Rickb RV Chronicles

… AND GREAT WERE the rains, and great was the wind…

Well, if not of biblical proportions, it was certainly a comer.

We caught the tail end of the storms that have been pounding California. Actually, if you looked at a radar map of the western US, you would see the precipitation pattern forming a big, fat ‘L’, with the lower part of the ‘L’ extending into southern Arizona.

In true desert fashion, it doesn’t rain very often, but when it does, it’s a show. Winds up to 67-68 according to the camp host (who has an anemometer). Rain coming down in sheets and waves. Soaked everything and blew everything over.

Anything not soaked and not blown over peered out at the mayhem from behind protective windows, hoping they wouldn’t get soaked and blown over.

Now, this morning, I’m out surveying the aftermath, picking up pieces as are all the neighbors. Some stuff has blown clear to New Mexico and will never be retrieved. I picked up and righted a table that had blown over with three heavy grills on top. Another camper’s tent blew down.

Perhaps the closest to ‘biblical’ effect has occurred in the hollow to the north, where a few folks were camped, presumably to be sheltered from the wind.

It’s now occupied by a small lake to the north, and the residents that weren’t directly effected now have a new lake-front view.

Elsewhere, there are new pools and probably zones that were more washed out.

I WAS IN A reasonable position, out on the flats. On the one hand, exposed to more wind, but no chance of a lake surrounding me. Some of the rivulets filled and filled their function, but other than that, I snugged down and watched the mayhem from the inside.

The only incident was the generator chose this particular moment to run out of gas, and I had to brave the elements and go out to refuel it. In a few moments, I was properly soaked, but it wasn’t freezing cold, so I didn’t really mind.

A storm like that really tests how well you’re sealed up. The day before, I had gone into town, and the first part of the storm hit. I had left a couple of windows open to vent things out – and was surprised on my return to find the wind had blown driving rain clear across the inside of the trailer, giving the two computers that were set up (and I thought out of harms way) a pretty good spraying.

Lesson learned. Maybe. I like to air things out. But, next time I leave, I think I’ll close the computers up.

I’D LIKE TO get a weather station for moments like this – something I could mount on a long pole and that would record readings. I’d broadcast them on the internet, but that would take a bit of power.

Which leads to the next ‘like/wish’: I’ve seen some folks with wind generators out here. Nice thing about that is they work through the night, whereas solar is only while there’s ’sol’ to solar.

Certainly wouldn’t have lacked for wind energy during the storm, yesterday, that’s for sure.