The Wind—Hero & Villain
02-25-2016
Author: in RVing Ruminations by Russel
So you're driving down a long fairly straight stretch of road and when you finally stop for fuel and check your consumption rate, it is several points above its usual average. How can that be? And then you remember that you had a tail wind coming straight at your back for the last few hours. On another day on the some road, you had to stop for fuel long before you expected to and your rate was way down and, come to think about it, you never did quite get up to the speed limit. Yep, you guessed it, a head wind was responsible. Pretty straight forward—the wind, friend and foe. Then there are cross winds that demand that you have a very firm grip on the steering wheel for hours just to keep your rig between the lines. Those often accompanied by small whirl winds that cross your path from time to time. Aborigines in Australia consider it good luck to go through those small twisters; highly doubtful any RVers would join them in such a belief. Still, these are for the most part minor annoyances and blessings. HERE is a real time animated map of global wind conditions.
There are times though when the wind can be much more than that. One time in the Southwest I saw I was headed directly toward an ominous looking solid brown wall. In a very short time I was in the middle of a full force dust storm that eventually reduced visibility to absolutely zero. Luckily before that point I had found a place to pull over and wait it out. When dust blows like that it infiltrates through even the smallest cracks. But, after such an encounter, if all I have to do is a little extra house cleaning, I consider myself fortunate. Such dust storms, since U.S. Military involvement in the middle east have become known widely as haboobs. Most of us have seen on the news, if not in person, RVs and large commercial trucks turned on their sides by wind. This does not even address mega wind events like tornadoes and hurricanes. Those have their own protocols for staying safe.
But how can one prepare for the wind when driving? Perhaps one of the major ways is to stay aware of the current forecasts. We are surrounded with ways to do that in this electronic age. And even for us less tech savvy, there is still good old fashioned radio and television. Hopefully your schedule will not be so tight, so that if you see a major storm or event is in the offing you can either alter your timing or your route so as to avoid it.
If you are caught in an event while on the road, often times just stopping is the best defense. If you do this, though there are some common sense things to avoid when choosing a spot to wait it out. Avoid parking anywhere near power lines of any size. They are all prone to being broken and coming down in the wind. Likewise, if you are in an area with trees, no matter how much of a “wind break” they may look like they might afford, remember not only do whole trees sometimes come crashing down, but limbs can fly quite some distance if broken off. If there is rain or hail involved, do not park in a low lying area as flash floods are not uncommon and can only exacerbate the problem if you are in their path.
In camp, wind is mostly friendly. On a hot afternoon it can augment that chilled drink to cool you off while you sit under the awning in the shade watching your flags, banners and wind socks wave cheerfully, admiring the artistry of your whirligigs spinning and listening to the tinkle of your wind chimes. That is until a very sudden and swift gust catches the corner of the awning and twists it out of shape beyond recognition nearly tearing it off the coach in the process and hot coals and sparks from your cheery evening fire are blown on to your lawn mat and start it smoldering (see my previous post “Smokey Says, Be Prepared” ) as everything on your table accompanies the cloth into the air and you go chasing down the street after half the grand kids' or your dogs' toys. Well, with any luck, none of that will ever happen to you, let alone at the same time. And there are many precautions that can be taken to head off such events.
First, as on the road, be aware of what kind of weather is forecast and act accordingly. Observing local conditions when you arrive helps too. Know when it may not even be advisable to extend the awning and if you do, many people find it pays to have extra stabilizing ropes or chains with a weight on the bottom added to the corners. If you are going to have a fire, make sure it is in an approved area or container and that you keep its size under control. Use clothespins or some other clipping device to secure your table cloth. Have a wire basket that toys can be kept in when not in use. Many times strong winds can come up at night so be sure things like lawn chairs, tv trays etc. are secured before retiring for the evening.
Like the weather itself, there is little if anything we can do about the wind but be prepared for it and avoid extremes where ever possible. If you have experience with wind (no, breaking wind doesn't count!) and ways to avoid its sometimes unpleasant consequences, please share them with your fellow Mobile RVers in the comment section below.
Until next time, walk in beauty and keep it between the ditches,
Russel
There are times though when the wind can be much more than that. One time in the Southwest I saw I was headed directly toward an ominous looking solid brown wall. In a very short time I was in the middle of a full force dust storm that eventually reduced visibility to absolutely zero. Luckily before that point I had found a place to pull over and wait it out. When dust blows like that it infiltrates through even the smallest cracks. But, after such an encounter, if all I have to do is a little extra house cleaning, I consider myself fortunate. Such dust storms, since U.S. Military involvement in the middle east have become known widely as haboobs. Most of us have seen on the news, if not in person, RVs and large commercial trucks turned on their sides by wind. This does not even address mega wind events like tornadoes and hurricanes. Those have their own protocols for staying safe.
But how can one prepare for the wind when driving? Perhaps one of the major ways is to stay aware of the current forecasts. We are surrounded with ways to do that in this electronic age. And even for us less tech savvy, there is still good old fashioned radio and television. Hopefully your schedule will not be so tight, so that if you see a major storm or event is in the offing you can either alter your timing or your route so as to avoid it.
If you are caught in an event while on the road, often times just stopping is the best defense. If you do this, though there are some common sense things to avoid when choosing a spot to wait it out. Avoid parking anywhere near power lines of any size. They are all prone to being broken and coming down in the wind. Likewise, if you are in an area with trees, no matter how much of a “wind break” they may look like they might afford, remember not only do whole trees sometimes come crashing down, but limbs can fly quite some distance if broken off. If there is rain or hail involved, do not park in a low lying area as flash floods are not uncommon and can only exacerbate the problem if you are in their path.
In camp, wind is mostly friendly. On a hot afternoon it can augment that chilled drink to cool you off while you sit under the awning in the shade watching your flags, banners and wind socks wave cheerfully, admiring the artistry of your whirligigs spinning and listening to the tinkle of your wind chimes. That is until a very sudden and swift gust catches the corner of the awning and twists it out of shape beyond recognition nearly tearing it off the coach in the process and hot coals and sparks from your cheery evening fire are blown on to your lawn mat and start it smoldering (see my previous post “Smokey Says, Be Prepared” ) as everything on your table accompanies the cloth into the air and you go chasing down the street after half the grand kids' or your dogs' toys. Well, with any luck, none of that will ever happen to you, let alone at the same time. And there are many precautions that can be taken to head off such events.
First, as on the road, be aware of what kind of weather is forecast and act accordingly. Observing local conditions when you arrive helps too. Know when it may not even be advisable to extend the awning and if you do, many people find it pays to have extra stabilizing ropes or chains with a weight on the bottom added to the corners. If you are going to have a fire, make sure it is in an approved area or container and that you keep its size under control. Use clothespins or some other clipping device to secure your table cloth. Have a wire basket that toys can be kept in when not in use. Many times strong winds can come up at night so be sure things like lawn chairs, tv trays etc. are secured before retiring for the evening.
Like the weather itself, there is little if anything we can do about the wind but be prepared for it and avoid extremes where ever possible. If you have experience with wind (no, breaking wind doesn't count!) and ways to avoid its sometimes unpleasant consequences, please share them with your fellow Mobile RVers in the comment section below.
Until next time, walk in beauty and keep it between the ditches,
Russel
Comment
No comments found! Be the first one to write a comment!
Author: Russel Micnhimer
