Chilly and Chile

PROPANE DREAMS

I blew through an entire tank of propane in less than a week! It has been below freezing in the night — which means I run the heater and also the tank heaters. I use propane also to cook and to have hot water. The fridge also uses propane, but only if we are not connected to electric—which I am usually not. This trip I have “boondocked” as much as possible.

I recently added a two-tank rack with a switch to the tongue. So now instead of scrambling into the bed of the truck to drag down a heavy tank, unhook the first tank and replace it with the new one, secure them both. New setup means I still have to go outside, but I only have to turn a switch and open the valve on the new tank. You can buy fancier valve systems where it will switch automatically but I want to know when one tank is empty.

One other little joyful thing about running out of propane—and, of course, in the middle of the night—is the refrigerator beeps. The heater stops, but that doesn’t wake me at first, not until I start to feel cold. This morning at 2:00 a.m. the cold didn’t wake me, but the beeping did. Ugh.

MOVING ALONG

I left the Balmorhea area and, of course, stopped in Van Horn. Van Horn is … omg, I don’t want to be mean but I really can’t stand the place. But it’s the only city for miles and try as I might I never end up going through there without needing something. At least I’ve learned which gas stations are extremely unpleasant to get into and out of (all but one of them.) And I know where not to eat. We stayed at a campground here in 2016 and ate dinner in “town.” We were denied the Mexican restaurant that we meant to try because a tour bus pulled in just as we passed. Today I was hungry, craving hot food and needed fuel, so I got to try the place. Chile Rellenos, of course. I am on a mission to find a place that makes them as well as my grandma did. These were different and that’s always fun, still not Grandma-level.

Anyway, it’s a cute place, it had a lot big enough for me to park and I got to go in and have a hot meal. When I’ve gone days and days only eating whatever is in my fridge or pantry cans, it is nice to have a break to have a hot meal. Hardly anyone there and we were seated far apart, so hoping for still no Covid exposure.