© 2011 Lydia Hinshaw
MANITOU SPRINGS, CO -- You don't, if your finger are too stiff to use the camera.
We left Louisiana Sunday morning in stifling heat and humidity.
Headed west across Texas, we faced darkness at 11 a.m., heavy rain and lightning. We felt like extras in a WeatherChannel special report. Fortunately, we avoided taking on a more significant role.
By lunchtime we had dug out jeans and jackets and socks. By evening, near Wichita Falls, TX, we turned in very early as the only way to stay warm was in our sleeping bags.
Monday night found us in Villanueva, NM, at a state park campground at the bottom of a narrow canyon along the Pecos River. The elevation there is 5,600 feet. I rigged up an extension cord to run a small space heater inside the Magic Bus. I slept in my fleece jacket, sweatpants and goose-down booties.
Tuesday morning it felt quite cold, but we didn't know how cold because we forgot to bring our digital thermometer. I took an early shower and draped my wet washcloth over a corner of our picnic table. We fixed coffee with our camp stove and drank it sitting in the van, with the little heater humming bravely away.
When it was time to leave, I picked up the washcloth and found it frozen stiff.
Tuesday we spent all day driving north.
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