off-grid

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Chasing Clouds in Big Bend

It is rare for me to head to our cabin in Big Bend without a list of projects to tackle. In fact, one of the things I enjoy most about spending time there is planning and completing projects that make our off-grid cabin and property a little more comfortable and enjoyable.

The physical work is always a welcome change of pace. For me, there is something deeply satisfying about working with my hands, seeing progress at the end of the day, and investing in a place that has become a refuge for rest, reflection, and adventure.

However, on our recent trip to Big Bend, my project list was unusually short. Nothing major on my list, just a few projects that could be finished in a matter of hours. It felt a bit strange to arrive with so little to do, but I took it as an opportunity to find new ways to relax and enjoy the beauty of this vast and rugged region of Texas.

Instead of focusing on what needed to be built or repaired, I gave myself permission to slow down. I spent some quality time working on some devotional lessons. Cheryl and I also drove into Study Butte to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Of course, we always enjoy sitting around the fire pit to wait for the golden hour, when the waning sunlight turns magical, and the stars start to fill the vast desert skies.


What I enjoyed most, however, was climbing on my electric mini-bike and chasing clouds. For whatever reason, the clouds captured my attention. They looked so dramatic and beautiful against the deep blue sky as they drifted above the mesas and bluffs. I spent hours riding up and down the dirt roads, chasing them across the horizon and stopping to photograph their ever-changing shapes and shadows.


As the day wore on, the clouds eventually joined together to become a storm, complete with thunder and lightning. Cheryl and I loved sitting on the porch of our cabin and watching the desert storm roll across the landscape. In a place where rain is rare and precious, a storm is better than television. As the winds arrived carrying that distinctive fragrance of approaching rain, we found ourselves thinking of John Denver’s words: “You fill up my senses, like a storm in the desert.”


There are few experiences that compare to that moment. The sky darkens, the temperature drops, the wind begins to stir, and the fragrance of rain fills the air. It is one of those gifts that is difficult to describe. You do not simply see the storm—you feel it, smell it, and breathe it in. For a few moments, the desert comes alive in a way that engages all your senses.


As night fell across the desert, the distant lightning became even more dramatic. Flash after flash illuminated the horizon. Every flash revealed the outlines of mesas, bluffs, and clouds that had disappeared into the darkness. The light show was mesmerizing—nature’s own display unfolding in silence except for the occasional rumble of thunder rolling across the desert.


It was a wonderful way to end the day and to spend our final night at the cabin. Sitting on the porch, watching the storm move across the distant landscape, we were reminded once again why we love this place so much. The rain brought refreshment to the thirsty desert, and in its own way, it refreshed us as well.


Sometimes the best moments in Big Bend are not found in accomplishing a project or checking something off a list. Sometimes they are found in slowing down, chasing clouds, and watching a desert storm roll across the horizon.

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Five Years of Progress in the Desert

Five amazing years!

It’s hard to believe that Cheryl and I are ending year number five of our off-grid adventure in Big Bend. And what an amazing five years it has been.

One of the mantras we have adopted as we have worked to develop our slice of the Chihuahuan Desert is “slow progress is better than no progress.” But slow progress times a few visits each year actually equals a lot of progress.


This past week, my good friend Mike Aronson and I made the 9-hour and 60-minute journey to Dos Arbolitos (the name of our little 20-acre place in the desert). The plan for this trip was to work on the guest cabin — a gift from my Band of Fathers men’s group.


On a previous visit I built a wall to divide the main room of the cabin from the bathroom. My good neighbor Joe Pound then wired the cabin in preparation for the addition of solar panels. With the wiring done and receptacles in place it was time for the next step — insulation.

Mike and I decided we could make more progress by dividing and conquering, so we each took ownership of a project.


I took on the task of insulating the walls of the main room with R-13 insulation. I left one 16-inch section open for the time being. Joe will later run the refrigerant lines for the mini-split that will heat and cool the cabin through that section of the wall. Once those lines are in place then I will add insulation and nail in the bead-board paneling to that section of the wall.


While I worked on insulating the cabin, Mike loaded up the paint sprayer and primed and painted all of the bead-board paneling for the walls of the cabin. We set up a paint station against the outside walls of my shipping container shop. Fortunately it was not too windy to paint.

Cheryl and I chose the color “Sands of Time” for the walls of the cabin accented with white base and trim boards. I purchased pre-primed boards for the trim and will later paint these with a white semi-gloss paint.


Mike installed the beard-board paneling. Painting these panels ahead of time was the smart thing to do. He measured and cut the openings for outlets and made a lot of angled cuts for the upper sections of the side walls. Once everything was in place, we added the trim pieces and baseboard.


While Mike installed the paneling, I worked on framing the door and windows. As in our main cabin, I used corner blocks with a Texas Star for the window and door trim. I like this look much better than mitered corners.


After we finished the work on the main room, we put away the tools and then swept and mopped the floor. I then hung a pic of the guys in my Band of Fathers group that built the cabin in November 2022. There are a lot of guys not in the picture because they were unable to participate in the build but who contributed generously to make this blessing a reality. I am honored to do life in community with these dear brothers.


The final touch was hanging my old Boy Scout flag above the door. In the early 1970’s I became the patrol leader for the Buffalo Patrol in Troop 68. My sweet mother surprised me with the coolest flag ever. It was the envy of the troop. I have treasured the flag ever since as a reminder of her love and kindness.


I was happy to find a pic of me with the patrol flag taken in July 1972 while camping at Buffalo Trails Scout Ranch in the Davis Mountains. This pic is a reminder of how much I have enjoyed adventuring from a young age. And now, as a man in his late sixties, I still enjoy adventuring. My theme song for this stage of life is Toby Keith’s “Don’t Let the Old Man In” — a reminder to stay active to the end.

As I look back on the past five years I see a trail of God’s blessings — the distinctive signature of His kindness. And as I look ahead in anticipation of the coming years, I am excited to see what good things will happen as we continue to develop Dos Arbolitos.