Tuesday, December 1
A cold morning at our camp near Blythe, California! The crew and I bundle up and snuggle to keep warm. I pull back the curtains to let the sunshine stream in. The propane burners on the stove, turned on for cooking breakfast and perking the coffee, help, too.
I think it dipped into the high 20s earlier.
By noon it’s much warmer — in the 60s, even warmer on the sunny side of the Best Little Trailer. I’m outside puttering around, washing dishes, sweeping the blue mat, refilling the hummingbird feeder, and so on. I place the camp chair with its back to the fiberglass and sit soaking up the warmth. Bridget and Reggie in their doggie beds do the same.
After lunch we take off for town.
A typical errand run — dump trash at the bins on our way out of Midland LTVA, pick up a few items at K-Mart (containers for left-overs, a mixing bowl, a bunch of little stuff like pens), fill the water jugs at Miller Park, and buy groceries.
Wait just a minute, RVSue. . . “fill the water jugs at Miller Park” you say?
I pull up next to one of the three spigots and see this sign has been attached to each one:
(Later, back at camp, I research the water issue and discover that Blythe City Council turned off the water last winter. Winter residents protested and it was turned back on. Now it’s off again.)
This now-you-have-it-now-you-don’t situation illustrates the importance of not relying on what you read on my blog. Use the information I provide as a guide and then confirm, confirm, confirm!
Change happens.
Boondocks I rave about deteriorate. Facilities I suggest close down. Fees and rates I quote go up. New rules appear. Roads become impassable or too rough for RVs. Water spigots are turned off.
Oh well, we need to find water somewhere.
I notice the Valero gas station on Lovekin Boulevard (next to the interstate) has an air and water station, the kind you put coins in. I pull in only to find a note attached.
“Out of order”
I end up filling our one-gallon jugs from a water vending machine outside Smart n’ Final -extra! (what a crazy name for a grocery store!). Each gallon costs 30 cents. There may be other water spigots in town that I don’t know about. My guess is the pressure is on every business to turn off their water spigots.
There’s an irony in all this.
RVers, many of whom rely on public water sources, are notorious for conserving water. For instance, I wash the dishes in a basin, using a gallon or less of water, while homeowners may use a dishwasher or run a faucet indiscriminately. I reuse the same dishwater to wash the desert dust off my feet. Then, I use that water for a third purpose, such as washing the wheel wells on the BLT.
I’m not unique in this practice.
I believe most, if not all, desert boondockers practice water conservation.
Anyway . . . I understand the point of view of the City Council. Maybe people let their kids turn on the spigots and play in the water. I don’t know. Our water is precious and I applaud any efforts to conserve.
Today is the last day of our 14-day, LTVA permit.
I’m going to purchase another permit and stay put a while longer. Our camp at Midland is quiet and private with no traffic, ATV or otherwise. In a day or two, the weather will warm up. I admit to a touch of hitch-itch, but it doesn’t make sense to move just for the sake of moving.
Before the winter is over, we will camp among the saguaros again.
Southern Arizona, January 2015
Oh, I didn’t finish!
We pass Carl’s Jr. on our way to and from Miller Park. As a precautionary measure, I bring up the windows on the Perfect Tow Vehicle well before the unmistakable aroma of hamburgers on the grill can be detected by Reggie Man. Whew! We made it!
The book I’m reading now . . .
“In this ironic, hilarious, and poignant story, Otto Prohaska is a submarine captain serving the almost-landlocked Austro-Hungarian Empire. He faces a host of unlikely circumstances, from petrol poisoning to exploding lavatories to trigger-happy Turks. All signs point to the total collapse of the bloated empire he serves, but Otto refuses to abandon the Habsburgs in their hour of need.”
At present the kindle edition is free!
The close of another day at our camp.
What do you do to conserve water?
rvsue
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