Finding an Off Grid Paradise

Bob and Glynis Petersen moved to an off grid lifestyle in Western Arizona in January of 2021. They left San Diego and the city life behind and embraced the rural desert life for their retirement years in a straw bale home on the edge of the Sonoran desert. Here’s the story of their off grid living adventure…

Formerly, Bob and Glynis had a large horse training farm catering to Morgan, American Saddlebred and Hackney ponies. They showed horses and ponies on the national level which involved a lot of hard work and travel. Glynis is a USEF Senior R Judge and has judged in the United States and in Europe and has judged several world and national championship horse shows. Bob’s business was San Diego Metal Detector and Gold Prospecting Supply – the largest store of its kind on the West Coast. They also owned the American Girl Mine, one of the oldest and largest gold mines in California.

The Petersens had a checklist for their next home, but they really wanted one thing in particular: NO Neighbors! Mission accomplished.

Home, Sweet Desert

Bob and Glynis ended up in Western Arizona by a divine twist of fate. They were not looking for property in Yucca. However, a house they made a offer on in New Mexico fell through. Then, Glynis came across their current property while searching the internet.

Ultimately, the Petersens found the perfect off grid retreat: a straw bale constructed home in a remote area of the desert and move in ready. Then they purchased an additional parcel of land and put in their horse facility. Bob and Glynis love the straw bale construction which is wonderfully insulated in the summer and winter!

A Straw Bale Home

Straw bale construction is a popular alternative means of construction using bales of wheat, barley, rice, or oat straw to fill in the walls of a framed home. Bales are compressed and covered, inside and out, with a wire mesh. Walls are then stuccoed or plastered over on the exterior and interior, creating a fire-safe, super-insulated and very quiet structure! Check out strawbale.com to learn more about straw bale construction.

The Petersen’s home is comfortable year-round with just a wood stove for heating (they have a furnace but prefer the wood heat) and two swamp coolers in the late summer afternoons if it gets really hot (mostly for Miss Brandi, their Jack Russel Terrier). Straw bale insulation really pays off in an area where winter nighttime temps can be in the teens and summer temps can top 120 degrees.

Their Off Grid Setup

Glynis and Bob use a water catchment system on the roof which really helps fill their water tanks, especially in Monsoon season. They are “water haul only,” meaning they have to haul or have water delivered to fill their 15,000 gallon water storage tanks. The Petersens never let their water supply go below 4500 gallons and they run a separate solar system for pumping water.

Their Off Grid Lifestyle

Glynis says, “I would be lying if I said it was not an adjustment (living off grid remotely). We left all of our family, friends and clients for this new adventure, but we moved  here with our best friends (the two of us), our Jack Russel, Brandi and 4 of our old lesson horses the we could not bail on. We love being out here by ourselves. We are pretty good at keeping busy! Bob and I have met so many really nice people out here so it is becoming home.”

While Bob and Glynis are retired, they still have a lot going on! They still have their metal detector business which they currently operate online and named Mojave Tactical. Glynis have also taken in a few horses for training and do some local lessons. Glynis also has an online baking business called Forged in Flavor.

Prepping for Problems

Glynis says that, in order to always be prepared for (very real) emergency situations that arise with living remotely, she keeps a very well stocked pantry and water supply. It can be a little challenge here with the roads during the monsoon season.

The Petersen’s live in an area with a property owners association responsible for dirt road repair and maintenance of the hundreds of miles of roads near them. However, it sometimes takes days or weeks to repair roads when flash flooding hits. The Petersen’s are smart to have 4 wheel drive vehicles and supplies on hand so they don’t need to go to town for a while if roads are bad and washes become rivers.

Glynis explains, “One thing I have had to change is I now do all my town trips in the early morning so I don’t have to worry about flash flooding in the afternoon which is when they usually happen! We usually make a couple of trips a week to town for all our needs.”

Off Grid Life Lessons Learned

The off grid lifestyle has taught Bob and Glynis that you can be 100 percent self sufficient. As Glynis says, “The waste is not necessary as far as power and electric goes. Off grid does not mean you have to not have or live without things. You just live smarter.”

Bob added to and upgraded the existing solar system when they moved in to suit their power needs. However, Glynis says she had to adjust to tweaking her power needs to be smart on their solar system. Bob and her make sure they use appliances that draw the most power during the day when the batteries have plenty of time to be recharged before night.

Glynis has words of advice for people making the change to the off grid lifestyle, “Living remote and off grid takes work and commitment. If you forget something in town, it’s 3 hours to go get it. We get UPS and Fed Ex, if the roads are good, but you can’t count on that. It is wonderful here at night! The quietness and sky are so worth it! In the desert, you are going to have extreme heat here 3 or 4 months of the year, but you just have to be smart. You have to like nature, but also be prepared. We keep water and tow straps in all of our cars.”

Bob and Glynis are loving their off grid retirement lifestyle and embrace every day to the fullest!

If you enjoyed Glynis and Bob’s story, check my other posts here! Also, make sure to subscribe so you never miss out on news from The Far Out Farm!

Bob and Glynis’ adventures in the desert…