Facing the cold and the approaching end of the year, it was time to squeeze in the 4th camping trip of 2024 to a park I haven't camped at since the late 2000s! That place would be one I have visited many times before, as day trips only, but again, not since 2011. The park? St Joe State Park. This park, along with the adjacent Missouri Mines State Historic Site, is known for what's left after the old Doe Run lead mining days. The major draw of the state park, built on the ground Doe Run deposited the mining slag, is the Off-Road Vehicle area.
People from all over the area, and a few from out of state come with their dirt bikes, 4 Runners, Wranglers, and side by sides to run around the mine tailings. I spent many days coming down to the park with the old Ram running it around the ORV area for fun. Now it was time for the next generation to have a turn; the Colorado ZR2. Also on this trip, I would be conducting a more thorough test of the recently purchase and tested LF Bros diesel heater. The power source would be a first test as well, a new Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 portable power station. Much better than hauling car batteries out into the woods that wouldn't be expected to last more than 1 night each. In any case, you can't top a good campfire! Speaking of which, this would be the first trip, FINALLY, where I would get my own campfire! Montauk doesn't count because it was a shared fire even though I built it. Detail, you understand!
Packing light and fast, I would have a target departure time of 2 PM which I surprisingly met with ease. Unlike the Montauk trip, where I had a whole day to pack, still left things behind, and left later than anticipated, this time packing would be under the gun, so-to-speak, which always helps me perform better with a little pressure. I would get to camp before dark, which comes earlier following the time change just weeks ago, and have the largest tent I own setup, solo, something that is not easy to do, all before sunset. I would even have the heater setup and ready to rock overnight expecting the temperatures to be in the 30°F range.
Definitely a worthy test for the heater and power station combo! As expected, the heater and power station would indeed perform flawlessly for a warm and comfortable night's sleep but with a minor hiccup. About 90 minutes into my nice, warm sleep, the heater ran out of fuel since I half-filled the tank on the initial trial run and did not refill it after a full night of use on the Montauk trip. Fortunately, the heater beeped incessantly at me until I tended to its needs. I begrudgingly got out of my nice warm sleeping bag to get it fueled and running again which brought challenges of its own as well. After fueling, I managed to mix up the buttons on the remote turning the heater back off instead of turning the temperature down... Then, before all said and done, the hose disconnected from a missing gasket which adds pressure holding things together and all the jostling around done while refueling. Getting up again and securing the heater hose, I went back to sleep and stayed nice and warm the whole night through.
The next day would greet me and it was definitely chilly! But you just couldn't tell from inside the tent with the heater running. That's just how I like it! The Jackery registered 66% battery remaining after the midnight ordeal of turning the heater on, off, and on again after refueling and mixing up the controls on the remote... No matter, it would leave me with plenty for the remaining night and even some extra for recharging the phone and drone if needed. Today would be a day of exploration and off-roading, as long as I could find a flag for my truck. Having acquired a flag, it would be time to hit the ORV area for the first time in 12 years! A lot had changed since I was last here... Certain areas that had been graded were now covered in rock with water being channeled through drainage ditches rather than allowed to free flow, for safety reasons. No matter, it would add to the experience!
After exploring the ORV area, I decided to take the drone out to the radio-controlled airfield with the drone and see what I could see. Surprisingly, there was a large mining structure not far away that I was able to explore, from a distance, with the drone. Not sure what this structure was used for but it did not appear to have an opening to the underground despite it looking like some kind of hoist or elevator. Nevertheless, it was a cool find I had not seen before and it was even better to get a look from the ground and the air.
Back at camp for a quick lunch, I would ultimately decide to hit the ORV area one more time with the drone to see what footage I could get.
Settling back at camp for the evening, it would be time to stoke up the fire and get a plate of nice, hot food before settling into the tent for the evening. This time, before getting in the tent, I would make sure to fuel the heater making sure it wouldn't shutoff again in the middle of the night. As I climbed in the tent for the night, the winds were howling and it was exceptionally chilly. I kicked the heater up to 2.0, up from the minimum of 1.4, and went to sleep. Somewhere in the middle of the night, the winds died off and it warmed up quite a bit making it almost too warm in the tent. Fortunately 1.4, the minimum setting, is just about perfect in all scenarios so far! Minimum fuel consumption and minimal battery drain!
The next morning, another chilly start, would greet me. The Jackery, having braved higher power pull from the heater, had about 28% battery life left in it which wasn't terrible. As it was the last day, it was time to set the heater to a much higher setting and really put some heat in the tent! Unfortunately, the Jackery would not completely agree with this plan. Somewhere around 20% battery remaining, it cut power to the heater before it could run through the cool down process. This is not something you want to have happen according to the instructions... Fortunately, it was as simple as kicking the Jackery back on and letting the heater cool down before shutting off. No matter though. The day was warming up pretty fast and heat would no longer be required from the heater. Taking my time getting breakfast, it would be time to pack up and get ready to head back home. A successful first outing of the new truck in the land beyond pavement, a successful real first outing of the diesel heater, and a successful very first outing of the Jackery to power the heater! 4 camping trips down, and 1 to go! Bring on the cold as I think I can handle it now!
Span of 3 days; Approximately 306.9 miles; Approximately 16.3 miles off-road; Approximately 19.236 gallons of gas used; Approximate average MPG of 15.920; Approximately $47.86 spent on gas.
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