Toxic Camping New Mexico and Keeping Warm: Slim's 2024 Travels Pt 8
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- Опубликовано: 2 мар 2024
- After driving through an unexpected snowstorm, I camp at one of the most unusual campgrounds I've ever been to. This includes a visit to White Sands National Park. I also try an easy experiment that will save you propane when it gets cold!
For the news article on the toxic water at Holloman, please Google the following headline:
"New Mexico wants to close lake on Holloman Air Force Base"
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Hi Slim. The key to keeping warm, I have found, is keeping your underside warm. I'm a 73 year old woman living in Saskatchewan. A couple of years ago, I decided to try sleeping outside in the winter. I set up a tent within a tent. I put down foam pads and a foam mattress. Under my sleeping bag, I put down an electric heating pad, which I would turn on an hour before bedtime. I did this all that winter. Slept like a log.
that's pretty amazing...
Good for you!!
Why would you want to sleep outside 😮
My friend does it and he's a married man. Sometimes he will sleep in the backyard in a swag or small tent after a period of having had trouble sleeping. It's both a mental and physical refresh sometimes to sleep in a more natural setting.@@PEDALSnPROJECTS
YES! In the southern parts of New Zealand it gets very cold so lying on an electric blanket does really help for sleeping. Also I know lots of ppl don't like wearing socks to bed but if you do, it keeps your feet warm and allows for far better sleep.
The water there definitely is scary , the sign said it is a "Waster water evaporation pond" it seems that what ever is in the water becomes more concentrated as water evaporates. Definitely a good call to not recommend that site as a good place to camp at. Really nice video Slim , thanks for taking us along.
Much like Salton Sea
@@Madeintheshade65 and Great Salt Lake, Utah
So sad for the wildlife in that area. Thank you for informing everyone
I always get a chuckle when Northerners are so surprised it actually gets cold down here in the South. 😊
Lol. I guess I just assumed the weather in NM would be similar to the weather in southwest Arizona. But as another traveler pointed out… Quartzsite is at like 840 feet above sea level…. I just forgot to take the rise in elevation in NM into consideration.
Yes! Northern people aren’t used to our Freezing 🥶 Humidity!! It gets Cold down here too!! Brrr 🥶
Well its just the opposite of the notion many Americans believe, That everyone in Canada lives in Igloos.
I’m staying in the South east US and wouldn’t live anywhere else. With that said last couple of years have certainly been different. Still got some strange weather .
@@chupacabra1765 😄👍
Thanks for bringing attention to polluted Lake Holliman. Sad.
The Sands looked amazing.
But it is baffling that there are campgrounds right on toxic land. Can’t be good for anybody…
Thanks for another interesting video.
Your videos are always so relaxing and encouraging; even when you're in diverse areas.
You were so close to the Three Rivers park where all the pictographs are. Lovely area!
Hello Slim, when you showed how cold the un-heated part of your camper was , it reminded me of some cold nights I spent in my semi. I hated listening to the Diesel engine running and would get under a bunch of blankets and turn the engine off. Sometimes I would wake up and a bottle of water on my nightstand would be frozen. I would get up, start the engine, go back to bed. Let things warm up.
I’ve always wanted to go to White Sands! If it’s that gorgeous on video, I can’t imagine how gorgeous it is in person. And I love how you’re a staunch conservationist 💝 Thanks so much!
Perfect timing! The video is just what we needed on this rainy day in Nova Scotia!
I lived in New Mexico for 14 yrs, left because of all the cold weather, long winter ❄️. Went to Florida..enjoy the food..😊
Hey Slim....I just found your page and listened to what you had to say. Now, being a Mum and a Grandma and having learned a few things from my own Ma and G'ma, just thought I'd give you a wee clue about keeping in the warmth. I NEVER put beds under windows, but in your case, you don't have a choice, so I would make a suggestion that you put Bungee cords Don't know what you call them) at the bottoms of your windows and when you close the curtains, tuck the bottoms into the Bungee so that they pull the curtains close to the wall. 80% of heat goes out through windows.
Hope this helps.
Turned out you were spot on when you hung the top bunk sleeping bag , as a temp wall ! Good job. ‼️🇨🇦
Many a night , I camped out on my Trillium Trailer
We took a grandson to White Sands last March and taking his younger brother next week. We stay at a state park just south of Alamogordo. For the viewers who don't know, the sand is comprised of gypsum instead of quartz sand so that is why it is so dazzling white. We buy a plastic sand sled and they have a grand time sliding down the dunes.
Interesting to know about the geology! 🤓
@@christinae30 world's largest gypsum dunefield
I love what Slim puts himself through for our entertainment and scientific discover. I also appreciate all the conversions done on the spot!
HEY! Good afternoon Slim! What a nice surprise to have a video from you today!!
Good Afternoon Richard!
Dido thought
thanks for always having my back sweetie!!
@@JanelleVocate-Ames Good afternoon Janelle!
Good afternoon Slim. Nice to see you again....
When I heard about the horrific fires in Texas, I immediately thought of you and was worried about your safety. So glad you were not impacted.
White sands NM- that would be hard to light.
I think he was already gone from Texas when the fires started.
Hope you avoid the blizzards in California as you continue traveling.
❤❤❤ Sometimes it's cold in NM, however I'm preparing to leave it after 8 years, boondocking and on my way to the Grand canyon, then on to Lake mead for 3 months, then to Yellowstone until early September, and finally on to Quartzsite. I do like you insights and your exploration. I'm in a Hummer, which I affectionately called Bumblebee.❤❤❤
Definitely a lake that does not look good. I feel so bad for the wild life. So sad to see how we are destroying our earth. That being said I do enjoy your videos.
White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns are the must sees.
Another good thing with the sleeping bag divider is that it creates really nice accoustic properties with no reflections, kind of like a recording booth.
This American thanks you always, Slim, for giving us the temps in Fahrenheit …. I can never convert C quickly in my head.
Lol.
It’s funny…. As I was planning my own journey back to the a east coast from Quartzsite, I delayed it several times due to the weather in New Mexico…. I was surprised to see how cold it got there. I finally found a reasonable weather window and got back on the road. Only problem is it’s a small window and I won’t have time to explore several places that were on my list this trip.
Next time.
Also!! I promise it gets better…. The weather in Q for just about all of February was PERFECT! I didn’t need any kind of heat at night the last 3 weeks. Also, the desert is on bloom… lots of color!
Enjoy!!
Unasked, but here’s how I do C to F.
0c = freezing
10c = sweater (50f)
20c = room temp (70f)
30c = hot (85f)
-10c = cold
-20c = really cold
-30c = really really cold
YAY! From Janelle!
Good Afternoon Janelle!
I lived in my small trailer at 11,000 feet in Alma, Colorado in the winter and would turn on my heater to warm things up but sleep on an electric heating pad and blanket. I had a timer for my heater to turn on a few hours before l had to wake up. I often slept through temperatures well below freezing and negative single digits.
Somewhere out there in White Sands, are some of the oldest human Fossilized Footprints along with mammoth and Giant Sloth. Thanks for sharing your adventures Slim.
If im having really bad anxiety, i put on a Slim Potatohead video. It calms it right down.
I really enjoy your peaceful easygoing videos. I like them very much. Thanks for making them 👍😎
Inhaling anything toxic, even for an overnight, couldn't be healthy. Who knows what the long term effects will be. A great video!
Hi Slim. Another interesting video. Dividing the camper in half with blankets is a great idea. I have a small pop-up camper and have been doing that for several years. In my case, I don't sleep on the bunk ends under the canvas. I don't put up my inside table. But instead, I put my sleeping bag down there and sleep. I then hang shipping blankets over the ends to basically cut the camper in half. Fortunately, in a pop-up camper, all of my living space is between the two blankets. I sleep in a zero-degree sleeping bag so I stay pretty warm. In the morning I just have to reach down by the head of my bed and turn the furnace on or up a little higher to heat the space up before I get up. The heater is down near the floor. I put my clothes down there on the floor in front of the heater. That warms them up nicely for me. One problem you might have in the future, if not already, is getting up in the night to answer the call of nature. If you know what I mean. Answering that call is difficult in a confined space. I look forward to your next video.
Thank you for taking us along on the road trip to New Mexico! The snow in the previous video was beautiful but kind of scary! Since I’m in central Florida, I love the mountains! 😊💜
Thank You for being Honest about where you stay! They need to shut that place down! Glad the blanket worked. We have curtains blocking the front of our RV keeps it warm when needed!
Thank you for the heads up on this lake...sad...white sands is amazing... Those jets in front of those mountains were awesome.... Thanks Slim...stay safe, be well and happy
For the hinge, I think a stripe of wood on the inside of the cabinet to anchor the hinge-screw to would work best--the fiberglass cabinet walls (not sure what they are made of, but neither fiberglass nor particles board anchor well) are too thin support anything. Another enjoyable vd with useful info--thanks.
Don’t miss the White Sands mistakenly believing it’s all toxic. It’s one of the most beautiful sites in New Mexico next to my home town Alamogordo. And I see Cloudcroft had lots of snow.
Another excellent video. I hope to be able to travel, just as you do. Slim, your videos show me the good, the bad, and the ugly of small camper travel. I am happy to see that it is mostly good. I am looking forward to being able to travel in a similar fashion. Good travels, and a safe journey.
Love this channel Slim tells a story, gives history, cooking class, and you can tell he puts time into his videos . All your subscribers are blessed to have you continue making videos thanks Slim
Thanks for trying to satisfy everyone Slim by giving both temperature systems, much appreciated. As for the lake yeahh... probably there are remnants of nuclear radioactive waste even , should get a geizer reading.
I am a Celsius follower😂 Thank you,
Mostly jet fuel and sanitary waste…and brackish water as well.
Speaking as a chemist, I'm quite upset that Slim isn't reporting temperatures in Kelvin. 😜
The half life of radiation from an atomic weapon is not the same as a nuclear meltdown like Chernobyl
@@mikel5582 yea well maybe should mention the atmospheric pressure also🌧️🌪️☄️🧭
Aways enjoy seeing all the variables you control in your experiments Slim 🙂 Thank you for mentioning and respecting drone protocols 🙂 I visited the White Sands several years ago... they reminded me soooo much of the prairie snowscapes in Manitoba 🤩 We stayed in a state park about 20-30 mins west I think
The contrast and colors are amazing!
Slim! I lived south of Santa Fe and camped all over that place. It just gets cold....and windy. I loved it there.
Thanks for this “heads up”! I’m putting this place on my extensive list of places to avoid camping…
That's the worst possible place to camp in an area that's otherwise home to many scenic, well kept campgrounds. The Holloman lake is not heavily advertised or recommended at all. Yes, avoid it, but don't cheat yourself out of visiting the Tularosa Basin and White Sands.
So, the topic of Holloman Lake is a political can of worms. As a undergraduate I studied the White Sands Pupfish, a native endangered species that thrives in alkaline lakes and streams within four habitats in the area. I would be more worried about the amount of salts a dog might ingest from licking their paws than the amount of PFAS. Is it a concern? Yes. Is it a concern across the Western US and Canada? Yes. It is not just a concern of playa lakes in New Mexico.
One of the underlying reasons they want to close it down is the same reason they are looking at closing access to public lands across the United States-people are trashing it. If people would just clean up after themselves and leave it better than how they found it Holloman Lake might actually get the love it needs.
I'm sorry if I offended anyone-I'm just tired of the finger pointing and no one lifting that same finger to actually resolve the issues.
Oliver Lee State Park is the place to stay, but it is a good half hour from White Sands NM. I believe in the past there is boondocking outside the state park. Some hiking in the area and interesting local history.
Thanks Slim, very eye-opening
So happy to see you again! Miss you ❤
I use blackout curtains and a tension rod to section off the bed area in my A-liner. It’s not for helping with the heat. I like the way it breaks up the space. Feels like I have a bedroom.
I subscribed to a lot of channels and love all of them but i can say without hesitation that Slim is my number one. Thank you so much for all your work!
Surreal sights ! Thanks
Slim, I thought your video was excellent today! I have been watching you for some time now, so thank you! Good journey!😊❤
Welcome to NM. Glad you got to experience White Sands!
Love the way you captured the sparkles in the sand.
A Sunday evening treat…..nice!
Really like your jacket. Even comes down a bit in the back, and the zipper has the wind chill covering over, a plus. Great little sleeping area. Wow, yes the rest of the ROOM that is cold. Food ok, can beer? No freezing out bursts. Surprised you did not end up with any Squatters taking up Camp in your camper. Some people did end up with such a problem Thank YOU
Not sure where you heard about squatters. Never at a campsite. It's the city storage lots that occasinally have those issues.
Good video Slim, I enjoy your updates.
We use pieces of Refectix insulation that I stuff between the shades and the glass windows. It makes a heck of a difference in keeping the trailer warm at night. With your sleeping bag trick that refectix in the windows you’d be toasty.
Thanks but I've tried it in the past and it wasn't very effective for me
Thanks
So beautiful White sand desert 🏜️ 😍
Wow...I too hope that the lake will get cleaned up. Seeing those birds swimming in there really brings it home. Wildlife has no way of knowing good from bad.
Slim there are museums at White Sands and near the Trinity site. The White Sands Missile Museum is all about space history,
Definitely on my Bucket List! 😊
Cold RV adventures. What a difference a few hours and miles can make. I spent three days on a job in early June in Redmond, Oregon sleeping nude on the overhead bunk in my truck camper because of the overnight heat. I left Redmond and drove 150-miles _south_ to Klamath Falls, Oregon arriving late in the afternoon a the new jobsite.
The contractor's super asked me if I wanted to sleep in the Gym that night cuz it was going to be cold and I said "no thanks. I would be fine in the camper". Little did I know how cold it would get and that my furnace wouldn't fire.
Klamath Falls has geothermal heat and as I went to dinner steam was rising from cracks in the road and the storm drains and it was beginning to snow lightly. What a scene as I drove back to the construction site. steam and snow. The last time I saw that was on top of Mt. Hood.
Well, the furnace didn't fire and the wind came up and the temps in the camper dropped like the proverbial rock so... I was soon in a winter work jacket and then another pair of pants over the ones I had on plus three pairs of socks while looking at the locked gym door and wondering if there was another way to get in. There wasn't.
The next morning it was below freezing(about 25*) in the camper and the thermometer in my fridge was 34* and my mustache had icicles on it. I should have slept in the fridge.
Turns out my propane switch over valve... didn't.
Note; Follow the advice of 'donnamiller'. RV campers have little to no insulation in the floors or under the bunks or dinette. closed cell mattresses or seating cushions help alleviate intrusive cold. Adding a heating mattress/pad is a big help. I even use one on my home bed cuz I like the bedroom very cool for sleeping.
We have thermal curtains or shades, as we have single pane windows. Our curtains have two outer panels and a loose hollow lining, and work really well, as you lose so much heat through your windows. Love the program.
Luv ur videos ... Stay safe Mr Slim ! ❤😊
Great stuff thanks. Safe travels
I was in the USAF and stationed at Holloman Air Force Base in 1977 as a F15 fighter crew chief, which is where your at. Beautiful area
When we visited White Sands a few years ago, a huge lightening, wind and rain storm came up suddenly. Needless to say, everyone had a blast... As in SANDBLASTED! We felt sorry for those souls who had ventured deep into the dunes. It was hard enough getting back to shelter and we were only at the first set of dunes. Absolutely beautiful however.
another great video , feels like were kind of along for the ride . Thanks again , Slim !
I live in New Mexico. Our saying is...if you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes and it will change. But.. this winter has been weird...winter was short...spring weather now but be careful...high winds are headed our way. Looking forward to your next video to see where you are in New Mexico next time.
I love your travel doc. And your building doc.
Thank you slim, I appreciate your reviews.
Good evening, Slim!
White Sands is my number one place in USA.
At about the 19 minute point, you showed the white sand and then just your shadow entered the frame first - that was cool!
Very useful information about this place where you stopped for a while. So unfortunate for his close neighbour. The Little prince of St-Exupéry immediately came to my mind… a special moment to feel the effect of the desert and let the memory whispers the story to the ears of the spirit.
Bonus Sunday slim show
YAY from me personally!
I have enjoyed your travels Slim,, great video and thank you for sharing..
White Sands looks amazing. This was the best video I have ever seen off it so far. Nice work. It is quite disturbing how some people totally disregard the sanctity of nature and are ignorant to the destruction they are causing it. Mankind will never learn. Look what happened to the Salton Sea. Is really quite sad. Thank you for making us aware of what is going on at this camping area. It breaks my heart that its obviously effecting the wildlife. Safe travels SP.
Glad to see your perspective on my region of the country😄
thanks slim
I am so glad l experienced White Sands before it became a national park, in December 2016. There was barely anyone there and l backpacked to a site on the dunes and slept under the stars without a tent. It was wonderful.
Love your videos so much..I told my son to watch you..he loves your name 👍 😊❤he will be hooked.
Happy tails, Slim. I appreciate your PSA.
Slim, what we carry in our trailer are extra military wool blankets and in alaska we did the same thing you did with your sleeping bag. We clip the wool blankets around our bed frame on three sides , because the temperature was in the low teens but we were nice and toasty in our cave. 😊😏👍😍
Thanks for the video, much appreciated. I definitely want to hike on the white dunes. Some of the wind-sculpted designs were amazing.
that sound of the jets is called the "Sound of Freedom"! I am a retired USAF Major and I love it when jets fly overhead! I do realize many people, such as yourself, don't like or want to hear jets, but that does raise the question--why would you boondock at a place that is right next to an active Air Force Base that has fighter jets? My last assignment was Albuquerque and I will say that New Mexico is a great state to visit--safe travels.
Right on, Major. I agree with you.
I thought I explained the obvious: It was right beside White Sands National Park, which does not allow camping right now. As for the jets, I felt important to tell the noise issues as well as the toxic ones to others who may wish to camp there. SP
Being an ex-USAF avionics tech myself, I too enjoy the sound of jet aircraft. 😊
Early in my 4-year AF stint, I was housed in the BOQ at Ellsworth AFB, SD. The building was at the north end of the main runway. There was no sleeping when the B-52s stationed there took off, always an inspiring spectacle. I have fond memories of those "oil burners."
Very interesting video! I have always wanted to go to White Sands Natl Park, and I will soon. Thank you for taking us along and telling us about the poisonous lake ❤
Sweet sunday vid from slim!! Stay safe slim, Hi from florida!
Good show!
Slim, I’m here watching on low brain power so I appreciate the temp conversions! Also you make filming these videos look easy but it is for sure a skill! Cheers.
A slim potato production 👌
I love your cinematography, running around the sand dunes and your skill making it look like someone else took the video! Thank you for bringing up the concern about the environment.
My sister and I were at White Sands Nat'l Park back at the end of August, we camped at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park - not too far from where you camped.
Awesome Video Slim! Stay warm Brother.
You're beginning to look like Father Christmas, especially wearing that reddish jacket and being out in the snow. Fascinating
Beautiful, looks like snow. Looks like your sleeping experiment was a success 👍
Love your adventures. You’re actually in typical NM high country weather. Be careful and stay safe.
Great video …. Very entertaining and informative.
Love your "experiments".
Your desert sands video reminds me of some of my favorite Ansel Adams photos. GREAT JOB! You’re a true artist; your dialogue is well written and impeccably delivered. Thank you for another wonderful adventure.❤TN Nana