Date:         Sun, 11 Oct 2009 18:27:54 -0700
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: [NVC] Do you like camping in the rain?
In-Reply-To:  <4AD25AE8.3080609@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

> For a few weeks my son and I have had plans to go camping next weekend.
> The extended weather forecast for that weekend has shifted from cool but
> sunny to kinda rainy. "Showers" is the word they are currently using. 60%
> chance of precipitation, mid 60s (F) in the day, 40s at night.
>
> The temps are fine with us, but we are a desert people, having come from
> SoCal, and in my experience camping in the rain is messy. Mud all over the
> darn place, a simple trek to the privy involves specialized foot gear,
> rainproof clothing, funny rubber hats and bumbershoots if feeling
> particularly British or silly. Stuff dripping all over the place. And mud
> . . . did I mention mud?
>
> How do you folks feel about camping in the rain? Any tips for keeping the
> inside of the van dry and clean?
>
> --
> Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
>

  First thing to remember...You're not in So Cal any more, Mike.  You are in
the Northwest now and here it rains a lot.  One of the reasons why we aren't
yet 'built-out' like Cali is because winter is so gray, wet, dark and some
say 'miserable'.
   Now on the east slope of the mountains, it isn't as rainy, as you
probably can see, and many of the dwellers on "The Darkside" even come
across the Cascades on weekends to get 'relatively' dry and catch a glimpse
of the sun...in winter.  So you should not be frightened by a forecast and
you'd better not stay home every time you think it might rain up
here...because you'd be home all winter..from around Thanksgiving till May.
   Get some slip-on shoes..Like LLBeans with the rubber bottoms or some
plastic Birkenstocks.  Take a mat along for outside the door and a throw rug
for inside.  Put on your Northwest Duck-spray and ignore the light stuff,
like we must do hereabouts.  Or head south for the winter like almost every
other Northwest RVer does...You ever notice that camping in So Cal?  About
7out of 10 campers you see down there in winter is from Washington, Oregon
or BC..
  Just be glad you live on the east side of the mountains..I spent a few
winters on Puget Sound and THAT was wet!  Step outside and you'd get a
smooshed slug underfoot.  I couldn't drive my old 356 Porsche in winter
because the wipers couldn't deal with the spray on the freeway..so I stored
it.  Spring, when I uncovered it, the whole inside was bright green and
furry with mold...even inside the gas tank...Ugg.  Wet over there...
  Don Hanson