So there I was, sitting in a hotel room in Reno waiting for the parts store to open tomorrow so we can get a water pump for the Land Rover.
BM has been a bit rough, it was very hot on Monday and has been windy all week long. Dust, wind, dust, wind! It was good to get the spirit breaking white-out dust storms over so soon in order to go on with life without caring abut the dust. The shemgah has been surprisingly effective at keeping out dust and making it easy to breathe. My shelter isn’t working as well as I hoped, there’s just too much surface area to support with the winds we’re having. Nothing has failed yet, but it’s pulled plenty of rebar out of the ground by flapping around.
Nighttime is pleasant, it’s cool but not yet cold. I haven’t ventured out too far during the day yet. Dr. Mega Volt is here this year, we watched him last night working some bugs out of his rig. There is also the most awesome computer controlled propane fire cannon array with 10-12 huge tanks that shoot fireballs into the air into different patterns. I can easily sit and watch either of them for hours. It makes me want to buy a propane cannon powered orchestra.
The solar panels are proving to work very well. Even covered in dust they still produce 2 amps at 22 volts, and completely charged the battery today. The fans are working well inside the tents, makes it pleasant to stay inside during the day during the heat and dust storms.
Alex determined it would be a really good idea to come to Reno to buy a new water pump for their Rover since the current one is showing signs of trouble and might fail on the way back for them. Since I was running low on food and was getting very jealous of cooking bacon and meat, I jumped at the chance to come restock and buy some other things I’m missing.
On the drive up Sunday, I detoured over to Badwater in Death Valley, California. It’s the lowest point in North America, 282 feet below sea level. It was extremely hot when I was there, 117 degrees. This is the starting point of the Badwater Ultramarathon; after visiting myself, I’m even more convinced people like Dean Karnazes are way hardcore. I’m surprised that there’s even a little town called Furnace Creek there. WTF? Even has a gas station, where you can buy gasoline for $3.78/gallon. The road out was creepy, I went 60 miles without seeing another soul. I was expecting there to be some phony roadblock where I’d be kidnapped and never to be heard from again.
