Fall Travels: Planning and Setting Out
I’ve always wanted to go. I felt drawn to the West. Growing up in the Deep South, I read Louis L’amour books as a kid and romanticized the image of it. In college, I found a love for Cormac McCarthy and photography and film and wanted even more to see and shoot it and write about it for myself. So I’m going on a trip. Three months, California, Oregon, and Washington. Maybe they’ll live up to my romanticized view and maybe they won’t. But I’ll know for myself.
The idea that I could actually do this began taking shape during my last semester of college. It kicked into high gear when I went on a spring break trip to Glacier National Park in Montana with five of my closest friends. Being there, out in the mountains and snow and tall pines, I decided I had to find a way. I spent the summer making a detailed itinerary (while still leaving room for spontaneity). The big hurdle was finding a home away from home — somewhere to sleep for three months. The solution? The back of my Honda CR-V.
My dad and I drew up plans for a platform in the back of the car to support a bed. The problem is that the back of my car, with the rear seats laid flat, is only about 60 inches long, and I’m kind of tall. We’d need extra space for me to fully lay down. We realized that with the front seats slid all the forward, we had just enough room — but there was a small canyon of empty space between where the back seats ended and the front seats began. Thus the platform. After a couple of trips to Lowe’s, my dad and I (and his shop full of tools) got to work.
Cut out to fit around the console.
The platform had to be cut to fit, which meant shaving a couple inches off the width and a series of trial and error drawings to get the shape of this cutout correct.
During the day, it would fold back on itself, giving me room to drive.
We rounded the edges and sanded them down so that no corners or splinters would be able to damage my car’s upholstery.
At night, it would fold out to become 79 inches long in total.
This would give me enough room to fully lie down. But, obviously the front edge would need support — and preferably a method of support that allowed me to still use the floorboard space for storage during the day.
we decided that two legs would support the front fold-out portion.
We designed these rectangle framed supports to be minimal enough to allow space around them for items like shoes and small luggage.
Each side was covered with carpet to avoid splinters. We had some old carpet scraps on hand from past projects and picked up a few feet more at Lowe’s to make up the difference. This added a little padding and a layer of protection. (Shoutout Dad for applying a little engineering expertise to this project. You’re the best.)
The final (messy) fully-loaded version.
Mattress pad, sleeping bag, blankets, and fan — for sleeping in weather from San Diego to North Cascades National Park. With a camp chair, window blockers for privacy, a box full of camping supplies, and luggage fitted in a tight puzzle all around the bed.
That’s the load out! A way to sleep, plus several bags of clothes, photo equipment, cooking supplies, and a tent — for a reprieve from car sleeping once in awhile. Home for three months of me, the open road, and the vastness of the American west.