Happy Campers

 Camping in a minivan is so much nicer than camping in my Jeep Cherokee. The only change I needed to make was to update the tech so I could use my van not only as a camper but as my office; I would need to make hands-free calls, check and reply to text messages, and, well, listen to Audible books while I was wending my way across the country.

B

efore I left, I had the van all rigged out: my camping cot, under which I had two large sterilite storage containers—one filled with non-perishable food and the other filled with camping gear such as my teapot, pans, plates, etc.--two smaller containers for Rubi and Wham!'s food; a storage net which held my hammock, hats and gloves and other miscellany; Rubi’s princess bed and a smaller cozy bed for Wham!. Wham!’s crate, as I said earlier, was wedged firmly b

etween the end of the cot and the driver’s seat, though that would soon change. At the back was my cooler, Wham!’s travel litter box, and a rain jacket, down vest, and fleece.

I reserved the front passenger seat for Rubi; it had a pet cover over it, protecting it from any debris Rubi might bring in after a walk, and on the floor was three small tubs; one was filled with snacks (smoked almonds in a Tupperware container, a couple of apples, a few KIND bars and parmesan cheese Whisp crackers. On top of that was my laptop and my the flat tray that could attach to my steering wheel for a desk or eating surface. I had purchased an open tool chest with lots of little pouches and pockets that I placed between the seats; this held everything from bottles of hand sanitizer, face masks, my voice recorder, pens, paper, my water bottle and my coffee thermos.

Earlier I had bought a roll of insulation that was essentially bubble wrap covered in reflective material.

The day before I left, with the help of my friend, Wenda, I had cut out pieces to fit into each of the back windows for both privacy and insulation. This proved to be much harder than it looked, but finally, with the help of strategically placed Velcro squares, we made it work. I stored these along the side of the van, next to my cot, when not in use.

I had also bought black kitchen curtains and strung them on a tension pole across the back of the front seats; when closed it gave an added measure of privacy, particularly with the sun shade covering the front window and the two mesh screens previously used on the back windows of the Jeep, now used to cover the door windows up front.

I was set!

Of course, having said that, the first three nights were spent at my sister’s apartment in Lawrence, KS. And I would spend three more nights in hotels (election night and the day after, plus Saturday, to make sure my tech was ready for Sunday service). Still I was most excited to see how van life would be while camping.

The first opportunity for that came in Dayton, OH. This was not a glamorous location; I made use of the Cracker Barrel restaurant parking lot to simply spend the night. I had found this location at freecampsites.net, a great website that has locations of places to boondock ranging from the parking lots of Cracker Barrel restuarants, Walmart’s, or Lowes, to dispersed camping sites on lands run by the Bureau of Land Management or in National Forests. This website also shows low cost camping in state parks, as well as more expensive RV and campsites.

Even if I hadn’t had the opportunity to switch up my ride, I had learned a few things my first time out in my Jeep Cherokee, so this was sure to be a smoother experience.

For instance, my first time out, I camped at a site that had an electric hookup. I had huddled next to it with my laptop plugged directly into it. This time out, I had a 25-foot outdoor extension cord and a power cord that had six outlets for electrical items along with four USB charging ports. This time I sat comfortably at my camp table, not having to be hunched next to the outlet; when I retired to the van for the night, I simply snaked the cord in with me and continued working away. When I didn't have the luxury of electricity at a campsite, my power inverter charged my laptop and other tech while I drove.

The first time out, to save space in the smaller Cherokee, I didn’t have my camping gear or dry goods as efficiently arranged as I did this time. I spent a lot of time shuffling things around, trying to find what I needed, but no more!

Already, things were looking up! 

What I really wanted to see, of course, was how Wham! would react when we were camped out. When we stayed at hotels, I carried him (completely ignoring the large, useless crate I had brought) into the room. When we were camping out (not just sleeping in a parking lot) he and Rubi were leashed to a six foot tie down. At our first campsite, I had them both attached to the cooler, inside my net tent. I had the back hatch of the van open, however, and Wham! at first wanted to stay in there. Gradually he became secure enough to walk around outside but I kept his tie down tethered to the cot inside the van.

The first few nights
, in a state park in northern VA, the nights got down to the mid to high 30s. I was glad for the insulation on the windows, and equally glad for the extra body heat of Wham! and Rubi. Of course, it was a bit snug on the camping cot, but we adjusted and at some point in the night, Rubi gave up and slept on her princess bed next to the cot.

I confess, I was stressed and unsure of my decision to bring Wham! along, particularly in those early days when he seemed so uncomfortable, but his look of sheer joy and contentment when he was snugged up next to me while I
was working in the van, or while we were sleeping made it worthwhile.

It was so much easier in the van than it had been in the Jeep. Already I have new ideas for making it even more efficient. For starters: the large cat crate will not be coming along on future adventures. And because it won’t be taking up so much space, I’m going to trade in the sterilite containers that fit under the cot for three drawer sterilite containers; one will sit at the end of the cot facing out, with my cooking gear in the bottom drawer, my non perishable foods in the middle and my toiletry bag and dish towels, soap, etc. in top drawer. The other three drawer unit will be right next to it, but facing in the van and will hold my clothes, pet toys, etc.

Each trip out I’m learning something. I talked with a friend about maybe going out completely pet less for a shorter trip. I imagine it would be much more freeing to not have to take into consideration finding a dog park, or soothing my cat. Plus I would REALLY have a lot of room then.

Tonight, I am camping at a state park just outside of Lexington, KY. I chose this route because when I came through this area the first trip I discovered the BEST DOG PARK IN THE UNIVERSE. It is literally acres and acres of rolling green hills with a few copses of trees for Rubi to play hide and seek in, either with other dogs, or with her own playful spirit. We spent over an hour there today, before coming here to set up camp.

This afternoon, I took part in two Zoom meetings, answered emails, and made a few phone calls from outside the van, while Rubi slept nearby and Wham! tried on his Adventure Cat hat.

These nights, when I finally close my computer, but before I “snuff out” the LED lanterns that are hanging from the clothes hooks, I look around and feel content; I am connected with all things: these snoring animals, the crickets whose songs I still hear, the birds who will wake me in the morning, this beautiful world. Life is good.

PHOTOS FROM VAN LIFE