Very helpful and good post, Dano... glad you had an enjoyable first-time experience. Thanks for sharing it with us. I'm glad your battery was sufficient for using with the heater fan. Mind mentioning what kind of battery it is and how old it is?
By the way, we usually charge our toilet with 2 gal. of water (just what is needed to get it to cycle properly) and add appropriate chemicals before we leave... makes it nice for when you arrive... can use the toilet immediately... and it's one less step to have to deal with.
When boondocking, we also bring along an empty 5 gal. water container for refilling the fresh water tank when the TM is set up at camp. We find that we use more for cooking and drinking, so occassionally we refill it. Also nice in those situations where you are unfamiliar with the campground and can't find the drinking water source, as you experienced. We have a water filter attached to the inside kitchen faucet for purification. Many people like to attach one to the outside also.
I like your idea of the portable privacy curtain with the outside shower - we may do the same to conserve space in the gray water tank... we used to have a solar shower before our TM days when tent camping and it was wonderful - other campers were always jealous
