I know that having running water or not is probably a trivial thing to most of you. But it is a bother and gas expense for me to have to drive a few miles down the mountain in order to fill up my water containers every week. It’s been a month and a half since the campground’s water system was supposed to be fixed. The first plumber fixed one valve box, but never returned to complete his job. The company’s maintenance guys showed up 4 weeks ago to find out what all needed to be fixed, took pictures, made a list of what was needed, and promised to be back soon.
Then my boss said she was trying to get another plumber up from the Valley to do the job, making sure it was done to code. And I waited more weeks for that to happen. Meanwhile, the spring is slowing down it’s flow, as the ground dries out and the weather gets hotter (almost 90°F today). Campers are getting grumpy about the lack of running water, too.
Today, all 4 of the maintenance guys showed up, saying they were going to get the water going. Did they bring a pipe threader? No. Did they bring replacement faucets? No. Did they bring a skimmer to clean the enclosed spring cistern? No. Did they bring tools? No. Did they bring a new pressure relief valve? No. Did they bring a new padlock to replace the broken one at the cover for the spring? No. What did they bring!? Only a rubber coupler with hose clamps, as a temporary connector at the broken joint. It took all 4 of them 2 hours to accomplish that simple Mickey Mouse fix and to cap off one broken faucet. Using my tools, of course. I asked when they would do the other things that needed fixing. They told me to do it myself, that they had did everything they were told to do. Besides, they said, a bear or mountain lion had been growling at them from the bushes and they refused to go up there again. Then they left.
It was my day off but I headed up to inspect their work and to see I could finish. I took a screwdriver for opening valve boxes and a plastic rake for skimming out the spring (both could be protection against wild creatures, too). The rubber boot seemed to be holding water okay, so I continued up to the spring 3/4 mile away through rugged terrain. The mosquitoes were horrific in the scrub brush, so I had to return to my van for bug spray, and then tried again. I cleaned out the spring as best I could with the rake and my hands. I probably got 95% of the debris out. It was all chunks of canvas cloth and dried tar, that had been used to seal the cover. I couldn’t lock the cover due to no new lock. I just hope no one messes with it again before the lock is replaced. Half of the water flow is spraying on the ground because of the faulty pressure relief valve. I put a heavy chunk of wood on it and reduced the wastage by half. Not a good solution, but couldn’t think of a way to fix it without a replacement. Too much pressure to duct tape it closed.
I checked all the various valves on the system, opening the ones that needed opening and closing the ones that needed to be closed. Now it is a waiting game, to see if the 1000 gallon tank fills up, and how long it takes. The whole system needs to be flushed and inspected to see if it is potable water that is safe to drink. But the flow is so low, that could take another week or two. Wish this could’ve been done a month or two ago! And done properly!
Despite my belly-aching, I’m glad to get a little traction on having running water again. It is a beautiful and interesting hike along a creek, even though most of the trees have been burned. I was glad to see some life returning; with many deciduous oaks and evergreen oaks sprouting from the roots of burnt trees. Some are already 6 foot tall. Tall ferns have grown up since the last time I was back there, many topping 4 foot tall. A lot of herbs, bulbs, ground covers, wild roses, flowering shrubs, and more are growing rapidly. I don’t recognize most of the species. One worry I had was, which one is the poodle bush? That is similar in effect to poison oak and ivy, but I don’t know what it looks like. Some of my campers were hospitalized because of getting into some that, a couple years ago. I heard it grows like crazy in the years after a forest fire, but just in this area. I need to Google some pictures of the poodle bush, in case I stumble upon some.
I got quite dirty, tromping thru the dusty ashes of the forest floor, and brushing up against burnt tree trunks and shrubs. One danger was all the sharp points protruding from the ground, from all the small plants and trees that got burned almost to the ground. Another danger was from the many deep holes where tree roots burned several feet into the ground. I never did encounter any bears or mountain lions. Didn’t even see any tracks of them, this time. I think the maintenance men were letting their imaginations go wild. I heard and saw woodpeckers and squirrels that can get rather loud. And the wind can cause tree branches to rub each other, making groaning noises. My legs were pretty sore from climbing over so many big boulders and fallen trees. I did a bunch of body squats yesterday, so they were already tired from that. I wish I could be lazy a bit this weekend to make up for all the extra hours I worked on my days off. But this weekend will be Memorial Day and both campgrounds will be packed, with all the work that entails. I think I’ll spoil myself a little next week, going to Porterville for a couple days; eating out, going to a movie, working out at the gym, and stocking up on groceries. I’ll deserve it after a long holiday weekend. Maybe by then, I’ll know if we have clean running water at the campground again.
iggyvandweller 