Despite the 40 mph sustained winds and 75 mph wind gusts, we didn’t blow away.!
This post will be a little bit of a hodgepodge of topics, especially in the pics, but we hope you enjoy the update.
The Texas panhandle region remains VERY “breezy”!
We don’t necessarily mind the wind, but it does come with its challenges. We have “slide toppers” also known as “slide covers” or “slide awnings” on top of the 3 slides. These help to keep debris, snow, and rain off the “roof” of the slides. We had them installed as our RV did not originally come with them. We had them on our Class C RV and knew we wanted them on the RV we live in. The only downfall is that they flap in the wind. While they make a bit of ruckus, our biggest concern is knowing that the wind is probably weakening the attachment areas with the constant tugging and flapping of the material. Some folks have come up with a “fix” to avoid the flapping, but we haven’t found one that has really worked for us yet.
When we had the 75 mph wind gusts earlier this week, we decided to pull the slides in to help preserve the slide toppers and to help bring the weight of the RV into the center of the rig. In other words, we were working to help keep the RV upright and not tip over! The other precaution we took was to fill the fresh water tank. We currently run our water system off of the city water. The hose is run from the campground spigot to the RV. When we turn a faucet on or flush the toilet, the water comes from the spigot via our hose. Most RVs have a fresh water tank too. We can fill this tank with water, and by turning on the water pump, we can get water into our faucets and toilet from this holding tank. This is how folks can “boondock” without being hooked up to any water source. Our fresh water tank is in the very rear of our RV. By filling it, we had added weight that helped to keep our RV upright in all the winds. Needless to say, our actual living space is extremely compromised when the slides are in. Be sure to look at the pics below for an idea! When the slides are fully extended our rig boasts an incredible 345 square feet of living space!! When the slides are retracted, well…let’s just say it’s a lot less.
The weather here in the panhandle remains all over the place! We’ve had short sleeves and shorts on this week, and today we are back to receiving A LOT of snow! There’s a big bike race nearby this weekend (Valley of Tears Gravel, Turkey, TX)…the weather has played havoc on it and the reservations that our RV park had because of it! We were busy this morning with 3 cabins to clean! The exciting part is that our “work-camper” replacement has arrived, so we have this week to train him and pass on the reins!
We will begin prepping the RV for travel this week. We each have our “assigned” areas to manage and do our best to stay out of the other’s area. We do work together to make sure that each of us hasn’t forgotten or overlooked things. Creating a checklist for set up and take down would be a great idea…something we always want to work on when we’re moving, but seem to forget about once we are settled! The other “issue” we have to consider, is the possibility of needing to winterize the RV during our upcoming travels. We will be leaving Silverton, Texas on Saturday (3/15) and heading north (first a stop in Dallas to meet our new grandson, then on to Illinois, and eventually (April 1) to SW Michigan) and we all know that winter is still in full swing! We will keep you updated on if we will need to add the “pink stuff” to the water lines anytime soon!
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Come to Texas they said…This is more like Chicago weather!
The tools needed to cut the water supply line and crimp on the clamps.
We took a field trip to the top of the RV to check on the roof. Yeah…we’re a little overprotective of the roof. If you don’t know why, ask in the comments.
Ken got the drone out to take some pics of the campground for the owner. With the bike race this weekend in a nearby state park, there were lots of RVs and cabin rentals. This is our set up. The temperature this day was 74*F!!
The campground owner also operates a food truck at the campground. This past Friday was their one-year anniversary. They gave away free corn dogs!!!
Every Thursday is Pizza day at the Briscoe Bite Food Truck. The weather was really nice so we ate dinner outside! Props to our LONG TIME American Family Insurance Agent, Nick for the pizza cutter!
Disregard the mess. When we bring in the slides, everything gets thrown about. Notice how little space we have when the slides are retracted!
Today (3/8/25) we are in the midst of a pretty good snow storm. We already have about 3″ on the ground. The snow made for really good packing!
The day after the 75mph wind gusts. There were “tumbleweeds” everywhere!
The newly installed water supply shut-off to the back of the toilet. Peep the water detector underneath!
A different view of where the water shut off has been installed.
Beautiful (manic depressive) weather this day!! All of this for just $5.40!!! We get a 50% discount on food from the Briscoe Bite Food Truck!
When we go to our next workcamping gig, we will be managing the 32 site campground, four glamping cabins, and a 3300sf Airbnb house. Ken has spent endless hours updating their website, working on SEO, doing social media posts for advertising, and getting them set up on a brand new reservation system as well as listing them on B o o k i n g . com.
These two rocking chairs were a gift from our kids for our 25th wedding anniversary several years ago. They are HEAVY! But not too heavy for the Texas Panhandle winds!! Notice the “office” slide is retracted.
This moment was a bit scary!!! Cutting the water supply line. If Ken couldn’t install the shut off, we’d have been without water!!
We took a similar photo of our shadows on the lane to our RV while we were workcamping in Fisher, MN.
The “stinky slinky” got toppled over by the winds!
Waylon (left) and Henry having a look at their new baby brother Benson (Benny)!!!
Benson (Benny) James Beard (3/2/25) 21″ 8lbs 6oz. We can’t wait to meet him next weekend!
Chris is getting quite good at baking fresh “bagels” for our McCafferty Breakfast Sandwiches.
Are we old? Well, maybe so. We have had the Eagles from “Friends of Big Bear Valley” on the TV. We enjoy watching the mom and dad (Jackie and Shadow) tend to the three baby Eagles! Peep the website at the bottom of the pic.
