I followed the two of them down a short gravel road in the dark. As we came to a stop, their headlights lit up a chain link gate ahead. He jumped out of his car and rolled the fence back. It was dark and I could not tell what I was driving into, but as the gate was drawn close behind me, I knew that I was here for the night. I was new to […]
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Third van, third time making cabinets. After pulling up the piece of linoleum laid down by the PO, my father, I found that there was a fair bit of mold and water damage to the original cabinets. The leak was coming in sliding middle window, above the kitchenette, and was running inside the wall and under the flooring. At that point I knew it was time for a full renovation. Gutted the interior, had the […]
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The starter went out somewhere in New Mexico, or was it Arizona? Regardless, it wouldn’t get replaced till Oklahoma City. I would pass through a lot of country before finally being able to start the van with a key again. Every parking spot was first scouted for incline and clearance. Gas stations were timed to ensure easy exit pushes. Every stop was questioned. Did I really want to explain to one more person that I […]
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I think I should lead off with the fact that this is my third van. Three times now I have emptied the interior of a Vanagon and built something I thought to be more functional. This third van, however, came to me as an ASI Riviera that you may remember hearing about in this post. As such, it was already built out as a camper – complete with sink, stove, fridge, and even a thermostat-controlled […]
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I have spent a needless amount of time thinking about my van, just as a general statement. My previous two vans were tin-tops, i.e. no pop-top. So the idea of a high top conversion was always on my radar. Well, I now have an ASI Riviera, which has the vertical type pop-top, as opposed to the angled Westfalia version. The upside is that it has a low profile when not in use, and then simply […]
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How ironic that this post follows my last. It comes in waves, this vanlife. My first foray into vanlife came at the end of 2011, and truly began in early 2012. I would buy a cheap Vanagon off Craigslist, build it out, and hit the road. I would live in it for about 9 months, much of which was exploring the United States. At that time, like this time, I thought it could potentially last […]
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In my usual routine, I woke up and made breakfast and scrolled through social media. In the Portland Vanagon group, yes, we have a Facebook group dedicated to our love affair with these boxy vans; someone had posted yet another video about the #vanlife movement. After watching it, I felt a bit dirty. Honestly, it is this sort of videos are what give this movement such a bad name. It left me with the need […]
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Here in Portland it is feeling like fall has officially arrived and maybe Spring at the same time. Today has been a wet one, but the trees along the street side are making it known that fall has come. Along with the changing of the leaves comes the cooling of the air, and that is very applicable when in the van. I have been house sitting for a friend the past month or so, […]
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Last night, prompted by a recent engine failure and subsequent upgrade, Damon of NRWSTR put together a beer and vans get together here in Portland. In just a matter of day or two, we came out of the woodwork and descended upon HUB brewing – rolling in deep with about 8 vans and one Sunrader (bound.for.nowhere‘s new rig.) While hanging out with these folks, it reminded me of how small and amazing this community is. […]
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The folks over at MightyGoods, a site devoted to stories about adventurers and nomads, has created a giant graphic of 85 vanlifers – I made the list! Fun to look through this list and see some of the other folks I have come to know through my travels.
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