Preparing for Possible Summer Travel

Prologue
29 Palms, CA

After exploring my options for extended travel it became obvious that my only realistic avenues, given my limited budget, are bicycle touring or car camping. I may be a bit too old or too lazy for long distance bike travel. Car camping is a viable option but more so in the West where there are many more reasonably priced federal campgrounds (I get a 50% discount with my Lifetime Senior Pass).

In my daily Youtube viewing I have noticed that many in this country, arguably the richest on earth, are living long term in cars, SUV's and vans. Over time it dawned on me that I could probably make such a solution work for exploring the country. While it would be very nice to have a cargo van or SUV to convert to an pseudo RV realistically my best or only practical option is to use the car I have, a 2015 Nissan Versa Note. Although the Note is not large it is a hatchback and is more roomy than many sedans. Many are living full time in Honda Civics and the like. The advantage of the car over a tent is that I can sleep in Walmart and truck stop parking areas, rest areas and many other places at no cost. This makes travel east of the Rockies practical.

After taking some measurements, perusing numerous Youtube videos and thinking about it I decided that I could put a plywood sleeping platform on the passenger side of the car. Ideally I would take the front passenger seat out and make the platform queen bed length, 80". I was reluctant to remove the seat unless I was committed to an extended trip. I noted that I could get a 72" x 24" platform in with the seat and seat back forward. This would be adequate for a trial run. I purchased a sheet of moderate quality 1/2" plywood at Home Depot and had them cut it into 2 24" x 72" pieces.

I soon realized that I did not want to drive with the passenger seat forward. I cut one 24" piece down to 60" which fit and was cramped to lay on but usable. It finally dawned on me that I could move the seat forward and hinge the 12" I had cut off and fold it forward at night. Doh! I had purchased 2 sets of small hinges with the intention of hinging both ends of the platform for access to the space underneath when and if I took the seat out and put in the full length bed. I used a set to attach the 12" extension. I free handed cutouts in the rear of the platform to clear the rear wheel well and hatchback frame. I think the 72" length is adequate. I can stretch out straight on it. This is the 60" platform without the extension:

After seeing the limited space available on the driver's side, much less than my imagination had created, I decided it made sense to add a second ply sheet on that side. This piece is about 55" x 22". I made it short enough to allow full adjustment of the driver's seat back. This worked out well and allows a good spot for an ice chest behind the driver's seat and a place to keep stuff on top of the shallow area under the ply at the back. The bedding is the arrangement I use when sleeping on a cot in a large tent. I will not need hinges in the back as I can just lift either plywood piece up to access the space underneath:

After stumbling upon Youtube videos of people modifying cheap ice chests I set out to fortify my poorly performing unit. It is a Coleman "Extreme" It lives up to its name. It is extremely ineffective at keeping ice frozen. I used this chest when I supported my son on his PCT hike to Canada in 2009 and had to buy 10 or 20 pounds of ice nearly every day. Not good!

I used a combination of Youtube techniques. I drilled holes and shot spray foam into the hollow lid. I used 3/4" foam board on the inside of the lid and the back and bottom of the interior. Because of the irregular shape of the sides I used Reflectix, a foil lined bubble wrap on the front and sides. The joints are sealed with mold resistant silicone or aluminum duct tape. The result is not pretty but hopefully will improve ice retention:

The next step was to give the entire project a test run. I was inclined to procrastinate about actually leaving home. Read on.

Day 1
02/26/2019
7:30 PM PST
BLM Land Near Parker, AZ

My neighbor Jim asked me yesterday if I had plans to go to Walmart. I told him I could go today as I needed to return my new mini-fridge to Home Depot. It turned out to be inadequate for the intended purpose of replacing the absorption refrigerator in my 5th wheel trailer. Home Depot is next door to Walmart in Yucca Valley, CA. About noon today we set out. They took the fridge back with no problems and we went next door to Walmart. Jim had only to pick up a phone but I needed to get several items for the pending adventure. Jim had lunch at the Burger King in the store while waiting for me.

We got back to 29 Palms about 2:00. I decided there was no reason to not pack up and start out. Loading the car was a challenge as I had imagined much more space than actually exists but I got it all in. I got away at about 3:30. My initial idea was to go to a primitive campground in Anza-Borrego State Park near Shelter Valley which is east of and downhill from the town of Julian and about 25 miles from the park headquarters at Borrego Springs. I decided I better get gas to avoid paying a ridiculous price in the boonies. By the time I got to Highway 62 I had decided to come here so I turned left for AZ instead of right for the gas station and Shelter Valley. It worked out well because on the way here I realized I had forgotten a few things and there is a Walmart 5-6 miles from my planned BLM camp spot west of Parker. I bypassed my current location which is in CA and crossed the river into Parker where I got cheap AZ gas. I next went around the corner to the Walmart Supercenter and purchased the missing items. I checked the ice chest temp before going in and decided I better get ice as the chest was at 50 degrees in the top tray. I had not pre-chilled the cooler and packed it using only 3 bike bottles and a liter soda bottle of frozen water for refrigeration. By the time I got here with 10 pounds of ice added the inside temperature of the chest was near freezing. We will see how the ice fares in my doctored cooler.

I returned to here and found a suitable place to park. There are many other rigs of various descriptions about but I am quite a distance from my nearest neighbor. I set up my small aluminum table and started water and made a pot of Ramen. I prepared the bed and did some other small chores. After eating I put everything away and dug out my Chromebook and here I am. My Chromebook is new enough to run both Android and Linux apps as well as Chrome OS. I started my phone hot spot and let the newly installed Linux version of the Thunderbird email app download new mail then shut the hot spot down to conserve data. This is my first experience with Thunderbird and it appears that it will be a useful app which will help stretch my phone data when away from WiFi. I am writing this on an Android app called Writer. It is a very basic but effective text editor which requires no Internet connection. When I get home or to WiFi I will copy and email the writer files to myself and paste them into the Google Blogger.

This is a pleasant and peaceful place to camp. I hear the occasional truck go by on Highway 62 but it is not bad and the traffic will probably diminish as it gets later. In about an hour I will go to bed. It is going to take some trial and error to develop a good drill for living in such a small space but all in all it has been a good start to a new adventure.

Day 2
2/27/2019 6:05 PM
Blair Valley Dry Lake
Anza-Borrego State Park near Shelter Valley, CA

No extra space at the inn:

I went to bed at about 11:00 last night, per my watch which syncs from my phone. I discovered early this AM that the phone was stuck on AZ time and did not switch back to CA until I opened it to do something so it was really 10:00 when I turned in. At 12:30 AM (CA time) I woke up to a loud bang. I wondered if somebody had shot my car but decided it might have been a can of carbonated beverage exploding in the cooler. I don't think either was the case so I have no idea what woke me but I could not get back to sleep. About 3:00 AM CA time I decided to get up and move to Shelter Valley and try to sleep there. I rearranged the car and retreated west to Vidal Junction and then south towards Blythe where I would switch to Highway 78 which would lead me into the Imperial Valley and on to a junction with San Diego S2 about 9 miles north of Shelter Valley. When I got a few miles from Blythe I realized that I had shut off the water to my trailer but not the water heater. This can create serious problems for the water heater. I decided I better go home and take care of it rather than worry about it for several days. I could also pick up some more items I forgot, in spite of my best effort to make a comprehensive list.

I went through the McDonald's drive through in Blythe and got a breakfast sandwich and a cup of cocoa then headed for home on I-10. The detour through Blythe added about 85 miles to the return trip. I got home at 6:00 AM and slept until 10:00 AM. When I got up I did email then got to work. I made a set of rudimentary legs for the front of the bed platform which I had discovered drooped a bit too much with my weight on it. I sorted and removed a few superfluous items then showered and left home about noon.

Crude but effective legs for the bed platform:

I stopped at Walmart in YV with the idea of buying a smallish folding camp chair. After I looked at what was available I decided to continue to sit in the car seat. After a pleasant drive I arrived here about 3:30 PM. I picked a spot the changed into my hiking boots and left for a walk about 4:00 PM. I planned to walk around the dry lake. The road appears to go around the lake bed but it does not. When I got far enough to the SE to see this I started back cross country on the southern fringes of the lake bed.

Looking west across the lake bed towards the Laguna Mountains which have a substantial and unusually heavy coat of snow:

Patches of healthy cactus on the southern fringes of the lake bed. They were well watered this winter:

A fine specimen:

About 1/2 mile from the car I glimpsed a ramada up the hill to the west. I went to investigate in hopes that it might be a secluded camping site with a private bathroom. No such luck. The structure is on the far side of and close to the highway/road, San Diego County S22, that runs through this area. As well as the ramada which is constructed of very old timbers there is a old and small building. The whole arrangement is fenced in but the gate is open so I went in to investigate. Not much to see, just some trash in an otherwise empty building. The state may keep it as an emergency shelter. It does not look old enough to be a station from the old Butterfield Stage route which ran through this valley on the way from St. Louis to Los Angeles. More here:

I got back to the car at about 5:30 PM. I dug a flavored water out of the ice chest. The chest is doing very well in maintaining the ice but this is not summer. The temperatures in and out of the car are much cooler than they will be in a few months. Time will tell. I am now in the front seat with my Chromebook on my lap writing this blurb while enjoying the drink. The elevation here is 2500' so it is quite a bit cooler than Parker at <500' but it is not bad, especially now that the chilly west wind blowing off the snow above me has stopped. I hope I will sleep tonight.

Day 3
2/28/2019 8:10 PM
Blair Valley Dry Lake
Anza-Borrego State Park near Shelter Valley, CA

An early near spring morning in the desert:

Success! I slept well from a about 10:00 PM last night until 7:30 this AM. The car seems to be much warmer than a tent. I left a window cracked but was still warm and cozy all night. It is a quiet and peaceful morning with the temperature at about 60. I hear birdsong and am watching a pair of ravens is working the lake looking for camper leftovers. I am not sure what I will do with myself today. I may sit here or I can go to Borrego and take a walk from the visitor center parking lot to the Palm Canyon Oasis, if it is intact after the recent storms. I am also considering moving shop to one of the BLM areas on the east side of the Imperial Valley. There are also multiple free camping areas near Borrego. I have many options for this fine almost spring day. Going home is a possibility too.

There were some decent wind gusts about 5:30 this AM. Hard enough to rock the car and move my small aluminum camp table about 5 feet and fold it up (see above picture). Such events are to be expected in the desert.

Epilogue
29 Palms, CA

I left Blair Valley at about nine and had a pleasant leisurely drive to Borrego Springs on S2, Highway 78 and Yaqui Pass Road. I parked at the city park inside Christmas Circle, the town roundabout. I decided I did not want to hang out at Borrego. I opted to head for the El Centro area and get a burrito at my favorite place in Imperial, one of the small towns I lived in as a child, then decide what to do from there. I took Borrego Springs Road back to Highway 78 and headed east towards the Salton Sea. I turned south on California 86. By the time I got to Westmorland where one turns south to take back roads into Imperial I had decided to take back roads I had never been on NE to Niland and Highway 111 and on to home. This was a very interesting route. As well as including the entrance to the Sonny Bono Wildlife Area there are many thermal electric generating plants in this area, obviously a volcanic hot spot. I have seen the steam from the plants from Highway 111 for many years but never ventured out to see them. I stopped and took some pictures of the plant closest to the road:

The rest of the trip home was pleasant but uneventful. I arrived at about 3:00, unpacked the car, changed and went to the city park for my daily walk.

I consider the experiment a success. If I want to migrate to the north when it gets hot here in a couple of months I can do well living in the car. We will see what the season brings.