There are some things that you never want to hear at a contest site, independent of the flying itself:
- “The internet is out”
- “The phone lines are out”
- “Water to the field has been cut off ” (and it’s the weekend)
- “The one shower and one toilet are inoperative due to the water cutoff”
- “We have water pressure back intermittently, but it’s coming out BROWN!”
All of the above have occurred here at Chilhowee. Seems a local utility crew picked last week to bring a new water line to the field and a couple of surrounding houses. Just by sheer coincidence (right!) the phone line that carries phone and internet service cuts off (literally) suddenly. The water guys swear they didn’t cut it, but how likely is that? Now we have no internet and no phones. This means no SPOT coverage, and no retrieve line. The retrieve line problem was fixed by forwarding the Chilhowee phone number to Sarah Kelly’s cellphone, but there was no way to fix the SPOT coverage problem. The next day a phone crew shows up and runs a temporary above-ground line to restore phone/DSL service and guess what – the break is found in the water line trench – go figure.
The next thing to happen is the water guys cut off the water to make the new connection, and then they leave for the weekend after covering up the entire water line trench. Only things don’t go so well with the new connection, and Chilhowee is left without water – you’d think they would test the connections before covering up the entire pipe run – nooo, that would be too simple.
The next day, Saturday, the water guys show up again (probably after some frantic phone calls from Ops Manager Jason Arnold), and proceed to bumble around trying to find and fix the water break (you’d think the minor lake along the trench line would be a clue). The result of their new labors is a very feeble trickle of water, insufficient to run the toilet, and just barely enough for one shower (ask me how I know), then nothing.
Today, Sunday, the water crew is back at it again. As of about one hour ago, there was some intermittent pressure in the line, but the water coming out is more like brown mud than water – YUK!!!
Meanwhile, the only source of water is some bottled water in the fridge (thank goodness electrical power is still available, but I wonder if that is next), and the only toilet facilities are the two porta-potties, and the various RV facilities. I have to tell you that my micro-castle with its indoor facilities and 40-gallon fresh water tank has been an absolute godsend – Thank you Outfitter Manufacturing!
TA
