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Flood 2!

They say the second movie is never as good as the first. With floods, that just ain’t so! We got a really hard rain in on Sunday. It lasted much longer than the usual 2 minute Texas rain. When the ranch manager came by to let the horses loose and told me to watch for flooding I took it seriously and kept an eye out. The rig had already moved on so I was alone waiting for the next phase to start. Unfortunately, an eye was not enough for a flash flood which occurred the next day long after the rain had stopped. Late in the day, the rocks I had admired out my kitchen window just half an hour earlier disappeared. I went outside to check and found water just starting to run underneath my trailer from behind. It was running very fast. I immediately began disconnecting all electrical and shut down the generator. I started pulling outside items to higher ground and saw the water begin coming in from the side as well. I knew I was in trouble.

I tried to call my support person for help but he was too far away to be able to help. I tried calling the ranch manager but got no answer. I drove my truck out of the water and up to the ranch manager’s gate but no one answered the page or honking horn. I tried waving down a trucker but he thought I was waving hello and just waved back and drove on. I was on my own and the water was rising fast. It was now across the road and coming from the other side too.

All I could do was pull all the cables in, move things inside to pull in the slide-out which had water on it that drained inside as I closed it, crank up the jacks, and hitch up my truck. That took a lot of precious time and I was trudging through deep water the whole time. The water got higher. My support person kept calling and checking on me to see how I was. The external sewer tank I was connected to started to float. I had to work at it to get disconnected from it since it was hard-plumbed to my outlets. Then it started to float off so I had to take time to pull it around the back of the RV to beach it. The water rose.

Continue reading Flood 2!

Government Shutdown Ended – Now What?

With several states hurting for tourist dollars and working out deals to re-open national parks, the government finally came to an agreement to re-open for business. National parks, forests, landmarks, and BLM lands are once again inviting the public in to ooh and ahh at nature’s wonders while spending their hard earned cash on entrance fees, parking, camping, and concessions.

A lot of revenue was lost during the shutdown so some states will still feel it. What is fascinating to me is that the furloughed government workers will be paid for the forced time off while civilian workers will not. While I certainly feel bad for all who were furloughed, it doesn’t seem fair that one group will be paid for doing nothing while the others will not. How also are they handling getting back workampers and volunteers they kicked out who may have moved on to other jobs. What a mess! This is also not the end of it. The beings in power only agreed to postpone their issues until January of next year. This could happen again during prime snowbird season on BLM lands. I for one am not looking forward to January.

Some National Parks Re-opening Temporarily

Zion National ParkDue to the efforts of state governors to provide payments to re-open and run several national parks for 10 days, several parks will be re-opening on October 12th. While they may pursue getting re-paid by the government when this farce is over, there is no guarantee they will be reimbursed nor that government will re-open before the parks close again so help out your state by visiting one of these parks if you can. Who knows, it may be your last chance to see them for a long time. Word has it that Recreation.gov is honoring reservations already made to camp within those dates but is not accepting any new reservations.

 

Arches National Park, Utah (open October 12-20)
– includes Devil’s Garden Campground, Fiery Furnace Tours

Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah (open October 12-20)

Canyonlands National Park, Utah (open October 12-20)

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah (open October 12-20)

Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah (open October 12-20)

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, Utah (open October 12-20)

Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah (open October 12-20)

Zion National Park, Utah (open October 12-20)
– includes Watchman Campground

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado (open October 12-20)
– includes Moraine Park Campground

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona (open October 12-18)
– includes Mather Campground

The Statue of Liberty, New York (open October 12-20)

Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota (open October 12-20)

Government Shuts Down BLM and National Parks

Yosemite National ParkIn the showdown over the federal budget, feds have shutdown all national parks and BLM lands. Anyone with plans to go to either will need to make new private arrangements. Most of the Federal workers associated with these have been furloughed but Federal storm troopers are out in force ready to arrest trespassers. If you were planning to boondock on the BLM in Quartzsite again this season, there is no telling when the shutdown will end so pay attention to news sources for updates. You may want to consider booking reservations now at a state, county, or private park near Quartzsite to be sure you have a site when the Big Tent comes to town. At this time, the 14 day LTVAs do appear to still be open though not many folks are on them yet.

In an effort to make it hurt all Americans as much as possible, the Obama administration has also shuttered private businesses on government land and has kicked out houseboats, homeowners, and lessees on government land and water. Imagine being forced out of your home or off your ranch for no good reason but as a pawn in some sadistic game! Here at DangRV we are outraged!