We have been VW Vanagon dwellers for a little over a week. It has gone by fast and slow, all at the same time. The days and the nights have been filled with discovery. We have discovered Arty is able to keep us dry when it is pouring down rain; something we never tested before hitting the road. He is not, however, good at keeping us warm when we are asleep; nothing that a pair of wool socks and thermal toque couldn’t fix. We thought that Marli would generate a lot of extra heat and that she would share. If you have ever lived with a cat you will know they really are all about themselves. We don’t call her the “little Princess” for nothing.
We’ve discovered there are many ways to save money if you are willing to be a little bit inconvenienced once in awhile. Twice now, just before the darkness covered our tiny corner of the earth, we set out into the forest with shampoo and towel in hand to where Gary strung up our black poly shower bag. It has worked really well because mostly the B.C. provincial campgrounds are deserted at this time of year and no one could hear us screaming when the icy water hit our bodies. I must mention that it is at the height of exhilaration having a shower this way.
The next day I was surprised to see an actual article in the most recent Alive magazine titled “Forest Bathing”. I had no idea this was becoming a cleansing phenomena. After jumping into the article with both feet, I quickly realized forest bathing is not meant to be taken literally. It just means spending time in nature and soaking in all that it offers as it has so many spiritually cleansing properties. Well, I guess we took it one step further. Sorry there are no pictures, it’s not that kind of blog!