Have I told you I hate winter?
Nothing has changed even in Vanlife. We have had it pretty good in Southern Ontario so far but this week winter is starting to turn her ugly head. The wind gets colder and the temperatures begin to plunge. It is impossible to keep it totally warm in the van. Being unable to move around due to the covid restrictions makes it more difficult. Usually I would go to where I could plug in at a park or a friends when the temperatures dip into minus double digits. When I was working the coldest months were our busiest and usually I would be hotel hopping so I could get a break from the cold. Where I am parked I cannot plug in and am boondocking so it is a hard run on the batteries. Even plugging in I am still wearing a sweater and pants! Haha! Darn!
Frozen water and frozen milk for coffee will be upon me in no time. I think the frozen toothpaste gets me the most. Having to thaw my toothpaste in my coffee water is a pain.
Luckily I am parked outside my daughters so I can still get a break but since my pride and my stubbornness will not allow me to move in and plus I hate couch surfing working to keep it warm in here so I am comfortable is what my goal is. I also love being home. My daughters and my friends are great places to be but home is where I am most comfortable. Some people cannot understand this I know.
The flooring I put in is helping. I have noticed a big difference with the cold coming up through the floor. A simple, cheap solution. Got to love those. I have put the plastic over the screened part of the windows beside the bed which helps with the cold wind blowing through and my warmth wall between the house and the cab helps keep the heat toward the back and warmer by making the area smaller. I also have a small 12v heating blanket that I will put on the bed and lay on. It has a 45 min timer so I do not forget and kill my house battery and although it does not get as warm as a 110v plug in blanket it does well at warming my bed before I climb in. My pillows around the bed to give me a little more insulation and it is livable.
When I retired in August I truly believed the borders would be open and I would have done my Route 66 trip and be sitting in a friends campground in Arizona. That last winter would be my last frozen winter and I would have running water. Lol! I miss my running water. Such a little thing but man I miss it.
Next week it will be 4 years since I sold everything and moved into my Class B RV. Wow! Sometimes it seems like forever ago and sometimes it feels like just yesterday. So I have done winter before and can do it again. I have learned so much about this vanlife in the last 4 years and had some great and not so great adventures.
Check in next week for my 4 year anniversary blog. A look back at the beginning of the dream.
Thanks for coming along on my Chipmunk Adventure.
See you next week!
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Loving your journey. Justgot your book.Stay warm & safe!!!!
Thank you so much! I so hope you enjoy my book! 💜
I read a hack for toothpaste, take wax paper and cut into squares, put the amount of toothpaste you would put on your brush on the square and sprinkle a little baking soda on top so it doesn’t stick to top of ziplock bag when freezing, when frozen you have a few individual drops, don’t have to worry about the whole tube, they’ll soften in your mouth so you can brush. Seen it for a hikers hack, good luck Stacey, hope to see you this year…
Oh isn’t that a neat hack! I have used just baking soda as well when my toothpaste is frozen. Hoping the border opens by next winter anyway so I do not have to worry about that. I have a coffee date with a girlfriend in Arizona I would like to keep! Lol! Thank you!