06-18-2019, 05:44 AM
I'm in Rapid City, South Dakota, getting ready to leave to head back home to Colorado this morning. I just wanted to post a quick note about my first excursion in my new-to-me 2002 Sienna.
It's a very simple set-up--just a cot (with a 4" mattress on top), plus bins and a luggable loo bucket that all slide under the cot. At the last minute, I decided to throw in a set of plastic drawers I had in the basement. I liked having them (used them as a platform to hold my tablet when I watched videos at bedtime), but I won't be using them again. I had to move them out of the way to access the bucket, and I don't really need the extra storage they provide.
My friend is sleeping in the room her dad reserved for her at a really nice Catholic retreat. I've been sleeping in the van in the parking lot. :-) It's cheating because I have access to a bathroom in the building's lobby (and took a shower in my friend's room yesterday), but mostly I wanted to test my sleeping setup and see how well my curtains worked.
As an aside, this retreat is in a beautiful setting in the hills outside of Rapid City. I almost feel like I'm camping. There's no one around. My van has been the only vehicle in the parking lot at night, and there are beautiful woods right next to the parking lot. It's just as nice as any campsite I've ever stayed in and far better than a Walmart parking lot. :-)
The bed is comfortable, and the height means I can sit without hitting my head, which is nice. Of course, I can't stand up in a minivan, but I found I didn't really need to.
The curtains I made worked just fine. I found that I had to pin some of them together where they meet so they wouldn't open a bit when I brushed against them. But with them all closed, I felt like I was enclosed in a little cocoon. I love the feeling of being in there.
I didn't do any cooking on this trip; that will be the next practice trip before I take a long road trip in August. But so far, I'm extremely happy with my purchase. The van is old and I don't have to worry about getting dings. It ran great, and the gas mileage wasn't bad (26-27mpg on the highway). So far, so good. But I realized that if my hubby wants to join me on an occasional trip, we definitely need to get a tent. The van is perfect--for one person. :-)
It's a very simple set-up--just a cot (with a 4" mattress on top), plus bins and a luggable loo bucket that all slide under the cot. At the last minute, I decided to throw in a set of plastic drawers I had in the basement. I liked having them (used them as a platform to hold my tablet when I watched videos at bedtime), but I won't be using them again. I had to move them out of the way to access the bucket, and I don't really need the extra storage they provide.
My friend is sleeping in the room her dad reserved for her at a really nice Catholic retreat. I've been sleeping in the van in the parking lot. :-) It's cheating because I have access to a bathroom in the building's lobby (and took a shower in my friend's room yesterday), but mostly I wanted to test my sleeping setup and see how well my curtains worked.
As an aside, this retreat is in a beautiful setting in the hills outside of Rapid City. I almost feel like I'm camping. There's no one around. My van has been the only vehicle in the parking lot at night, and there are beautiful woods right next to the parking lot. It's just as nice as any campsite I've ever stayed in and far better than a Walmart parking lot. :-)
The bed is comfortable, and the height means I can sit without hitting my head, which is nice. Of course, I can't stand up in a minivan, but I found I didn't really need to.
The curtains I made worked just fine. I found that I had to pin some of them together where they meet so they wouldn't open a bit when I brushed against them. But with them all closed, I felt like I was enclosed in a little cocoon. I love the feeling of being in there.
I didn't do any cooking on this trip; that will be the next practice trip before I take a long road trip in August. But so far, I'm extremely happy with my purchase. The van is old and I don't have to worry about getting dings. It ran great, and the gas mileage wasn't bad (26-27mpg on the highway). So far, so good. But I realized that if my hubby wants to join me on an occasional trip, we definitely need to get a tent. The van is perfect--for one person. :-)
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you sound happy and I am happy for you!!
