I may not have shivered last night, but damn it was cold this morning. At -8oC inside the van, it was -10oC outside, it was clear what my lack of insulation gets me! It was the first morning where everything inside the van was frozen – all my water bottles, dishwashing liquid, my wet socks….
Month: November 2016
Thursday 17th November – Wild Encounters
Everything was a little hard to open this morning, starting with the side door. The frost on the seals made it cling to its closed position. There was snow on the ground where it hadn’t been the night before and the pine trees on the hill behind camp were now mostly white instead of black….
Wednesday 16th November – Snow and a Van Party
Dad asked me recently if I’ve ever had a day during my trip where the weather was so miserable I had to stay in the van. This was probably it. The sun wasn’t even hinting at being up at 7am and the rain was coming down steadily, or maybe snow, I couldn’t tell. When I…
Tuesday 15th November – Hide and Seek
A rainy morning as predicted, but that didn’t sway me. I discovered my tarp set up still needs work as I cooked an omelette for breakfast. The tarp just needs to be a few inches wider. I shall investigate. I couldn’t see any rustling from Christian and Melissa in their van so I head off…
Monday 14th November – Hello Glacier!
I made it! I’m in Glacier National Park, the northern-most point of my trip and the park is not completely closed, there is plenty to explore, I think I’ll be here a few days at least. Having left camp early to avoid any wroth from the authorities, I was at a Macca’s in Hamilton before…
Sunday 13th November – Back on Track
-8oC this morning. The ground that had squelched under my feet last night now crunched as everything was frozen. I couldn’t see out any of my windows for the frost and crystals that had accumulated on both the outside and the inside. I washed my face, then scraped the windscreen with my Clipper card (San…
Saturday 12th November – A Trip to the Moon
Summary of today’s events? I left camp a bit later than normal and drove. At the EBR-1 Atomic Museum, I stopped only to find out it’s closed for the season. At Craters of the Moon National Monument, the excitement of the lady at the visitors centre was out of proportion to the wonder of the…
Friday 11th November – Seriously?!?!
Tomorrow will have to be better because today followed the same trend as yesterday, although thankfully this time I had an undisturbed camp. It was cold as I made breakfast before I head off. I planned to stop in the next major town, Evanston, to do laundry, shopping and address some car issues. This would…
Thursday 10th November – Trust Your Instincts
Not going to lie, today was a shit day. At midnight, I was woken up by an officer of the law at my window, there to inform me that overnight parking at the truckstop was not permitted and that I would have to move on. My heart beat fast as I said I understood and…
Wednesday 9th November – Discovering Religion
As predicted, I was up early this morning. Quick bathroom and face wash and I was on the road, on the look out for a rest stop for breakfast. As I drove, I listened to the BBC news podcasts to find out what happened with the presidential election. I nearly drove off the road when…