Author's Note- I attempted to write Drip...he proved to be a tough bugger to try to pin down...but I am going to claim a prize for trying anyway. Oh, and Chicken Strip is a real place I really want to make it to someday.

O is for Overflow Camping

Drip could swear that he had never been this hot before in his life. The sun was beating down on his canopy, and even if he had the option to move, there was absolutely nowhere to hide on the wide expanse of baked clay. The heat coming off the dirt airstrip was so bad that you could actually mirage it was trying to form.

Still, the little vehicle didn't complain, because he knew just how important this work was. A military aircraft doing on training flight had gone down somewhere in Death Valley's maze-like mountains without even the murmur of an ELT. Given the difficulty of the search, the National Park's resources had quickly been overwhelmed, and the Superintendent requested outside help. Knowing the time-sensitive nature of the accident, Superintendent Jammer had volunteered Cabbie to act as the mission's air boss and deployed him to Death Valley that evening.

It wasn't particularly safe to have an aircraft operating without some form of ground support, so Chief Ranger had insisted that Cabbie bring at least one of the smokejumpers to set up camp and keep track of fuel usage. While all of the Smokejumpers had wanted to go on the excursion, Drip had been picked because of his weight (only Dynamite weighed less) and as the most junior member of the team Cabbie thought it would be a good idea to give him some more 'in the field' experience outside of Piston Peak National Park.

The two vehicles technically broke the rules flying into the Furnace Creek Airport, given the emergency services nature of the flight the NPS wasn't going to make a fuss about the flight. That said, they also weren't going to make any accommodations for the big aircraft either, which meant that didn't even have space for Cabbie on the over crowed tie down area.

After speaking with the IC, it was pretty clear given the high number of visitors that it wasn't going to be space to base aerial search of the park out of either the Furnace Creek or Stovepipe Wells Airports. Which only left one option for the temporary airbase…Chicken Strip.

Death Valley National Park had a mixed relationship with Chicken Strip. Calling the gravel airstrip rustic would be more polite than the strip probably deserved. In reality, it was a somewhat level dirt patch that bush planes could use to explore the Saline Valley and the most adventurous aircraft could use for a little backcountry fly-in camping. The park service had tried to officially try to close it several times in the past, to the point that had systematically ticketed visitors for a while, but at some point, they realized that the attempts were futile.

Cabbie had been the first of the search aircraft to land at Chicken Strip, and he had left Drip on the ground to claim a spot and set up camp while the C-119 set off to help coordinate the search. For the first three hours, things at the gravel strip were pretty boring. It only took a couple of minutes to pound some spikes into the dirt and stretch out some construction tape to mark out a reasonably sized camping spot for Cabbie. It was the biggest camping space that Drip had ever staked out, but Dynamite had given him very specific instructions on just how much room those twin tails needed.

Space secured, coffee pot unpacked, and fire stand set up, Drip wanted to explore the surrounding area…but instead turned his attention to helping make the little airstrip a little more comfortable to transit. He bent his claw to filling some potholes in the gravel and was about to level out the first of the bumps, when he heard the chatter of an aircraft coming in for final approach. Scooting off to the end of the airstrip, he watched as a Birddog came in for a landing. Glancing around, the plane focused its attention on the only other vehicle on site.

"So, where are we supposed to camp around here?" The plane looked down its nose at Drip, who motioned with his claw toward some smaller fly-in camping spots that were marked out with rocks, and the plane trundled off before the skid steer could say a word.

As the day went on, Drip continued to fill in holes, flatten the runway, and point aircraft to the campsites that were still open. Unfortunately, between the searchers and the tourists, it was only a matter of time before every campsite was full, and the planes started to try to claim Cabbie's spot on the apron.

"That spot is already taken!" The skid steer dropped the rock he had been moving off the strip and raced over.

"You don't need that much space." The plane stared down its nose in distain.

"I don't, but my team does. Go see if you can double up with an aircraft at one of the larger campsites." Drip tried to channel his inner Dynamite and let his engine growl. After a few tense moments and some heated discussion, the small aircraft finally backed off.

This, of course, was not the only aircraft that tried to still the camping spot that Drip had claimed. Soon, it seemed like the only thing that Drip could do to make sure that Cabbie would have to spend the night parked on the gravel strip itself was to stay parked in the camping area he had staked out and growled at any airplanes that tried to take it from him.

By the time the sun was setting, and Cabbie finally returned to camp, Drip was absolutely thrilled to see him…but the way that the old plane was holding his wings indicated that Cabbie's day had been as stressful, if not more stress full as Drip's. Starting up the coffee pot, Drip watched as the other planes quickly swarmed around him, some of them angrily. Cabbie did his best to sooth everyone's feathers. But when Drip pulled up with a large mug of firehouse brew, it was easy to see the relief in the plane's eyes.

"Give me a moment," Cabbie said with the finality of an order as he followed Drip back to their campsite and settled heavily on his tires. The big plane took a long gulp of coffee and closed his eyes with a sigh. He sat there perfectly still, just enjoying the feeling of solid dirt under his tires. Then he opened his eyes, and Drip could see the old plane switching gears. Turning to the uncomfortable planes sitting next to him, Cabbie motioned with a wing. "Now, what did you want to talk to me about?"

It was truly amazing just how quickly bush planes can move over an unpaved surface. Drip couldn't help but giggle at the scattering aircraft. Cabbie raised an eyebrow at the Smokejumper's amusement, after shrugging his wings he turned his attention to more pressing matters such as what was for dinner.

Oh, and if you are wondering, none of the planes bother Drip for the rest of the search.

Term- Overflow Camping- Overflow camping occurs when the primary campsites are taken and so groups camp in other locations. Some National Parks and Forests have designated overflow campsites already constructed and ready for when they need them. These sites usually have fewer facilities then the primary campsites and are usually designed for short-term or staff use. In some cases, informal overflow campsites are set up by visitors. Sadly, creating these non-official overflow campsites caused long-lasting damage in some National Parks. If visiting a National Park, please only camp in designated campsite!