How are you all doing in COVID-19 times?

[Sunshine17]

Hi,

If you don't mind, sharing what you are going through during these times?
I went to the RTR about 3 years back,  In my state, we are still under restrictions, stay at home if you are a senior, wear a mask, social distancing etc.
Are you still on the road or staying with family or a friends house?
Is BLM land open, forests, national parks?

How often do you go into town to get supplies etc?

Thanks for sharing,
Rachel

 

[bullfrog]

In Glen Canyon National Recreational Area in Utah working summer season in a building wearing gloves and a mask when ever social distancing is questionable along with daily temperature checks. Clean office area before and after using. Ventilating as well as possible in 104 degree heat. Most visitors don’t wear masks even though they are required in stores so I just don’t go to them. It’s been about three months since I went to town but my wife went last month to Colorado for her regular doctor appointment. Did a temperature check and required a mask. Getting most of our supplies via deliveries surprisingly working well. Gained about 30 lbs. so far, guess if I don’t get the virus it will be death by ice cream! Lol!!!

 

[user 423]

July 8 I left SE Arizona and now I'm in Lansing,MI. Most of the 10 states I've been thru have had mask orders. Walmarts and some other stores have security guards enforcing the law.

What I've seen is 99% compliance and I always wear a mask. I did hesitate to leave AZ but it was getting really hot and I needed to shop periodically there anyway, so why not the road?

The tourist areas have seemed very busy but then I can't compare to a normal summer. I've stopped at a couple of casinos and they do temperature checks and a couple also prohibit smoking.

I'm still kicking it and enjoying the trip.

 

[jacqueg]

I'm kind of a hermit anyway, so everyday life hasn't changed ALL that much. 

I have been doing much less family/friend visiting than I intended, because two people in my inner circle are immune-compromised. When I do visit, I stay only for the day, at the most overnight, don't go in the house, and we talk outside wearing masks, 6 feet apart. No hugs. Not really that satisfactory, but we cope.

Most USFS/BLM land has remained open for dispersed camping, and many campgrounds are open, many are not. Check before you go. State and local campgrounds vary widely, check before you go. Some national parks are open, some not, check before you go. Many of the open campgrounds/trails/day use areas are jam-packed, especially on weekends, so I've been avoiding them anyway. 

No motels. And I avoid public restrooms too. 

I avoid crowded retail places, especially WalMarts, and [font=Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif]retail[/font] places that just do the bare minimum required in their state - like stores with signs on the window stating/implying that the gov is dumb for requiring masks. They're just not taking things seriously enough. As opposed to a restaurant I frequent which takes the obvious measures, including using alcohol wipes on your credit card, AND has added a UV-C element to their HVAC, so the air you breathe is being constantly sterilized. 

Amazon mails things everywhere. Most private mailbox places will accept packages for you with a small fee. Many - but not all - post offices accept general delivery, which is free.

I have been staying/travelling in states with lower rates of infection and deaths. The New York Times has a daily feature displaying this. 

Sooner or later, most of us are bound to get it. My personal goal is to defer it for as long as possible. Treatment protocols are still developing, and I believe the statistics are showing that some of it is working.

 

[travelaround]

I just returned to my home base from a week of travel through Oregon, Washington and Northern Idaho. Masks requested/required everywhere. Most people compliant though there were some scofflaws throwing caution to the wind for everyone else, since the masks are best for preventing an outflow of viruses rather than an inflow. Nevertheless, I feel fine now. I will be doing a 14 day quarantine required by my county for returning travelers. I saw a lot of beautiful campsites in Southern Oregon being used though there seemed to be a lot of empty spaces. Highway 62/230 east of Medford.

My impression is that the epidemic is over-hyped at this point. At first we didn't know what to expect but it appears most people are not carriers or getting it. I felt pretty safe the whole time and didn't let fears keep me from doing a little shopping while I was in North Idaho. I was there to retrieve items I'd left in storage, and the man I traveled with needed to retrieve a skoolie he'd left north of Coeur d'Alene. We're all moved into Northern California now, to a mountain town near the Oregon border. This is normally a touristy area, but not so much this year. Masks are required in our local grocery store.

 

[VanFan]

My impression is that the epidemic is over-hyped at this point...

No ones who has died from it will argue with you about that!  In my county, 24 more joined the ranks of the silent choir on Wednesday.  There is considerable variation from place to place.

 

[Qxxx]

It's mind boggling how people in this country have such vastly different views on the pandemic. Especially when pretty much every single doctor gives the same advice. And which no doubt explains why the US has 25% of the cases and deaths in the entire world.

 

[bullfrog]

I hope that most people have adopted the recommendations and like me consider them normal. In fact I’m so used to them I do them without thinking. I usually get allergies or a sinus infection around this time of year but so far so good. This may be something I continue to do if it proves to work for all the other things I seem to catch.

 

[Qxxx]

I hope that most people have adopted the recommendations and like me consider them normal. 

My guess is well under 50%, especially given the national stats and my observations of the local fauna around here. And we have a mandate (unenforced) from the governor.

I think I got yer sinus infection, frog. Time of the year when the weeds and rabbit grass bloom.

 

[Sunshine17]

guess if I don’t get the virus it will be death by ice cream! Lol!!!

LOL  Thanks bullfrog, appreciate your humor and sharing. Good to know, you are surviving.
Sunshine17

 

[Sunshine17]

Thank you jacqueq, for sharing. I appreciate you letting me know your thoughts and experiences.
It is good to get a sense of what is going on out there.
Thanks for the tips, Sunshine17

 

[Sunshine17]

I'm still kicking it and enjoying the trip.

Thanks slow2day, for sharing what you have been experiencing.
Life of a nomad, can always hit the road, in search of cooler weather.
Sunshine17

 

[Sunshine17]

Hi travelaround,

When you quarantine are you in a sticks and bricks or your vehicle?
Thanks for sharing,
Sunshine17

 

[Qxxx]

I hadn't really shared but I've been a part-timer with a van for 3 years with approx 12 months of traveling over that stretch. I returned from AZ in mid-March and have mainly been sequestering at home S&B since then, and waiting to see how things go. Well, you know that one.

I have been getting most of my supplies via Walmart home delivery (free shipping for > $35), and wipe everything down that arrives. Life on hold. Some of the stores use Instacart and some ShipT for home delivery (eg Smiths and Target), and you can place orders online and usually pick your supplies up at the curb without having to go into the stores, if you so prefer.

I have friends full-timing in UT, ID, and WI, and they are all doing ok so far. They prefer going into smaller towns for supplies, and visiting the smaller grocery stores. They are taking all the proper precautions. Stay safe.

 

[sephson]

At the end of May I was furloughed from my job as a Stage Electrician that I've had for the last twenty years. I found a new job that pays less than half as much, working as a Zamboni driver at an ice skating rink. It's fun, but I'm eating through my savings to pay my bills.

Now I get to deal with sticks and bricks issues. In order to be able to afford to keep my condo, I'll be moving into my mother's house by the end of September and renting out my condo. This will, hopefully allow me to rebuild my savings, keep my condo, and get me a bit closer to being able to afford a vehicle that is better suited for me to transition to semi-full time. I love my little Kia Soul, but it's too small for me to comfortably live out of for more than a week or two at a time.

At this point, I have ideas rather than plans for the next steps in my life.

 

[travelaround]

Hi travelaround,When you quarantine are you in a sticks and bricks or your vehicle?

I'm on a property with an old mobile home on it... needing renovation. I'm currently sleeping in my van.

 

[Qxxx]

Now I get to deal with sticks and bricks issues. In order to be able to afford to keep my condo, I'll be moving into my mother's house by the end of September and renting out my condo.

Hi sephson, that sounds like a good plan. Hopefully you can turn a profit each month by renting your condo, and then you can hold onto it. I have a shoebox size condo which makes a good homebase, and had been traveling about 1/3 of the time in my van (pre-covid). An enjoyable 2-way life, . Before I got the van, I was traveling in my car and mostly staying in motels, since my bad hip makes it uncomfortable to sleep on the ground anymore. Now with the van, every month I travel, I save about $2000 in not paying for motels. I'm paying off the van that way.

 

[travelaround]

In my county, 24 more joined the ranks of the silent choir on Wednesday.  There is considerable variation from place to place.

My county has had 144 cases. Only 11 are active now; the rest recovered. Nobody died. If I'm going to get Covid I'd rather do it here where people tend to recover. Our health care providers seem to know what to do.

 

[bullfrog]

I have been lucky as far as my job. They first put me in an office to limit exposure to the public (but they know I hate entering data and because I have been here a while and often remind them of their past mistakes I believe they are encouraging me to quit) and then cut my hours to make my shared office space safer (right). I for the first time in years applied for unemployment and to my surprise with all the government added Covid 19 money will actually end up making the same money as I would have working out in the heat full time. They actually did me a favor and now I like my job even better! I am getting fat from sitting so much. I can see my death certificate “Cause of death Covid 19 and ice cream”. Lol!!!

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I found a new job that pays less than half as much, working as a Zamboni driver at an ice skating rink. 

I always wanted to be a Zamboni  driver I remember as a kid watching them before a hockey game thinking that it looked like fun. I watched them so often that I still know how to drive one, steer close to the boards  then down the middle turn the crank once in a while, pound that other thing every so often, stop just before exiting and lift the water thing à ma jig, dump the snow outside. You are a lucky man, covid has it’s positives. I am not in the USA and everything here has been pretty much normal other then I am stuck here for now which is good, far better then being in North America. It was taken seriously and has been well managed here so moving around freely, fewer tourists which is a good thing.