WA & OR Exploring

Summer is off to a good start. Conboy Lake NWR in southern WA is nice. After winter in the Mojave Desert it's so green up here. Weather's pleasant. The refuge is small and quiet. Friendly staff. Few visitors. Mostly birders. That makes Loretta's job easy (if sometimes boring) to run the visitor center. Meanwhile, I'm busy with heavy equipment projects.

Schedule flexibility has been great. That's helped with blocks of days off to explore the area. We started with a couple of 3-day trips. First we went west to Panther Creek Campground in nearby Gifford Pinchot National Forest for 2 nights.

The lush, dense forest was so cool. The under story was carpeted with ferns. Branches were draped with "old man's beard" moss.

5,000 Hours

I started resident volunteering in 2012. Beginning as a camp host in Death Valley National Park, Furnace Creek CA. I confirmed a great way to winterize my RV. Just park it by a cactus, palm tree, or both!

After two winters I moved on to Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Lake CO. Summer 2014 I mainly did interpretation. That meant giving historic tours, staffing the visitor center desk and roving trails. Plus managing traffic jams caused by elk and moose, especially during the fall rut. Interpretation was a great learning experience. But I also did a special project: building a pack animal shelter.

Mechanical Drama

Full time RVing isn't for everybody. Homes on wheels have the same issues to deal with as homes on foundations. Plumbing, furnace, water heater, air conditioner, drafts and leaks around doors, windows and roofs. Plus issues having to do with the wheels and associated suspension, engine, transmission, etc.

Before we weighed anchor from Ash Meadows the RV battery bank was (over) due for service. The water level was alarmingly low. After adding a half gallon each to both batteries the plates were still high and dry. Almost another full gallon later all cells were finally flooded. They'd apparently boiled dry. My dang. I didn't expect 5-year old batteries to recover. But they did. They don't hold full charge anymore. But they got us up the road for 2+ weeks of spring migration north last month. I see new batteries in the RV's future. But that expense's at least punted down the calendar for now.