The big news in southeastern Kansas the last few days has definitely been winter weather! The average highs around here this time of year are supposed to be in the 40s. So, when daytime highs stay below freezing for several days, nighttime temps fall into the single digits, and they get snow; it is a BIG deal!
Tulsa, Oklahoma is about an hour south of us. They had 5 inches of snow Friday. Schools were closed Thursday in anticipation of the snow and Friday when it actually snowed. Today there was a threat of a little snow and some freezing rain, and most churches cancelled services. We are definitely not in Wisconsin.
We had about an inch of snow on Friday. It was actually kind of pretty to see snow again. But that’s enough now :)
You can see our bikes are still out. On Monday and Tuesday we rode our bikes to work. By Friday it was snowing and very cold. The past two years when we have worked at Amazon we have dealt with the cold by filling our water tank and running the furnace to keep the underbelly warm. Both previous years we have had to do this for maybe a total of 10 days, and it never got this cold. The rest of the time was warm enough to have the hose out.
This year has definitely been colder than normal. Last Wednesday Kevin filled our water tank, and we ran the furnace again to keep the underbelly warm. However, when we got home from work on Friday night with a balmy 5 degrees outside, we had no water. Our fresh water tank is enclosed but near the back of the fifth wheel. Because it is enclosed, we’re not sure how insulated or heated it is in there. Either the water tank or the lines from it have frozen. The pump still works, but no water comes out. Hopefully, nothing is broken.
The water spigot here at the RV park is just below ground with a cover over it. Kevin had put insulation on it, so we still had water coming out of the ground. He hooked up the hose to the fifth wheel, and we have water again to shower and do dishes. He filled some water gallons for drinking water and using the toilet, and then he drains the hose and puts it away again. By the end of this week temperatures are supposed to be in the 40s again. So, that’s a good thing.
The valves on the grey and black water tanks are also frozen shut so we are being careful to not use too much water so our tanks don’t get too full. That would not be a good thing. We heard you should put some RV antifreeze in those tanks to keep them from freezing, so Kevin did that too.
Lots of people here at the park are having water problems. Even those who have heated hoses and insulated hoses, have had them freezing up. Kevin saw one guy yesterday with a huge chunk of ice where the hose meets the motor home. He was hacking at it with an ax. Ouch!!!
This morning there was a little snow again. Just enough to coat our truck’s window. Here’s the view out of our back window. We’re staying cozy warm inside enjoying our Christmas decorations and a Green Bay Packer win. This is the coldest weather we have been in since owning this fifth wheel. I must say I’m very impressed how warm it stays inside. The walls don’t feel cold at all. We keep the shades down because the windows do get cold. Our new one will have double pane windows, and I think that will help a lot with cold and heat.
Amazon has informed us that our last work day will be Dec. 20th which means we’ll get off at 3:30 am the next morning. Our plan is to leave Dec. 22nd and head towards Dallas. Hopefully, the weather won’t be so cold that we can’t get our jacks up, etc. If it’s not too cold in Dallas, we’ll stay there for a few days. Otherwise, we’ll head towards Houston.
Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!
