CA CA - Barbara Thomas, 69, from Bullhead City AZ, disappeared in Mojave desert, 12 July 2019 #9

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Handsome Sailor said:
Dogs could get easily bitten by rattlesnakes in the Great Southwest
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Yes, and so can people. Although 100° is generally too hot for them. We had them in our yard in the last house we lived in (and by “them” I mean a lot of them - made it really hard to sell the house; this was 6 miles from the sea, they loved it, lots of rodents too, foothills). We think that one of our dogs was bitten.

You really can’t have dogs off leash outside of yards or city parks.
 
bronbaby said:
Is camping in the desert when temperatures are highest, a popular hobby?
What do people do in the afternoons?
Is it known what the Thomas’s destination was on this camping trip?
Apologies if these queries have previously been discussed. I have no experience of deserts or extremely hot weather (coming from Ireland)
Thanks xo
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Here are my humble opinions in answer to your questions, bronbaby, because no facts have been confirmed by LE:

MOO

Is camping in the desert when temperatures are highest, a popular hobby?
No, on the contrary, it's not common and is advised against by all kinds of authorities and an ounce of common sense, IMO (links are in posts upthread to many desert experts saying don't do it!) Most people are sticking to the shade and by the water, in comparison, in my experience.

What do people do in the afternoons?
Hang out in the shade, go swimming, stay indoors with AC/fans on.

Is it known what the Thomas’s destination was on this camping trip?
No, nothing has been stated by LE or her husband publicly on what their plans were, except RT said that they were 'going camping' and while on their way to the spot where they intended to park their RV and 'camp out', they stopped along the way for this 2 mile walk. Presumably they intended to camp somewhere in the Mojave National Preserve they had driven to, since it's over 100 miles from any major cities or towns, and it was their remote destination to enjoy testing out their relatively new truck/5 wheeler RV rig, perhaps for the first time since they purchased it in the last few months according to our VI.

ETA: Also (according to our VI), Barbara had called her brother in HK (who she was going to go visit the following week who was ill) a few days beforehand, and mentioned that she might be out of touch / unreachable for a few days because she and RT were going on a trip. I don't recall the exact words she was reported to have used about the trip (e.g., if it was a camping trip, and if it was in the desert), so this is paraphrasing, and MOO.
 
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Twistinginthewind said:
Here are my humble opinions in answer to your questions, bronbaby, because no facts have been confirmed by LE:

MOO

Is camping in the desert when temperatures are highest, a popular hobby?
No, on the contrary, it's not common and is advised against by all kinds of authorities and an ounce of common sense, IMO (links are in posts upthread to many desert experts saying don't do it!) Most people are sticking to the shade and by the water, in comparison, in my experience.

What do people do in the afternoons?
Hang out in the shade, go swimming, stay indoors with AC/fans on.

Is it known what the Thomas’s destination was on this camping trip?
No, nothing has been stated by LE or her husband publicly on what their plans were, except RT said that they were 'going camping' and while on their way to the spot where they intended to park their RV and 'camp out', they stopped along the way for this 2 mile walk. Presumably they intended to camp somewhere in the Mojave National Preserve they had driven to, since it's over 100 miles from any major cities or towns, and it was their remote destination to enjoy testing out their relatively new truck/5 wheeler RV rig, perhaps for the first time since they purchased it in the last few months according to our VI.
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IMHO, they did not go for a walk when temps were highest that day. They would have arrived in the Mojave Preserve before 11, even driving slower than the limit for trucks towing trailers, as @LAhiker calculated upthread.
 
Easy to say 'Leave the dog in A/C in RV', but ----
Gigi3 said:
Checking for an update and apparently no luck! :( We always take our dogs camping and leave them in the AC if we have to do something not pet approved! I thought that the desert was just a stopping point before their intended destination? Or is that not correct? TIA!
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@Gigi3 :) Thanks for your post. bbm
-- -Staying in locations w no elec hook-ups, RVers might pay $12.50 - 35.00/day* to run generator for, say, 5 hour stretch to run a/c to keep Fido cool while they're away. That's because in desert 'primitive'/'unimproved' campground w no elec hookups, owners would have to run the generator, which also happens to be a booming, ear-crushing noisemaker. And always the danger of generator running out of LP gas, the RV heating up, and eventually Fido's demise.

Maybe, instead Fido gets boarded at kennel. I don't find it unusual. jmo.

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Just my guess that some/many/most ppl (maybe @Gigi3 ?) doing ^ camping in desert/heat & leaving dogs/pets in RV w A/C are in 'improved' campgrounds w electric hookups, to run A/C.

* Liquid propane gas $2.50-3.50/gallon, and generator burning 1 to 2 gal/hour. Feel free to correct my math.
 
Kapua said:
IMHO, they did not go for a walk when temps were highest that day. They would have arrived in the Mojave Preserve before 11, even driving slower than the limit for trucks towing trailers, as @LAhiker calculated upthread.
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There's no telling, IMO, what time they were actually out there walking. I know they should have been able to reach that spot before noon based on driving time from when they left home, but RT's story is that he searched for BT for about an hour, and then called 911. The 911 call was logged into dispatch at 3:26 pm, so subtracting 1 hour search, he was looking for her at 2:30ish, which would mean they were walking between noon and 2:30, when it would have been pretty darn hot.

The walk may have occurred just either side of the hottest time of day, but bronbaby's question could also have applied to asking if it's typical for people to go hiking in the desert at the hottest time of year (June, July, and August), regardless of the time of day. MOO
 
<modnsip: quoted post was removed>
I have been wondering whether RT may have some frontal lobe issues. Someone was describing some mild but new symptoms in a relative of theirs today, and it has been diagnosed as frontal lobe dementia (new memories not forming well, old memories intact, bad at estimating time, poor at recounting events chronologically, using tech that was once familiar, no new tech, irritable when new situations arise).

Even mild dementia will cause a person to substitute more distant memories for what happened that day.

People who have no permanent structural damage resulting in dementia may still be affected by stress and heat, and in those moments, many older people may “crack” or be less than reliable

If both members of this couple made a few poor decisions/judgments that day, then Barbara may very well lie outside the initial search area.

So...@Handsome Sailor, you may have succinctly summed up a major issue in this case. Brain too slick.
 
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al66pine said:
Easy to say 'Leave the dog in A/C in RV', but ----

@Gigi3 :) Thanks for your post. bbm
-- -Staying in locations w no elec hook-ups, RVers might pay $12.50 - 35.00/day* to run generator for, say, 5 hour stretch to run a/c to keep Fido cool while they're away. That's because in desert 'primitive'/'unimproved' campground w no elec hookups, owners would have to run the generator, which also happens to be a booming, ear-crushing noisemaker. And always the danger of generator running out of LP gas, the RV heating up, and eventually Fido's demise.

Maybe, instead Fido gets boarded at kennel. I don't find it unusual. jmo.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Just my guess that some/many/most ppl (maybe @Gigi3 ?) doing ^ camping in desert/heat & leaving dogs/pets in RV w A/C are in 'improved' campgrounds w electric hookups, to run A/C.

* Liquid propane gas $2.50-3.50/gallon, and generator burning 1 to 2 gal/hour. Feel free to correct my math.
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Disagree. The whole point of an RV like the one the Thomases have (in terms of desert camping) is to be able to have that air conditioning on demand, without hookups. No hookups in Mojave, no hookups in Mojave Trails, no hookups in Joshua Tree. Yet people flock there in those 5th wheel things.

If people can afford a $40K RV (it was probably more),, they can afford $20 a day or so for A/C (but it would be less because you’d use the regular A/C that we all use in our trucks and cars for a few hours each day, while toodling around). Then, if it starts to feel pricey, just drive to Vegas where hookup are abundant and electricity is cheap (for now).

At any rate, we never stay in improved campgrounds ourselves (we are tent campers) and we see people with pets and RV’s quite a bit (the campground that was closest to where the Thomases were is at 4000 feet, therefore considerably cooler - like 90° in late afternoon as compared to their yard in Bullhead City).
 
Twistinginthewind said:
There's no telling, IMO, what time they were actually out there walking. I know they should have been able to reach that spot before noon based on driving time from when they left home, but RT's story is that he searched for BT for about an hour, and then called 911. The 911 call was logged into dispatch at 3:26 pm, so subtracting 1 hour search, he was looking for her at 2:30ish, which would mean they were walking between noon and 2:30, when it would have been pretty darn hot.

The walk may have occurred just either side of the hottest time of day, but bronbaby's question could also have applied to asking if it's typical for people to go hiking in the desert at the hottest time of year (June, July, and August), regardless of the time of day. MOO
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I am basing my opinion only on common sense. Let's say you are on a leisurely multi-day vacation to a location with 90+ high temps. You have all day to go sightseeing, walk, relax, get in some reading, whatever. You know the afternoon is going to be as hot as an oven. When do you schedule your walk?
 
Twistinginthewind said:
There's no telling, IMO, what time they were actually out there walking. I know they should have been able to reach that spot before noon based on driving time from when they left home, but RT's story is that he searched for BT for about an hour, and then called 911. The 911 call was logged into dispatch at 3:26 pm, so subtracting 1 hour search, he was looking for her at 2:30ish, which would mean they were walking between noon and 2:30, when it would have been pretty darn hot.

The walk may have occurred just either side of the hottest time of day, but bronbaby's question could also have applied to asking if it's typical for people to go hiking in the desert at the hottest time of year (June, July, and August), regardless of the time of day. MOO
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If there even was a walk...
 
10ofRods said:
Disagree. The whole point of an RV like the one the Thomases have (in terms of desert camping) is to be able to have that air conditioning on demand, without hookups. No hookups in Mojave, no hookups in Mojave Trails, no hookups in Joshua Tree.
....
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@10of Rods :) Thanks for your post. sbm bbm
Agreeing re "whole point...(in terms of desert camping)" If they wanted to RV only in the desert.

In any case, this ^, jmo, from standpoint of having been full time RVer for several years post retirement.
 
10ofRods said:
<modsnip: quoted post was removed> I have been wondering whether RT may have some frontal lobe issues. Someone was describing some mild but new symptoms in a relative of theirs today, and it has been diagnosed as frontal lobe dementia (new memories not forming well, old memories intact, bad at estimating time, poor at recounting events chronologically, using tech that was once familiar, no new tech, irritable when new situations arise).

Even mild dementia will cause a person to substitute more distant memories for what happened that day.

People who have no permanent structural damage resulting in dementia may still be affected by stress and heat, and in those moments, many older people may “crack” or be less than reliable

If both members of this couple made a few poor decisions/judgments that day, then Barbara may very well lie outside the initial search area.

So...@Handsome Sailor, you may have succinctly summed up a major issue in this case. Brain too slick.
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That was awesome.. Thank You
 
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cazador said:
Whats the name of that kennel ? T/A
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I don't know, just assume it's in Bullhead City, AZ, and BT had taken Lexi there before, because IIRC, our VI had spoken to the workers there, and they said that Barbara seemed unusually aggravated when she dropped Lexi off that morning (compared to other times, presumably). MOO
 
Twistinginthewind said:
I don't know, just assume it's in Bullhead City, AZ, and BT had taken Lexi there before, because IIRC, our VI had spoken to the workers there, and they said that Barbara seemed unusually aggravated when she dropped Lexi off that morning (compared to other times, presumably). MOO
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Thank You
 
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