Staying Warm in the Cold Desert

Boondocking in the desert during the winter can be a wonderful experience. For the most part, the days are sunny and beautiful and warm.  However, once the sun sets, the temperatures drop and nights can be quite chilly.  Here are some of the ways I stay warm.

For cold days, the key is to LAYER your clothes. A good pair of long-johns under some fleece will keep the wind off you. Cuddleduds are a good brand of long underwear and all you need is one or two pair. As far as fleece, I just ordered two pair of fleece pants for this winter's vanning and I'm in love with them both.

These are the THICKEST, warmest fleece pants I've ever owned. They will not win you a fashion contest, but who the heck cares in the desert? They will hold up and keep off the chilly wind.  They are roomy and comfortable. I've gained quite a bit of weight this year and so at 5'3" and 165, I ordered an XL. They are loose enough to be comfie but don't fall off. They have an elastic waist. I have to turn up the hem when I have time because they are a few inches too long. 

Here is a link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077D8MVJ2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also ordered a pair of these black fleece pants for times I wanted to "dress up" a bit. They are also very thick and warm, but have narrower legs so I don't look like a hobbit in them.

Again I ordered an XL and they fit comfortably. 

I don't know if clothes are running smaller these days

or if I'm just getting big as a barn in my old age,

but it hurts my heart to have to order an XL.

I will not have to hem these, as the cuffs are narrow 

and will stay above my shoes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N7A6FTT/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I ordered two tops.

This fleece tunic top is roomy, plush, and warm!

I'm in love with it.

I again ordered an XL.

I probably could have easily gotten by with a L,

but I wanted to be able to layer under it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G5YZX7T/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have a heavy denim skirt that I'll sometimes put over my fleece pants if it's super cold. That really keeps my legs warm. I bought it at Goodwill for $6.99.

I went to Goodwill last year and found a really good DOWN jacket to wear over everything if it's REALLY chilly.  I also have a good wool hat to cover my head outside.  For inside the van and sleeping, I have a fleece beanie that is really comfie but warm.  Something like this one:

When it's super cold outside, I wear fleece lined mukluks like these.  The rest of the time, I'm in sandals or running shoes.

To keep warm at night, I went to Goodwill and bought a down comforter. It cost me $12 and was for a queen sized bed.  I doubled it and put it into a twin sized duvet - also purchased at Goodwill for $6.  With this double down blanket, it's lightweight and warm as heck! I've slept in 20 degree weather and kept toasty!  

You can find down comforters on Amazon for under $50. If you buy a large one and double it, they're awesome!  

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Down-Alternative-Comforter-Queen/dp/B071F2V3KT/ref=sr_1_4_acs_sk_pb_1_sl_2?s=bedbath&ie=UTF8&qid=1544366117&sr=1-4-acs&keywords=Down+comforter

At night I do not sleep in my clothes. I change into warm flannel pajamas. 

I wear my beanie.

If it's super cold, I wear wool socks to bed.

And if it's SUPER SUPER cold, which is rare, I'll wear gloves.

I do not run my heater except in the early mornings when I first get up.

In the desert there's not much to do once the sun goes down, 

so I usually hit the bed early and read, then sleep.

That way I'm up before sunrise and can make my coffee and watch the spectacular colors as the sun comes up.

I have a Buddy Heater and it keeps me really warm. It runs on a small propane tank I bought just for the heater. I turn it on when I get up and run it for 5 minutes and the van is nice and warm. I may turn it off and on several times before the sun comes up, ALWAYS leaving a front window cracked at least 1/2 inch.  I NEVER sleep with the heater running... NEVER.  Each year, there are people who die because they fell asleep with the heat running and were killed by the carbon monoxide.  Don't do it. Just don't.

The buddy heater is very inexpensive to use if you don't run it continuously.

Sometimes if I want to be outside to watch the sunrise, I'll sit on the edge of my open van door, take it out with me and keep it near my legs. You can use small green canisters for it, and I've tried both, but prefer the small propane tank, which lasts longer and is cheaper to use.

Once the sun is up, the desert warms up quickly. Unless a storm rolls in, you're likely to have beautiful blue skies and sunshine! And then you can take those layers off and wear shorts!

All the clothes I take in my van fit in two bins under my bed. 

I change underwear daily but might wear the same outer wear for up to a week.

And that's it. 

Keeping warm isn't so difficult.

Right now I'm in Portland, Oregon and the wind is so cold it cuts through you.

I've NEVER experienced this cold in Quartzsite. 

Even on the coldest days in the desert, it's warmer there.

So don't worry.

Just do a bit of preparation and you'll be fine.

Happy Trails!
Annie

SHOWERS ON THE ROAD - Please add updates if you have them

I figured it would be nice to post the places I find showers. I'll add to this list as I find more and more places.

Planet Fitness:  Join for $10-20 per month, and you're able to shower at any Planet Fitness facility from what I understand. I used their showers once. They were clean. 

Along the West Coast and Hwy 101

Flint, Washington:   Showers in town at 2 of the town motels. One costs $3 per shower. The other costs $5 and includes towels, washcloth, soap and shampoo.  Can't remember the name of the motels, but will post it when I do.

Tillamook, Oregon: YMCA has $1 showers Monday-Friday 5:30 am - 10:30 am & 7 pm - 8:30 pm

Beverly Beach Oregon:  This state part and most other state parks in Oregon will allow you to buy a nice hot shower for $2.  If you're disabled, the disabled showers are larger and have a hose nozzle. The Disabled shower at Beverly Beach appears to be wheelchair accessible. Clean? Well, it's a beach so the floors were sandy and it's Oregon so there's always a bit of mold.

Grace Wins Haven, Newport, Oregon:  Showers for free on Tuesdays. Open at 9 am. Get in and sign up early. Address is 437 Northeast 1st Stree.

Rec Center Newport, Oregon:   Showers for $5.50 each

Rockaway Beach:    Arisana Tolomei from my Women's RTR Facebook page says: I was just camping at Barview Jetty Campground. We only had to put 2 quarters in to get the shower started. Never used more than 5 quarters per shower. 🙌 This campground is on the Oregon coast in Rockaway Beach.

Seaside: I found a hot shower outside the MEN's bathrooms at The Cove beach. A girl COULD wear a swimsuit and get a nice shower there.

Near Flagstaff - I-40

Flagstaff, AZ:  Little America Travel Center.  Suanne Carlson reports:  So on my way west on I-40, I knew I was going to be driving by Little America Travel Center, and planned to stop for a "spa" treat. I paid my $12 and $5 deposit, received two huge towels, a large wash cloth, a small bottle of shampoo, some fancy-dancy liquid soap, and a key to room 9. The bathrooms are huge for truck stop facilities -- a big shower, long counter/mirror with sink, a semi-private toilet area, and a big shower. But, what really sets this place apart are the large tubs.

Donna Rimmer shares:  Another place I take showers in Flagstaff....FLAGSTAFF AQUATIC CENTER.
ONLY $6.50 for a day pass.
I swim awhile, sit in HOT TUB, then take a long hot shower.
Covered parking.
Only 9.50 if you are not a senior.
My favorite place to go.

Route 66

Grand Canyon SOUTH Rim - Route 66:  I had a wonderful 8 minute HOT shower on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I found showers at the Camper Services Building at the entrance to Mather Campground. 8 am – 6 pm core hours, last laundry wash 4:45 pm. The showers were $2 for 8 minutes, and the water was lovely and hot! Take quarters!

Kingman Arizona -
Kingman, AZ.Cornerstone Mission on Sycamore Street behind Motel 6.
FREE showers!!!!!
They have towels, soap and shampoo, also.
Nice "ladies" shower, toilet, sink, mirror.

Lake Havasu, Arizona
Lake Havasu Aquatic Center.

$5.00 day pass. Hot tub, pool, and showers available.

Ajo, Arizona
$3 showers at Shadow Ridge RV
behind the Shell station
50 cent showers at Belly Acres RV next to Npa
Shadow Ridge is nicer


Yuma, Arizona YWCA :  1917 West 32nd Street. Showers are $3 whenever facility is open. Sunday

9:00 am to 2:00 pm

Monday

5:00 am to 10:00 pm

Tuesday

5:00 am to 10:00 pm

Wednesday

5:00 am to 10:00 pm

Thursday

5:00 am to 10:00 pm

Friday

5:00 am to 8:00 pm

Saturday

8:00 am to 4:00 pm

More About Bathing in the Minivan

Bathing and hair washing is one issue van dwellers have to face and figure out. I've shown you my system for taking a bath in a previous post. But if I'm not boondocked, I often will use Starbucks or some other public bathroom where the main door can be locked (important) to clean up.

Here is what I take along:

I start with a pretty cloth bag. This one is new looking and holds a LOT!  To others, it could just be my purse, and in fact, I keep my change purse in here when I go into Starbucks, along with my laptop and cord, so they don't suspect anything.

I carry a microfiber washcloth in a ziplock bag.  When I get back to my van, I hang it on my main door bungie to dry out. The microfiber dries quickly.

I carry a microfiber towel.  

It is super absorbent and dries very quickly 

when hung up in the van on my bungie.

I've tried terrycloth towels, but they take forever to dry 

unless you're in nice hot weather.

This is the brand of microfiber towel I bought. A little spendy, but worth every cent. I've had trouble with microfiber towels not being absorbent enough.  This one is great!  I love it! I carry it with me on the Camino when backpacking also.
Small, but powerful!

I picked up this men's shaving kit at Goodwill, brand new, for $2.99.

It holds all my necessities, 

such as deodorant, toothbrush and paste,

soap (in a plastic travel soapdish),

face cream, etc.

The yellow thing is a scrubber washcloth 

I bought at an asian store. 

I love that thing!

I also carry a small empty plastic cup for pouring water over my head.

I put a clean pair of panties and bra, if needed,

into the bag.

I wear my clean clothes including socks, into the facility.

I just saunter into Starbucks,

order a coffee,

then ask for the bathroom code.

I go in and enjoy their nice hot water.

I wash my hair first,

in the sink.

Using the cup I get my head wet,

soap up with my DOVE soap

(my hairdresser said it will help my hair grow in thicker)

then rinse using my cup.

Then I just take a bath from the top down,

using my soapy washcloth,

then rinsing.

I take off my shoes and stand on 2 paper towels.

Feet go into the sink last

(I'm flexible).

Then I wash out my cloth real good

and put it back into the plastic bag.

It can hang out to dry when I'm back at the van.

All of this takes less than 7-8 minutes,

and that's no longer than some folks use the bathroom

for a BM, so I don't worry too much about it.

I do tend to get into Starbucks early,

around 5:30 am when they open,

so they're usually not busy at all.

That's it!

Bathing on the Run.

By the way, you CAN check out various places for showers.

YMCA will often have cheap shower hours.

At Tillamook, showers at YMCA are only $1.

Some tourist town hotels will offer showers.

Up in Washington, I found showers for $3 and $5.

Public swimming pools will have showers.

Community Centers sometimes have showers.

And then there's always the gym...

Planet Fitness is inexpensive to join

if they have facilities in your area.

Truck stops will have showers,

but they can be spendy at $12-$15.

The nice thing is there's no time limit.

Your senior center might know of a place,

as may a local church.

Go check out what's available near you.

And remember, it never hurts to ask.

Happy Trails,

Annie

Organizing my 2003 Toyota Sienna Mini Van for Van Dwelling

In the past year I've organized and reorganized my 2002 Toyota Sienna a few times.  Each time it gets a little better, and a little easier to live out of.  Here are my latest photos.

 This is my office.  It is a sturdy woven plastic picnic basket. I think I paid about $3.99 for it at Goodwill.

Inside, I keep my iPads, books I'm reading, pens, pencils, tape, correction fluid, pencil sharpener, and pretty much everything I'd keep in a desk.

During the day if I'm driving, 

this "office" lives in the passenger seat.

Inside the white bag are all my cords.

Under my bed I have 3 cubby holes that hold large storage bins.

Two of the bins hold clothing.

One holds art supplies and first aid.

In front of Bin #1,  which holds my jeans and shirts,

I keep another small basket that I picked up at Goodwill.

Inside that basket, 

I keep items I use nearly every day;

lotion, make-up bag with fingernail files, clippers, 

a bit of makeup, nose spray, foot powder, q-tips, etc.

In front of Clothing Bin #2, which holds panties, bras,

swimsuit, hair dryer, towels and washclothes (2 each),

is a small cloth bag.  Inside that is my jetboil, for the mornings I don't want to drag out my table and coleman stove for coffee.  I also keep my DoTerra essential oils in that bag so I can get to them easily.

Also fitting in that space, is my pee pot.

I bought a snap-lock container for my pee pot. 

I keep it in a cloth basket with packages of baby wipes.

The wipes, by the way, are from Walmart.

They are plush and fragrance free

and only cost $5 for 3 large packages.

The pee pot is as tall as a regular cereal container, but half as long.

It's "just the right size" to use and avoid spillage. 

The two of those fit perfectly side by side in front of the clothing bin.

Cubby #3 holds my art supplies and my first aid box.

One half-sized bin holds all my watercolor supplies.

One holds all of my first aid supplies along with a few other items

that haven't found a home, 

like my wind up radio and wind up flashlight.

Sitting sideways is a box that holds my acrylic paints.

One of the boxes, you'll notice, does not have a lid. 

There wasn't enough space to get it in with the lid,

but it sits so close to the bottom of the bed,

that it really doesn't need a lid.

All my acrylics fit nicely in this snap-lock box I picked up at Joann's.

Behind the acrylics are two small wooden boxes.
One holds my ritual supplies, like incense, charcoal, censor, etc.
One holds my tarot cards.
The backside of my kitchen is my headboard.
On the left of my headboard, I hung part of a shoe holder.
It keeps my carbon monoxide detector right next to my head.
It also holds things I use every day,
or may need quickly,
like toilet paper, nose spray, ibuprofen and Gaviscon.

Beneath that you see my purple shower bag,

and under it is my small propane tank that I use for my Buddy Heater,
when I need it.

To the passenger side of my bed I put a small container

that holds my night lights.

These are simply solar lights that you stick out in your yard.

I got them at Walmart, 10 for $10.

To use them as night lights, you simply unscrew them

from the pointy sticks.

I turn them upside down and charge them each day.

They burn for a couple of hours.

Under the night lights is a little bin that holds my scissors

needles, and other sharp things.

I decided to bring my guitar with me again this winter.

During the day when I'm driving or hanging out, 

it lives on the bed.

I keep my solar panel and yoga mat on the driver side of my bed.

They fit nicely between the sliding door and the bed.

Under the passenger seat, I keep a few books and files,

along with my yoga strap and level and house slippers.

The passenger seat in my van is turned around facing the rear.

So "behind" it I keep my extra battery

and a bucket I use to do laundry.

I keep my dirty clothes in the bucket until it is full,

and then either go to a laundromat or

wash them in the bucket

with my plunger washing machine (see previous post).

You can see my buddy heater in this photo.

It lives beween the two front seats when I'm not using it.

I don't usually keep ice,

but I keep an ice chest for extra food storage,

like salads, eggs, and yogurt.

It lives on top of the battery until I'm parked,

at which point I take it out and keep it in the shade.

In the back of the van is my kitchen. 

There is an entire blog post on that with photos if you're interested.

Last, I paid $49 for Eclipse shades for the front window.

These are made specifically for your van and I am in love with them.

They save me from having to deal with those stupid sunshades 

you have to fold up and figure out a home for. 

They were simple to install.

My cousin has had them in their car for 7 years and she suggested them.

They just pull closed and fasten with super strong velcro.

When you open them, they are hardly noticeable.

Here are some photos from the website:

Easy to open and close.

From the inside.

From the outside

From the inside when open, hardly noticeable

Well, I guess that's it.

All my extras are kept in the Thule cartop carrier up top; tent, archause, chair, levelers, washing machine, shade tent, extra table, tools, bungies.

Please feel free to add comments or questions.

Happy Trails!

Annie

In My Secret Campground, Washington State

August 17, 2018

I'm sitting in my van, 

looking out the window at a beautiful milky blue river run past. 

Most of the weekend campers are gone now

 and all that remain are my van friends, 

Nelda and Jerry, Sassy, and Sally.  

This is a gorgeous spot for $5 per night, 

and I wish I could stay here a couple of weeks. 

But my granddaughter starts an ice skating camp next week 

and school in 2 weeks, 

so next week is the only time she has free to spend with grandma. 

I'll pack up in the morning and head back to the city for a few days.  

After that, all I know is I'll be looking 

for a place to watch the Perseid meteor showers 

on the 12th and 13th.

Getting here was fun. 

Sassy, Sally, and I stopped at the YMCA in Tillamook for showers. 

We drove up Highway 101 to Parkside Restaurant and Lounge 

where the girls treated me to a birthday breakfast!  

Wonderful food!  

Wonderful company!

I grabbed a few jelly packets at the restaurant 

and when I opened the back of the van to put them in,

my favorite cup fell out and broke!  

I decided it was a sign to let go of broken things,

like a relationship with a person I thought was my friend.

So I took a photo to remember it by,

then had the waitress toss it away,

where broken things go.

We continued up the coast,

on Highway 101.

There were so many beautiful things to see,

like these odd rock formations.

and these GORGEOUS plate-sized flowers!

We stopped at a sign that said Haystack Rock 

and I took this photo of Sally in front of what turned out to be 

NOT Haystack Rock!  ::laughing::

I stopped at the Column in Astoria and took this photo

from the parking lot. 

I didn't climb the tower,

but Sassy did and she got some incredible shots

of the surrounding countryside.

The Column - you can climb to the top on an inside staircase.

More beautiful seaside scenery

 We met up with Jerry and Nelda at the Quinault Casino, 

where I won a free room for the night when I spun the wheel

at the registration desk!

The room was nice, 

but I kept checking out the window

to be sure my van was ok!

This didn't give me comfort!  LOL!

Nice comfie king sized bed

A fireplace!

And Holy Moley, a BATHTUB!

Leaving Quinault,

we continued our drive up Hwy 101

though dozens of tiny towns 

and lots of beautiful green forest.

Just so you know,

even though the map appears to show you driving along the coast,

you only actually see the ocean a few times.

It's completely blocked by forest.

We took a detour at Lake Quinault,

where Nelda tried to murder me

by having me follow them on the EXTREMELY dusty road

around the lake.

I guess in the Spring and Autumn it is beautiful.

But the day we went, 

it was dry and dusty

and like a washboard.

I could have skipped that part!

To pay for the shock,

she cooked us a nice curry lunch

and we sat at the ranger station and ate.

The forest was beautiful there.

Several waterfalls and a few nice hikes.

But for me, this was an exploration trip 

so I'll know where to camp next season,

so I wanted to move on.

Jerry wanted to camp at Hoh Ox Bow campground,

so we headed there.

But they were FULL!

Then Sassy called and she had found 

the wonderful place where we are now,

right along the river.

A girl couldn't ask for more!

Sunrise this morning

There's space between us

Looking down river

This morning, I broke one of the connectors on my invertor

and Sassy came down to help me fix it.

While we were sitting talking,

a nice bald eagle flew over our heads,

and across the river.

He came to rest in a pine tree

and sat there a long time,

looking for fish.

It was an incredible sight.

I love this place.

I'll be back next season for sure,

and maybe even before.

Loving life!

Annie