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 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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It was not the way anyone envisioned. It was a sad chain of events that resulted in a dramatic change of vans. Sometimes that is the way change comes about, a blink of an eye, a flash, an explosion – or in this case a thrown rod. During my 2012 Vanagon trip, Vanagon 1.0, my Father joined me for a one month re-enactment of a trip him and I had done when I was about […]
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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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After escaping the chill of eastern Oregon in winter (Feb 1st) I headed south and spent the majority of the winter somewhere in the state of California. Honestly, in retrospect, I think I spent a lot more time in that state then I had previously envisioned. That being said, I have no regrets about my decisions to follow the paths made available and to saying yes to whatever the world was sending my way. Fast […]
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There are two major aspects of living in a Vanagon that appealed to me. One, the shear adventure of being able to roam as desired. The second is the freedom of living simply. The past year I had lived in a tiny house I helped build in Terrebonne Oregon, and at 240 square foot, the place felt quite a bit bigger than necessary. The next logical step, take it to the road and move into […]
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