Apocalyptic Homesteading (Day 1226)
Hello Everyone!
Calculating the slope of the new land, Better to go with gravity than against it, A change in storage plans & Pesky rodents!
Alright, I am running twenty-seven minutes behind schedule tonight with my writing routine... because I took a late day nap and wound up having to scramble around just before sunset to get all my late day chores done. Heck, I almost convinced myself to go back to sleep after getting the critters fed... but alas I chose to brew my nightly espresso and stick to my usual routines as best I could.
Last night I did not have all that hard of a time falling asleep... but I was up a bit later than I wanted to be. At least I managed to still wake up at a reasonable time this morning and do my usual Hive engagement routine... but at this point in the day I am unsure just how much engagement I actually did.
After all that jazz, I wound up spending some time trying to figure out what the slope was at the new land... and if all the data that I was using is correct... the place is essentially a fifteen degree slope. Whether the slope is consistent or not across the entire property is not something that I am sure about... but essentially there is a height difference of fifty-two feet (15.8496 meters) between the lowest point and the highest point of the place.
Honestly, I was just curious about what the actual slope was... but it was refreshing to find that it was within the allowed pitch required to do a 'low pressure pipe' sewage system. I also did some rough calculations on what kind of water pressure I could expect (without accounting for friction loss) if I install a gravity fed water system... and basically (if I used the full slope) I can expect to get around twenty-three point four PSI (or 1.613373 bar) which is not super awesome but not too bad either.
I know that none of that stuff is super vital at this phase of things... but it was nice to get a rough idea of what I am in for. One thing is for sure, and that is that I am glad that I will be unloading my gear at the top of the property... and can use gravity to help aid me (in carrying things downhill in the wagon) instead of fighting it going uphill!
Given what I learned from the scouting mission (and having slept on it for a few nights) I think that I need to unpack the gear I already packed... and sort it all in such a way that I have it in two distinct groups. Basically, instead of having all my gear onsite like I was initially planning... I am thinking to stick the bulk of it in a storage unit... and just 'go in' with the bare minimum of what I need to camp.
I know that I said that I would never put my stuff in a storage unit again... but all things considered I think that it is the best route until I get things setup better at the place. Considering that I am unsure if I can even squeeze either a shed or a shipping container (conex) into that pseudo-driveway near the road (due to the regulations about road setback issues for buildings) I think that it is overall the wisest move.
Doing things that way will also make it so that I am not blocking the road with the moving truck for hours on end while it is being unloaded. Given that it is a dead end road with lots of neighbors on it... I really do not want to start things off there by being a pain in the ass or being perceived as one.
Anyways, this afternoon I headed over to that other carport tent that I have gear stored in... and began the arduous task of sorting through the stuff that I have in there. I do not even know how to describe just how gross of a mess that the rats have made in that tent... nor do I want to detail all the ruined stuff that I found along the way... so suffice it to say that it was worse than I thought.
I am unsure just how many hours I spent in there shuffling stuff around, cramming things into garbage bags and dragging stuff out to get rained on (in an effort to clean it some) but whoa it was some fucking nasty and dirty work. I am really unsure on just how much of that gear that I can (or even want to) try to salvage... but at least I now know what I am in for with it all.
Well, I think that is all the words that I have in me for this entry. I hope that everyone is doing well... and not giving out advice that they would not take themselves. Ta ta for now.
Putting your things in storage might be the cheapest way to go, that is if you can not get a shed or something else to store things in. Getting an area cleared will be a pain in itself. I wish I could be there to help you, not sure how much I could do, but I would give it my all. It is good news about the septic system and it not being as big of a slope.