A Report from the Mobile Man Cave-

I have been playing with the Mobile Man Cave a bit as we prepare for our move from Felton, California to Medford, Oregon. My air mattress finally failed after sleeping on it for a week or so. These Northwest Territories air mattresses are cheap, but really don't last long. I used them in my truck tent over the course of a year, and got about six weeks total use out of each one. The only saving grace for these cheap items was the Kmart 90 day warranty. I just kept trading them in over the course of that year, and by virtue of that got good value.

In preparing to move we found ourselves with a surplus twin sized mattress. I managed to fit it into the sleeping area of the Man Cave, and it is working well. The right rear captains seat in the mid-section of the MMC (Mobile Man Cave, or van) is pushed all the way forward, and when sleeping I tilt it forward as well to clear foot space at the end of the bed.

The MMC has been serving truck duty during the day. We pack our stuff in boxes, I put the boxes Tetris-like into the MMC, and drive over to the storage area. We have a five foot by fifteen foot storage area to assist in getting things cleared out for selling the house. Once there I again play Tetris, trying to fit as much stuff into the space as I can.

At night I have been sleeping in the MMC, getting a feel for how to make it a suitable road home for travel. For a number of nights I have had neck pains and disrupted sleep. I finally determined that the vehicle being out of level was the problem. I looked for a solution on the Internet, and found several ideas. The one I adopted was making two ramps out of scrap wood.

By placing the ramps in front of the appropriate wheels and driving carefully forward, the van can be adjusted in angle. The present angle is still not really level, but has greatly improved sleep and general comfort. These first ramps are a bit bulky to carry on trips, but I think I can refine them and come up with a workable solution.

Our house is located in a wooded area, and my parking space was carved out of a portion of our property and not particularly level. This has provided a good camping simulation for testing and refining the MMC. Yes, it is a strange thing to do, camping in the yard like a kid. It has also been a lot of fun.

I considered a built in desk or table for my mid-section living space. Target had the best price on a table, so when opportunity arose to go there I went table hunting. Instead I found a TV tray sold as a single item, built firm enough for the task. I am using this folding "table" right now. It is just adequate for a netbook and mouse, though the surface is not laser-mouse friendly. I need to get a mouse pad.

During this period of reducing-storing-resurfacing in our house, preparing for a sale, I have grumbled about the number of items everyone was keeping for the sake of sentiment. I had been diligent to slash my library, my most prized treasures, even trying to sell my Centennial Dicken's collection. I got rid of a lot of stuff, and could not understand the reticence of other family members to do the same.

Then I sold my Warhammer miniatures. I met a fellow gamer and sold my toys. I experienced a terrible emotional wrenching. I thought at first it was from selling them cheaply to make a quick sale. No, that was not it. I realized then that I had a huge emotional investment in these toys. I had collected them, painted them, customized them, designed armies and played games with them.

I am now a bit more understanding regarding the emotional connection with "stuff." That being said, I did sell my toys and replaced them with a practical pocket hard drive for my netbook. A Toshiba 320 gig drive. Very practical. Light. Easy to move. Unlike my wife's crockery.

Oops! There I go again.

I still need a heat source for the MMC, other than running the engine. Several camp heaters seem well designed, with plenty of safety features to make them good choices. At present my blankets and warm clothing are sufficient. I don't plan any hard winter camping, but I still want to get this thing as complete and self-contained as possible.

My plans for travel adventures around our Central California area never came to pass, largely due to not having the MMC until recently and not having a lot of surplus money. The purpose of this move to Oregon is to liberate some of the equity in the house and reduce expenses so that our income goes further. Hopefully, this will provide some money for travel adventures.

So, my adventure target will change. I have been looking at maps of the Southern Oregon/Northern California areas. Plenty of adventure there, I must say. However, a new day is beginning in our Adventure In Moving, and I need to get to doing something constructive for making that move happen.

This has been another report from the Mobile Man Cave. Stay tuned for further adventures.