Sunday, February 14

Today began in Marathon, Texas after a not-so-great night of sleep for both Andi and I. Birthday cocktails + some rich Mexican food we’re not used to eating + a loud train that blared by the campsite every two hours last night are to blame.

We also woke up to frozen water pipes this morning. Not good! Overnight temperatures dropped down to 18 degrees last night and while we stayed warm inside the RV, the pipes on the underbelly of the RV did not. Andi checked our water faucets throughout the night and they seemed to be working fine, but sometime around 5:00am the water in the line must have frozen. We planned to get on the road to Del Rio, TX today to get ahead of the winter storm on its way through Texas, but Andi didn’t want to travel with the pipes being frozen. He put a heater near the RV’s water line and we waited around the RV park for most of the morning to see if it we could get the pipes working again.

In the meantime, we streamed church on the RV and ate breakfast.

By Noon, our pipes still hadn’t unthawed. Andi and I figured we’d better get on the road ahead of the winter storm set to arrive later this evening. Unfortunately, the highway had already started to ice over and travel was slow going when we got on the road. Andi said it felt like he was driving a sailboat on an ice rink! He wasn’t too worried about driving on the icy roads because we were taking it slow, but it is unsettling to know you’re sharing the highway with so many locals who are in an absolute panic.

We stopped for gas in the small town of Sanderson and were shocked to see the gas station shelves completely empty. I asked Andi to buy a few gallon jugs of water since our water in the RV was currently frozen and he returned to say the store was limiting purchases to one jug per family. Even the windshield washer fluid in Texas isn’t prepared to deal with this cold weather.

It was slow going to Del Rio, but we made it safely around 3:00pm. After a quick stop by Wal-Mart to get a new light and extension cord for the RV, we found ourselves a spot for the night at Hidden Valley RV Park. Andi and I used a space heater and my hairdryer to warm up the water pipes and the gray/black tanks on the RV. Eventually, we were able to get them unfrozen and our water working again. We all took showers (finally!) and I made dinner.

To say Andi and I were over this situation would be an understatement!

The snow started falling around 6:00pm and Texas basically shut down. The power went out overnight and didn’t come back on until mid-morning. In the end, about 3 inches fell in Del Rio by midnight.

Monday, February 15

We had a rough start this morning. Andi pulled up the window curtain and we both said, “Ugh!” SNOW. I’m certain we came to Texas to avoid this scene!

Bad news: The power was still out this morning in all of Del Rio, and it sounds like scheduled power outages are set to take place throughout Texas over the next two days to conserve power.

More bad news: Our water lines froze overnight again AND we ran out of propane. Andi started calling around to stores in Del Rio to see who had propane and most of them were either closed due to weather or out altogether. Around Noon, we decided to drive over to Tractor Supply Co. to get in line. They had 20% of their propane left and a line forming outside to claim it.

Andi and I took turns waiting in line for propane. It was over two hours before it was our turn, but miraculously we were able to get some! Thank goodness. While we were being filled up with propane, Andi received a message that our pole shed back in Wisconsin was on fire. It felt like we couldn't catch a break today! Andi spent some time on the phone in the parking lot of Tractor Supply Co figuring out what happened and then we made our way back to Hidden Valley RV Park in Del Rio for a second night. Today has not gone according to plan — Andi and I thought it better to stay put and figure out what to do next.

We are very much in need of laundry to be washed, but all the laundromats are closed in Del Rio because of the lack of power throughout the city and the water line at the RV Park burst, so they wouldn’t have had laundry anyway.

Tonight, temperatures are suppose to drop down into the teens again, so Andi and I decided it best to winterize the RV’s water pipes. For the last two nights they’ve frozen and it’s only a matter of time before the crack. No water or electricity tonight, but luckily we have propane for heat.

Tomorrow morning, we’ll assess the roads and decide where we’re going next. More than likely, we’ll be heading north toward home.