Living off the Grid...

[SHANEA]

From http://www.borderhotline.com

My friend Grace moved to Terlingua Ranch two years ago. I keep asking her, "How do you like it?" Or, "Do you still like living down there?" She always says, "I love it!" I have noticed that the longer she lives in Terlingua the less time she stays at her home in Marfa.

She kept trying to get me down there for a visit. I would not go in the summer because it was too hot. I would not go during the rainy season because once when I visited her, and it rained that night, by morning my truck had sunk into the bentonite-laced soil up to its axle.

When I called AAA, they said they did not service that area. During that three-day visit, I saw five rattlesnakes. No! Not me again, been there, done that. But finally, I felt it was safe to visit her again last November.

Grace had done a lot of work on her 35-year-old mobile home. She had installed new R-11 insulation with 3/4 inch drywall for the inside walls, a propane refrigerator, two propane tanks connected to store 750 gallons each, a septic system, a gray water system, a huge roof over the whole place that not only provides shade but also works as a water “catchment” with down spouts to three water tanks that can store 8,500 gallons of water.

"If you live here all year round then you need to buy shade - it was the biggest expense to build that large cover and breezeway for cooling. My friends, Brenda and Mike, hooked me up with one solar panel (class E, 600V; model # EC110) and now I have four hours of TV reception," she said.

The next morning another neighbor stopped by for coffee and a visit. The woman had purchased 60 acres of property with two "dirt tanks" to catch water for her three appaloosa horses. She built a wooden hay barn, which includes a 12x14 bunkroom and a 10x10 "tac" room. She had just driven down from Bandera in central Texas, wearing "twisted X boots" in a big truck with a fancy horse trailer.

Once there the lady created a trail riding business with 18 horses called “Calamity Jane Rides in Bandera.” Now she has only three appaloosas. This no nonsense woman said, "I don't tell stories, I live them. I was told, ‘You don't leave this earth with nothing but your memories and your scars,’ and I have a lot of both. If you could find a man who is not looking for a purse or a nurse you might find a partner."

The following afternoon she drove by with two puppies in the cab of the truck. But by morning the dogs were both gone – wolf bait. There is something about this area; you cannot make a mistake without exacting serious consequences. The desert is not forgiving; there is no wiggle room. Therefore, one needs to be vigilant and live in the moment. Many people identify with the indigenous people and their lore, that is, "a good day to die."

The next day Grace and I drove in her car, that only could make it safely the first 12 miles, along a dirt road to meet Brenda, who picked us up in her new four-wheel-drive truck. Brenda drove us about the same distance farther to her cabin where she lives with her husband, Mike. Brenda won this land in a poker game while camping in Big Bend National Park.

When we got out of the truck, we were on the side of a mountain looking east. After admiring the distant view, Brenda pointed down the cliff at what was left of a jeep. She almost didn’t make it once when a powerful wind flipped her jeep off the cliff as she was driving to her parking place between the yawning precipice and the cabin.

The problem, it turns out, was that Brenda was alone with only six ounces of water, no food, leaking gasoline spouting flammable fumes all about, a cell phone that did not work and the knowledge that her husband was not expected for another four days.

To make matters worse, it was freezing cold on those mid-December days in 2003. What kept Brenda going was, "A lot of hate. I hated everything and everybody. The endorphins helped me. I survived on negative brain waves, hunger, dehydration and desperation. It was almost like I had an audience.

I kept digging myself out and, after three days, I felt my leg fall. I could move; I could get out." When Mike had not heard from her, he decided to return a day early. "We don’t come out here alone anymore," she said.

In another frightening experience, Brenda trusted a neighbor to give her a ride into town but when they got there he decided they were going to Mexico instead. When Brenda said, "No!" He became abusive. She jumped out of the car and flagged down another driver to find help her find a member of the local constabulary. Officers located the individual and ran him out of the whole Big Bend area.

"Now, I have a better cell phone and a gun. They call this place The end of the earth. We live next to the Mexican Underground and see colored flags. Blue means 'water;' red means 'stay out.' We are, of course, surrounded by wild life: bobcat, javelina, deer, rattlesnakes, wild boar, raccoons and a multitude of birds."

Mike said, "The people who sell solar [energy equipment] need to simplify the information so the common [person] can comprehend it because solar is not complicated, and it is an improvement over fossil fuels.

“After the initial investment, the energy is free. The costs are $3,500 for 10 panels, which equals 90 watts, $300 for a charge control, $500 for an inverter, $80 each for 12 batteries." This system runs a coffee pot, TV, 5 cubic ft. freezer, a large G.E. refrigerator, a water pump, lights, and a Roper washing machine with plenty of energy left over. They also use propane for a Remi house heater and a Bosh AquaStar tankless, on-demand hot water heater.

Mike, who is a pipe fitter, placed their water pipes in the walls with the fiberglass insulation so they would not freeze and leak in the winter. The water catching system has a 1,600 gallon capacity and a sump pump as a backup to collect water from a creek. "It gets too hot here in the summer, so we go to our house in Livingston, in east Texas, May to August," Brenda said.

One more thing, I went to a Boys & Girls Club meeting. The community was working on grant and fundraising issues. I could not believe how good natured, capable, highly functional and thoughtful these people were in contrast to the frustrating and contentious Marfa and Alpine City Council meetings. Those folk I met are independent and honest. They have to be, if they want to survive "off the grid" in the desert with temperatures that range from 0 to 120 degrees.

The benefits are clean air, quietness, stars, and unbelievably spectacular views. It amounts to a peaceful world where you can keep yourself company.