We got back from our road trip on Friday, just in time for the Xscapers happy hour event – but it was cancelled due to cold weather. We knew bad weather was coming, but we were all hopeful that Galveston would be spared the dire predictions of the cold front coming.

Saturday we kept our eye on the weather channel which showed multiple storms stacking up and expected to last well into the next week. So we did our preparations – got laundry done, took long hot showers,  filled our water tank, and put away or secured everything outside. And the cold weather came as predicted.

Our planned Valentine’s day event got cancelled and the park sent out emails warning of possible power and water outages. Thank goodness we are self-contained, because it all went out at 2am Monday morning. For the first time in my life I heard ice (not rain or snow) falling, and we woke up to a winter wonderland sight. Everything was frozen solid. In southern Texas. At the gulf. Crazy.

I hadn’t set foot outdoors for three days straight, so when the sun poked through on Tuesday morning, I bundled up and took a walk to the beach. This would probably be the only chance I’d ever have to see frozen ocean. Wind chill put us at 13 degrees! With ice surrounding our rig, I had to step out very carefully.

I passed a rental property with a broken pipe spewing water and notified the management company. But it was pretty cool looking ice!

The beach may look sunny and warm, but it wasn’t. It may look like sea foam, but it was all ice.

We talked with a fellow camper who ran out of propane at midnight. He had to travel an hour to the mainland to find a place to fill with propane – then waited over an hour in line to fill his tank.

Since purchasing our rig, we have not had a need to use the bay heater – until now. So it wasn’t until now that we discovered it wasn’t working. Our onboard water froze and we were without water for most of one day.  Tom used a blow-dryer to unfreeze our water pump. It’s now working but may have been permanently damaged, because it’s not working well.

Last night we were rocked with wind and rain, and the ice is now finally all gone. But it’s not over. The park notified us that they have no word on when power or water will be restored and their offices are closed with internet and phones down. They offered to refund anyone that decided to leave. We have nowhere to go – did I mention how big Texas is?

The news is sad. Galveston (and much more) is under a boiled water advisory. Another freeze is expected this weekend and the power outage may extend until then.

It’s been hard to see the devastation of lost lives – not only due to mother nature, but to bad government. A days-long power outage with temps in the teens and no plans to keep people warm should just not happen in modern times. Heartbreaking.

But we are safe and warm and so grateful for it. For now. I just added more layers because we’re trying to conserve. We are hoping our water pump keeps working and our propane and diesel lasts until the grid is back on.

Our friends we left in Arizona are in shorts and sunshine and wondering why we wanted to go to Texas at all!

Happy Travels!

Peace & Love, Joy