TRAVEL BREAK

We were stationary but busy in Florida for the past week, helping a good friend getting her condo ready for the market.

The view when we wake up doesn't quite compare to waking up in the van.
 

My friend is up north with an aging husband and doesn't want to risk traveling at this time. Today we finish up with one or two more loads to the Salvation Army and the dumpster, and a little cleaning. 

This was a very special moment I caught at 4:00 am. It looked like a floating orange in the sky.

Next week we plan to explore the 1 to 2 hour radius and on 01/08/2021 we'll head to the west coast. Looking forward to roadtripping again.

DAY THREE ALREADY

We had a great start, rode into the storm that dumped 3' of snow in the north. We only got a lot of rain and high winds. It was cold, and it still is. The first night at the Oregon Inlet Campground we had power and with that a heating blanket. That's  our preference. 

We went north to Corolla, NC first to visit the Corolla Lighthouse. 

It was closed. Most of the attractions are closed because of covid. We skipped Bodie Lighthouse for that reason and went to Hatteras instead. Beautiful grounds, even in winter.

From Cape Hatteras we took the ferry over to Ocracoke Islsnd. It's about a one hour free ferry ride. That's miles we dont have to drive. Last night we stayed at Ocracoke Campground. There was no power. It was nice enough outside though to have dinner. But as soon as the sun disappeared behind the dunes, the temperature dropped. The hand warmers were a blessing! I only used one, but it kept me nice and warm.

Yesterday afternoon we walked the beach and came across the display below. I dont know what this is about, but it made me sad.

It was set up like a shrine. The bird appeared to be trapped in the branches

The branches were decorated with shells.

Surely a sad display

In the afternoon we visited the historic village of Ocracoke, NC. Of course, we are way off season, and most tourists are gone, businesses are closed and lots of renovation and construction going on to get ready for the 2021 season. Ocrakoke is a cute little village with a lot of fishing and boating piers. Of course it also has a lighthouse! 

Right right now we are waiting for another ferry to bring us back to the main land. We have white caps on the water. It was a 2 hour ferry ride for $15.00. It was very cold and windy outside so we climbed in the back of the van and took a nap.

 

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

 

30 SOMETHING HOURS TO DEPARTURE

I'm so glad I got the laundry done yesterday! It was so raw here today. Rain and ice cold wind all day. 

Tom had an oil change done, all fluids and tires checked. The van is in top shape. I used today to do a detailed pedicure, because for the next three months it will only be touch up and maintenance. 

Talking about maintenance - this morning we found out that all three members of our apartment management and maintenance team were terminated. No notice, and the transition to the new team took place today. With the original team, we felt very comfortable leaving for several month and never had issues. We did go to introduce ourselves to the new property- and maintenance manager and discussed our absence and the few things we need them to take care of while we are gone. They seemed nice at first impression. We shall see what, if at all, anything will change.

It feels really good to be ahead of schedule and not feel rushed or stressed. Tomorrow will be an easy day of loading last minute odds and ends, strap the chairs to the roof and go grocery shopping. 

We leave Wednesday and should be able to build Zen towers in the afternoon. I did see that it is supposed to rain though.

ODDS AND ENDS

TIME & DATE

Juice Plus+ came in today. We are now covered for about 4 month without reordering. Juice Plus+ is the one thing we refuse to travel without. Especially in 2020, we know how important it is to keep our immune system strong and responsive. Sometimes it is a bit challenging to feed ourselves in the same healthy ways we maintain at home. So far, we managed to bridge the few days when it was raining hard outside. But even if we eat junk for a day, we don't feel so guilty knowing that we have JP+ in our blood stream to protect us. 

The weather forecast changed and so has my schedule. It is supposed to rain on Monday. That's when I had planned to do last laundry. That will now happen tomorrow. We chose not to have a washer/dryer inside our apartment, and I have to walk a few feet outside to the laundry facility. Well, what's done is done!

More reinforcement of the bed is needed. The frame was sliding due to the vibration and bumps on the road. We'll adjust that tomorrow. A little bit if re-packing is also needed as more items have entered the van. I just want to make sure I get to the things I need easily without having to unload half the car. 

By Tuesday night, we should be all packed and ready to go the next morning, The first leg of our trip is only about 2.5 hours and as of right now it's supposed to rain there. I'll just ignore that bit of information. It will be dry by the time we get there!

4 DAYS, 22 hours

Did some housekeeping yesterday. Vacuumed up the remaining pine needles and mud from the last trip. Everything looks ready to receive bedding and luggage. We decided today to cover both mattresses with a warm fuzzy blanket. We can always remove it if we get too hot, but when it is still cold at night it might feel better. We already have reservations for the first week on the road. Two of the locations at the Outer Banks have no electricity and are directly by the ocean. 

Tom was always trying to find a comfortable lounging position - other than laying down. We had a surprise delivery from Amazon! Two inflatable boyfriend pillows! With our USB Air pump they inflate in 30 seconds!

My hanging window storage is filling up too.

Tom attached our power strip with USB ports with heavy duty Velcro. All under bed bins are labeled and easily accessible.

This top board on the mattress base needed some reinforcement. We didn't like the fact that it was already sagging. Now it is nice and sturdy. I still would not sit on that end, since that is the side where we shortened the base and it does not have the original support.

Tom did a test snooze. I cant wait to hit the road!

SCREENS

Today I attempted to create screens for the bump-out windows. The idea was great, the execution was questionable and the final result went into the dumpster. Damage report, about $10 in wasted material and about 30 minutes of my time.

Here is the story. I purchased screen material and magnetic strip. The magnetic strip was 1" wide and 10' long. I cut the material and folded over the sides to create a sleeve for the magnetic strip. So far, it was all good. Unfortunately though, through the material, the magnet strips were not powerful enough to stay on the metal of the car. After messing with it for a while, I had enough! Failed trials lead to success - they say! We shall see if I come up with a better solution.

I also went to the dollar store today. Needed a few "can't go wrong" items, and found this hanging organizer, like they often sell for shoes, but much smaller. It was only $1.75 and I figured I can use that in some way. I had to shorten the thing and punch some holes in the top to hang it with suction cups into the side bump-out window. That can hold all the things I usually have on/in my nightstand. It keeps the little arm rest compartments free for midnight snacks 😇.

 

WHAT ABOUT OUR MAIL?

In getting ready for our upcoming trip the question came up of "what do we do about our mail for three months?" 

We checked with USPS "holding" our mail and that would be fine if it were only for 30 days, but after that they start sending again, they don't take packages from other delivery services such as FedEx and, any mail that doesn't fit in our box gets returned. Their only other option was to set up a Short Term Mail Forwarding Service but you need an address to forward to! (we have no idea where we'll be). I'd even thought about doing nothing and letting them stuff our little home mail box until it overflowed into the hall (probably not a good idea) and it's too long to ask neighbors to take care of.

We also looked at PO Boxes at USPS and others. Our daughter in NH has the smallest box and it costs her $19 for three months. I checked the local PO's in Hampton VA; $39 for three months, and if you apply for the three month plan, you get automatic three month renewal with "no opt out." And again, what about other delivery boxes, do they sit in front of our door gathering dust until we return?

I had seen Virtual Post Office Boxes while surfing the net and they seemed like a possibility, but never having had one, we weren't sure if they were safe...until we spoke to friends. Our friends have had a Virtual Mail Box for more than fourteen years and have never had a problem, so we looked into it. We decided to go with their choice; St. Brendan's Isle. SBI has multiple package plans depending on the type of traveler you are, whether you travel by boat or by part time / full time RV. 

We decided on the Travelers Special which is the most economical plan and designed for full time and part time RV'ers at less than $12 per month. The great thing about SBI, you get an actual mailing address in Green Cove Springs,  Florida and they accept "all" mail no matter if it's junk or boxes. (you need to start a Temporary Change of Address with your local PO so that you can receive your mail while you're away.)

Now no need to worry where your Amazon, FedEx or any other odd package is going to end up, they all come to SBI. SBI will also help you set up your Florida Residency, get a Florida drivers license, register to vote and register your car, if that's what you want, now that you have a Florida address. Some of the feature are; they bill you monthly, no annual dues or fees, they offer Inactive Account status for part time RV'ers like us, and they will send your mail to you whenever and wherever you want with the junk sorted out.

So, with our mail dilemma sorted out, I think we're ready to hit the road. (still have to stock up on Good & Plenty)

Ziploc bags!

Ziploc bags - a must have item for campers! I'm so happy they finally offer 2 gallon bags too. Instead of keeping 150 tea bags in this big square cardboard box, I transferred them to 4 quart size ziploc bags. They use much less space this way, are easy to slide into small spaces in the big bin and my teabags are never subject to moisture or bugs. I fill the bag, and sit on it as I zip the bag, to get (almost) vacuum sealed results.

I always transport plenty of them and when they are not soiled, I reuse them often. Even for transport, I take them out of the box and roll them into a big roll with an elastic band around. Again, it takes much less space in the bin. We usually buy in bulk. Having plenty of the items we constantly use on hand, prevents trips to the grocery store. Space is a serious concern when VanCamping with 2 people for about three month. Efficiency packing, loading and organizing becomes a game of Tetris! The big hole where the rear seats were is fantastic!

We have 7 more days until we leave. The van is almost completely packed, suitcases are also just about done. Most of the missing items have to go through the laundry next Monday.

I got my hair cut today. I was sporting the "Covid19" style. No style at all, my hair just grew. Now I have a medium short sunshine cut, appropriately for Florida. 

Everything we had on order from Amazon and other places has arrived and nothing else is in transit. Our mail forwarding order starts on Dec. 15. Tom will fill you in on our mail arrangements in the next post.

COMPLETING THE PACKING LIST

After every trip, we revise our list of things to take. There is always room for improvement! We both like our hot coffee/tea in the morning. Preferably right when we wake up. On a campground that is not always an option without getting out of the warm car. Years ago, while working nights at the USPS, we had issues keeping our tea hot through the night. It was very cold at the docks and nothing kept us warm inside, but our tea. We tried multiple different mugs, but by the end of the night, our beverages were lukewarm. The Thermos tumblers ended up being our choice, because our beverages stayed hot until the end of our shift. For our camping trips, we prepare the tea and coffee before we go to bed at night. Tom drinks coffee, and the coffee bags are a tasty alternative to fresh brewed (it's between Army coffee and home brew). I let the tumblers sit, filled with boiling water, for about 10 minutes. Then I re-boil that same water to brew the coffee/tea, close the tumbler tightly after the desired steeping time and set aside until morning. It is still really hot!

At home or on the road, our breakfast smoothie is a MUST! At home our smoothies are loaded with many different nutritional ingredients, including frozen berries. Even though the USB Blender Bottles are working well, they are not designed for frozen fruit. Besides, frozen fruit doesn't stay frozen for long and fresh fruit is just fine. Normally our smoothie provides about 24 ounces at home, while in the car it only provides about 12 ounces. We try very hard to keep up on our healthy eating regimen. Part of that routine is our daily intake of JUICE PLUS+. Our smoothie without Complete Vanilla/Chocolate is unacceptable. With getting only 12 oz of liquid from the blender bottle, we are not satisfied so we add a NUTRITION BAR to fill our breakfast needs. These bars are also in our backpacks for hiking provisions. Another staple nutrition product is the JP Capsules. We have been taking all of these products faithfully for 20 years to keep us healthy and vital for our adventures. It has served us extremely well and prevents the emergency stops at fast food restaurants. We are never starving!

We also have a constant supply of home made trail mix. We have an Amish store close by where we can purchase a huge variety of raw nuts, dried berries, chocolate covered seeds, coconut chunks, wasabi peas, and other tasty surprises. I have a two gallon Ziploc bag at the beginning of our trip and so does Tom, since he has his own combination.

We rarely eat at any restaurants. Instead we plan ahead, go grocery shopping and cook. As I mentioned before, we try to stay at sites with electricity. Water is not important, since we carry along 5 gallons (see previous post). Depending on what's for dinner we either use an Infrared Cook top or our Pampered Chef indoor outdoor grill. 

This grill is so cute. We can use it either with charcoal or electric power. The size is absolutely large enough to grill for two, but it is also small enough to transport behind the seats! A purchase that has proven itself worthy! Pampered Chef products are my favorite travel companions (besides Tom 😉). In our travel set-up, we have no room for bulky items and multi-function tools are a must. Some of my kitchen tools are also nation wide permitted self defense tools. Look at this! I think this could do some serious damage to any attacker!

                                             GRILLING FORKS with tip cover

SANTOKU KNIFE with protective sleeve

I hope we will only have to use them for grilling and cooking purposes!

When packing my suitcase, I like to use a lot of Ziploc bags. Generally, I can fit three t-shirts in one 1 gallon bag. As I close the bag, I sit down on it to transform it into a vacuum bag! This way, I can see what is in each bag, it protects my clothes from moisture, and I can fit so much more into my suit case.

We bring along some laundry detergent pods because they are too expensive to buy at the laundromat. 

As of right now, we have 11 days, 18 hours, and  50 minutes left to get ready. So far it looks like we are ahead of schedule! I don't like the last minute rush. (Tom!.....are you packed yet!)

#vanlife #simplicity #vancamping