New Minivan Camper Bed and Trail of Blue Ice

It’s almost time to head back south so we are getting the van ready. Picked up these bike racks to transport our new bikes and built a new bed for the van. Here are lots of photos of other ways we have set up the minivan bed in the past. On our drive up to Alaska, we didn’t have a bed in the van at all since we didn’t have time for a lot of stops. On our way back south we want to take our time and have the option of sleeping in the van. We bought a few more Action Packers to make a total of six and had a piece of plywood trimmed by two feet to make a 4′ by 6′ bed.  Then we picked up two foam pads from Freddy’s and trimmed two inches from each one to make a full-size bed. The whole thing is a bit taller than our old setup but we can still (barely) sit up in bed. Also picked up another gear hammock for Mike’s side the van. He never wanted one but somehow all of his stuff always ended up in “my” hammock. The photo below shows us using foam padding, but after a few nights, we thought it was a bit too hard. We now use this air mattress (it’s PVC-free and super sturdy) topped with this memory foam. Way more comfortable and easier to fold up and pack away or move aside; unlike the bulky foam sheets. The memory foam does a great job of keeping out the cold that an air mattress attracts. Last weekend we went for a bike ride along the Trail of Blue Ice in the Portage Valley. The glaciers seem really vivid this time of year, probably because most of the snow that covered the ice has melted.  We also tried to do a little late season fishing but it was too late. Most of the fish are no longer edible as they are too far into the spawning process. Male sockeye salmon develop a distinct hump and turn bright red while spawning and will soon die. All the dead fish make for a very interesting “scent” along the riverbanks. The fireweed still looks pretty even after it’s done blooming and has gone to seed.