Sheltering in place

Selecting volunteer assignments means, among other things, giving thought to climate and likely weather conditions for the locale and time of year in question. My research on Big Bend showed average temperatures for November through January ranging from highs of 60-68°F to lows of 35-42°F with less than an inch of precipitation likely during any of those months. It's the stuff that makes south Texas a prime “snow bird” destination. This year may prove to be the exception.

Big Bend's daily report advises visitors on weather and road conditions. Lower

temps in each range are for the mountains, higher for the Rio Grande.

When the National Weather Service began issuing advisories last week about a winter storm approaching our area, Leonard and I started giving serious thought as to our capacity for “sheltering in place.” We were in good shape as far as provisions were concerned, per my previous entry on stocking up, but with ice, snow and windchill temps forecast to drop into the teens, the storm would be the first serious test of Kong's insulation and heating systems. We needed to make sure we were doing everything possible to stay safe and comfortable.

Our preparations actually started before we purchased the 5^th wheel. We looked at the insulation and windows for every prospective purchase. The manufacturers we considered all offer some sort of cold weather options package. After consulting with our sales contact at DRV, we concluded that having a heated basement would be good for wintering in North Dakota but not really necessary in light of our intent to spend the colder months south of Interstate 20.

Truckzilla with a coating of ice. Good

thing we don't have to drive to "work."

Kong's standard package included two heating systems: a heat pump and a furnace. The heat pump would suffice provided a) temps remained above about 40°F, and b) there's a source of electricity. With the thermometer expected to remain below the mid-30's for several days, and considering that a power outage seemed a real possibility - the area's above-ground power lines would soon be weighed-down with ice – relying on the heat pump for warmth could become problematic.

This meant relying on Kong's furnace. We checked our LP situation and determined that we had enough gas to get us through the weekend to Monday when the nearest LP refill station reopens for the week. As long as we didn't do much more than heat a can of soup using our gas stove, we expected to be in pretty good shape.

We filled our fresh water tank and

disconnected from sewer to prevent

broken hoses. 

So, how did it go? We survived the storm just fine, leaving us feeling both snug and, dare I say, a teensy bit smug about our disaster aversion skills. Is it any surprise, then, that as I write this entry we have no power?

That's right. Thinking we had dodged the power outage bullet, we were sitting in the rig enjoying a day off from our volunteer duties when I heard a distant “pop!” A quick check of Kong's power management system revealed that we were running on batteries. The electricity was off.

Perhaps in a future post I will explain how RV batteries work. For now, I will just say that there are certain limitations when it comes to running off battery power, not the least of which is that you do not want to let them discharge below 50% capacity. Avoiding that requires the use of a generator. I can hear ours purring away outside now!

Aren't we smart for buying that generator? Better still, we have a full can of gas to keep it going.

Uh, oh. There's that smug feeling creeping up again. Better get that under control quickly lest I tempt Fate...again.

The storm left the Rosillos Mountains of Big Bend National Park dusted with snow.

 

A trip to Fort Stockup

The longest commute I ever faced was when I lived in Olathe, Kansas and worked in Topeka. Daily round trip for that ride equaled about 130 miles. My subsequent commute between north Chicago suburbs was a bit better – 40 minutes each way in city traffic – but still wore on me. Thankfully, I've discovered a remedy for healing those old commuter wounds. I walk out the door of our 5th-wheel then take 12 paces to the back door of my work station. This is one 12-step program that really works!

It takes about 10 seconds to walk from Kong to the Persimmon

Gap Visitor Center. Now that's what I call a commute!

Leonard and I began hosting at the Persimmon Gap Visitor Center near Big Bend's (“BiBe” for short) main entrance a couple of weeks ago. We're still learning and exploring the park and adjusting to our new position. Thus far, our biggest adjustment to daily life here has been that of starvation avoidance. Moving from park headquarters at Panther Junction took us 27 miles further from the nearest grocery store. (Certain basic items like milk and bread are available at various concessionaire-run convenience stores within the park, but something about being asked to pay $4 for a half-gallon of milk rubs me the wrong way.)

We arrived at BiBe stocked with enough provisions to last us three weeks. As those dwindled, it became clear that we would soon be forced to forage in more distant territory. So, we grabbed our reusable grocery bags, climbed into Truckzilla's cab and headed for the town of Fort Stockton, affectionately referred to by the locals as “Fort Stockup.” And stock up we did!

Sunset, south Texas style! Not wasting time on a long drive to

"work" leaves more time for enjoying scenes like this.

 

Eighty miles, one ridiculously overloaded grocery cart and three hours later, we filled Truckzilla's tank and headed back to Persimmon Gap. Cost for the day, excluding lunch at Fort Stockton's lone Subway restaurant, ran us $430: $390 for food and other provisions plus $40 for diesel. (Truckzilla's gotta eat too, you know!)

Having restocked Kong's limited larder, we can now relax and spend our time off taking advantage of BiBe's hiking trails. (Pictures of our latest outings follow.)

Leonard, Sprocket and I should be set for another three weeks, just long enough for me to check out routes for a provisioning trip down a different kind of road: the information highway. Twelve steps from the couch to my laptop then 12 to greet the FedEx driver delivering our order? Yup, that should do alright.

The end of the Lost Mine Trail in the Chisos Mountains. No mine, but the views are worth their weight in gold!

The Chisos are the only mountains in the United States situated

entirely within the boundaries of a national park.

It's not all about the rocks. Late fall rains produced a flourish of color, as

evidenced by this cluster of Cardinal flower.

So many trails, so little time.

Hikers heading into Dog Canyon get a close look at this rock slide from 1985. The largest boulders are said to be the size of a kitchen.

Dog Canyon Trail takes travelers along 2.5 miles of desert floor and dry creek bed. The desert is best viewed (and appreciated) up close.

Lush grasslands seen by early Anglo settlers to this area disappeared due to overgrazing, allowing creosote to take over. Even this bush, once thought indestructible, has it limits. In 2011, a severe drought hit the area, followed by a deep freeze. Dead shrubs, cacti and other plants found throughout the park serve as reminders of Nature's carnage.

Climate isn't the only danger to life in Big Bend. Buffelgrass, imported from Africa

by Anglo settlers, gravely threatens native vegetation as it competes for soil and water.

More information on self-care resources

Our work schedule has been pretty hectic here at Big Bend. That, coupled with the fact that we didn't have Internet access at our RV site until late this week, has made keeping up with my posting difficult.

I hope to have something up about our adventures in the next day or do. In the meantime, I want to share a really great entry by Nina from Wheeling It as a supplement to my musings about on-the-road health care options (GypsyCare Part I and Part II).

Nina does a nice job of pulling together information about resources that can be used by anyone, not just us RVers, so feel free to share this with those you think might benefit.