TRF Fire Ban - Please Read

[Bonny Pearl]

My wife looked at the almanac and it said theres supposed to be some rain in Oct. Hopefully its right.

I just looked at the predictions online and see this for the south central region:


September 2011
16th-19th. Heavy thunderstorms.
20th-23rd. Rainy, followed by decreasing clouds.
24th-27th. Variable cloudiness, with an ongoing risk of showers.
28th-30th. Sunny and comfortably warm.


October 2011
1st-3rd. Scattered thunderstorms.
4th-7th. A surge of colder air moves in; dry.
8th-11th. Breezy and dry.
12th-15th. Increasingly cloudy with some heavy rains.
16th-19th. Skies clear.
20th-23rd. Clouds, rains return.
24th-27th. Pleasantly dry.
28th-31st. Turning colder, with increasing clouds. Stormy for Arkansas and Louisiana.


November 2011
1st-3rd. Unseasonably cool Southern Plains to the Mexican border.
4th-7th. Cloudy, showery.
8th-11th. Fair at first, then stormy, with some rain or mixed rain and wet snow.
12th-15th. More unsettled weather.

Did she see the same info?  I'm liking the mention of heavy rain in this.  Just hope we get some of it.

[SolRac]

My wife looked at the almanac and it said theres supposed to be some rain in Oct. Hopefully its right.

I just looked at the predictions online and see this for the south central region:


September 2011
16th-19th. Heavy thunderstorms.
20th-23rd. Rainy, followed by decreasing clouds.
24th-27th. Variable cloudiness, with an ongoing risk of showers.
28th-30th. Sunny and comfortably warm.


October 2011
1st-3rd. Scattered thunderstorms.
4th-7th. A surge of colder air moves in; dry.
8th-11th. Breezy and dry.
12th-15th. Increasingly cloudy with some heavy rains.
16th-19th. Skies clear.
20th-23rd. Clouds, rains return.
24th-27th. Pleasantly dry.
28th-31st. Turning colder, with increasing clouds. Stormy for Arkansas and Louisiana.


November 2011
1st-3rd. Unseasonably cool Southern Plains to the Mexican border.
4th-7th. Cloudy, showery.
8th-11th. Fair at first, then stormy, with some rain or mixed rain and wet snow.
12th-15th. More unsettled weather.

Did she see the same info?  I'm liking the mention of heavy rain in this.  Just hope we get some of it.

Ya thats pretty much what she saw.

[Sir Edward]

I agree that the fire ban is a bummer. Just talked to a friend that lives in a community in the national forest. He said that the fine for being caught with a lit BBQ pit is $1,500. I would think that would be enough of a driving force to everyone to keep the pits cold. If I remember right SWFF had almost the same restrictions and everyone had a blast. I have most of the electric items all though I dont like to use them. Just means I have to bring more gear to camp. I do have to say that an electric heater in a tent is a very bad idea. Tents are not ment to have electric heaters in them. Dress warm and have plenty of warm blankets on hand when you go to bed. Someone in the bed with you is a plus.

[FaeHollow]

I think everyone who opposes the ban should be loaded in a bus and forced to drive down 1774 and 1486. Parts of it look like a war zone. It is absolutely heartbreaking... I only saw one house that didn't make it but there are more back in the woods. Some houses look like the fire licked the front door... so thank GOD for the firefighters and their diligent work! It was just devastating.

As far as weather... I hear that summers like this bring horrible winters. I just hope it rains all week and gives a mild cloudy weekend all season.

[crashbot]

I doubt anyone opposes the ban, given the circumstances. I emailed about an enclosed "wood stove" with spark arrest catches, etc. That is also a no go, just FYI. I did get told by management that "if a propane bottle plugs into it, it is not banned". I can show the actual email if needed.

[Sir Edward]

  rain glorious rain...... Now I hope it just parks right over grimes county for the whole day!

[Merlin the Elder]

Looks like you may have a few more hours of it at least. What a relief it must be!

[Fenster]

A good long rain overnight and this morning is a great start. 

[Laird Fraser of Lovatt]

I agree that the fire ban is a bummer. Just talked to a friend that lives in a community in the national forest. He said that the fine for being caught with a lit BBQ pit is $1,500. I would think that would be enough of a driving force to everyone to keep the pits cold. If I remember right SWFF had almost the same restrictions and everyone had a blast. I have most of the electric items all though I dont like to use them. Just means I have to bring more gear to camp. I do have to say that an electric heater in a tent is a very bad idea. Tents are not ment to have electric heaters in them. Dress warm and have plenty of warm blankets on hand when you go to bed. Someone in the bed with you is a plus.

I've used electric heat more than once without any problems... it just needs to be elevated & centered, with tip over failsafe.  Don't leave them unattended and don't passout with them on... common sense.   


*If you burn down your tent because you're stupid...*

[captmarga]

While I no longer camp, I have a few suggestions.

40-hour heat packs (or even 20-hour).  Put one at the foot of your bed a while before retiring, it will help keep you warm.  Remember if your FEET are cold, cover your head... Even a towel over your head will help retain body heat.  (Limit cold drinks and caffeine, also...)

There are plenty of battery-powered lanterns nowadays.  Coleman even has one that looks very much like the flame-and-mantle one.  They run for many hours.

How about a big lantern under some sheer material or a big paper Chinese lantern?  This could be your pseudo Fire-pit. 

Glowsticks- now is the season!  Even Walmart has them in the Hallowe'en section.

Power converters for car cigarette-lighter plugs.  Most stores that carry electronics have them.  You can plug in a hot pot or hot plate.  Just remember to disconnect everything when done.  Even electric appliances can cause fires.

Any space heater should have a tip-over device.  This is usually a small sprung peg that pops out and cuts off power if it tips over.  Most tents are not air-tight enough to be a worry... but if concerned, leave a small gap in a window and the door zip for ventilation.

Elevate your sleeping bags and air mattresses off the ground.  Camp foam will help provide an insulating layer. 

Most business are required to replace fire extinguishers yearly, even though the dry type are good for years.  Since we are ones that are required to do so, I keep one of the "outdated" (still good according to dates, but I had to buy new anyway) in my car and another in my boat.  Ask around at your local business and see what they do with the extinguishers.  But they are not that expensive, anyway.

A jug of water set next to anything that looks like it could spark a fire (non-electrical) is an ounce of prevention.  Otherwise, having the extinguisher in plain site would probably be appreciated by the TRF grounds.

My nerves are probably as bad as anyone else... I lost part of a porch in the storms last night. I know we need the rain, and I dread seeing the burned out areas.  I've seen enough of those to last me a lifetime.  I just don't want the grounds to be part of them!

Marga

[Penny Parlay]

We're a bunch of college kids so we don't have generators and other nifty technological gadgets to keep us toasty during the colder nights.

Megan, there's always body heat.   

When we camped at Sherwood this past March, Willa and Sheila shared one blow-up mattress, and Shante (Sheila's daughter) and I shared another.  We were wrapped around each other like newlyweds, but we stayed warm!

[*Teach*]

We're a bunch of college kids so we don't have generators and other nifty technological gadgets to keep us toasty during the colder nights.

Megan, there's always body heat.   

When we camped at Sherwood this past March, Willa and Sheila shared one blow-up mattress, and Shante (Sheila's daughter) and I shared another.  We were wrapped around each other like newlyweds, but we stayed warm!

Pics or it didn't happen

*Will offer rum for those pics*

[Strange]

1000 golden splonders for pics!

[eloquentXI]

We're a bunch of college kids so we don't have generators and other nifty technological gadgets to keep us toasty during the colder nights.

Megan, there's always body heat.   

When we camped at Sherwood this past March, Willa and Sheila shared one blow-up mattress, and Shante (Sheila's daughter) and I shared another.  We were wrapped around each other like newlyweds, but we stayed warm!

I'm moreso just thinking of taking care of my own. Everybody that is coming with me will have their S/O with them so they'll cuddle up just fine, I hope. And hopefully, I won't have to bonk anybody over the head with a pan for not bringing blankets again...

Flying solo, I don't need to be worried about. I'm not going to go search out a personal body-heater either. (Sorry guys.) 

[FaeHollow]

Meg- Here is what I did in my CRAZY COLD nights last yeah.

1. Airmattress with a few heavy blankets spread out on it.
2. 2 sleeping bags. Put one inside the other.
3. 1 big heavy blanket to go on top of the sleeping bags.
4. thick tube socks
5. ski hat
6. tank top
7. short shorts
8. 4 hand warmers.

Set up your air mattress with the heavy blankets on it doubled sleeping bags and heavy blanket on top. Wear a tank top and pajama shorts.  put a handwarmer in each sock... one in your hat and save one. get in the sleeping bags and zip it up.  Reach out and pull the heavy blanket over until you only have a tiny hole to breathe through... then stick the other handwarmer between your boobs.

A LOT of prep a total pain in the weed puller... but come 8 am when you wake up and realize you are toasty and DREAD getting out of your cocoon... you'll know it worked!