Car Camping Chronicles

Living in the car for a little over three weeks now, my life has been busy on multiple levels.

First, there is the new-old job at which I'm working solid 35-40 hour weeks. It's physically demanding, but I enjoy it because I get to work outdoors with flowers all day: deadheading, watering, and merchandising the product. It's a great seasonal job!

Second, I'm still teaching online, which means trying to find a shady spot to work that also has wifi and that is away from people and other animals so I can let Buena outside. She loves people, but she's not so great with other dogs. I think she feels she has to protect me, so it's "attack first, ask questions later." I don't understand it because I've never had such a protective beast in my life.

So...I find places to park. Today, it was under a tree beside the Colorado River. That's definitely my favorite place to work, but it's a 20 mile drive to get there, so I only go if I'm going to spend 4+ hours on the computer. Other times, I'll just try to find a decent parking lot and pull up beside a grassy area so I can let Buena out. I use a carabineer at the handle end of her leash and clip it onto the metal of the doorframe.

And, finally, there was the quick trip back to Utah.

A little backstory on that: When I bought the car in Vegas, they had me fill out the paperwork for license plates. I even selected which of the three plate designs I wanted, so I thought they'd mail me the plates. Instead, they mailed me a check made out to the Utah DMV. So....it was back to Utah last Thursday and Friday.

In addition to the DMV, I took Buena to the vet. She'd developed a film over one eye since being in Colorado. It turns out it's "pannus," a condition some breeds develop. It is brought on by UV light and high elevation

I also spent time organizing the van, moving the stuff I thought I needed out of the van and stocking up on more work t-shirts and shorts.

The shop had installed the Xterra's new leaf springs, and so I took it out for a little ride. I noticed right away that it rides higher, and the suspension feels tight. If it got better gas mileage and was roomier, I would rather be driving the Xterra in Colorado...except I'm now spoiled with the abundance of room in the van.

While in Utah, my friend gave me some stain and a shiny type of sealant for wood. So...not to leave a project undone, I re-stained and sealed the RV floors. The floors are plywood, and the last two stain jobs and Buena's claws have left the floor looking rough. So with two coats of pecan stain and one coat of the sealant, I left the floors to cure while I'm working in Colorado.

Now I've got to figure out what to do with all these vehicles!

On the way back to Colorado, I stopped at the Crystal Geyser near Green River. There was a little bit of water puddled near the geyser's opening, but it didn't shoot out while I was there. It was an interesting place with clear orange markings indicating iron concentrations and silica deposits.

And...this week in Colorado, I visited the Yampa Steam Cave for my weekly shower and a moment of R&R. With hot springs prevalent in this area, the steam cave is a natural cave (once used by indigenous people and Doc Holiday) beneath which runs a sulfer-scented hot, hot, hot water. The steam from that underground river filters up through small openings in the cave. At times, when water levels are high, the cave floor floods.

Also this week, I drove up to No Name Road a few miles east of Glenwood Springs to let Buena off leash. The mountain stream was much more turbulent than I remember. I think it's because there's still snow on the mountains, so it's still the run off as it melts.

Tonight I'm parked in a home goods parking lot. I've spent the night here before and have been lucky that no one has knocked on my window in the night and asked me to "move along." I'm hoping for the same tonight as I need to be at work at six in the morning because the stores are getting deliveries of new outdoor floral, which means I'll be working a 10- or 11- hour day!