I’ve just returned from a 2,200 mile trip in the van. I didn’t spend every night of the trip inside the van, but I slept in it more than I didn’t. I learned a lot about myself on this trip and, more to the point, I learned a lot about my van, too.
Because this was about to be my longest journey in the van, I packed it to the hilt. Every single nook and cranny inside the van was full when I pulled out of the driveway. On top of that, my destination was a gathering of retrocomputing enthusiasts in West Virginia. In addition to everything I would have normally taken in the van for such a long trip, I was also hauling a 20-gallon tub full of old computer stuff and a monitor — not one of those fancy flatscreen monitors that are all the rage, but a vintage, 13″ CRT monitor that took up a ton of floor space. I was able to offset some space by removing my Mr. Buddy Heater and my sleeping bag, both of which I correctly predicted I would not need in the middle of West Virginia’s summer heat, but even then the interior of the van was full to the point of being non-functional. Things ended up on my bed, in the aisle, and blocking my access from the front of the van to the rear. The best place for the monitor ended up being underneath my storage cabinet, which displaced both my laptop bag and my CPAP bag.
Until I reached my first destination — a tiny house located next to Elk River, about an hour away from Charleston, WV — I had to play the shuffling game. Accessing my refrigerator (something I can normally do from the front seat) required pulling over and accessing it from the side sliding door. The only way I could access my bed was to move multiple things up into the passenger seat area. Accessing anything required moving something.
I’m an over-buyer, which leads me to being an over-packer. I knew I would be spending Monday through Wednesday alone and needed to pack 8-9 meals with me. I probably brought 30. Instead of making decisions, I brought options. Options take up space. Additionally, I mispacked my refrigerator. 45 liters of space goes fast and on one side I packed a few beers and a few wine coolers. I didn’t drink any of them during my trip. I also bought a case of bottled water and discovered I had nowhere to put it. I found myself wishing I had more space for water and less space taken up by beer.
My first stop in West Virginia was to a friend’s tiny house, where I spent a total of four nights. His tiny house is located right next to the Elk River, and being that close to the water was nice and peaceful. The tiny house has all the amenities of home, just packed into a much smaller space. There’s a bathroom, shower, refrigerator, sink, and so on. There’s even a triple-bunk bed, something I’ve only seen in old episodes of the Three Stooges. Despite not being able to get any cell phone signal, the tiny house also has surprisingly fast internet. I spent the hottest parts of the day inside working on the computer and streaming old episodes of The Price is Right. The mornings and evenings on the porch and near the water were awesome.
Thursday afternoon I said goodbye to the tiny house and made my way to Hurricane, WV, where I spent the next three nights. A friend let me park in a lovely and level patch of grass next to his driveway. We spent the days at the local convention before making our way back to his place each night. I have to say, the second solar panel I added to the roof of the van made all the difference in the world. With both 200w solar panels under the hot summer sun I was bringing in anywhere from 200-300 watts of power all day long. The new SetPower refrigerator I have been using really sips the power so even with the refrigerator running all day long and using my CPAP each night, I was able to, for the most part, keep my batteries fully charged.
On Saturday, the van suffered a breakdown. I don’t want to go into too many details now because I’ll be sharing the entire store in a separate post, but suffice it to say I (and by I, I mean two very generous people) were able to help me get things up and running the day before I was set to make the 1,000 mile trip back home.
My wife arrived in town Saturday afternoon, less than 24 hours before it was time to head back home. Upon entering the van she asked me what she was smelling, and I already knew the answer. I was so tight on space throughout the trip that I started cramming my dirty clothes in plastic bags, tying them up like tiny trash backs, and stashing them wherever I could. There was a bag under the bed, one under the desk, and a third under the passenger seat. I didn’t realize how wet the clothes were, thanks to all the sweat and east coast humidity. The smell wasn’t anything a washer and drying couldn’t take care of, but based on shape of the van my wife suggested we spend the night in a hotel just outside of Louisville… an offer I was quick to accept.
It doesn’t take long in one to realize cargo vans weren’t really made for cross-country road trips. My van doesn’t have power windows, power locks, or cruise control. The engine appears to be governed at 80mph — no amount of coaxing will make it do a mile more. Despite its age and lack of options, we drove Big Rob’s Van hard on Monday for about 12 hours, stopping only for gas and the occasional stretch. It’s not the world’s most comfortable interstate vehicle, but she’s a trusty steed.
I’ll have a video up in a day or two with lots of footage from the trip. My wife and I always have fun together on road trips and this was no exception.
Today the van is in the driveway with all the doors and windows open, airing out… 🙂
