3rd year of dry camping (with the NPS this year)

[kempert]

After two years of volunteering for the US Forest Service, I've moved over to the National Park Service. I'm the first campground host that they've ever had at Colorado National Monument. They were putting off me starting due to a lack of any utilities but I said I could suck it up. After all, the flush toilets are a big upgrade over what I had for my previous stints. I've been here since the 5th of May and it's been interesting.

I've been having trouble with my laptop's battery holding a charge so I've really gotten behind on my computer time. I'll try to keep you posted (if you're interested) and use this forum for suggestions on how to handle a public campground. They've already agreed to several of my ideas.

Hey Kempert!

Been waiting to hear where you would end up. The area around the Colorado National Monument is something else! Hope your stay goes well and am looking forward to your updates. Take care.

I don't know of too many who have full-timed in a TM. Your comments will definately prove interesting if not at least helpful to many here. We too, hope all goes well for you. Have you considered uploading some photos into your (new) photo album here? I would love to see some pics of your long-term set up.

[kempert]

I've ordered a new battery for my laptop which the NPS said they would cover since they haven't been able to get me set up as planned. Therefore, in a few days I'll be able to be online longer. I'm still coaching so have to spend most of my limited time contacting my assistants and athletes.

[kempert]

I've had very limited time on the net so I'm way behind on my updates. I still do not have any utilities but they are making progress. This area is in an energy boom (gas & oil exploration and retrieval) so we are waiting for the power company to get to us. Not having power wasn't a problem until the past two weeks. The high temperatures have been in the 90s during this time. The inside of the TM has been getting around 95 each afternoon. With the low humidity and frequent breezes, it would be real comfortable outside in the shade except for the biting insects. There are these little flies (the locals call them gnats) that like to "get in your face". They bite different people in different places. They get me at the edge of clothing like socks and shirt sleeves. I never feel them bite me but the bites itch later.

I'm having no problems with the TM except the refrigerator. I cannot get it to stay below 50 during this heat. I may need to get it checked (which I haven't done for 3 years now). I'm making due by putting stuff in the Visitors' Center frig which is less than 1.5 miles away (round trip). I have a small truck that they let me use to run errands in the Monument and they pay for the propane. I don't know whether it helps or not but I run the outside frig fan most of the day. When I get electricity, I'll experiment more with the frig and the fan.

I figured out an easy way to keep some of the heat out of the TM. I bought several packages (standard size) of the reflective screens that you can get to put in your car's windshield. I got the kind that you can twist into a small circle because they are thin. They slip very easily between the windows and the curtains. My inside thermometer seems to indicate that this lowers the inside temperature about 5 degrees during the hottest part of the day.

My main duties are to be in the campground area during most of the day when I'm "on duty" (primarily Thur. pm - Mon. am). We use what is basically a honor system on collecting the camping fee. I don't collect any money. I just check to see if people have registered and if they haven't I remind them to do it. If I feel that someone is "blowing me off", I call a Park Ranger and they take care of it. The thing that takes most of my time is answering questions. I also pick up trash (extremely rarely) and clean out charcoal grills (which is real easy since they can only burn charcoal). The biggest pests have been the few people who don't understand that quiet time is between 10pm & 6am. I've only had to call a Ranger twice.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask away. I'll respond as quick as I can.

We have problems with teeny flies or gnats in Costa Rica, and have to sometimes use no seeum nets...maybe for next year if you go back, you could make a noseeum tent...I made one from fabric I bought from REI and it is about 9 feet on a side and about 6 feet plus tall...we hang it on pvc poles strung up on the beams of the house, which is open..the no seeums show up in the evening if it rains in the afternoon...REI also has ready made tents made with the same material...much more expensive, but it would allow you to be outside without the itching...you probably could make something that you could set up and attach to the door of the TM.
The refrigerator situation is unfortunate because of its small condenser and size surrounded by so much hot air. At least you could probably easily make your own yogurt, something I keep planning to do.....some veggies do fairly well out of the frig, at least in the tropical heat, especially if they have never been refrigerated...we keep cabbage, chayote, green pepper, onions. tomatoes out...the chayote are particularly easy to keep for up to a month or more, if you can find a place to buy them...carrots will probably keep well too as long as they have no bad spots. Beans on the stove will keep for a week if boiled twice a day...we use black beans, and they get better every day...other legumes keep well too if you boil them vigorously twice a day. Rice keeps fairly well for 24 hours but is harder to reheat. We use powdered milk and dried cheese. You are having some great adventures....hope to hear a lot more of them. I hope my post is not too close to being off topic, but some of your issues are sound very similar to ours.

Thank you much for sharing your activities with us. It has been a while, late 80's, since I have been to Colorado National Monument. And that was tent camping years ago when sleeping on a foam mat was luxury! I have read that Golden Eagles have been reintroduced to the area. Have you seen any? As always I appreciate reading about all your adventures. Will be heading out to the Black Hills in South Dakota after the 4th for about two weeks. Take care Kempert and keep them cards and letters coming!

Just in case you overlooked the obvious, we run the TM external fan when it is hotter than 85. That helps. If the sun was on the street side of the TM, I would be inclined to find a way to shade the area where the back of the fridge is, but not cover up the vents.

An additional fan might be helpful. Computer case fans are, I think, 12 volt fans. These fans run between 5 and 12 dollars.

[kempert]

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since I last posted here. I'm now in sw VA after going to east TN to visit with a friend who's figthing cancer. I left CONM on Friday morning and diverted south at Lexington, KY.

I never found a cure for the flies (AKA gnats). Nothing kept them out of my face but at least I learned to keep them from biting me. I could always escape from them after July 3 when I finally got electrical power. This was great timing because as soon as July arrived the temperature started staying in the upper 90s. A strange thing happened one day as the weather station at the visitors center (less than 1/4 mile from the TM) reported a high of 100 while Fruita (1400 feet lower) only reported a high of 95. I explained to one of the rangers that I could explain it rather easily. "We are closer to the sun so why shouldn't it be hotter here?" You should have seen his face before he realized that I wasn't being serious.

I think that something is wrong with my frig. The freezer seemed to have worked fine but the lower part couldn't seem to get in the acceptable range as long as I was on propane. It got the job done once I got electricity but only if I cranked it all the way up. I'm guessing that I may need freon or whatever they use now. BTW - Wayne, the cooling fan didn't seem to make a difference. I'd tried it early on with no change and moving the TM to get the back of the frig in the shade most of the day didn't help either. Once I got hooked up, the back of the frig stayed in the sun most of the day with the above mentioned results.

One thing did happen which I hope I can figure how to fix or I'll just live with it. When you sit on the sofa and look at the top of the frig, the nearest back corner has poped up about 1/4". You can easily press it down with your hand but it pops right back up. It seems to be only cosmetic. I guess the heat must have caused the glue to fail in that area.

The ac worked like a charm. I was concerned at first because no water was dripping off the roof. Then, one day I was listening to the NPS weather report and the humidity was at 3% which is drier than the kiln dried wood that you buy. I never heard a number above 20% and I never saw any drips. While in camp, I cut it off each night so that I could hear if there were any serious problems in the campground (virtually none happened) plus it was so quiet there that I didn't want to bother the paying campers. The fantastic exhaust fan kept air circulating when the wind died down.

I'm sure that I'll think of other things later. Please ask if you have any questions. I'm real tired now after driving over 1700 miles in 3.5 days. The 6 hours this afternoon with my friend with cancer was more tiring than all the driving but it was worth it. I'm so glad that I thought of dropping down into TN on the way home.

The people at CONM asked me to do it again next year and I enjoyed it so much that I told them that I would if I could afford the gas to ge there. I'm learning more and more abouttax breaks that are available to volunteers to non-profits.

[B_and_D]

It was really nice to hear from you again. Keep us posted on your trip.

D