First Night on The Road

FIRST NIGHT ON THE ROAD

When you search on Google, Pintrest or InstaGram the hashtag of #VanLife, up pops images of people in RVs, camper vans, converted cars and SUVs, all posing with enthusiasm with their new home, generally in a beautifully scenic setting. YouTube videos show how incredibly easy it is to whip out your power tools and magically obtain carpentry skills to construct a slick interior design to convert your vehicle into a camper. Interviews with these Van-Lifers reveal how much freedom one has exploring the road with ease and freedom at low cost. Ah, #VanLife!!

So…..Let me tell you a story about my reality with #VanLife. 

I decided I needed to take some time off to recover from the “growing experiences” of 2018 and I started to explore ways I could take an extended amount of time off to travel on my limited budget.  I went to RV shows to see if I could afford a camper trailer, too expensive, even for the tiny, ultralight weight campers. I looked at actually camping around in my tent, but I did that for a week once and it seemed like it’d be a headache in the long run. Then I came across those people who had converted their cars or SUVs into a camper. Some were pretty fancy but some were pretty basic and simple. Hmm, this could work. I felt I could construct something simple for super cheap. I wouldn’t have to deal with setting up a tent or pulling a trailer and I could sleep anywhere in my car.  Cool! The decision was made. Before I started, I got a twin size mattress and slid it in the back of my SUV just to see if it would fit.  It did, and a perfect fit actually!!  I had never constructed anything before and had never used power tools, except for an electric screw driver.  But you can find everything on YouTube, right? Thank goodness I hadn’t cleared out or donated my dad’s tools yet. I watched a lot of tutorials on how to use the tools and how to put stuff together. I had removed the back seats from my SUV and constructed a platform. There was a lot of trial and error. A lot of trips to Home Depot and Lowes. I was surprised, and frustrated, at how long it took to construct something that seemed so simple in my little design. Finally I finished and I was very pleased that I did it all by myself. I had enough room for storage underneath the platform and enough room on top to move around comfortably. 

The next step was deciding what I needed to take with me and what would go in storage.  Let me tell ya, if you haven’t used something for a long time, you’re not going to start magically using it on the road or a trip, as I have found out.  For instance, I have yet to use my yoga mat and bits of work-out stuff I brought along (partly because it has rained almost every day of my trip). Too many clothes, too many washcloths, too many books, too much kitchen stuff. Eventually I’ll consolidate it all once I’m in a consistently warm climate.  

My car was packed up, organized and ready to go. The morning I planned to leave I went to go start my car, all I got was a click click click and the electrical system wigging out. Seriously? What the hell? Ugh!!  At first I thought it was an electrical issues, but my sister-in-law suggested it might be the battery.  It had been cold in Utah and my battery had died.  We attempted to jump it (Thanks for another tutorial YouTube!} but It wouldn’t start.  So, I went and purchased another battery and installed it myself. My car started!! Yay!

I decided to not have any definite plans for my road trip. Sometimes letting the road guide you and not having a fixed or ridged plan can open the door for unexpected adventures. Plus, planning stresses me out. I can do it, it’s just not my favorite thing to do. I did have a rough outline of a travel plan in place. I was going to start in California and explore some places that I might be interested in living, as well as visit some national and state parks.  Well, the forecast said rain for 2 weeks. I was hoping the rain would at least let up a little here and there so I could explore. I would soon find out that rain meant rain.

Because of my late start, I decided I’d only drive for a few hours and spend the night in Elko, NV.  My weather app said it’d be about 15 degrees that night. I had a sleeping bag, several blankets and my mattress was made of foam. In addition, I had insulation for my windows to help keep the heat in and also provide privacy.  I was hoping that was enough.

Driving is therapeutic for me. I relax and just let my mind wander and the drive out to Elko was nice. No traffic and an absolutely beautiful glowing orange sunset.  I took it as a good sign and stopped to watch it for a bit. It was dark when I arrived in Elko. I stopped off to get gas and use the restroom and then drove around a bit, trying to decide where I could safely park my car and have a quiet night. I found a 24 hour Casino next to a hotel. No one would question why my car would be parked there all night and I’d be left alone. So I parked, I put the insulation up in the windows, pulled the curtains shut behind the front seat and opened the passenger seat to climb into the back of my car to sleep. Hmmmm, how was I going to get in? When I constructed the platform in my car and tested it for enough space to move around, it was without a mattress. I had purchased an 8 inch foam mattress and I had a sleeping bag and several blankets.  I now had 1 ft 10in to get in and move around.  So stupid!  Why hadn’t I actually considered this? Well, I didn’t really have a choice but to try it out. It doesn’t help that I’m 5’9 and “big boned.”  So I put a hand on each side of the door opening, a foot up on the step and launched myself into the car, my legs still hanging out, my shoes still on. There was not enough space to kneel or sit so I very awkwardly pulled myself into a fetal position so that I could reach to untie my shoes and then attempted a sideways 90 degree turn so that I could be facing the right direction to straighten out. So there I was, finally lying flat on my back and shaking my head that I hadn’t thought things out more thoroughly. Then the next thought that ran through my mind was “oh crap, I still need to get in my pajamas” followed by a groan and realizing my pajamas were in drawers under the platform and I’d have to get out of the car to access them.  Mind you, its 15 degrees outside!! I curled my body back up and completed another 90 degree turn in a half sitting hunched-over position to get closer to the door. I managed to reach for the door handle and open it up.  I wish I had a video to show me getting out of my car. I was a sight to see. It looked as if my car was giving birth to me. My awkward large size in a tiny space. Imagine a 5’9, 220 lb inflexible woman with frizzy red hair trying to get out of a 1'10" space from a sitting hunched-over position.  Seriously, I challenge you to try this at home! First came a leg, then an arm to support me, then half my butt, then another leg, the other half of my butt and  finally another arm, and head. My car just gave birth to a breech baby, kind of.  Ugh, this sucks!  I got my pajamas, launched myself back into my car, managed to get straightened out and then laid there trying to figure out how to I was going actually get into my pajamas.  I couldn’t sit up. I couldn’t kneel in a full position. My only options were lying flat and trying bridge my hips and back to loosen my clothing, rolling to my side, or getting onto my knees in a bowing position. I assumed all three of those positions to get undressed and then dressed.  What a headache!!  No one ever demonstrated this shit in the Youtube videos!! I was tired and soon fell asleep. 

I actually stayed quite warm though the night, surprisingly enough.  Around 2:30 in the morning I woke up and had to pee.  I looked at the weather app on my phone.  It was 10 degrees outside. Condensation had collected on the inside of my car and my head was getting cold.  I put on my winter hat and then pulled out my female urinal.  Yes, I bought one for just these circumstances (someone did actually recommend this in a blog. Very helpful).  I did try it out before my road trip and it worked wonderfully…..in a sitting position, with lots of leg room. I had not tried it out in a less than 2ft space. Since I couldn’t squat, or sit, or fully kneel, the only position I could manage was the kneeling bow.  I guess all those years of assuming the kneeling bow position (for comfort reasons) while listening to my dad’s endlessly long family prayers finally paid off. So with one hand trying to manage positioning and holding the pee bag, the other arm was out in front supporting me.  I was so tense and so cold that I couldn’t pee. Ugh!  Puppy dogs, unicorns, sunsets, freedom, road trip……finally relaxed enough to go. Relief!! I put the lid on the urinal and set it aside to empty in the morning, climbed back in my bed and slept on/off until about 6:30. I was ready to get up, get warm and have a cup of coffee. My car then awkwardly gave birth to me a second time. Still a breech baby, but it works.

Slushy ice water from 10 degree night in Elko

I quickly got into the front seat, started the car and turned the heat all the way up.  I plugged in my portable water heater to my cars 12V port to heat water for some coffee.  After enjoying a nice warm drink I needed to get dressed, brush my teeth, wash my face…..but it was 10 degrees outside and I really did not want to go through changing my clothes in the back of my car again. I decided I wait until later, when I could go to a rest stop. So that’s what I did, when it finally warmed up to 20 degrees. I don’t like cold weather.

My plan was to head to Redding, CA.  I started driving up through the overwhelmingly beautiful Tahoe National forest. I was raining, then the rained turned to light snowfall. No big deal. As the elevation climbed, the light snow fall turned into a blizzard and the roads became icy. I had my AWD on and my “snow traction” option turned on. But I could still feel my car slide. I wanted to pull off but there were no exits and pulling on the shoulder is a bad idea as anyone can slide off and hit you. I grew up driving in snow and feel I am a safe driver in this kind of weather. There are certain ways to break, to maneuver your car when you slide, and to remember to keep a big gap between you and the car in front of you just in case you do lose control of the car. But these other drivers on the road either had no knowledge of these driving rules or were too impatient.  Cars were tailgating each other and then slamming on their brakes when they got too close, causing the car to slide off the road.  At one point, the traffic had completely stopped because a semi-truck had slid sideways and was blocking the road. So there everyone sat in their cars, for about 40 min, until the truck to be moved off to the side of the road. It took another hour of slowly driving to get off the mountain.

I eventually made it up to Redding, via Sacramento, and it was a downpour of rain, strong gusts of winds. I attempted to explore the Sacramento River, but the weather was miserable. I sat in my car a while and tried to devise a new plan, but the weather forecast held no relief for me. I was just in no mood to sleep in my car that night.  I was tired. I wanted comfort. I slept in a hotel that night. A conversation started in my head “Good job Natalie! You made it one whole night sleeping in your car and now resorting to a hotel room because of rain. Where’s your grit girl?!”  I responded to myself with “Well, it’s not like I’m broke. I’m homeless by choice. I’ve got a few extra bucks. I deserve a little comfort.”  I responded back “Ok, well let’s see how long you can survive on the road over the next few weeks” daring myself to be a more hard core #Vanlifer.

My first 24 hours weren’t terribly exciting in terms of travel, but figuring out how to live in my car was a bigger adventure than I thought and a bit of an unexpected learning curve.  But I’m up for a challenge.