To camp or not to camp?
Although I was at the event I had worked so hard to get to and was only parked a short walk away from all the action (maybe 3 or 4 blocks, in city speak?) the ground was rocky and uneven and I had to be very careful with my foot. One misstep could easily set me back by weeks. So I walked very slowly and carefully, and I didn't do as much as I would have liked while I was there, but I did get to do enough to make it worth being there.
I stayed nice and toasty warm in my sleeping bag, but by morning my van was as cold inside as it was outside. The first night it only went down to the upper 50's, so it was quite pleasant. I had a lovely morning to remind myself how to use my stove and to make tea. I bought a very silly-looking teapot for this trip, but I love love love it. It works great and it folds up so very small to put away! This is it, if you're curious: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B013KZUULA/
The day started nice and warm, but it never got warmer that day than it had been at breakfast. It stayed cloudy and windy all day long, so the van never got warm and any time I was outside I got chilled. Then it rained. Then the sun came out just before sunset to warm my van ever-so-slightly. I took this photo of that sunset:
And I spent a good part of that night planning my escape.
After two nights camping I realized I was getting overwhelmed with all the logistics of caring for myself without any modern amenities such as running water, electricity, or plumbing. Also, Sunday night was predicted to be colder than the previous two nights. So I decided to retreat into my comfort zone and head back to the motel in Blythe to stay Sunday night. My plan was to rejuvenate myself and come back ready to enjoy the women's meetings on Monday through Wednesday. While in Blythe I did some shopping for my friend, so I knew I would at least return to camp to deliver the stuff to her. If it hadn't been for that, I might have decided that I'd rather stay comfortable instead of going back to the rocky desert. I took a shower Sunday night and another one Monday morning.
When I got back to camp Monday morning, instead of parking where my friend was camped, I drove up to the "day parking" area and parked just outside the handicapped parking zone. Then I had only a very short walk to the meeting, which I found much more manageable. (Why didn't I do that sooner? One reason is all the preparations that are needed to secure stuff inside the van before driving it, and then the amount of undoing of that it takes to get ready to live in it again after driving it.)
I started feeling less overwhelmed. But I still only had one foot in being there -- the other foot definitely wanted to return to my comfort zone. At the Monday morning meeting, I heard about which events were happening when, and I got interested in attending them. I decided to stay until the next day (Tuesday). I also drove back and forth to the afternoon session on Monday before unpacking stuff for the night.
Monday night was very cold (33 outside, 35 in the van), but I was toasty in my sleeping bag and the sun came out bright and warm Tuesday morning. It was still windy, so I wore a coat all day long, but it was pleasant. I knew I'd stayed there two nights in a row before and I could do that again, so I decided to stay until Wednesday. I didn't want to pack up my van again to drive it, but I figured out that if I walked the long way -- the way that I would drive, I could avoid the most treacherous parts of the walk and enjoy it more. So I walked the long way and left my van parked at camp.
Wednesday morning I attended the last session, and then the event was over.
I'm back in civilization now -- using the wifi at Planet Fitness in a nearby city. My next entry will talk about what I learned in the meetings I attended and my thoughts about what comes next.
I stayed nice and toasty warm in my sleeping bag, but by morning my van was as cold inside as it was outside. The first night it only went down to the upper 50's, so it was quite pleasant. I had a lovely morning to remind myself how to use my stove and to make tea. I bought a very silly-looking teapot for this trip, but I love love love it. It works great and it folds up so very small to put away! This is it, if you're curious: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B013KZUULA/
The day started nice and warm, but it never got warmer that day than it had been at breakfast. It stayed cloudy and windy all day long, so the van never got warm and any time I was outside I got chilled. Then it rained. Then the sun came out just before sunset to warm my van ever-so-slightly. I took this photo of that sunset:
And I spent a good part of that night planning my escape.
After two nights camping I realized I was getting overwhelmed with all the logistics of caring for myself without any modern amenities such as running water, electricity, or plumbing. Also, Sunday night was predicted to be colder than the previous two nights. So I decided to retreat into my comfort zone and head back to the motel in Blythe to stay Sunday night. My plan was to rejuvenate myself and come back ready to enjoy the women's meetings on Monday through Wednesday. While in Blythe I did some shopping for my friend, so I knew I would at least return to camp to deliver the stuff to her. If it hadn't been for that, I might have decided that I'd rather stay comfortable instead of going back to the rocky desert. I took a shower Sunday night and another one Monday morning.
When I got back to camp Monday morning, instead of parking where my friend was camped, I drove up to the "day parking" area and parked just outside the handicapped parking zone. Then I had only a very short walk to the meeting, which I found much more manageable. (Why didn't I do that sooner? One reason is all the preparations that are needed to secure stuff inside the van before driving it, and then the amount of undoing of that it takes to get ready to live in it again after driving it.)
I started feeling less overwhelmed. But I still only had one foot in being there -- the other foot definitely wanted to return to my comfort zone. At the Monday morning meeting, I heard about which events were happening when, and I got interested in attending them. I decided to stay until the next day (Tuesday). I also drove back and forth to the afternoon session on Monday before unpacking stuff for the night.
Monday night was very cold (33 outside, 35 in the van), but I was toasty in my sleeping bag and the sun came out bright and warm Tuesday morning. It was still windy, so I wore a coat all day long, but it was pleasant. I knew I'd stayed there two nights in a row before and I could do that again, so I decided to stay until Wednesday. I didn't want to pack up my van again to drive it, but I figured out that if I walked the long way -- the way that I would drive, I could avoid the most treacherous parts of the walk and enjoy it more. So I walked the long way and left my van parked at camp.
Wednesday morning I attended the last session, and then the event was over.
I'm back in civilization now -- using the wifi at Planet Fitness in a nearby city. My next entry will talk about what I learned in the meetings I attended and my thoughts about what comes next.
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