...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS
MORNING TO 11 PM PDT WEDNESDAY...
Here we go again. They’re calling for high temperatures over 100ºF this week. I considered packing up and hiding in the slightly higher elevations of Bend or Sisters this week, but it’s still going to hit high 90s there. At this point, hot is just hot, whatever the number on the thermometer says. As in Montana, it seems there’s nowhere within a reasonable distance of here that isn’t going to be stupid hot, so I’ve decided to make the best of it, hunker down, and get through it here. I have unlimited access to water and shade, am close to town to resupply if I need to, and am with friends who will check up on me, which I think is safer than running off into the woods by myself.
I’ve moved from the clearing across from what was the cabin (currently being converted into a doctor’s office for my friend’s new practice) to a covered area on the side of the barn. This is where I parked my trailer during my first visit, but now that the horse and trailer have found a new home, this entire space is the perfect size for my camp. The shade makes a big difference in how hot it feels, and prevents my van from heating up inside from the sun. I’ve set up my propane stove/grill as an outside kitchen, so I can cook without adding heat inside the van. I get absolutely no solar charging, but have plugged the van into the barn to keep the batteries charged. I’ve set my 20-amp charger all the way down to five amps, since it’s just maintaining at this point.
The other problem was internet. The household Wi-Fi doesn’t reach the far side of the barn, and Starlink won’t connect through a solid roof. After a great deal of pondering, I finally remembered that my antenna base is attached to the roof with magnets, and is therefore removable. I’m so used to just keeping it up there that I forgot it comes off! This is actually the first time I’ve taken it off the roof and moved the dish somewhere remote where it can connect. I’m using the full 75 feet of new cable to do it, but it’s working great. This is an extremely low traffic area, but I threw my cones across the driveway where the cable crosses just to make sure no one runs over my brand new cable.
This gets me thinking that I should buy a second new cable. For one thing, I’ll have a backup so that if a cable fails on me mid-journey again, I won’t have to miss out on places I plan to go like I did this past month. It also means that I can integrate one cable into the van specifically to run my rooftop setup, while using the spare for situations like this so I don’t have to undo all that.
Lister is terrible at autocross, and has already earned himself a six-second penalty by knocking over cones.
While I still have projects to work on — specifically, reorganizing the shelves in my trailer, and converting a diesel fuel can into a tank for my heater — I’m making no specific plans for this week, and have no specific goals to accomplish until we get through this. I can do my work in the morning when it’s cooler, then write off the afternoon to the heat, when my brain stops functioning so well. Last night I made a lot of pasta and meatballs, so I have two dinners worth of leftovers I can microwave and not heat up the van. I have salads and lunch meat to snack on as well, cold foods that I’m more likely to eat when it’s hot.
The one thing I didn’t do is buy a portable air conditioner. This is mostly because there aren’t any to be found at local stores right now. Walmart has a ton of window units, but that won’t work for me in the van. I have all the electricity I need to run one continuously right now, but demand has made them all disappear in advance of the heat wave. So I’ll get through it as best I can.
My friends I’m staying with have told me I’m welcome to come inside the air conditioned house to stay cool, which I very much appreciate. However, Lister can’t go in because of their five crazy dogs. They’re all friendly, and mean no harm, but they’re also high energy, and would probably hurt Lister by accident while trying to play with him. They almost do that to me at times. So I’ll stay outside, keep an eye on him, and make sure he stays cool, too.
In other news, my replacement phone finally arrived, a day later than I was told, because this is Verizon. I did manage to fully back up the not-refurbished phone, then restore it onto the new one, losing nothing in the process. The replacement is working great so far, and I’ve shipped the not-refurbished one back to Verizon, where hopefully they’ll actually fix it before selling it to the next sucker… I mean, customer.
Since I was out on my motorcycle anyway, I rode the fun loop out twisty paved roads to Lorane, then back to Cottage Grove on easy gravel roads. Predictably, the V-Strom handled the paved twisties much better than my KLR, but wasn’t nearly as sure-footed on the loose gravel, much looser than it was last year. It was still a fun cruise, and likely my last recreational ride for the next several days while it’s hot. With my van tucked away like it is, I’ll be using the bike for errands for the foreseeable future.
Smokey Da Van 