Never Leave Home Without It

You may have heard of the 6666 Ranch (pronounced “four sixes”). It’s a bit famous as one of the largest ranches of contiguous land in the United States, boasting over 350,000 acres over 5 Texas counties. It’s famous for several other reasons as well, including as a filming location for a number of movies and the streaming series, Yellowstone, airing on Peacock. For my family, it has been a source of pride as well as income, with countless uncles and cousins that have worked there at some time or another. But for me, at least for the last 15 years or so, it brings up an entirely different set of memories and taught me a critical lesson in being prepared.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that I was raised in the Texas Panhandle, specifically the Lubbock area. We moved to Dallas in the late ‘90s, but we still had lots of family in that region, so we went “home” several times a year to see them. If you’ve never driven across Texas, you have no idea about the vastness of this state, which is roughly the size of France, Zambia, or Myanmar. Going home usually means a 5+ hour drive across what I call the “north route”, a stretch of 2-lane highway across some of the most desolate territory you’ve ever seen. And that’s if you don’t stop. I only take this route during the day due to the dangers of hitting deer and other wildlife as well as the complete and utter absence of gas stations or anywhere else to stop after it gets dark. Little hamlets become ghost towns, and you can forget about getting a tow or emergency services. I’m not even sure the cell phones work out there.

One year, not long after my niece, Ashley had graduated high school, she came to stay with me for the summer. We were hoping to turn her into a city girl so we could break the apron strings that kept her tied to her mom (that’s a story for another day). When it was time to take her home, we decided to take the north route so my friend, Stephanie could get some pictures of the old courthouses along the way (a hobby of hers). We were in my Saturn sedan, just moseying from town to town in no particular hurry, enjoying the scenery. It was a pleasant drive and we were having fun. Until we weren’t.

The 6666 Ranch straddles a stretch of U.S. Highway 82/State Highway 114, surrounding the town of Guthrie in King county. There’s not much to see there, other than the ranch, as the town boasts a population of only 120 people or so, and is situated about halfway down a 63-mile, deserted span of road between the towns of Benjamin and Dickens. Just 5 minutes after passing Guthrie, my car began to overheat. It was a hot summer day. Temps in Texas in the summer can be brutal, and it was probably approaching 100° F. We hadn’t seen another vehicle for miles, and the nearest town (other than Guthrie) was Dickens, another 20+ miles away. Worst of all, our cell phones weren’t working, so we couldn’t even call for help.

Luckily for us, we had purchased some water to drink a few towns back when we stopped to stretch our legs. We dumped all of it we had left into the reservoir, including Stephanie’s giant bottle of Fiji water, the only kind she liked. I’m sure that must have been the most expensive bottle of water anyone could have put in a radiator, and I still laugh about it to this day, but even that wasn’t enough to get us to the next town. We trudged a few more miles before the car overheated again and we were just stuck. Fate was on our side once again when a work truck popped over the hill from behind us. He stopped and was fortunate to have a one-gallon jug of water in the bed of his truck. He had opened it to take a sip at a job site that afternoon, but he gladly handed it off to us with the comment that he always carries a bottle of water with him in his vehicle in case he ever gets stuck at a job site without anything to drink.

We made it to Dickens without any further trouble (other than the rude farmers who derided me for asking about “anti-freeze” instead of calling it “coolant” – jerks), but our water angel’s words stuck with me. From that point forward, I always carried multiple bottles of water in my car in case of emergencies, either in the extra cup holders or in the trunk/cargo area. We were very lucky that day, as we might have been stuck out there for hours, with no shade, no water, in the blazing heat, suffering heat exhaustion or worse. I don’t know who that guy was, but he just might have saved our lives, and for that, I am eternally grateful. At the very least, he taught me a lesson about being prepared that I will never forget.

As you head out for the 4th of July, we at Modern Musings would like to remind you to be prepared and stay hydrated! And whenever you pack up your car for a road trip, think about packing some emergency supplies in case you are stranded – it happens more often than you might think!

What are your go-to necessities for being prepared? Do you pack any special items in the car just in case? Share your stories over on the MMC Chat Group!

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For more information about the 6666 Ranch and the size of Texas:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6666_Ranch

• https://texasproud.com/how-big-is-texas-its-huge/

 

Coffee Versus Water: A Taste Buds Journey

Coffee Love

This week on the podcast we talked about tips to drink more water. I will be the first to admit that I don’t drink enough water, especially in the summertime. In fact, last week, I got really sick because I hadn’t been drinking enough water. More than a few times in my life I have been to the hospital due to dehydration. Now that my stomach is smaller, it makes it even harder to consume water. What I do consume a lot of, is coffee.

I’ve been called out a few times in the last year (by people who don’t drink coffee) that I drink too much coffee. I agree with them, it’s true. I even wrote in my blog about Powersheets® that coffee, especially coffee influencing on my Instagram reviews blog @ravenreviews_tx, is one of my motivations. One might even go as far as to say that I am obsessed with coffee. That wasn’t always the case. Unlike children today – case in point, my students come to class with Venti Starbucks™ Lattes – if I wanted coffee, I had to go to my grandma’s house or go to the local coffee shop with my grandpa on Saturday mornings. 

My parents didn’t even own a coffee maker (my mom was a tea drinker), so, I didn’t drink as much coffee as kids do today. My grandma only kept powdered creamer to put in her Folgers® and I thought it tasted disgusting. Starbucks™ was something you only saw in the movies – for example, Cher and her friends in the movie Clueless, drinking the fancy coffee brand. I didn’t even see a Starbucks™ in person until I went to Las Vegas for my high school senior trip and one of my friends pointed it out. Sure, the coffee chain had stores in Texas, but nowhere near where I lived.

I didn’t start drinking coffee until I was in college. Christen and I spent our first two years at South Plains College in a small town in West Texas called Levelland, which was not far from the somewhat big town of Lubbock. Levelland was about the size of the town I grew up in (so, not very big) but, unlike the town I grew up in, it had not just a coffee shop but a Cafe that served fancy coffee concoctions unlike any I ever tried. It was called Rhinobear and they served Day Break Coffee. Christen and I went all the time to get the frappe, and I was hooked. I was still just a casual coffee drinker. I was a poor college kid that worked in the financial aid office for $5.25 an hour. Fancy coffee was just a treat, and I certainly didn’t drink coffee every day. If I wanted caffeine, I usually drank Diet Coke, but only occasionally (I gave up soda with sugar in it when I was a junior in high school).

As I grew older and became a teacher, I started drinking more coffee mainly because free coffee existed in the teacher’s lounge. At the same time, I began treatments for my chronic migraines (a topic I will explore in a future blog) and the preventative medication that was given to me made all carbonated drinks taste terrible, so I turned more toward coffee and tea for a caffeine fix. When I moved back to Vernon a few years later, my grandma received a Keurig® for her birthday, and I began experimenting with different flavors and styles of coffee through their k-cup subscription program. Thus, my taste became more refined. I realized the taste difference between brands, flavors, and roasts and I started drinking coffee for the flavor aspect, but I usually only had a cup a day unless it was a tough day at work. Still, if I was ever in a town with a Starbucks™ or other fancy coffee shop, I would stop and try a new type of drink. 

After surgery, everything changed. I wrote in my last blog about my struggles before and after bariatric surgery. That was only a part of it. My taste buds completely changed after surgery. For example, I only occasionally ate eggs before surgery, and now eggs are a regular part of my diet. I could eat dairy without getting sick before surgery, and now I can't drink a glass of milk or eat yogurt without getting sick. In the weeks prior to surgery, I had to stop all caffeine and I couldn’t drink it again until three months after my surgery – I was fine with it. However, the first cup of coffee post-surgery was an experience that I will never forget. I went to Starbucks™ and ordered a grande cold brew for the first time. I drank it as I still drink it – with one pump of sugar-free vanilla and a splash of heavy cream – and it was heavenly. Aside from my first coffee in four months, I had never tasted a cold brew before. I thought it was amazing, and it tasted strong. Before surgery, I didn’t crave dark or strong coffee, and now I can’t drink it any other way. In fact, I don’t want to drink anything else but coffee. I crave coffee all the time.

Therein lies my problem. Before surgery, I was never one to chug water, and now that I can’t chug water, it’s hard to get enough water in my body. Now I’m always dehydrated because the first thing I reach for in the morning is coffee and not water. I’ve studied nutrition and taken nutrition classes, so I know the right thing to do is immediately start drinking water when you get up in the morning. My life would be so much better if I wasn’t chronically dehydrated, but I’d rather drink coffee, and if I’m being honest, I’d rather drink coffee over eating food. That’s why I have to mix protein in my coffee now to get enough protein post-surgery. It really is a daily struggle.

How have I tried to combat this craving? Well, psychologically, I’ve figured out that it’s not the caffeine that I crave. I am perfectly fine with drinking decaf coffee. It’s the flavor that I crave. Unfortunately, they don’t make coffee flavor water enhancements that I could use to trick myself into thinking I’m drinking coffee when in reality, I’m drinking water. The closest thing that I’ve found is a vanilla-flavored additive–which helps but it is not a perfect solution. As a goal for my summer, I’ve decided to cut back on my coffee consumption and make an effort to track the water I drink daily as well as keep water readily available to grab when I need it. Maybe this will help me get my 64 ounces of water in daily.

I want to hear from our readers. What are some tips and tricks you use to drink more water? If you have a hard time drinking water, what are some tips to stay hydrated? Let’s continue the conversation on our Facebook Page and Facebook Group MMC Chat.

Why You Should Stay Hydrated!

Many of us struggle to drink enough water. It has been something I strive for and even sometimes struggle with. I find that, just like the tide, I ebb and flow when it comes to drinking water. I will get on a kick and drink until I float away, and then something might trigger the pause, and I will slow down on my water consumption.

With the new moon coming on Tuesday, right now is the best time to set those new intentions. If you have been struggling, like most people, to get in enough fluids, set the intention to drink more water for your health. Determine exactly what your intention is, and set that intention with the new moon on Tuesday, June 28th. Your positive and creative energies are at their highest during the new moon. 

Great ways to set intentions:

• Vision boards
• Positive affirmations
• Smart goals
• Meditation
• Scripting

I mentioned last week that I have been busy this summer. We recently came back from a great family canoe trip. My parents have been canoeing down the Brazos River for several years now. Just last year, Travis, Reyna and I joined them for our first expedition. Although we had no idea what we were getting into, we were eager to go. I want to tell you about a terrifying experience that we had while on our canoe trip in 2021.

Now when I say that we were going on a canoe trip, I mean just that. We parked our cars and were shuttled off to a remote location where we were left with our gear, 3 canoes, and our own willpower to get 20 miles down the river safely. My dad is not the planner in the family, that would be my mom, so when we asked him what to bring, he said “I got everything, just bring your beer and camping gear.” So that's what we did. I’m not a beer drinker, so Travis brought a tiny cooler with some beer for himself. The goal was to go 10 - 12 miles down river, stopping somewhere about half the way for lunch and then making the last leg for that day to a good place to camp on the side of the river bank. We would reserve the last 8 - 10 miles for the following day. We had all of our gear in our canoes: tents, chairs, clothing, food, toilet paper…everything. 

The day was hot! The temperature was probably close to, if not, in the 100’s. Travis and I did not have the best clothing choices on. We thought, since it was going to be hot, that tank tops and shorts would be best to keep us cool. Despite our best efforts to keep sunscreen applied, we were both dried-out lobsters by lunch time. We got a little wet in the river to cool off. Reyna was having a blast digging up river rocks and swimming, but Travis was starting to look very worn out, and I was getting pretty worn out myself. The whole trip, we were paddling against the wind so it was very exhausting. 

The camping spots are not designated. The land edging up to the river is privately owned, so the only places to camp are on the sandbars. We paddled downstream and checked out several spots, looking for the flattest places to camp. I turned to look at Travis only to find that he was not paddling any longer, and looked very ill. He was clearly getting heat exhaustion. We had been pushing waters on him, but all the waters were in a cooler in another canoe, not easily accessible. It was clear that he was dehydrated. By the time we found a campsite, he was nauseous and was not able to keep the water down. It was horrible, he was of no help getting the tent set up and we couldn’t get him to drink. 

Once I got our tent set up, he climbed inside and practically passed out. He emerged just long enough to try and eat supper, but that upset his stomach. After about an hour of sitting with the family, he went back to bed with instructions to drink more water. We had no choice but to let him rest so that we could carry on the next day. That night, he was restless in his sleep. He kept trying to get out of the tent and wander off in the dark without shoes or a flashlight. I feared that he was delirious! Thankfully at some point in the night I was able to get him to finally go to sleep, and we finished off our canoe trip the next day.

This year, we made some changes to how we packed. I insisted that we have a cooler in each canoe, with drinks. We extended the trip by one more day, so that we could travel a shorter distance, and rest longer in between. Travis and I wore long sleeve shirts to protect our skin from getting burned, and we brought 4 large packs of water along with other refreshments. Before our trip, Travis made extra efforts to ensure that he was pre-hydrated; several weeks prior to the trip, he bumped up his daily water intake.

I thought it would be wise to set up a way to ensure that we all drank, and often. The first year that we went canoeing, Travis and I being novices, found our canoes mimicking bumper car behavior more than anything. Going into it this year I just knew that it would be the same as before, so I told everyone that we would drink anytime someone got their canoe turned the wrong direction. We drank a lot! Thankfully this year, the only thing that was dehydrated on our trip were my lips because they got a little windburned, but a couple of days with Vaseline on them, and they are smooth again!

The moral of my story: arriving at an outdoor activity on the brink of dehydration can be fatal. My husband was very lucky that his dehydration did not cause further damage. He is now the butt of the joke anytime we talk about the canoe trip of 2021, and he was scrutinized (very lovingly) if he had any drink left in his bottle, (and probably always will be). 

What measures do you take to ensure you are getting enough fluids? Have you or a loved one ever been severely dehydrated? I would love to hear what you have to say, be sure to stop by MMC Chat on Facebook to continue the conversation and be sure to check out the podcast on Wednesday where we each share our hydration tips. 

Photo by Cindy Murray