Headed South




I'm back in Portland to pick up some art supplies, then I'm headed south for the winter.  I'm checking with friends online to see if the smoke is still hanging over the I-5 corridor. If so, I'll go back and head down the coast.

I need to stop at my mother's in Hanford to check up on her. From there to Desert Hot Springs, where I'll have a home base for the winter.

I'm hoping to see New Mexico before going to the Women's RTR in Quartzsite.

Stay tuned . . .


Oregon in August means BLACKBERRIES!



In case you haven't seen photos,
here is what people in Oregon have been dealing with
the past few weeks with all the forest fires.
Seems like the whole world is on fire!
And the smoke makes it impossible for me to be in Portland!


I've been camped at Joe's lot in Newport now for over a week, helping him. Joe asked me to go back to Portland and help him with an estate sale, but the smoke from all the fires is keeping us at the coast for a few more days. I was supposed to help at a music festival in Dundee, but unless the smoke clears out before tomorrow, I will not be able to attend. 


Anyway, it's August in Oregon and that means BLACKBERRIES!

Here are just a few of the berries I picked in a short time on Joe's lot.




Tomorrow morning, I'm going to make them into syrup 
and pour them over a stack of nice, hot pancakes.  YUM!

When Joe first arrived, he tried cutting the salal down 
with a bushwhacker.
But this is as far as he got in 10 minutes.
The stuff is THICK and is over 6 feet tall!
It's been about 3 years since he cleared the lot
and the salad and blackberries have taken it over.


I suggested we go to a tool rental business
and rent a gasoline powered bushwhacker.
What a GREAT idea!

Getting it loaded in the car was interesting.
Good thing it wasn't raining!


I finally finished my updated luggable loo.
I used the instructions based on Crystal Vanner's
UPDATED bucket toilet video.
I had difficulty finding gear ties in Newport,
and in the end ordered them from Amazon.
I love my new toilet!!!

We found this very cool bird's nest 
while taking down one of the small trees.
The red-eyed viriol who built and occupied the nest
was long gone.
It is a very cool nest, 
woven with bark from birch and salal.


I'm very happy here,
living out of my van.
The weather has been perfect and a mixture
of cool, sea-misty days
and warm, sunny ones.

One thing I love about van dwelling
is the amount of time I get to spend out of doors.

Anyway, with the gas-powered bushwhacker,
Joe was able to cut two HUGE piles of salal
in less than 24 hours.
These are made into piles
and left to dry out until November,
when the fire-ban is lifted.
Then, we'll have one heck of a bonfire!


Stomping down the pile!
We took a walk on the beach today,
and it was beautiful.
Life is good here in Newport, Oregon.

One thing we're discussing is sharing the cost of building
a home base, either here on this lot,
or in the desert.

We haven't made up our minds yet,
but I will be spending a couple of months
at Joe's desert place before he gets there,
to try to get some Christmas stock finished 
and put into my Etsy shops.
I'll be doing needle felted nativities
and upcycled Bratz dolls.




Please keep me in mind if you're holiday shopping.
I have two Etsy shops that will be re-opening soon,
one is called FreckleFarm Dolls
and the other is simply 
Annie Carvalho.

More soon.
Love,
Annie

SHOWERS ON THE ROAD



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.


Other:

YUMA 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


Becoming More Stealthy

I followed the lead of one of the ladies on the Women's RTR site today and made my van a bit more stealthy.

I went to Joann's fabric store, took advantage of their 50% sale, and bought a yard and 21 inches of 72 inch black felt. I found a can of Scotch spray adhesive in the hugely discounted section.

I brought all my goodies "home" to the lot where I'm boondocked on the Oregon coast.

I laid out my reflectix window covers on the ground, sprayed them with the adhesive, then glued them to the felt.  After they were good and stuck, I cut around the edges and voila!

My once silver window coverings now look like black tinted windows.

I'm VERY happy with the results and it was easy as pie.
Took me about 20 minutes to finish all four windows.

I did have an "adventure" when I thought I'd put reflectix TAPE around the edges to hold it all together. But when I put that piece in the window, the silver tape GLARED. So I ripped it off.

Cost was about $15 and I've got lots of adhesive and about a yard of felt left. I bought way too much felt.


My reflectix window covering on top of the felt piece
The felt before I more carefully trimmed it


From the outside. See the tiny bit of reflectix in the upper right corner? I should patch that.

The back windows are awesomely blacked out now.

*** UPDATE!
This did not work and I ended up ripping the felt off and simply putting reflectix in the windows. I never had another issue just using reflectix.

Bathing on the Run

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.

How I Organize my Toyota Sienna

NOTE:  Since this post, I've reorganized and cleaned out yet again. I'll post photos of that reorganization later in April, 2019.

***

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 some photos of the inside of my van:

I turned my passenger seat around

I have lots of space!


 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.

I love my van.
The only thing I'd like more is to be able
to stand up inside and cook.
That will be my next change...

Please feel free to add comments or questions.

Happy Trails!
Annie

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