and the “gopher hole” is as earth-friendly as any septic tank/drain field ever was but it doesn’t line the pockets of anyone’s favorite excavator and therefore won’t be allowed in any government-sanctioned jurisdiction any time soon. It was so quiet here our first night that we’re still here three days later — feeling no particular pressure or reason to move, so why should we? We met George at the California Ponderosa. His compound is a stone’s throw from our front door. He talks about first coming here with his good friend from Montana. When spring rolled around, his friend was gearing up to roll out and George said, “I think I’m gonna’ stay.” And he’s been here ever since. Living in a place with no rules — where a level of freedom exists which most people can’t relate to — is unsettling for some. For the rest of us, it is liberating beyond measure. Next time, I’ll pursue pics which actually relate to what I’m writing about. There’s a learning curve to this stuff — don’tcha know? Slip sliding away!