A couple of This Week shots

[Al]

A good time to be in the desert . . .

 

 


Al

[badknees]

Real nice Al, Glad to see you got a trip in.

Tell us more.

[Al]

BK, even less of a trip than last year.  I had the intestinal flu the first part of the trip and we are one down and were only able to bring a bit of him this year.  He was unusually well behaved in his Ziplock bag and sample container. . . we miss him.



Al

[Al]

This year's group picture.  What we have of Erle is sitting on the hood:



Al

[homerboy2u]

Really nice jesture to bring your friend Erle, with all of you. Thing is, he never left you....

 Why don't you tell us about that truck tent of yours, it is the first time i have seen it. Of course  a trip report is in orderly due.

[Al]

Homero, that's just a $20 Campmor tarp erected by Pedro233, an Aggie engineer, who the night before was TOTALLY miserable. Jim and I had tents and unlike most years had to use them for several nights.  When he set up the tarp the first night, the wind was coming from the opposite direction than it blew that night.  We're talking 40 mph gusts. It bowed my tent to the ground more than once and was flapping his tarp without mercy.  

He ended up taking it down and wrapping it around himself despite my giving him a pair of earplugs that first night.  It was one of the better laughs I have had in quite some time!  So the next night he perfected the rig you see in that picture and slept like a rock.

Al

[homerboy2u]

Homero, that's just a $20 Campmor tarp erected by Pedro233, an Aggie engineer, who the night before was TOTALLY miserable. Jim and I had tents and unlike most years had to use them for several nights.  When he set up the tarp the first night, the wind was coming from the opposite direction than it blew that night.  We're talking 40 mph gusts. It bowed my tent to the ground more than once and was flapping his tarp without mercy.  

He ended up taking it down and wrapping it around himself despite my giving him a pair of earplugs that first night.  It was one of the better laughs I have had in quite some time!  So the next night he perfected the rig you see in that picture and slept like a rock.

Al

 Well i know Pedreo233 posts here every now and then. Maybe well get his side of the story.... . Nice set up Pedreo....... . I wonder how you managed when the truck had to move, .

[mule ears]

Al, I am sorry to hear about Erle but think it is great you guys took him out with you. 

The weather looks like it was wild, especially for Feb.  Look forward to hearing and seeing more.

[tjavery]

Those first two photos are really nice! Very well done!

[Terlingua50337]

Kudos guys.  I can only hope to have such friends. I'd like to have someone stand on the high bluffs of the Pecos and set me free when the time comes.

[randell]

Wow, looks like you got to enjoy the smell of the desert in the rain!  Nice heater you got there.

[Al]

Wow, looks like you got to enjoy the smell of the desert in the rain!  Nice heater you got there.

We did and read on some fine books while hanging under the nylon.  Actually the rain was mainly early morning, pretty light and didn't last all that long.  

The infrared heater is priceless in the cold windy desert.  It allows the gang to hang together and tell lies into the wee hours of the morn - without a campfire. A wall of wonderful life-giving warmth.  Highly recommended for this use.

Al

[Pedreo233]

Ok Homero, Al woke me up.  As for my tarp, the beauty of a tarp is all the ways you can use it.  I am not a Ranger, Green Beret, or otherwise trained professional.  But I do like using a tarp.  This is the first time it did not work well for me.  Actually, wrapping yourself up in it works real well except your bag gets wet from condensation of your breath.  Erle always rolled himself up in a tarp.

I have learned that you have to keep a tarp low.  The first night I tried a ridge line with one pole, but the wind shifted until it was coming in the open side... that makes it into a parachute and bad news, particularly if it is raining.  I am not sure anything short of a bivy style pitch less than 2 ft off the ground would have worked in the winds that night.

So to avoid the changing winds I used the truck as one side with guy wires strung to the corner eyes to support the edges.  The center is supported by the pole located beyond the fly.  It worked well,even with my 20 yr old nylon.  It only leaked in a few places where the ties were attached.  Fortunately, we did not have the really high wind except one night.  Needless to say, it is not portable, and the truck stays parked.  But, I much prefer sleeping under God's canopy!

I use the same tarp, pitched in the back of my truck in the Smokies.  I learned early on that you always plan for rain in the Smokies.  I use a pole at the tailgate (actually an old shovel handle with a screw eye in it) and run a ridge line from the back window, thru the eye with the pole wedged in the tailgate, and tied to the hitch or ground.  Drape the tarp over the ridgeline and the sides of the bed.  Tie down the tarp and you are set.  There is no point in sleeping on the ground there as the canopy blocks the stars, and then there are those pesky bears, much less skunks and other varmits around most campsites.

There you have it.

[Al]

Ok Homero, Al woke me up.  As for my tarp, the beauty of a tarp is all the ways you can use it.  I am not a Ranger, Green Beret, or otherwise trained professional.  But I do like using a tarp.  This is the first time it did not work well for me.  Actually, wrapping yourself up in it works real well except your bag gets wet from condensation of your breath.  Erle always rolled himself up in a tarp.

I have learned that you have to keep a tarp low.  The first night I tried a ridge line with one pole, but the wind shifted until it was coming in the open side... that makes it into a parachute and bad news, particularly if it is raining.  I am not sure anything short of a bivy style pitch less than 2 ft off the ground would have worked in the winds that night.

So to avoid the changing winds I used the truck as one side with guy wires strung to the corner eyes to support the edges.  The center is supported by the pole located beyond the fly.  It worked well,even with my 20 yr old nylon.  It only leaked in a few places where the ties were attached.  Fortunately, we did not have the really high wind except one night.  Needless to say, it is not portable, and the truck stays parked.  But, I much prefer sleeping under God's canopy!

I use the same tarp, pitched in the back of my truck in the Smokies.  I learned early on that you always plan for rain in the Smokies.  I use a pole at the tailgate (actually an old shovel handle with a screw eye in it) and run a ridge line from the back window, thru the eye with the pole wedged in the tailgate, and tied to the hitch or ground.  Drape the tarp over the ridgeline and the sides of the bed.  Tie down the tarp and you are set.  There is no point in sleeping on the ground there as the canopy blocks the stars, and then there are those pesky bears, much less skunks and other varmits around most campsites.

There you have it.

Not quite. Pete, I had two tubes of seam sealer readily available and one tube was brand new! I remember Erle telling us a few years ago one needs to seal the connections between the tie downs and the tarp.

If only you had mentioned the problem  . . . I am sure we could have negotiated a reasonable price given the remoteness of my precious and limited stores.

Al

[homerboy2u]

Yes.........the rest of the pictures,fellas.