I have no idea how much rain we got but it was enough to fill my water catchment barrels more or less 128 gallons and could have probably captured more. With that thought in mind headed to Walmart to purchase two more 32-gallon trash cans.
While there I decided to check out their Butane stoves which at $19.72 seems like a reasonable price. I have never owned any kind of camping stove but they could come in handy for heating up my canned goods should I need to.
They also had a single burner propane stove but I liked the butane one better.
Headed back to Dollar Tree to purchase these tasty dried fruits that I did not know if I would like. I bought a package and after trying it decided to purchase some more to eat with my cereal while camping.
I decided to see if they still had Egglettes and they are going fast...
We had a cloudy day with a high of 71 and a low of 60 degrees. These are wonderful temperatures that I certainly enjoyed because they will be going back to the '90s soon.
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
Aunty Acid Saying of the Day
So glad to hear you had some cooler weather along with some good rain. You are smart to conserve and catch rain. Yes, we are all paying for tariffs. But please don't get me started on the idiot in chief. Sometimes I feel like I have somehow landed in some parallel universe where nothing makes any sense.
ReplyDeleteA camp stove is a good investment for all sorts of reasons. I have the one you did not choose. I believe in being prepared for emergencies as well as having convenient gear for camping. Do check out the solar lanterns that will also charge your cell phone. I have one and now see many available that are less expensive and work great. REI Company is excellent to research or buy from. Totally backup all they recommend or sell. Also suggest you get a couple of cans of Sterno fuel and the fold up stand. Dollar store has similar for a buck.
You may never need but I also have both Mr Buddy propane heaters. No heat here can be deadly. The little one I can recommend for anyone for emergencies. Simple, safe, not expensive.
I do hope you will be able to go this year. You deserve a break and a good time. And anytime is wine time!
I am relishing in these cooler temperatures. While the rain catchment started as an experiment for my future life in Terlingua I have to admit that it has come in handy on many occasions, in particular, this past summer that we received little rain.
DeleteDuring the Del Rio Flood of 1998 mother learned a lesson about keeping extra gallons of water in the house. In Houston, it became a habit due to tropical storms and hurricanes and how the city and county encourage you to be prepared.
During the flood, the city had to shut down the water and it stayed shut for many days. Fortunately, I was able to drive to Del Rio with the needed life source. She has never complained since for my large inventory of bottled water.
I do have a solar lamp that charges small appliances it is called a D.light and I love it. I bought it from Bargain Outfitters (it is no longer in business) for a very reasonable price.
I had to Google cans of Sterno as I had never heard of them before. I have heard nothing but good things about Mr. Buddy propane heaters. They would have come in handy the first time I took my Kodiak Canvas tent using my car versus my camping van and could not fit my sleeping bag. That year the temperatures plunged and I almost froze to death and if that wasn't bad enough I had an encounter with a rattlesnake by my new tent.
I too hope that I can attend this year. I agree anytime is "wine time" in particular when I am in Terlingua where I am only responsible for myself.
I have had one of those Coleman butane stoves for several years now. Still works perfectly. I paid more than that at Academy and think under $20 is a great deal.
ReplyDeleteI have always been hesitant to buy anything that requires propane. I am afraid of those green little cans fearing they may explode or something.
DeleteAs you know I am not a cook but I think it would be nice to be able to heat up a can of soup or ravioli. My way of warming up my supper is to leave out my can of choice all day in the sun.
I have learned that you can not always rely on warm days so I may buy this as a back-up. One of the reviews I read was that it was hard to control the flow so you could burn your dinner. Is that something you have experienced?
Sure is nice that you got the rain and cooler weather. A camp stove is a real bonus now just get out camping.
ReplyDeleteI feel very fortunate for both George.
DeleteI'm still on the fence about purchasing the camping stove. Read that Walmart is always out of butane and when I find them to purchase a few. They did not have any available yesterday may have to order them online.
Hoping to be able to go camping in the near future.
The butane stoves work really well, darned simple! Get some extra cans of fuel. Propane is easier to find and those single burner propane stoves do work well. In the van I used my butane stove for coffee & such because it was so simple ... but I have always had a propane stove stashed away in case.
ReplyDeleteYour review of this product is very much in line with what I have read. I like your endorsement of it being simple to use. I like simple since I have zero experience with stoves.
DeleteI am glad I was able to suggest the Sterno or the dollar store version of it. It really may be all you require for your purposes. If you haven't bought a stove yet, you could get the Mr. Buddy which I believe could be a great investment since you said it can get cold. One bottle of fuel burns 7 to eight hours but it puts out so much heat, you won't leave it on but in short intervals. You might also google (youtube) penny alcohol diy stoves. Made from two beer cans, push pin. So easy I made one and would not have bought my camp stove if I had known about these first. Use YELLOW HEET, available at Wal-Mart or any truck stop. I researched the best and cheapest fuels for it. Less than three bucks, and very long lasting. Can still use the little fold up stand with it. Fold up stand is just to keep can or pot from falling over. I have improvised with rocks and cookie wire racks. Hope this gives you a good idea.
ReplyDeleteMy problem in 2010 was that it was the first time I had taken my car to the Chili Cook-off. I was running late and in the rush to get everything packed I threw my back out so I could not get everything down to try a different arrangement.
DeleteI was so packed I could not see out my back window had to use my side mirrors. There was no place for my sleeping bag did not think much of it since I had packed two additional blankets. They turned out to not be enough.
I have experience worst temperatures in the past and in much inferior tents but it was never a problem since I had my sleeping bag. Tffnguy, a fellow blogger would later tell me about DIY penny alcohol stoves.
What I should have done is gone to my car and turned on the heater but I did not want to wake up the people around me or have them smell the car fumes.
I have always had this fear of fire so I do not think I would ever have any kind of heater inside a tent. The following year I solved that problem by buying a zero degree rated sleeping bag my prior one was rated to 20 degrees and I had used it in my early camping trips and was always warm.
Thank you for taking the time to share your camping suggestions it is very much appreciated.
P.S. Farm and Ranch supply always have propane bottles at a good price. I had the same fear of explosion, but got over it. Jajaja Buy a small squirt bottle to put dishwashing liquid and water in to check your connection and no more worries. An old fashioned hot water bag is a great heater for sleeping bag.
ReplyDeleteThree more excellent camping tips not only for myself but that can also be useful to fellow readers who might be considering attending the Cook-off or just a camping excursion close to their home.
DeleteI had a really nice coleman 2 burner stove but the stinkin propane seemed to always leak. Then on a camping trip the valve broke and I got some pretty nasty burns for the propane shooting out of the bottle. I bought the butane stove and I love it. But Walmart never seems to have it but I don't know if you have Big 5 there but that's where I buy it. I also have that single burner that uses propane and have had it for years. One year at the end of Oct. we went up northern AZ and it was bitter cold and windy. My friend had one of those shade things and I had lots of tarps we clipped them around the shade canopy and used the single burner to heat the the room we made it worked fine took the chill out.
ReplyDeleteI have heard a lot of bad things about those green propane canisters and now that you corroborated by saying the propane burnt you...I definitively do NOT want to have anything to do with them.
DeleteThe reviews I read said that Walmart was almost always out of Butane and to purchase a few bottles during the times they did have them in stock. I have never heard of Big 5 until today.
I subscribe to the notion that "necessity is the mother of invention" so I can see how you made the shade structure with tarps and a single burner stove aid in keeping you warm. Another good tip for readers and campers tuning in tonight.