Just moved into my van. Stuck in south Texas. Need advice

[lllindsey]

Not sure which forum I need to be in, so, this one looked ok for now

I just got into my van and left the little trailer i was living in at a trailer park. 
I have what i need including everything i own with me.. (prepared by info from youtube and cheaprvliving of course)
I'm parked beside my friend's house and have an air conditioner that is dependent on an extension cord ... as is all my electric so far. 

I NEED to get to someplace cooler as SOON as possible. 

Today is my first day out on my own and i am scared and lost of course. 
I'm 67 and have social security but that does not yet get me out of this heat nor pay for expensive off grid equipment

I'm in SanAntonio, so i have a long way to go to find cooler air.
and while i am here i am dependent on AC, and therefore shore power.

I don't know what to do first.
I don't know the best place to go.
I don't know the best route (probly I 10) across texas to escape
I don't even know the minimal power necessities and what to prioritize 

I am in desperate need of advice
I'm an old lady and have no idea what i am doing
but i have survived this long so i will persevere because i need trees and calm and cool air

I would appreciate any suggestions or even just encouragements at this point.

Oh, and i am in a 91 gmc conversion van, all emptied out and bed, little cheap fridge and such necessities put in by me.
and a bed  

Thanks to all

 

[A Savage Adventure]

Welcome, lllindsey! Go north! Much cooler. Also higher elevations. I found the weather in Oregon to be nice and along the river on I-84 very cool. There was even BLM land in Rufus right on the river where you can camp (and fish, if you do that) for up to 14 days.

 

[lllindsey]

Welcome, lllindsey! Go north! Much cooler. Also higher elevations. I found the weather in Oregon to be nice and along the river on I-84 very cool. There was even BLM land in Rufus right on the river where you can camp (and fish, if you do that) for up to 14 days.

Thank you for your reply. 
My number one problem, is simply getting out of texas with no ac while driving (old van.. broken ac) 
I will make it up to the nw eventually
first stop a nice cool mountain in colorado would be nice

 

[rvwandering]

Yes, you want to go north and high. Instead of heading west on I-10 have you considered going straight north on the backroads? That may get you into cooler weather quicker.  Spritz yourself with water as you're driving and the breeze will cool you off.

 The mountains in northern New Mexico are a little cooler. The mountains in Colorado, Utah, and even Nevada will all be much cooler than Texas. 

 Have you looked at freecampsites.net?  https://freecampsites.net/#!Texas&query=region
 Some of the free campsites have electricity. The pay ones are fairly inexpensive. You may be able to plug in and have air conditioning when you stop for the day.

 Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

 

[RVTravel]

Even somewhere like Santa Fe, NM or Trinidad, CO would be better than San Antonio.

 

[MrNoodly]

Sometimes it takes a little suffering to get free, like a couple of days of heat.

About the closest cooler weather to San Antonio is in the mountains east of Alamogordo, NM. Go to FreeCampsites.net and search around Cloudcroft.

On the west side of NM, north of Silver City, are the Gila Mountains with lots of National Forest dispersed camping.

Or farther north, east of Santa Fe are the Sangre de Christo Mountains.

Northwest of Albuquerque are the Jemez Mountains. That should get you started.

Also, if you want (and if you can afford it), you can get a New Mexico annual camping permit good for all their campgrounds. $225 for non-residents. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/spd/feespermits.html

 

[bullfrog]

First things first as they say. Look at your resources, save as much as possible and do things as cheap as possible while you find out what works for you. How long can you sit where you are? How far can you afford to travel? Can you or do you still want do work of any type? What is the closest cooler higher elevations to you? Maybe a yearly pass in New Mexico or cheaper park with monthly rates and electricity near by till savings can be built up? The more you let us know the more ideas and useful help you'll get. Aramark at Lake Powell is offering free air conditioned housing, $10.50 an hour, and a $550 bonus after 90 days for a cashier position at Page Arizona where it will be 106 degrees this week so probably wouldn't work for you but till you tell us about you who knows!

 

[DannyB1954]

Looking at the map to me it looks like two different directions. Is it any cooler on the gulf with the wind coming off of the water?

New Mexico Is about the closest place to get to higher elevations. For every 1,000 feet you go up in elevation it will get 3 1/2 degrees cooler as a rule of thumb. Some people have trouble breathing at higher elevations so take it in steps and drink a lot of water. Going from Sea level to 7,000 feet in a day can make it hard to adjust. Spend a few days at 3,000, then 5,000 and see how you feel. If not good, double back to where you did feel good and wait a couple of more days and give it another try. People who climb mountains sometimes camp for a week half way up to adjust.

Travel early mornings and late evenings. The heat of the day find shade. a local park or such. Some towns have parks for travelers with free electricity for a day or two. Carry plenty of water. Wrap a wet light cloth around your neck and keep it wet. A spray bottle filled with water to spray your face and hair will help as well. It would have to be pretty humid outside to not give you some cooling.

I run a window air conditioner off of a 2,000 watt pure sine wave inverter. It takes about 35 amps DC so the alternator and wires to the inverter have to be pretty good. a 900 watt generator will run a newer 6,000 BTU window A/C unit if you have a way to fasten it to the OUTSIDE of the vehicle. Do NOT run a generator inside of the vehicle!. If you have a receiver hitch for towing you can get carriers real cheap. I think I paid around $350 for my generator. It runs off of propane so you can hook it up to a BBQ grill type bottle and run it for a couple of days without refueling http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/322998955907 Sometimes you can get a generator cheap on Craigs list. Yamaha, Honda, Champion are all good names. Get an inverter type if you can, (cheaper to run).

 

[MrNoodly]

You'll also find the humidity decreases as you travel west. Like 20% rather than 75%. It really does make a difference.

I just checked the forecasts and the New Mexico mountains are mostly in the 80s right now. The spots that are cooler are rainy. But it can be a waypoint until you can get farther north and to higher elevations. I doubt you'd be ready for someplace like Leadville, CO, at over 10,000 feet, but there are other places that require less acclimation. The San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado are fantastic, but there's a big forest fire near Durango.

 

[mpruet]

You'll also find the humidity decreases as you travel west. Like 20% rather than 75%. It really does make a difference.

The San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado are fantastic, but there's a big forest fire near Durango.

The entire San Juan Forest has been completely closed to the public as of today.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I'm at Eagle Nest State Park, NM, ($10 per day) right near the lake, and it was mid 80's today and about 73f right now. Will be down around 45f by morning. There are some free spots in the area but I was willing to pay for this nice spot near the water.

I'm at 8122 feet, and enjoying the cool breezes. 

C'mon up! 

If you DO come up to Northern NM or CO, make sure to bring some warm clothes. Seriously, it might be 100 where you are, but it gets COOL at night up here. 

You could make it anywhere up in this area in 2 days. For your first night on the road, either shoot for the free RV hookups in Hereford, Littlefield, Levelland, Lamesa, in the Texas Panhandle, or grab a cheap room if it's too hot for sleeping in the van, for the one night traveling. 

There have been some wildfires that have closed some of the roads, so be sure to check www.nmroads.com to make sure you wont get into a bind. 

As others have said, carry a spray bottle with water and spritz it on your neck and arms, legs, etc, while driving in the heat....it does help a lot.

 

[Minivanmotoman]

Go stay at tx2s house till he gets back.
I hear he's not there.

Sleep during the day, breakout at night/evening during the cooler temperatures. Drive as far and as fast as you can in the cool night hours. Can nap for a bit if you need a break. 30 mins with timer can refresh you for a few more hours drive, coffee, 5 hr energy drink, etc...
Cloudcroft, Ruidoso NM area probably closest cool temps from you.
Free campsites.net for places to camp overnight.
Good luck.
And make sure you have a AAA membership, especially with an older van like that. Safety $$$ fund for emergency repairs as well.

 

[glasschick66]

Hi lllindsey, get yourself a map and make a loose plan...find all the free or nearly free places to park on your way out of the heat....(what ever direction you choose) mark them on your map/route and just go!

All good advice for driving with no a/c. Maybe you can find a small 12 volt fan that plugs into the cigarette lighter to help while you are driving?

You CAN do this and you will be more confident as the miles roll away. Keep us posted as your journey progresses!

 

[MrNoodly]

The entire San Juan Forest has been completely closed to the public as of today.

I spent the past two summers in the San Juans, so this is very sad.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Go stay at tx2s house till he gets back.
I hear he's not there.

Shhh...dont tell her about the home webcams I have....

 

[bigsallysmom]

If you head to Cloudcroft, NM be sure to grocery shop, water fill and fuel up before. Dump your trash too because FS removed the bear proof trashcans at all the campgrounds. No phone service in much of the forest.

Lincoln National Forest is a tinderbox although its looking like rain in a couple of days. Then it will be low 50s and mostly in the 70s daytime. In Stage two fire restrictions.

The altitude gets to a lot of flatlanders. It's easy to get a sunburn and dehydrated.

 

[RoadtripsAndCampfires]

Use sun shades on your windows. WalMart carries a battery operated fan called O2Cool or check truck stops for cig lighter ones.

Get a spray bottle and fill it with water and keep it by you. It is surprising how misting yourself helps cool.

Consider both pepper spray and bear spray and carry them both. There will be times you need to walk about to check the BLM land for parking and the bear spray is good for animals you might encounter. Dont' leave it in the car take it with you. They make a holster for the can. The pepper spray can be used on humans, the bear spray can't (legally).

As it was said, travel during cooler hours.

To start you can get a small solar charger to keep your phone and laptop charged. Harbor Freight has some inexpensive ones.

If you have access to mailbox online order Shade Cloth. It blocks a lot of sun, get some clips and rope so you can string it up anywhere you need.

Keep your eye on the prize. And Congrats!

 

[Theiznezz]

Hang out at free places like the library during the day

 

[Kate Dot]

Hiya, have you checked with your county's ADRC? Or even simply 'senior center'? The Aging, Disability and Resource Center (ADRC) can be a lifesaver in MANY ways. Let us know how it goes!

 

[vantexan]

From San Antonio the closest cooler area is around Ft.Davis, TX, a little south of I-10. Check out Bob's video about NM state parks. Very affordable and you can stay in higher elevation parks during the summer. Probably the best state park situation for living in the country. Colorado is very expensive.