The wind is really kickin' up as the winter months ease their way into the high desert. The temperature rises and falls as soon as you stand in a shadow or into the sun. It's taken some gettin' used to but I'm getting there.
The Danger Hut is tryin' to hold it's own against the high winds but it cools off drastically when the sun goes down. I able to stay warm with a small ceramic heater and a shitload of blankets. Waking up in the morning is immediate when your bare feet hit the floor. The wind pushes the cold air under the chassis of the trailer and keeps the floors from warming up.
It wasn't really apparent until this morning. My feet hit the floor and the rest of me instantly went from hangin' commando to full post shower shrinkage. Fuckin' cold feet is no kind of pleasure...not at all.
I opened the front door and was greeted by three motorcycles and a fire pit covered in a thick glaze of frost. I haven't seen that in a while. But I guess that's the change off from moving out of the sun valley, you have to wear several pairs of socks in the morning. No big deal.
So I have to figure out how to keep the Hut toasty and I think the start will be to put skirting under the chassis of the trailer to keep the wind at bay. Hay bails are abundant around here so I will wrangle up a shitload of them. They are my best option. They will block the wind and as they decay they will also put out their own heat without becoming a fire hazard.
I have to change things up a little here. The nights are cold and windy but the days are warm and pleasant as long as you are in the sun. I have a ton of work to do in a basically unheated studio. It gets warm enough to paint by 12 so the mornings will have to be spent doing constructive things to improve the seasonal lifestyle Tombstone apparently warrants.
The trade off with moving here from Tempe has been I have a much lower stress factor in my life due to the lack of random fuck-tards in the city. That comes with the constant learning curve of living in a tiny house that was made for weekend trips to the country. The design of the four wheels of fury were meant as an escape for short periods of time...I've escaped permanently.
I've lived a lot harder then this but this time I am tryin' to build a homestead. The Hut has to transform into a place that is comfortable year round, not just when the sun is shining.
A major transformation is in order to make this my little desert trailer of sin a comfortable year round environment but now is not the time. It will have to be in the summer months when I can actually pull down walls and change out windows. I.E. this bitch needs some insulation! For now though, I'll just batten down the hatches and with a little ingenuity make it through the winter.
I ain't goin' to die because of the lower temperatures but I wouldn't mind not having to wear a parka when I am just tryin' to read a book!
I wanted a change...I fuckin' got it! Yeeee-Hawwww! "GTP"
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George, before you use the hay bales to skirt the place, put styrofoam up between the frame rails under the floor. between the styrofoam and the hay bales, you should be able to make it through the winter. grab a couple of oil fileter boxes and fill them with styrofoam packing popcorn to draw the moisture out of the air at night. you can even put Saran Wrap to cover the window frames (on the inside)to help cut the drafts.
ReplyDeleteI lived in the mountains of WA St for 5 yrs in a 30 yr old RV, so I have learned a few lessons that should help you down ther in AZ.
looking forward to heaqring how things work out.
It might get a little nippy here but fighting it is a whole lot of fun! The trailer is pretty solid but it just ain't made for this kind of actual living. Suggestions like yours are a big help! Thanks man!
ReplyDeleteSteal some plywood from the tweekers & block off the undercarrage!
ReplyDeletewood is scarce out here...seriously
ReplyDeleteIn the great Kanadian north after we'd skirt,insulate and seal it up, we'd throw a trouble light and a 100 watt bulb to take the chill off. In a 25 below winter we'd have grass sprouting under the trailer. The only source of heat was a wood stove in the porch.So overnight or when we were away it kept the pipes from freezing.
ReplyDeleteIt could start a reptile farm in the basement if it gets toasty enough though, so stock up on ammo.
Hey G , go get the seat some conditioner PLEASE, any leather conditioner helps, NO OIL.
ReplyDeleteGreets MBL