Weird Weather

One thing that people never tire talking about is, the weather. But no one is willing to sacrifice a virgin in order to change it. As long as I need to go outside, I’ll be checking the forecast. Unless I end up living in a paradise where the weather is always the same, or inside a nursing home. Then it doesn’t matter. I’ve experienced -65°F in Alaska, and 115°F in Vegas and Phoenix. Been through blinding snow storms, heavy hail, freezing rain, high winds, minor tornados, sandstorms, high heat, and more. Maybe climate change will show me something new, but I doubt it. I try to never get upset about what Mother Nature is throwing my way, because extreme weather makes me appreciate good weather so much more.

I’m at the campground, in bed at 11 am, because of what’s going on outside. Yesterday afternoon, the temperature suddenly began dropping from a pleasant 60° down to the 30’s by 3 pm. I was driving the golf car back from Coy Flat to Belknap at 3:15, when rain started pelting down. I got soaked quickly because there is no windshield. Got back to my van and changed into dry clothes, staying inside to avoid getting wet again. Several campers drove in, but I didn’t go to greet them. I’ve worked 10 extra hours this week already, so feel entitled to take some time off. The company is only paying for 30 hours per week at the start of this season, though that’s obviously not enough time to complete all my work.

At 6:30, the rain was still heavy, but wasn’t mixed with snow yet, so I went to a local restaurant for their Cinco De Mayo taco special. Very tasty! Stayed there for an hour and a half, getting quite warm while using their wifi to go online. When I drove back to the campground at 8, there was a little sleet mixed with the rain. Went to bed, reading a book until late. This morning, there was an inch of snow, the temperature was about 28, but the clouds were parting and the sun peeking thru. I worked for a couple hours, cleaning bathrooms, selling firewood to campers, signing in last night’s arrivals, answering questions, etc. It warmed up a few degrees, so I headed to the other campground on the golf cart.

Halfway there, the sky clouded over, the temperature dropped, and wet rain/sleet came pouring down. I stopped at the store, hoping it would blow over quickly. I went online for a bit, sent messages to my boss, and bought a couple snacks. But the weather got worse, so I just headed back to my campground. Got absolutely soaked again on the ride back. The rest of my campers were packing up to leave. My two tents were on the verge of collapse, with an inch or 2 of heavy wet sleet on them. I cleaned one off and the other one collapsed on top of me, just as I started shaking the sleet off, ripping several holes in the roof. I can duct tape the holes, after it dries off, but this is the last season for it, if it manages to last that long. Same with the other one, the framework is bent and breaking.

So, I’m going back and forth from bed to outside every 15 minutes. The heavy sleet continues, so I have to keep clearing it off the tents. The weather forecast had said all moisture would be gone by 6 am and the high is supposed to be 50°, but that is definitely wrong. Not a fun day, exactly… All the campers are gone now, though they had paid for another night or 2. My propane Mr Heater has been running a lot, as I try to keep warm and dry out my clothes and shoes. It puts out some fumes; so it is a fine balance between keeping warm, drying clothes, and not dying from toxic gasses. It costs too much to run the van for heat, but that heater isn’t producing much heat anyway. Heat exchanger must be blocked again and will need to be cleaned or replaced when I can have that done.

It is now 1 pm and I think the temperature is back above freezing. The sleet is still coming down, but lighter, and the heavily loaded trees are beginning to drip water. There is 2 inches of sleet on the ground. The sun is trying to come out. 2 carloads of French people just stopped to ask me where the Nelson trail is. I told them how to find it, but cautioned them that it rises a couple thousand feet in elevation. The snow will be deeper, the higher one goes, and it will be hard to discern the trail. Plus crossing logs over creeks and the river will be slippery and dangerous. But they were determined to go.

So, this has been a blow-by-blow narrative of some strange weather this weekend. The campers weren’t happy, but I wasn’t bothered much. Next weekend is predicted to be in the 70’s. One camper left a big tent behind, rolled up next to a trash can. I’ll set it up this week and see if it is destroyed or just wet. If it is good, then it could replace mine, the one with the broken frame. My other damaged one is a mosquito enclosure that goes around and above my picnic table.

I checked the weather forecast for Porterville since I need to go down soon for groceries and gas. It’ll be in the 70’s if I go this Tuesday and Wednesday, but likely 90+ if I wait another week. So I’ll head down this Monday night, tomorrow, to catch the cooler weather. When the days are in the 90’s, I can’t sleep well in the van, since it is well after midnight before the temps cool enough. Motels cost close to $100 per night and up. Ridiculous! So I can’t afford to do that often. Well, I’m going to wait a little longer to see if any more precipitation is likely, and then try again to go to the other campground with the golf cart. Surely, the third time is the charm. I doubt any campers are left over there, either. But I still need to clean the bathrooms and post the new reserved signs. Meanwhile, I’ll do the new signs for here.