By Rick - August 25th, 2022

It has been a considerable time since I spoke at length on the blog. Things have been very busy here at Off Grid Unlimited (OGU). Our reach and the number of people we could help exploded as early as January. Our phones were overwhelmed for a considerable time. Then supplies became very thin throughout the Solar Industry. One of the most significant battery suppliers in the United States nearly went bankrupt. Then an innovative manufacturer of solar panels went under. Then a major manufacturer of inverters (in our opinion the best in 25 years) went dark and lost all ability to supply the markets.

Enter more pandemic related politics, inflation, migration into our area as instability predominates around us and all around chaos.

Then at the height of the building season when we were literally succeeding at triple the numbers over prior year we came under assault by competitors. The old business adage that you can tell you're succeeding by how quickly you're being attacked by your competitors was proven true. The more people we help, the faster the attacks accelerated. Our signs were being ripped down throughout town (by a short list of individuals), our business listings were sabotaged online (an active effort was undertaken to claim we didn't exist). This all happened in August, during several ongoing projects across the area.

Change is difficult. When you innovate and stray from the paths people are used to sometimes it creates resentment. That is why it's important to persevere. The struggle is what makes us who we are. Without difficulty, it's not as simple to see what's important, and most of the time it's right in front of you.

Family. Your family is what you make it. We have built a family in the Off Grid community here in North Idaho. We love each and every one of them regardless of their background. We all have a shared and common goal of living a life free and unobstructed. Of teaching our children self reliance and the value of a life on the road less traveled. Nothing worth having in life is free. There were many sacrifices in generations before us to give us the life we have here in the United States. We can never take that for granted. That is how we honor those before us.

The dust is settling for us right now. We are back up and on our feet. We are physically here and waiting to do what we do at 510007 US 95, Bonners Ferry, ID 83805. Soon the address will change to 33 Enterprise Drive, so if you try to use a map to find us, know that all of the maps will be updating at some point to that new address. You can always call us, and now we have Tess in the office full time to give you a full time means of grabbing us for help if we are in the field. We have inventory, and the store will grow.

I promise to write more as I get time. I felt like it was time to get this out. Again thanks and blessings to all.

Rick