When we left Cleveland, the trailer, Lil Sebastian, was still winterized. This protects the delicate water systems from freezing and cracking in low temperatures. As the Weather Channel predicted temperatures at night to be below 32 degrees for the next week, we decided not to de-winterize until further south. We felt that with electric hook-ups and on-board propane, we would have enough resources to keep us warm while carrying the water we needed until things warmed up. Much like the books I was reading last summer about the famous Antarctic expeditions in the early 1900’s, we found our expectations and preparations sometimes helpful and sometimes inadequate.
Unlike Robert F. Scott’s expeditions to the South Pole, we were never close to minus 40 degrees nor were we in danger of scurvy, frostbite, or snow blindness. The lowest temperature we experienced was 15 degrees around our 12th night. We found using wool blankets and a down comforter kept us warm enough at night until the cabin temperature reached about 38 degrees. Turning on the electric fireplace/heater for an hour usually brought the temperature back up to where we were comfortable again. Wearing a fur lined hat and lots of layers to bed also worked wonders for warmth. Desperate times call for desperate fashion!
To save on water consumption, I became accustomed to all kinds of shortcuts. We devised a system to wash dishes by using two buckets – one for washing with water heated on the stove and one for rinsing. We dumped the waste water in designated dump/sewer areas. While this worked well, for the sake of reducing the amount of water we had to fetch from the operating campground water spigots, we switched to paper plates and plasticware. Breakfast was an instant oatmeal, lunch was hot soup and a sandwich–served on a paper plate.
And, although, I have not had a frozen dinner in over a decade, this option provided warmth, calories, and best of all… no clean up! Unlike the polar expedition crews, we could use our microwave and enjoy such delicacies as Sweet and Sour Chicken, Swiss Meatballs, Chicken Florentine, and Chili Mac and Cheese. A far cry from the pemmican and hard tack the explorers were stocking! Any cups or pots we used were sprayed with a vinegar solution and wiped with paper towels. We just laughed about the new level of our trailer-style “dish washing.”
During this time, we stayed at places where we had access to a bathroom/shower house since we weren’t using our indoor plumbing on the trailer. I greatly appreciated the heated facilities and hot running water. And, yeah, the late night walk to the facility was pretty chilly, but the stargazing was worth the trip.
On day 12, a winter weather blast came roaring in with freezing rain and then two inches of snow while wind chills took the temperature to the teens.
We engaged the propane furnace this time in addition to the electric fireplace heater to keep the trailer warm. By the next day, the sunshine revealed a lovely winterscape and quickly began to melt away the snow and ice.
Our subsequent travels southward brought the temps to consistently above freezing. We took the opportunity to de-winterize the trailer and resumed using fully functioning amenities that make traveling with Lil Sebastian an easy venture.
Next up… Mammoth Cave National Park
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