Just turned 50- living in my car- finding my niche

[gnarledwolf]

Hello,
     I just turned 50 yesterday and I've been living and traveling out of my 2007 Eclipse GT for 3 weeks.  We've been learning the ways of the road, and love finding new sites to camp at.  So far, because I've been slightly wasteful, it's cost us about $600 to come all the way across the country from NY to Washington, spending the nights at national parks and free campgrounds, using a tent.  I especially love the ones with water and pit toilets.... very useful, but we've done the primitive ones as well.   Loving it all!  We'll have a blog up soon.... been building it when we can in public libraries as well go along, but is still taking time to get it all set up to go... eventually we'd love to make a living off the blog... we do like it's potential.

     The problem now, is our goal was to make it to Washington, and we just hit Seattle today.  I hate it already because of the traffic alone... it's an accident waiting to happen.  We were thinking of camping and basing ourselves around Olympic National park and I'm so far enjoying the descriptions of the small towns around Olympic.  What I'm wondering is if anyone has any recommendations where you could get jobs in such an area or please tell me if it's impossible to get jobs in these places?  I am IPC certified in building electronics panels as well as tons of other jobs I've held in my life.  I'm not looking full time, I'm just wondering what jobs you can get living out of a vehicle and commuting to a job?  My car is still under payments and if I don't do something in the next few months, I'm going to lose it.... from my guess I can get along on about $500 a month living like this.   That's assuming winter here is colder than I'm told in which case I'll need money to move south.  IDEAS are welcome.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[Rackley]

Hey man. Welcome to the forum. I think there is another couple here living out of an eclipse. I dont know about the job market or the weather up there. Just wanted to say welcome!

 

[ramblingvanman]

I have a friend up there who works for Boeing. What is your skill set?

 

[gnarledwolf]

I have a friend up there who works for Boeing. What is your skill set?

IPC certified. soldering and QIing circuit boards, Class a industrial painter, 10 years standard fork truck experience, and I'm an artist in wood...
My last job in NY was soldering and repairing circuitboards for GE.

 

[Suanne]

Many beautiful places to camp on the OP. Some places get lots of winter rain (e.g., Forks). Other places are drier than most of Western Washington because they are in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountain Range. Sequim (pronounced "squim") is a popular retirement town because of this. Port Angeles (just west of Sequim) would be your best bet for finding work and the entrance into Olympic NP's Hurricane Ridge is right there. For free dispersed camping, I'd check out the National Forests that surround the NP.

It can get cold, into the teens, in the winter. Snow happens at sea level during some winters. They are predicting that El Niño will make this coming winter wetter than ever, even in Sequim. So, be prepared for soggy conditions.

As for me, I'm going south.

Suanne ... currently in the Cascade foothills.

 

[Baloo]

Welcome and I wish you the best of luck in your travels!

 

[Spirituallifetime]

I've lived in the northwest, the temperatures may not be as cold as it is in most places but it will feel colder because of all the rain and moisture in the air. I think it will be very hard to stay the whole winter. It would be better to go south for winter.

 

[akrvbob]

I believe Washington state would be my very last choice for a place to spend a winter in a van. I'd go to Alaska first!

On the other hand, Quartzsite, AZ would be my first choice--that's why I'm going there!
Bob

 

[WheelEstate USA]

No gray, wet winters for me. Tried that and hated it...even living in a house.
Can't imagine doing it in a van let alone a car.
Migrating slowly toward Quartzsite as we speak.

 

[SC Beachgal]

Hey man. Welcome to the forum. I think there is another couple here living out of an eclipse. I dont know about the job market or the weather up there. Just wanted to say welcome!

I tent camped in Olympic NP last June/July.  Love the area. Best of luck getting a job

 

[gnarledwolf]

We've been traveling around olympic national Park and disperse camping in the national forests around it.... sometimes tricky finding camping areas... though we've often gotten lucky.  Last night near Folks, we stayed in a recreational area and set up tents in the night.  Says it required a discovery pass, which we don't have, so we slept, and were gone by 9am, just in case!   

We are seriously considering going south to Quartzite, as it's getting colder and colder.  We camp in a mt. two nights ago and it was in the 40s when we woke up, this morning in Folks are ground level it felt in the 30's... so... looks like south it is.  Doing research on Quartzite and other locations now.  Will still need a job to keep paying for my car sooner or later.
Matt

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Matt...You can pick up some seasonal work at Quartzsite or Yuma. Lots of gigs there pay cash under the table. May not make a lot but living is cheap.

Its cooling off in N Calif so we're ready to move along in a few days.

 

[gnarledwolf]

Matt...You can pick up some seasonal work at Quartzsite or Yuma. Lots of gigs there pay cash under the table. May not make a lot but living is cheap.

Its cooling off in N Calif so we're ready to move along in a few days.

We notice it's still very hot in AZ until like, mid october, a slow travel south seems like the best option, or is there a good intermediary place to stay while waiting for the heat to die down in Quartzite?

 

[akrvbob]

Flagstaff is a great choice at 7000 feet!! Nearly every spring and fall I spend some time here waiting for my destination to either warm up or cool off. It's my designated jumping off point. Sometimes it's too cold in the fall before Quartzsite finally cools off, then I'll go to either Prescott at 5000 feet, or Sedona/Cottonwood at 3500. One of those places will have a perfect temperature while I wait for the desert to cool down.

Right now there are 10 of us in this area just waiting for the weather to cool down. The desert is rarely cool enough for me until Mid-October, but that's only a month away.
Bob

 

[gnarledwolf]

Flagstaff is a great choice at 7000 feet!! Nearly every spring and fall I spend some time here waiting for my destination to either warm up or cool off.  It's my designated jumping off point. Sometimes it's too cold in the fall before Quartzsite finally cools off, then I'll go to either Prescott at 5000 feet, or Sedona/Cottonwood at 3500. One of those places will have a perfect temperature while I wait for the desert to cool down.

Right now there are 10 of us in this area just waiting for the weather to cool down. The desert is rarely cool enough for me until Mid-October, but that's only a month away.
Bob

Do you have a gps for that location?  We are tent camping and that will matter, of course