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Borrego Springs, CA

Thursday, July 19, 2012

I made a choice

With one last travel day on the horizon for a while, I was up very early with my stomach churning as usual on a driving day.  I sure would like to win the lottery and be able to hire a driver.  Of course that means I’d have to buy a ticket!  Anyway, it was a mostly smooth trip of only 75 miles to meet Abbey Riebel at the volunteer RV pads at Alligator River NWR.  Surprisingly, I had remembered from five years ago that there was a gas station just before the bridge crossing the Alligator River.  I decided to top off the tank.  Even though the gage said I had more than 3/4 of a tank left, I still put in more than $100 worth at $3.30/gallon.

I pulled into the camp area, turned on the generator so I’d have AC for Emma, and hopped in Abbey’s truck to take a look at the site at the Bodie Island Lighthouse.  The spot was very spacious and surrounded by sand dunes, but I just couldn’t get past the fact that I’d probably have to be constantly washing the rig to keep the salt spray at a minimum.  That salt spray really does a number on any metal parts of the rig, and rust is the result. 

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So, my choice was to stay at the Alligator River NWR site.  No ocean lapping nearby, but also no salt spray.  It took me quite some time to get things set up since the temps were in the 90’s with high humidity.  I’d work outside a while, and then come in to cool off.  My clothes, of course, were wet enough to wring out.

IMG_9410We are all nestled in along a bank of trees.  Fellow volunteers Peg and George are on my left, and the trailer on my right is for some University people doing some kind of study on the refuge.  Apparently, they are seldom in camp.  I’ve been told they are also Chinese and speak very little English.  I wonder what it is they’re studying.

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There is a small volunteer building that houses a couple of showers, a living room, and the laundry.  It hasn’t changed any in five years since I was last here.

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The electrified fence around the compound has been reinforced with a second line by Peg and George.  The purpose of this electric fence is to keep out the bears.  Quite a few bears are regularly seen around the campsites.  I look forward to getting a glimpse of them.  Smile

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                        This evening, Emma met her neighbor, and made a new friend.

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Princess, is one of two boxers that live with Peg and George.  The other boxer, Duchess, has some issues with exuberant dogs like Emma, so we’ll take our time introducing those two.

I’ve got some pretty flaky internet service out in the boonies here, so I’m hoping I’ll get this post published.  I’m just relieved to finally have arrived.  Hopefully, a small cold front will be moving through soon, so temps will be more reasonable this weekend.  I don’t have to report for work until Tuesday, so I’ll spend the weekend finding a good grocery store and reacquainting myself with the Outer Banks.  Cool beans!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

25 comments:

  1. $3.30/gallon...wonderful!
    Never saw an electric fence set up for bears.
    Glad you are all settled in and ready to start a new adventure.

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  2. Probably a very wise choice locating away from the salt. That spray can really do some damage and very quickly at that.

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  3. Yippee! A new adventure place (for me) to read about! I wasn't aquainted with you when you were there before so everything will be all new and fresh for me! Can't wait!

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  4. Oh I hate being reminded that having a campsite on the ocean can be so costly. It just sounds so wonderful. I wonder if I could have been as wise as you in making that decision.

    I'm really glad you made it there and am so looking forward to hearing about Alligator River, one of my very favorite places. Hope you get to see the red wolves.

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  5. I think you made the smart choice of avoiding the salt spray. I know how much you enjoy washing your motorhome, but a daily bath to keep the salt a bay is a little bit too much... ;c)

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  6. Have fun, was there 3 yrs ago, stayed at Kill Devil Hills. We had a great time exploring & seeing the lighthouses!! Lots of shells on the beaches.

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  7. cool beans!..nice that Emma has some new friends to play with!!

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  8. Nice looking spot but sure sounds kind of hot. Good choice on location of your MH too.

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  9. It sounds like a great place to be for a while. Glad they have a fence to keep out the bears.

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  10. The worst aspect of sea spray is that the salt is airborne and gets under and into places you cant see to wash off. You made a wise choice not to be exposed to that element. Rust is the enemy of motorhomes.

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  11. I think you made a good choice, I spent a few months on Mustang Island this past winter and did not like all of the salt on my RV.

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  12. Nice spot you have. Hope the fence works.
    While I would have loved to be at the waters edge the salt would take its toll.

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  13. Glad you're getting all settled in. Good choice to stay off the beach.

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  14. That refuge is on my bucket list. Hopefully, they will provide housing once again. I'll be looking forward to hearing what you get to do there.

    Hope you can stand the heat. After this summer, I think I'll never be able to again. I'm still wearing my winter bathrobe most mornings and have only had heat in the 90's for a hand full of days, so far.

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  15. Good move giving up the ocean view...Salt is a killer on metal..We stayed at Goose Island on the bay and in 2 weeks it rusted my new lounge chair..not to mention the metal parts on the Hiker...Looks like you are in a great spot...

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  16. Judy, have you ever thought about downsizing the motorhome? Just curious. Sure don't like that humidity. Even here in MT I'm tired of sweating all the time and our humidity is only about 45%. Bear fence? Hope it works really really good.

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  17. Dare I say that gas was about $2 in Ecuador; diesel even cheaper. It sure was tempting to take the MH down there :-))) Looking forward to reading all about your experiences at the OBX - we enjoyed our stay there last year.

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  18. We get that stomach churn on driving days as well. We will probably really get them now that we are 40ft- yikes.
    That salt spray is one reason we are trading the Suncruiser. The previous owner must have spent significant time beach camping- she has lots of rust spots appearing for a rig that is only 7 years old.

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  19. It would be hard for me to stay away from the beach but you made the right decision. Better to prevent the problem altogether than have to deal with all the rust that would surely occur if you'd taken the other site. Hope it cools a bit. It's hot all over.

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  20. Gasoline is $3.77 a gallon up here in Caribou, Maine... guess it has to be trucked a long way. I always find getting settled into a new place very exciting... even coming back to a place I've been before is fun. But, heck, I like any kind of change. Sounds like you're returning to a place you like, and that's the best feeling of all! I'm looking forward to all your upcoming bear photos!!!!

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  21. OBX is on my radar for a someday trip, so looking forward to reading about your time in this refuge. I wish I wasn't scared of boxers...sigh...got attacked by a couple of friendly ones once while out doing soil survey. The owner said they were fine, introduced me to them and I went off to work. Later on in the day they somehow decided I was a threat and attacked me. Worst soil survey story of my 30 plus year career. Worse than bears or mountain lions or snakes.

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  22. Great new digs. . .can't wait to hear all about your new (updated) adventure on the Outer Banks. . .we loved it there last summer. . .couldn't stay nearly long enough!

    Janice
    ReadyToGoFullTimeRVing.blogspot.com

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  23. I'm looking forward to reading about your new volunteer experience. Looks like you have a nice spot to spend some time.

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  24. "exuberant" What a kind word. :)

    Flaky internet on a long term site would NOT make me happy. I hope it works well for you.

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