It’s hard to believe we’ve already spent over two weeks living #vanlife! I feel like we’re starting to settle in at this point. There is still a lot to learn, but we’re beginning to establish routines. We tend to get up between 7 and 8, or earlier if Jami has a meeting or I have a longer run and plans to move locations. We usually put the Murphy bed up right away, and then make coffee (for me), tea (for Jami) and breakfast (Mia first). After breakfast I go for my run and Jami starts work.
We boondocked for the first time at the Oceanside Marina. They don’t allow slide-outs so we weren’t able to deploy the Murphy bed. This gave us a chance to try the two twin beds setup (basically the two couches). It worked ok, but we much prefer a real bed. Thankfully it was only for one night. Other than that boondocking worked great. Our 400 watts of solar kept the batteries full during the day even with charging devices and using lights. Our batteries were able to keep up with the load until the sun came up on Sunday. We used our generator briefly to run the microwave. I’m guessing we could make it 3 to 4 days before having to refill fresh water with daily showers, dishes, washing hands, etc., which is more than I expected. If we really tried to conserve we could stretch that longer.
As I stepped out of the van for a run I overheard a young boy tell his father “Dad, I want a van like that!” talking about Betty. It brought a smile to my face.
After cleaning up from the run we moved over to Paradise by the Sea RV Resort, still in Oceanside. This was a pretty nice resort, and we spent a few days soaking in the sun and enjoying coastal living. The only annoyance was the coastal rail line with frequent trains passing by. Thankfully they seemed to stop at night. I loved running along the beach, taking evening strolls, and trying some Oceanside restaurants (Campfire is highly recommended!).
From Oceanside we moved inland to Temecula. Our first stop at Pechanga, a Casino RV Resort, was great! We actually would have stayed through the weekend, but they are sold out. It’s nice and quiet with lots of grass and hedges for privacy.
The hills are beautiful in Temecula, and I was itching to try and find some trails. I couldn’t find any close by on my usual apps, but did spot some via satellite/arial imagery. Unfortunately they were private with no trespassing signs in person. I still found some beautiful scenery.
One difference with our new #Vanlife is laundry. We’ve done laundry a couple times so far at RV Parks. It was something I really wasn’t looking forward to, but after doing it a couple times I’m starting to like it! There are usually lots of machines, so no matter how many loads we have we can do them all at once. It makes the total chore about 90 minutes long, and then we’re done for the week!
On Friday Mia and I decided to get some lunch in Old Town Temecula. It’s a cute Main St, with lots of restaraunts and shops. We stopped at an outdoor bar at The Bank. Mia was happy to sit on the stool next to me and look longingly at my Margarita and chips. You can see that Jami joined in for a stroll after she was done with work (with Mia looking pretty content with life).
For Friday night we tried the Harvest Host service at a local golf course. Its a subscription service that gives you boondocking options at wineries, farms, and golf courses. It’s all free, with the hope that you spend some money at the establishment. The local wineries were booked, so we decided to try a golf course. It was way out in the hills without any cell service, but was nice and quiet and beautiful.
This was the view from our parking spot at the golf course.
On Saturday we boondocked again in Temecula, before heading back to Pechanga resort. On Friday we move to Long Beach.
Mia cuddling with Jami as she works at the Pechanga park.