Runnin' the Traps

It has been pretty steady of late.  Cleaning fire pits, filling flat tires, jumping dead batteries; just the usual.  We have however been getting trained to operate the check-in kiosk.  Sounds simple but as with all things government, it is anything but.  This means that we have to get 'certified' to push the keys on a government computer, which entails two hours of on-line testing and then a waiting period for our account to be approved.  THEN we can actually get trained on how to use the camper registration system.  We both aced the testing by the way.  Which I gather is not always the case based on all the procedures they have for reattempting the testing.

A little something different is that tree pollen season is in full swing.  And since we have massive amounts of giant ponderosa pine trees that means massive amounts of pine pollen.  Having spent the last 30 years in the Atlanta metropolitan area, an area heavily wooded with pine trees, we thought we had seen what layers of pollen looked like but were shown what we did not know by the pine trees on the North Rim.

Pine pollen piled up like I have never seen.  Big Gulp was covered in just a matter of hours and not just the flat surfaces but the vertical sides, inside the grill, inside the cab, everywhere.  The camper was just as covered and pollen found its way onto all surfaces inside too.  And this ponderosa pine stuff is sticky too.  It does not just blow off when you get in and move down the road, no, it takes a fairly vigorous washing to remove.  We'll probably be cleaning pollen out of the camper for weeks to come.

The pollen has developed a layer so thick on the ground that each footstep you take creates a little explosion of yellow.  Everybody becomes a version of Pig Pen from the Peanuts comic strip as they walk through the campground.  Its a real mess when a gust of wind comes through.  Huge clouds of pollen get airborne and hang there for far too long.

But the routine goes on.  And it is time for battery maintenance on our all electric ATV.  The Polaris has six king-size lead-acid batteries and the charger hits them pretty hard.  They need to be replenished with water about once a month.  Being buried under the seat makes the job tedious and some of the cells have to be done almost blind as they are tucked up under the seat frame.

Our electrician in residence, Jude, is taking care of us.  He has us stocked with over six gallons of distilled water and industrial grade personal protective equipment; rubber gloves that have cuffs that almost reach my armpits, a full length rubber apron and goggles.

Oh, and a turkey baster, THE essential tool for filling each cell to its proper level.  Three gallons of distilled water and an hour later and our scheduled maintenance on the Polaris is done.  Ed, our co-host, helped peel me out of the rubber protective gear so I could begin drying out.  Rubber does not breath very well and I looked like I had just gone swimming fully clothed.

Seemingly timed with the arrival of the pollen, butterflies have appeared.  Most of them have maintained a distance and been on the move to a degree to thwart being photographed.  But at least one got in range of the lens.  I'll leave this post with its portrait.