"And Russian lessons. That's Callen," John replied with a grin. "And political tutoring. That's...well, I guess that's done." Right. Not dwelling on that. No time for sentiment.
"I did know that, actually. Just like I knew coconut wine is a good medium for administering some medicinal herbs. You can use the coir to make rope and mats that act like cheesecloth, the husk can be used as a sponge, the trunk as a boat, the fronds as spears, and the copra pressed for oil as a saponifiable substance. Banana peel is good for saponification, as well, but also to treat insect bites and remove splinters. There's some evidence for it's ability to absorb toxins out of water, as well. And the pseudostems can be used to create fishing line."
Chuckling, he shook his head. "Nope, not alcohol. Water and shelter, or camouflage. I'd forgotten how big ancient bamboo was said to have grown. So, it would probably need Troy and Claudia to do this. But, you can get water from the large green stalks. Bamboo is hollow, since it's a grass, not a tree. So, when it absorbs water, it collects inside the sections. And, the best part is you don't kill the plant by harvesting it, if you do it right. Bamboo grows ridiculously fast, even the modern varieties. Now, I'm not sure how well ones this size will bend. If they do, it's easy. Bend the stalk, cut off the top and leave it overnight, you have drinking water for the next day in the morning. As long as the stalk is alive, it will continue to draw water up through it. Otherwise, if it doesn't bend, it's just a mater of tapping the sections. With a stand of bamboo nearby, we could easily supplement the collected rainwater for a fairly long period of time.
"Also, bamboo has a strength to weight ratio comparable to granite and a tensile strength equal to steel. Structures made entirely out of bamboo have even withstood earthquakes the size of the one we had in April. It's probably why it's able to survive so well in this environment. Difficult to trample, especially at this size except by the very largest animals, which should be herbivores. Covering the cars with mud is only going to help so much, since it has to be reapplied frequently with the rains each afternoon. But, I was thinking, if we build a bamboo trellis, use live stalks or stands of stalks for the supports to keep a water supply inside the cover, then cover the top with a latticework of bamboo and vines and some of the edible plants. Build it right alongside the mountain in such a way it looks like a natural growth. It wouldn't be as secure as the thing you've got going with the cave and the car. But, it would be enough to slow the largest animals down and give people a chance to get in the cars. And it would allow movement around the camp without attracting the airborne predators. This might also be the time to see how far Thomas can push his power. If he can find the right pheromone, it's possible he could use it in a similar manner to what you're already doing with the fires, put up a scent barrier that turns creatures away on an instinctive level.
"Actually, we could even construct the trellis roof from plants with drip points on the leaves, built-in channels to direct rain water into receptacles below. Any chance you've found some primeval bromeliads?" he asked, returning to flip through the pages of the notebook. "It's the family of plants pineapple comes from. Several species are basically nature's barrels. They can hold several gallons of water each. But, the earliest known species are only 12 million years old. So, I'm not sure if they'd evolve in this dimension."