Off-Grid Living in a 4x4 Van | Eastern Sierra Mountains

How's it going everybody? I'm Nikki Delventhal and this is my dog Camper Delventhal. We lived in a Prius full-time for three years, but now we're in a 4x4 Sprinter. And we're here to take you along on the wild ride. So fasten up your seat belts and let's have some fun. Don't forget, if you like what you see, like, subscribe, comment, share with your friends, and turn on notifications. Camper and I would be so thankful. On last week's episode, Camper and I say goodbye to our friends after a fun night of camping in the mountains. Then we spend the rest of the day hiking, relaxing, and swimming at a watering hole. Camper is finally becoming a water boy. The following day was a regular van life errands day. We do laundry, go grocery shopping, get gas, wash the van, and find a place to work since our wi-fi was acting funky. Camper kept sneezing and I was starting to get really worried, so I decided to take him to the emergency clinic. And thank goodness I did. He had a foxtail lodged in his nose, something I had never heard of in the past and could be deadly. Thankfully we caught it just in time and Camper was feeling much better and ready for our next big adventure. It's so loud here. We've got our lovely neighbors, the gas pumps, the main highway, and another highway that apparently has a fire station and ambulance. They're really close. So I wanted to make sure that this morning we skipped LA traffic, so last night after everything we drove all the way through the mountains so we didn't get stuck there for like 200 hours this morning. So now we are in the clear. Oh man it's hot up here. We got a rush of hot air. You guys, it is getting very hot down south, so hence moving north. Wow. All right Camp, it's your turn to make bed. I named this mountain Camptastic. Oh wow, it's getting really hot. I gotta start this car and get the AC going. That should be a little better while we get ready. You love baking in the sun, you crazy boy. Yes, I love you. Good boy. All right, let's get north my dude. You ready? You ready? High five. All right, buckle up mister. We gotta strap you in. Okay, you're gonna man the back today? Got it. Let's hit it. Oops, I just turned it off. Oh yeah, this will do. We could use a little badass this morning. Are you kidding me? I'm all the badass we need. Look at me. Cheers. An ear for you, a badass coffee for me. That was only half the tank, but now we're completely full. Let's party. We have made it to one of my favorite places to wild camp in the eastern Sierras. It is absolutely beautiful here with all the layers of the mountains and the rocks. It is really truly something special. But now we have to find that camp spot, which is making me a little nervous because what once used to be a place that you could find camp spots all over is now very regulated due to overpopulation and people trashing this place. And on that topic, if you don't know what leave no trace ethics are, please look them up. I'll put some resources in the description below. It is super, super important that we abide by those before we go outside and wild camp. Let's take a drive around and see what we can find. I am hopeful, but I'm a little bit nervous because it's quite busy today. That says no camping. That says no camping. That spot's taken. Oh, man, you guys. All right. That's taken. That's taken. Darn it. That spot over there is taken. All right. We've passed about six camp spots so far and they're all taken. Maybe we'll get lucky up here. There's only one spot left. But it is ours. I think. All right. We're going to back it up into this camp spot. So the shade is on the slider door side. Good idea. Good idea. All right. Oh, we were so close. This spot looks so familiar. I'm pretty sure this is the first place I stayed coming here when I lived in my Prius. I'm like, yeah, it definitely is. That is so cool. What do you guys say we make something to eat? It's the afternoon. I saw It is way too hot out right now to be cooking hot food. No, no, no. So let's just take out all the toppings. Look at this array of goodies to go on top. You ready for a masterpiece? All right, camp, what do you think? You want to go for a walk? Yeah? Stay out of there. Those are foxtails. Not again. All right. We got to follow the Camptastic to higher ground. It is windy up here, but it is beautiful. We have a 360 view of the area. Wow. Check this out. This is truly one of my absolute favorite places to just wander and hike around. I feel like every turn you discover something new, a cool rock formation. I don't care how many times I've been here. I always find something new and fascinating. There it is. Home, sweet home. And we're getting back just in time for sunset. Yes. And grab a little kombucha for the occasion. As it's so cool, just stop and look around just on this one bush here. There's just so many cool things. Living on the road, one of my absolute favorite items is my Jackery portable power station. It was my sole source of power while I was living in my Prius for three years. I used it in my truck camper, and now I use it as backup in this van. It's also really great for in a home, just in case there's a power outage, and you can be back up and running in seconds. What's really cool about it is there are multiple ways to charge it. Whether you are driving through the carport, if you have an electrical outlet, or my favorite method, directly through the sun with their foldable solar panels. I highly recommend the Jackery portable power station. I've been using it for over three years. It has been an absolute game changer for my life on the road, but also visiting friends who have had power outages and I was there. If you're in the market for a Jackery yourself, please use the link in my description as that really helps out camper and I, but also I have a permanent discount code down there for you guys that could save you hundreds. Speaking of other things that are game changers are showers, and we really need one before bed, so shower time. Love that. All right, see you on the other side. That was so good. Oh my gosh, you guys, there's so many bugs in here. What the heck? Can they get through these little screens? Oh my god, we got to close this. We got to close it. Are you kidding me? All right, now you're going down. Ready? One, two, come at me, bro. Oh, it works. Oh, maybe not. Oh, yep, yep. Got him. Got him. Wow, there's so many. All right, come on in. Come on in. Camper, seriously, what are you doing down here? He saw a fly earlier and he's been trying to go down there ever since. The fly is not down here anymore, camper. The fly is not in here anymore. He's so funny. He's afraid of a fly, but he's like a fearless warrior. I swear there's no fly in here. You're okay. You sure? I'm freaking out. I hate those things. They're so scary. Good night. Good morning, good boy. Doesn't get any cuter than that. Oh my goodness, it does not. It's so peaceful out here. And voila, we have the perfect coffee maker. Oh, this is going to be frothy. You could feel it expanding. I like a latte. Side note, have you guys peeped my wolf shirt? I got this at the largest truck stop in the entire world. One of my favorite shirts. Oh my God. Why am I so cool? Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You can't go to your hiding spot. You're okay. Oh my God. See, you're okay. They're not in here. This guy is tough as nails. And then a freaking fly comes around and he turns into a piece of mush. In from those flies. I swear to God, if they come in my home, I will get them. I will get them. Yes, I will. I'm so big and scary. I'm also terrified. Oh my God. I don't know how to get him over that pier. I don't know. I don't think there's any getting over it, especially since I just got bit by one and I freaking hurt. All right, here we go. The desert is getting super hot. So maybe we'll go and search for a water source or maybe get higher in elevation. Oh, camper, you want to stop by our friend's juice bar? One of our girlfriends, Miriam, owns a juice bar here. So naturally, we're going to have to stop by and get one. Can't wait. Oh yeah. Is this your love? Is this your bestie? All right. Question is, do we cook or do we get a flop right here? Love this. Oh, I'm going to be feeling good today. We love you. All right. Me too. Bye. Bye camper. That is so good. Instantly, I feel like a million bucks. I always feel like a million bucks. We feel like a billion bucks. Whoa. Twins. I got so much energy. Fresh juice, baby. Fresh juice. That was so good, huh? All right. So, camper, we got some options here. We can go try to get to higher elevation, maybe find a waterfall. We can jump in a spring. I did hear there's some really cool flowers up the road. I don't know. Why do I always have to make the decisions around here? You want to do it all? You guys want to try to fit it all in? Camper, get a room, man. All right. First stop, cute flowers. Look at that, camp. We found them. We're going to get a little closer down one of these dirt roads for sure. All right. Let's go check out some lupine. Rock slides. Well, we're going to have to pick up this guy's trash. What is wrong with people? Stop trashing. Leave no trace ethics, people. We'll get that on the way up. Look how incredible this is. So, these flowers are seasonal, and what makes them so special is that these literally won't be here next week. We are so lucky. Throw out the trash. That's not ours. We're ready to continue the adventure. You guys want to know what one of my favorite things about my fridge is and the location? Easy access kombucha. There we are. Camper's trying to catch some fish. Hey, good boy. You enjoying? You getting everything dirty and wet? Sounds good to me. There's very little in this world that makes me happier than swimming in fresh clear water like this. It is so magical. Oh, fun fact. If you are visiting springs and wells like this, one of the reasons I didn't plunge my head under is because you never know what the bacteria count is, and there's a thing called brain-eating amoebas. They're very real. Would it be very rare for me to get it here? Yes, but in history, they have found bacteria here. So, one of my rule of thumbs is don't put my nose or my eyeballs under the water just in case. You want dinner too? I mean, with a face like that, you could have anything you want. All right, free. I feel like technically you're supposed to do one thing at a time, but I'm just going to throw it all in there and have leftovers. I'm so happy. It's my favorite. My neighbors, though, not so much. They're loud and they play music I don't like, but what are you going to do? Appetizer, anyone? That was so delicious. All right, I'm going to hop in, take a little nose soap shower, and then we're going to find a place to sleep. Mosquitoes are rolling in. We got to vacuum them up. Not on this day. I don't think so, Mr. Mosquito. Oh, Camper, don't worry. I got it. I got that fly. Don't worry, Camp. I got him. Camper, you can come out. I got him. He's gone. Are you sure? I don't know. I don't believe you. They just keep multiplying. Oh, yeah, we're leaving. Perfect timing. Another party just showed up. All right, excuse me, Camp. Welcome to Carrot Karaoke. I'm your host, Nikki Dalmanthal. My co-host is sleeping. Under the sea, under the sea. Darling, it's... Take it from me. You may be right. I may be crazy. Oh, but it just may be a lunatic you're looking for.