The Stowaways

Starting when we were at Dreher Island State Park in South Carolina, and then again in Florida, we noticed we were having a problem with some uninvited house guests. Whenever the outside temperature cooled off and we would run the heat pump or furnace, we would find Stinkbugs inside the Dolphin - crawling on the ceiling and buzzing around lights.

Piecing things together (and doing a little Google research on Stinkbug behavior), we realized we must have picked up these "guests" in Tennessee, probably at Cove Lake State Park. When we were at that campground and the outside temperature dropped, these little buggers "checked in" to a warmer place - our motor home.

So here we are, just outside Big Bend National Park in Texas, and we're still finding these Tennessee natives in the Dolphin. Our method for dealing with them has been "catch and release", since killing a Stinkbug by physical means is... well, they're called Stinkbugs for a reason. Fortunately they are slow-moving, so it's easy enough to grab them by hand, open the door, and toss them into the great outdoors.

Consuelo and I have giggled that Naturalists and Biologists would be horrified that we are responsible for the spread of Stinkbugs from Tennessee to Florida to Texas... a probably beyond, as we keep finding at least one every day.

Cold Weather Livin'

I suppose people from up-north would laugh at the notion that Houston has cold winters, but there's been some "cold-enough" spells here this winter.

Being in the Dolphin this past December and January has been our first experience living in an RV in temperatures below 50°F; to be honest, it's been less than ideal. The Dolphin has several cold spots, but research shows this is common in RVs. In fact, it seems the Dolphin may be better than some motor homes in this regard. We've been using the heat pump when the outside temperature is above 45°F, and running the furnace in colder weather. A ceramic heater fan also helps keep us comfortable.

One pleasant surprise has been that the furnace does not burn as much LP as we anticipated. We've gone through less than 8 pounds of propane since we arrived in Houston almost three months ago!

To avoid problems with water freezing in our tanks and drain lines, we use a 75W drop light in the water distribution compartment. The bulb generates enough heat to keep the bay at around 40°F when the outside temp is around 30°F.