Six Days in the Valley

The original plan was to scout places to spend the night in the northern Central Valley. If I ever refer to “the Valley” this is the place I mean: The big ass valley that makes up the middle of California. I was born there, it is a place that feels like home. The plan was to get a sustenance gig somewhere between Williams and Red Bluff, most likely at a branch of the auto parts store I worked at the previous winter.

I even brought along one of my uniform shirts in case I had an interview.

Taking the back roads was a leisurely but scenic drive through the Sacramento Delta, through West Sacramento and then along the river to Woodland. I ended up at the north end of the Capay Valley. Normally, people park down in the meadow but there were a lot of trailers down there so I parked in the lot up by the vault toilet. It was a beautiful place, reminded me of West Marin.

The second day I drove around, sticking—again—to the back roads. Small towns were explored as these were the small towns I’d be living and shopping in if I got another delivery gig. The towns were poor, rural poor, dead cars in weed choked lots. A lot of cool, old historical buildings falling to ruin. I could have done it, it’d be an experience, right? Something to write about…

And then I started thinking about rent. I could get an apartment for 700 a month. Even paying that I would just be scraping by if I got another $15 an hour job; I wouldn’t have to buy groceries on my credit card as I had in Sacramento, but I wouldn’t be able to save money.

So…I began looking for seasonal work, short term jobs where they gave you a spot to park whatever you lived out of. It was late in the year for seeking a camp host gig (late April, at that point). The new plan was to seek a seasonal gig, give myself until the beginning of May, and then look for a “real” job in the Valley.

I checked out a Pilot in Orland but the lot was really small. Same situation with the Loves in Williams and the one in Corning. I found a truck parking lot next to a casino. The clouds were heavy and threatened rain. I sat in the front seat reading and drank wine when darkness fell. The lot was empty was I got there but began filling up. Pandette took up a third of the parking space; I felt greedy, like I was keeping a truck driver from getting a spot to sleep. I felt greedy and worried some truck driver would get pissed off and come pound on the van. Nevertheless, I climbed in the back and went to sleep. I woke up few times to the sound of massive diesel engines. A hard rain fell in the middle of the night.

The next morning I left without making coffee. There was another gravel truck lot south of Williams that became my unofficial “base”: I threw the (solar) panels up (to charge Big Jack), made coffee and food, and looked for work. I used the bathroom at a wildlife refuge a few miles down the road that I had used in the past. Aside from that one night in the truck stop, I was up at the Cache Creek Wildlife Refuge. It was cold in the night and early in the morning, but full of oaks and explosions of yellow flowers and birds. As there was no signal I drove back to the Valley each day to look for work and eventually correspond with the person who would hire me for a camp host gig in Southern California.

As of May 17th I’ve been (mostly) on the road for two years. There are times I am challenged to find a good place to overnight or a bathroom but it’s a lot easier than even a year ago. In the Valley I figured out where to get wi-fi (Starbucks had the best), use a bathroom, or a place I could throw the panels up for a couple of hours without getting hassled. Honestly, after the last camp host gig I was tired of being on the road, living out of the van. After my four month return to the stick and brick world I have come to the understanding that living out Pandette is not always easy, but it is most in line with my beliefs and goals. If you ever have questions about van life, feel free to ask them in the comments….