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Jul 28

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The All Important Shower

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Like many campers, our Airstream came equipped with both an indoor and outdoor shower.  Weather permitting, I much prefer to shower outside.  Not only is there more space, but I feel like I’m somehow more connected to nature.

Silly, I know.

Unfortunately, the showerhead Airstream provides is a total piece piece of shit.  Pathetically, it is made of cheap plastic and offers no ability to control water flow – a feature critically important for water conservation when dry camping.

Knowing something had to give, I devised a simple DIY hack, which has been serving me well.  First, I removed the worthless showerhead, replacing it with a $10 metal (ie – heavy duty) garden nozzle offering a “shower” setting, in addition to a few other selections (mist, soak, stream pray etc.).

Instead of permanently connecting the replacement nozzle to the hose, I installed a simple brass quick connect, and in the process, freeing up already tight space in the shower nook.  I store the nozzle in a bin and simply quick-connect to the hose when desired.

This set-up has been serving me well for about a year with no issues.  More, the entire hack cost less than $20.

Not as easily impressed, Lilly hates how quick and convenient the set-up is to deploy.

Jul 25

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Ahhh …

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On Friday we pulled-up anchor from the Bay Area and hauled-ass as quickly as we could … our destination being a rendezvous with friends in a rather non-Bay Area like location.  About 4.5 hours later and we arrived to a national forest campground outside of Portola, CA (about an hour NW of Reno, NV) with plans to spend the week with friends.

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Away from the hustle and bustle of the Bay Area, and nestled in at just under 6,000 feet of elevation, we are back in our happy place.  With friends and surrounded by a massive mountain lake, clean alpine air, and lots of tall pine trees, this spot is just the first of what will be a long string of national forest campgrounds we will be visiting over the next three months.

Just perfect.

Jul 18

The Shifting Mood Of A Campground

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Once again we find ourselves camping at Anthony Chabot in the San Francisco east bay. This place is a bit peculiar as most of the park is dry camping and generator usage is prohibited.  As a result, the sites frequently turnover – often daily, which I suspect is  because most rigs do not have capacity to sustain batteries beyond one or two nights.

Seemingly we are one of the few rigs that have capacity to maintain power longer term and it’s been interesting to observe the mood of the park ebb and flow between weekenders and those passing through during the week.

Soon enough we to will be moving on, contributing to the transient nature of this interesting campground.

Jul 17

The Weekly Cut

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When Kelly cuts her hair, she seeks the nearest Aveda salon, which once required that we divert our travel itinerary half a days drive away.  Fortunately, Kelly only cuts her hair a few times a year, and also because we spend enough time in larger metro areas, the nearest salon is generally not too far away.

On the other hand, I cut my hair weekly so my approach is much simpler – step outside and buzz a clippers over my scalp.  More, since I can cut outdoors, the clean-up could not be easier.  The process consumes fifteen minutes start to finish.

I’ve tried to convince Kelly to follow my lead, but she’s not hearing any of that nonsense. And, in fairness, her hair is nicer than mine.

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