#14: Preface: Big Bend National Park

A little background…

Initially Big Bend National Park was somewhat of a controversial one. I had gotten some warnings to avoid Big Bend. Or, if I were to go, only to make a day trip and drive through the park (not get out or stay overnight). The concern was that the park is so close to the Mexican border, and also so remote.

After speaking to some people in Austin about West Texas, and having those people ask other people who are more familiar with West Texas, the consensus was not to worry at all. So, I based plans around not worrying (as I write this post, I have spent ample time in West Texas and I feel a little ridiculous even admitting that this was a concern). I decided to head to West Texas and make Marfa my base. In West Texas there are a handful of small towns to visit; but from what I heard, I didn’t need a lot of time in each one. I decided to plant myself in Marfa and make day trips from there (unhitching and hitching back up gets exhausting, and it’s nice to keep the trailer in one place).

The one exception was Big Bend NP, which is about a two-hour drive from Marfa. I reserved a campsite in the park for one night, knowing that I wouldn’t want to be rushed while exploring the park. One thing to note here: the campsite I reserved in Big Bend NP did not have an electric hook-up, so essentially, I’d be dry camping (which is usually fine). The plan was to do a few days of day trips from Marfa, then visit Big Bend, then back to Marfa to actually explore Marfa.

Thermostat “Challenge”

After a 6-7 hour drive from Austin, I arrived in Marfa (note: Marfa is 4,800 feet above sea level). As I was settling in for the evening, and the temperature was getting cooler, I went to turn on the heat in the Airstream. This is what I saw on the thermostat panel:

No, this is not some secret Airstream language. This panel is supposed to have readable, English words and icons. With my thermostat looking like this, I wasn’t sure how to turn the heat on. Luckily, that first night wasn’t too cold, so Addie and were fine under covers and dressed in layers (well, only I was dressed in layers!).

After mildly panicking, I consulted my trusted Airstream Facebook groups. The advice was to take the panel off the wall and take a look at the back of it. After doing this, I saw (and confirmed with my FB consultants) that the electric panel/board had corrosion damage from moisture getting in from behind (The back of the board is RIGHT up against the Airstream’s insulation; nothing is protecting the wiring from humidity or anything else getting in there. See photos below - the white paint-looking marks on the green is the damage). Others on Facebook said this had happened to them. Some had taken it to Airstream for replacement, and others had cleaned the back with an electronics cleaner and toothbrush.

The next morning was spent on the phone with Airstream, calling RV places in the area (which were extremely limited given Marfa's remoteness) and trying to devise a plan to stay warm that night - temperatures were going to be in the teens and snow was predicted. Yikes.

Long story short, Airstream advised not to have any "other" RV place touch it. And, that cleaning it with electronics cleaner would most likely not fix the problem. The recommendation was to get a small space heater to stay warm that night, and Airstream would send me a new panel (with protective backing*) to install myself. It took a few days to get the parts together at Airstream's home office, and by the time it went out via UPS for overnight delivery, it was Thursday. In theory, I would have the package on Friday (it was Tuesday when I initially called Airstream).

In the meantime, I couldn't (warmly) camp at Big Bend NP. My space heater (which I had purchased the first day I noticed the panel malfunction, so I could have heat when the temperatures reached the teens) can only work when plugged into an electric connection (shore power). This is due to the power it requires to start up - same as a hairdryer or microwave, for example. My campsite at Big Bend didn't have an electric connection. Arguably, I could have been fine, but given my previous cold weather encounters, I'm now hesitant to take risks when it comes to heat.

Since I wasn't sure what the future held, I decided to take a day trip to Big Bend NP and go from there. So that's precisely what Addie and I did.

In the end…

I finally received the new panel (with protective backing) via UPS (I had it sent to the RV park at which I was staying) and was able to install it myself, with the help of a few YouTube videos. 💪

I now have a working thermostat so I can use the furnace to heat the air and water. I’m sure there was a way to get the furnace running without the thermostat, but I wasn’t about to go down that path. I stuck it out and dealt with it until the new part arrived.

Telling this story of the thermostat explains why my trip to Big Bend NP was done as a single day trip.

*I’m not sure why Airstream didn’t originally manufacture the thermostat with the protective backing. They may have started after my unit was manufactured, as mine is a 2017 model.

#4: Instagram vs. Reality: This is reality (***battery situation update***)

This post is not getting any fluff. If I were trying to make it look like all is flawless so far with this adventure, I would never write about this topic. It’s like “Instagram vs. reality”…and I’m focusing on reality rather than Instagram. This journey is about learning as I go, and in doing that, I’m bound to stumble and fall many, many times. This is one of the many times.

So, the diagnosis was accurate about my vehicle failing to charge the Airstream while towing. The towing “module” had a malfunction and all of the 7 parts of the 7-way outlet were not working as they should have been. After a few days at the VW dealer here in Richmond (thank you Susan and team at Brown’s VW!), the module has been replaced. Now, when I’m towing the trailer, I have the proper electric set up so my Touareg will charge the Airstream. Yay!

But, after some lengthy “Dad and Sarah” research and some extremely helpful advice from Airstream Ambassador and new friend, Ronnie (who read my blog and reached out offering advice), for ample power I will need a little more than simply a healthy battery charge while towing. I’ve learned that the batteries in my Airstream are…how do I say this…not that strong. They’re not powerful enough to support even just a few days of heating the trailer without an electric connection. As I learned, I have to be prepared to expect the unexpected. As much as I planned my route based on not experiencing freezing temperatures, there will be mountain nights when temperatures WILL drop below freezing - even when the Wally the Weatherman doesn’t predict it.

Per Ronnie’s advice, I purchased a generator. Now, a generator is not a completely new idea to me…it’s something I had considered months ago. There are two reasons why I initially opted out: 1) I wasn’t planning to be in 20 degree temperatures, therefore wasn’t planning to use the heat, or other electric devices that rapidly drain the power, and 2) It’s not safe (nor did I want) to have a generator and gasoline inside my SUV or trailer on an ongoing basis. However, the cool thing about the generator I bought is that it runs off of propane. Propane = no smelly gasoline smell, quieter while running and burns more cleanly. I already have two 20-pound propane tanks for my Airstream and this can be connected to those, or I can pick up a Blue Rhino-type tank anywhere and run it off that.

I ordered my 2,200 Watt generator from a company called GenConnex Direct. They convert gasoline generators to run off of propane. The one I purchased weights about 50 pounds and allows me to be off the grid (or simply off an electric hook up) for weeks at a time and charge my trailer battery as needed. After a weekend like last weekend, I feel way more confident having a generator companion. It provides me with some independence while I’m out on the road, so I can focus on more of the fun stuff. Also, admittedly, my dad won’t always be a short two hours away to run home to when the going gets tough.

I picked up the car this morning and it’s working as it should. The generator was delivered today and I’ll test run it tomorrow. Hopefully (fingers crossed) this is the last of the major “bumps in the road” for the next few days and I can be on my way shortly.

Anything else, Mercury in Retrograde?