Comments for A Year in a Car For No Apparent Reason

Comment on My “Situation” by Mario

Mario — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:42:14 +0000

Hey, I didn’t read all of your your blog (sorry) but I did read some of it and I just wanted to say good luck. I lived in my chevy s10 for about a year before joining the Marine Corps and I miss having the freedom to live wherever I wanted to park that night, and as soon as I can I am going back to living out of a vehicle. Everyone I talk to about this thinks I’m crazy, but honestly I think THEYRE crazy. The way I see it if all you need a house for is to sleep, then there’s no reason to even HAVE a house if you’ve got a vehicle. I live in the barracks right now, and there’s not much more I can do in here that I couldn’t do in a Mini Cooper. haha good luck

Comment on Converting the prius for life on the road by Jacky

Jacky — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 22:53:40 +0000

Jessica, I do not have a prius but a pontiac vibe and I will be living in my soon. Is there a way you can show how your dad created the curtain for privacy. That is my main problem right now. I am thinking I will tint the side windwos. The hatch back window, I will be taping black 30 gallon garbage bag every night but I would like to create the privacy curtaing that your dad did between the front and back seats. I am a visual person and I do not understand well how he attached the curtain rods and what they look like.

Comment on Curtains installed already! by Jessica

Jessica — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 07:25:59 +0000

Hi Auntie Anne,

This was an ebay listing from about 8 months ago so I don’t think there’s a saved link anymore. I’m pretty sure the car was sold.

Comment on Curtains installed already! by Auntie Anne

Auntie Anne — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 04:08:05 +0000

I clicked on the “volvo car for sell on eBay” link, bit it wasn’t there. Instead just this message:
> This listing (290324382604) has been removed, or this item is not available.

Would be nice if there a cashed link or copy somewhere.

Comment on Sleeping in a van without trouble or worry by scott

scott — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 01:53:50 +0000

Hey Jessica, I just want to say that this is awesome! Would actually say that its fun or just necessary? So many people make it sound so sad and that they are just down and out. But I want to have fun and not pay for hotels!!! Im getting a van soon so i was just wondering.

Good vibes,
scott

Comment on Turning the van into a model of efficiency and…um…elegance. by Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:16:10 +0000

Thanks for the responses. It’s funny to look back on this post about the van now that I’ve been in a Prius for so long. What use could I possibly had for all that space???

Comment on Turning the van into a model of efficiency and…um…elegance. by RomanaS

RomanaS — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:54:15 +0000

Hi Jessica.

I always like reading your blog. Amazing that you can live in a Prius while I worry about lack of space in a 6 metre long bus. :) I love how you keep it so real.
Cheers,
Romana.

Comment on And here I thought July was going to be a slow month… by Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:36:21 +0000

Hi “Van”,

You’ve gone through exactly the same logic as I did when considering the idea of living in a car. I just hate spending so much money on accommodations when I’m going to be unconscious and won’t appreciate them. I’d rather spend the money on the waking hours, or better yet, just be able to travel longer.

Good luck on your travels!

Comment on And here I thought July was going to be a slow month… by Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:05:25 +0000

Hi Karen,

Thanks for the note. Don’t worry. I’m doing well. It’s just been a mix of being really busy and not having anything in particular to say about living in a car. Still enjoying it, but I guess the novelty has worn off. :) Fill like I’ve said most of it already.

Thanks for the concern. Like I said, I’ve been busy, but it’s been good things. Just a bunch of friends in town to help celebrate my birthday and now I’m heading to NC for a conference.

I’ll actually be teaching at the tatting conference this year. Looking forward to it. Will you be there?

Comment on And here I thought July was going to be a slow month… by Karen

Karen — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:37:48 +0000

Jessica,
I’ve talked to you the last two years in April at Shuttlebirds and enjoy following you in your travels. However, I’m missing reading of your most recent adventures. I hope you’re not overworking yourself and to busy, but that’s better than not being well. Miss you.
PS Hope we both get to make it to Spokane next year. You’re a talented tatter.

Comment on And here I thought July was going to be a slow month… by Van

Van — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:36:59 +0000

Jessica,
Thanks for showing the world how one can live out of a mini sedan (Prius). It’s not as revolutionary as living on Mars in a swimsuit, but it’s by far greener and simpler. I’ve been looking into different travel options for long distance trips. Staying in hotels every night would bankrupt me rather abruptly. I checked into RV’s — found them to be too cumbersome for me. Talk about dragging along a dead whale. I looked into tent camping — certainly a viable option, until campgrounds started raising rates to $30/night. In the future when I travel across America, I’m going to sleep in my car or van primarily.

On a different note, I agree with you that slowing down while traveling is a good thing. Use the time to reflect and to learn more about yourself. Travel can clear the mind, but only temporarily. Daily introspection and reflection are needed. Good luck and safe travels!

Comment on FAQ: Showering by Lori

Lori — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:12:55 +0000

you can take a really good replacement shower with baby wipes — covers everything but washing your hair, and you really do feel a lot cleaner after.

we camp in a van and i’ve become a pro at washing my hair in under three minutes with two cups of water and a palmful of baby shampoo. i feel like i could pretty easily sneak a shampoo in in any out-of-the-way corner as long as the weather was decent. ;)

Comment on Greedy Chipmunks by Daniel

Daniel — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:16:15 +0000

Holy Cow! Look at those Cheeks!

Comment on Frequently Asked Questions by Taylor

Taylor — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:18:25 +0000

P.S.
A note on curtains:
I’ve done a really good job light-proofing my van- for the most part. I can have my lights on inside, and with the heavily tinted windows and two layers of black felt velcroed onto the small windows, and black blinds on the bubble windows, its nearly impossible to tell that I’m inside with my lights and my laptop turned on.
EXCEPT for my windshield.
I went out and got this really nice, thick, batted fabric for cheap @ Walmart- It matches the interior AND due to the thickness, insulates from my rotted-out weatherstripping a little bit. I measured it to size and alloted for a 2″ border along the top. I folded the border over, sewed it down and went through, cutting out 2″ square shaped notches along the border which I used to affix a boxful of shower curtain rings to the fabric. Looks great.
What I didn’t realize was that 2 inches of extra fabric combined with the 1.5 inch diameter of the shower curtain ring, I’ve got this huge gap between the ceiling and the top of the curtain- So in the end, I just had to drape more fabric over the curtains to cover the light gap.

Also-
Many van’s ceilings (unstripped and insulated) are curved. I find that using a curtain AND using my sun visors to hold in one of those reflective windshield covers is an effective lightproof procedure.

The best part about my set up is that the two big windows in the back have blinds and are DEEPLY tinted- I can look out at the street around me, but no one can see in. I’ve witnessed burgularies and other things that I would want to know about due to this advantage.

Comment on Frequently Asked Questions by Taylor

Taylor — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:04:32 +0000

Hi Jessica. Thanks for all the great info here on your site.
I’ve been ‘living’ out of my van (parked in my parent’s carport) for a few months now. Its an ‘82 dodge ram that is some kind of custom I’ve never seen a carbon copy of in my life. Basically, its like a cargo van but it has been professionally converted into a really plush passenger/family travel vehicle.
My boyfriend and I have been sleeping on the fold out bed in the back- The amount of weight on it sortof bothers me.. it creaks like it is really unhappy. And it is becoming really uncomfortable.
I’m about to leave home and bum around Oregon in my van, so I need to address this issue while I’m still at home. I called around about a 4″ deep piece of foam and the cheapest foam I could find in the area was $56/yard at JoAnn’s Fabric. So I caved and bought a really, really cheap air mattress, which is pretty sketchy.

None of the hardware stores I called carried any sort of soft foam at all. I called this funny RV/Beer Brewing/Sporting Goods store we have here that custom cuts foam and the guy said it would cost me over $100 just to put foam on my bed.

Do you have any suggestions as to where I could look? The frame of the bed is fine, I just need some extra padding.

Thanks,
Taylor

Comment on Self-powered Travel in the US article by Molly

Molly — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 22:08:08 +0000

How about unicycling? I hear it’s a popular way to transport oneself to certain donut establishments. :-)

Comment on Pictures from Spring 2009 Road Trip. by Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:15:25 +0000

Thanks! I didn’t shrink them down which is why they take so long to load. The gallery program is a plug-in called NextGen. Been working well for me. (Except for the whole rotating the pictures thing).

Comment on Pictures from Spring 2009 Road Trip. by Craig

Craig — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 06:27:03 +0000

Some fantastic shots, Jessica! I really like the gallery program too.

Comment on Restaurant review – Taqueria Tlaquepaque in San Jose by Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:56:44 +0000

Scott – Excellent. Let me know how you like it!

Comment on Restaurant review – Taqueria Tlaquepaque in San Jose by scott

scott — Wed, 20 May 2009 17:19:37 +0000

I’ll be in San Jose soon. Thanks for the tip!

Comment on Announcing the Great National Trails Research Road Trip! by Jon and Donna Skovlin

Jon and Donna Skovlin — Thu, 14 May 2009 00:43:18 +0000

Just wondering where you are now. Did we miss you on your way south?

Comment on Restaurant review – Taqueria Tlaquepaque in San Jose by Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:08:52 +0000

By the way, happy belated birthday, Molly!

Comment on Restaurant review – Taqueria Tlaquepaque in San Jose by Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 06:09:10 +0000

Yeah, I’ve been a very bad travel blogger this trip. Something will be coming soon. This trip is almost over, I’d better hurry up!

Comment on Restaurant review – Taqueria Tlaquepaque in San Jose by Molly

Molly — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 20:56:45 +0000

Hey Jessica – How’s your current trip going? I check http://www.ayearinacar.com every morning, and have been sad by lack of tales of your adventures on the road!

Comment on Vandwelling by RomanaS

RomanaS — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:04:42 +0000

I need to learn to proof read my posts. :)

Comment on Vandwelling by RomanaS

RomanaS — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 09:03:00 +0000

Hey I agree with you about camoing as a mind concept. You have to improvise, store things like compartmentalising and be prepared to live without some luxuries. I have been thinking about taking the passenger seat out of my car, but the back seat is pretty comfortable. I only sleep in the car when I am on fast and short road trips. The bus has a very comfortable bed for long term on the road travel.

Comment on Sleeping in a van without trouble or worry by RomanaS

RomanaS — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 08:56:26 +0000

Hey there Jessica.
Noise and light at night can be annoying when you are living in a car, van or bus. I use ear plugs to cut down on noise. They do not block out all noise, but they do cut down on it a fair bit. Thankfully here in Oz the cops are not at all anoying, and so far I’ve had no issues. Even if they did knock on my door, they would probably only do so if they thought I was in danger.

Cheers again,
Romana.

Comment on Vandwelling by Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 01:49:07 +0000

Hi Romana,

Thanks! Glad you like the site. I’m a fan of yours as well. Once you adjust to thinking of the car more as camping than as a really small apartment (how I thought of the van) it becomes easy. The bed is a huge help to comfort.

Comment on Vandwelling by RomanaS

RomanaS — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 08:45:44 +0000

Wow, what an impressive web site! I’ve lived in c ars too and it is not easy. I love how you have modified your car and made it into a safe and comfortable place to live. The bed board is sure to make it comfortable to lie down in. I shall peruse more of your site.

Cheers,

Romana S

Comment on Announcing the Great National Trails Research Road Trip! by Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:25:55 +0000

Hi Jon and Donna,

I do plan on contacting you soon here. I’m heading out for Spokane today and will be there for a few days then heading south. I haven’t quite figured out yet what route I’m taking back, but I do plan on exploring the Nez Perce Trail along the way.

Comment on Announcing the Great National Trails Research Road Trip! by Jon and Donna Skovlin

Jon and Donna Skovlin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:22:08 +0000

We hope you contact us when in eastern Oregon. You can explore the beginning of the Nez Perce Trail through Wallowa County.

Comment on Restaurant review – Taqueria Tlaquepaque in San Jose by Jessica

Jessica — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 22:43:17 +0000

Update: I had the carnitas burrito. Also tasty, but if I went again I want the Nachos. I think the secret is in the chips themselves. Very, very tasty.

Ruthe – Excellent. Glad I could help spread the word. :) I intend to do some more restaurant reviews like this, though this will be the last of the San Jose ones.

Comment on Restaurant review – Taqueria Tlaquepaque in San Jose by Ruthe

Ruthe — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 05:03:31 +0000

Thanks for the tip! I live in San Jose and I’ve never heard of or been to this place. I’ll make sure to check it out now though ;-).

Comment on Restaurant review – Taqueria Tlaquepaque in San Jose by Sonya

Sonya — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:44:42 +0000

The naysayers just don’t understand Tlaquepaque. They’re extremely popular because they’re awesome. Yes, the wait staff can be impatient and service can be slow when busy/during a shift change. When there are 500 people behind you waiting to eat, and I’m one of them, frankly I’m glad if the waiter kicks you out after you violate the only-complete-parties-are-seated rule and then take 20 minutes to order. I’m hungry!

You don’t see one-star reviews complaining that NBC won’t cancel its lineup and play only your favorite shows. They’re too big to care about one lousy viewer. TQ is the same way – if you don’t like it, leave, they don’t need your business. If you can accept that you’re not the center of the universe in exchange for an orgasmic orgy of deliciousness in your mouth, by all means stop on by!

The fact that I am defensive about such a popular restaurant is a testament to its glory.

Also, all the problems with service & having to wait are easily solved by getting takeout. You can order takeout, get your food, and eat in the car all in the time it could take to wait for a table on a weekend.

Now I want more nachos too!

Comment on Announcing the Great National Trails Research Road Trip! by Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:36:08 +0000

Thanks! Btw, the far end of the trip is the tatting conference in Spokane. I’m really looking forward to it.

Comment on Announcing the Great National Trails Research Road Trip! by tattingchic

tattingchic — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 02:40:55 +0000

Have fun visiting all of those places! :)

Comment on Announcing the Great National Trails Research Road Trip! by Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 19:47:32 +0000

Perfect. Thanks Wally! I probably won’t us out that far East on this trip, but hope to during my summer trip.

Comment on Announcing the Great National Trails Research Road Trip! by Wally Anderson

Wally Anderson — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:22:55 +0000

On the Lewis and Clark trail the visitor center at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri in North Dakota is a good one. Both the Dakota’s state roads that flank the Missouri river are numbered 1804 and 1806 corresponding to the years of the expedition. Sargent Floyd’s Monument is Sioux City Iowa Is worthwhile. Sioux city also has a Lewis and Clark visitor center.

Comment on Indie Travel Article by Jessica

Jessica — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 04:01:15 +0000

Thank you!

Comment on Indie Travel Article by tattingchic

tattingchic — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 21:19:46 +0000

Very cool photos!

Comment on Beach on the North Shore by Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 02:44:14 +0000

No, didn’t hear about it. :( I can assume then that I missed out on some really good shave ice? (And yeah, that’s the North Shore of Oahu.)

Comment on Beach on the North Shore by tattingchic

tattingchic — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:56:19 +0000

So did you go to Matsumoto’s shave ice??? It’s on the North Shore. I’m assuming this is Oahu!

Comment on Tatting by tattingchic

tattingchic — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 16:38:32 +0000

You do lovely work, Jessica. The photos just don’t do your tatting justice. Thanks for the comment on my blog today! :)

Comment on Tatted skirt by Jessica

Jessica — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 15:45:33 +0000

Fantastic. That’s so funny. Well, I’ll be paying more attention to your blog now that I know you in person as well as on the internet. :)

Comment on More Vandwelling tips at the Indie Travel Podcast Website by Jessica

Jessica — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 15:44:40 +0000

Thanks for the note. Glad you liked the snowflake. I’m working on putting together an online shop with Etsy to sell my tatting. Mom has been showing pictures of her trip back to Minnesota in October. She had a very good time visiting with you!

Comment on Turning the van into a model of efficiency and…um…elegance. by tattingchic

tattingchic — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 23:28:30 +0000

Oh, so THAT’s how you do it!

Comment on Tatted skirt by tattingchic

tattingchic — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 23:26:18 +0000

Hi! I thought I had seen that skirt before, LOL! I had…right here on this blog page. I didn’t know I had been to your blog, too! Have touring the country!

Comment on Greedy Chipmunks by Rayshell

Rayshell — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 02:51:29 +0000

He is so cute and definitely greedy!!!

Comment on More Vandwelling tips at the Indie Travel Podcast Website by Clarice Voorhees Sydor

Clarice Voorhees Sydor — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 23:26:26 +0000

I have enjoyed your site a few times and now envious of your time in Hawaii, as it is beastly cold here in MINnesota.
I love your picture taking. My shots are mostly flowers. I know H. is abundant with them. I was there in 1980. Great fun.
I am your Mother’s first cousin on the Voorhees side. and we were so happy to
visit with her and Con in Oct. here at my home. And a note of thanks for your wonderful tatted snowflake
as your Mom gifted me . so well done.
a rough winter here with weather, illness surgeries etc. Spring will be most welcome here.
Have fun traveling and be safe wherever you roll!

Comment on More Vandwelling tips at the Indie Travel Podcast Website by Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 03:13:35 +0000

Thanks Everett, glad you’re enjoying the site!