Friday, April 30, 2010

Outfitting Our Campervan

Today Dawn and I had our first ever "shopping date" were we went to Wal-Mart, Target, and Sports Authority to get gear for the BRV. I'd already installed mats for the floor (that rubber interlocking gym flooring) and put the futon inside the back of the van, but otherwise I'd held off on buying any more camping or vehicle accessories until we took a trip and learned what we needed.

For example, on our maiden voyage last month, we were a bit cold during the night and realized, "We need a comforter or thicker blankets!" or "We need curtains so people can't see inside our van when we're changing." This is incremental/iterative development as applied to campervans.

Here's some of the stuff we purchased today:
  • window shades/coverings
  • cargo bar and curtains
  • cup holders
  • ice chest/cooler
  • two burner camp stove
  • cooking & eating utensils
  • water jug
  • table cloth
  • camp chairs
  • canopy w/netting
  • flashlight & lantern
  • comforter & bedding
  • travel alarm clock
  • solar shower
  • towels
  • plastic storage bin
  • steering wheel lock
Our next trip is planned for Memorial Day Weekend, when we'll have a chance to try out all these new toys.


-Amber

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Maiden Voyage


This weekend was the first trip in our BRV. We decided to go someplace close, and chose Half Moon Bay State Beach. It's right on the ocean, a very scenic spot on the Northern California coast. It was funny driving into the campground in our van, seeking all the humungous RVs around. I guess our van isn't that big when compared to the Class A motorhomes. But no matter, it has a big heart! Here's it is, you can see the weather was a bit overcast.


As expected, we discovered a few things we're forgotten or wished we'd brought along, most notable firewood. We planned to buy it at the campground, but they were sold out, and we were reduced to the imitation duraflame log from the local supermarket. The log refused to catch, despited us going through half a pack of matches trying to light it. The strong winds coming off the ocean didn't make things easier. The guy at the campsite next to ours apparently saw our woes, and came over to offer us kindling. How nice! With the extra small pieces of wood, our fire got going nicely, and Dawn roasted some marshmallows which is one of her favorite parts of camping. I just like watching the fire.

So with a little help from a friendly neighbor, our initial adventure was a success. We had a nice hike along the coast before dark, dinner at Sam's Chowder House during sunset, and a campfire at night. The full-size futon handled two adults comfortably, despite being the cheapest model I could find, and when compared to being in sleeping bags on the hard ground, it was luxury. The next morning, there was no tent to break down, we could just get dressed and drive away....



-Dawn