5in29: Day 3
2024-12-13. Joshua Tree National Park, CA to 29 Palms, CA
[The previous posts are available at AABB’s website]
Attraction: Joshua Tree National Park, CA
The sky was so blue, and the sun was so shiny. A bit breezy (35 degrees at night) but the air was so fresh. No noise of any kind. It is an understatement to say that it is so peaceful and pleasant here.
We got in late last night and didn’t see many neighbors. Now we saw them hiding here and there. Almost every spot is surrounded by rocks, pushes, or trees.
Our slot was #34. The van was surrounded by large piles of rocks and Joshua trees. Here are just a few pictures we took of the van at the campsite.
Van Life: (warning—this is long and tedious, but some may find it amusing to read)
I woke up at 6 AM because I was cold all over. The night temperature was 35 degrees. I put on my winter coat and started the van, turning its heater and fan to the highest setting. Soon, the van felt warm. The noise woke up Roman. He found the house battery was on L. We watched the charging speed going up because of the rising sun and the van’s running. After the battery level went to H, Roman started the hot water switch. It would take 10-15 mins for the hot water to work.
Once we thought the hot water was ready, I jumped into the shower, my first shower on this trip. The first bunch of water was hot. I wet my hair and then turned off the faucets to save water because our freshwater level was low already. It was not as hot when I turned on the faucets again, but I used it anyway. Turning off the faucets again, I applied shampoo the second time and soaped my body, hoping one more pass of water would get the job done. After turning on the faucets, the water was ice cold. I let go of some cold water hoping the hot would come next. It never came. The heater in the bathroom was not working either. I had to open the bathroom door to let some hot air in from the van to keep myself warm. We waited for another 20 minutes for the hot water to heat. It never turned hot. I finished the shower in cold water. I knew I would never take a hot water shower for granted.
The house battery started to drop, even though the van engine was on and the solar panels should be working. We recalled that lights were flicking from time to time, our devices were interrupted when charging, and the WiFi constantly re-powering up—its power supply was not stable. Something was not right with the house battery.
Plus, we had additional challenges:
We needed fresh water because by now, it was almost empty.
The gray water needed to be emptied: the tank is the same capacity as the fresh water tank.
The propane tank had 1/3 left and needed to be refilled.
It would be great if we could fill the gas tank too since we have about 40% gas left. In areas like here, one wants to keep the gas level as high as possible because one never knows where the next gas station might be.
As much as we wanted to take more photos, explore other places at the park in the daylight, and hike (!!), we decided to prioritize our “van home” as soon as possible.
Since there was no cell signal inside the park, there was no way for us to Google and call the 1-800 number we were given. We drove out of the park to its closest town 29 Palms.
We stopped for gas in one place, the propane tank refill in the second, and freshwater and gray water in the third place after calling and driving around.
The 1-800 number was an answering machine that led to chats. After almost two hours of back-and-forth chats, it was suspected the house battery was close to its end of life and we were given two options: (1) return to Las Vegas to be checked, or (2) go to the LA branch to be checked. If necessary, the company might give us a different van. After a lengthy debate about all possibilities, Roman and I decided to go to LA tomorrow, about a 2.5-hour drive, closer than Vegas, and we hoped for professional services and more choices.
We still needed a place to spend the night. We called 29 Palm RV Resort at 4:55 PM this Friday, 5 min before they closed for the day. They had 3 spots left for a van like ours. To our surprise, they have a hot water shower and laundry facility, too. In fact, this is a full-service RV park. We learned we should have come here for all of our needs (except gas).
We both indulged in a hot water shower and then laundry. If not here, we’d go to a laundromat to do it on this 3rd day of our trip.
Everything in the van worked wonderfully once the house battery was connected to the shore power! The lights were much brighter and no more flickering.
We set up the alarm clock to get up at 6:30 AM the next morning so that we could get on the road by 7:30 AM to arrive in LA by 10 AM.
Eureka Moments:
Practice taking showers in cold water. Better, in ice-cold water. And, in small spaces. It is a very useful survival skill.
Don’t assume anything. We thought the 1-800 number was to reach a human being.
If not able to anticipate ahead of time, think logically before taking action. We should have thought about approaching any RV Camp or RV resort for full service (minus gas) before taking a piecemeal fashion to take care of our problems.