Mystical Van Ventures
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Back In My Van
I got my Van back, with no diagnosis at all and nothing done to it. It wouldn’t “fail” to start for the mechanics. They tried over a hundred times to start it and it started without fail every time. Several hundred dollars later, I traded the Ford Explorer back in for my Mini Van and headed back out on the road.I spent a long weekend in my tent. Heavy rains were coming and I had hoped to get the Van back before they hit. These rains were badly needed because of the Forest fires in the area.
With the National Forests all being shut down in the area, I had the choice to “move on” or adapt. Adapting meant staying in commercial camp sites or camping stealth.
I pulled out of my campsite of nine days on the day the rains came. With the rain brought experiences that both rocked my world and turned it upside down. I found myself writing feverishly but unable to post my writings, because they were so deeply personal and I wasn’t quite ready to share this content. I realized that I would save some of the content of my journey for my “Flying Solo” book, which will allow me to have some distance from some of the experiences before sharing with the world. This is always a writer’s challenge. How “up close and personal” do we get with our writing.
The one thing I can say now, is if there is a such thing as “instant karma” I’m all over it. Every action has an immediate consequence, whether it is good or bad. There is a boomerang effect happening. Sometimes it is really good and sometimes it is really bad, depending on my actions and choices. I’m being forced to be “hyper aware” in every moment of the choices I make.
There is a saying “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” Well, this is what my “flying solo” journey has been like from the beginning. Nothing was going as “planned” and I was being challenged on some very deep levels. I was being challenged to reach deep inside of myself and find the will to “carry on,” to keep going, even when the going was getting pretty rough.
There were times I allowed myself to get disorganized in my Van and the one thing I have learned is that everything has its place and if things don’t get put back in their place, I may never find them again. It is far too small a space to leave things lying around. I ended up bringing too much, which as I understand, is a common mistake van dwellers make. The more you have, the more you need to organize and find places for.
I cherished having my van bed. It doesn’t matter where I am, my comfy, cozy bed remains the same and is always welcoming at the end of the day. There are even times I wake up and I’m not really sure where I am. I have to reorient myself.
The van is starting for the most part but has had a few “near misses” where it didn’t start for me but eventually it did. I know that I could be stranded at any moment but taking it to a shop didn’t work out well for me. Eventually I’m sure it will go back into the shop, but under what circumstances? Time would tell.
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The Universe Ripped my Van Away
I knew when I began this journey, there would be the good, the bad, the light and the dark. One thing I have learned in this life is that we all get our fair share of challenges. There is no escaping it. It is what we do with the challenges that matter.This week I’ve experienced a very interesting challenge. My dear “Red Raven” Minivan got sick and had to go to the hospital. She was flying along beautifully and then I arrived at my new destination in the mountains of Colorado, found a great, safe place to camp, with all the amenities, including Wifi, laundry and showers. The setting was incredibly beautiful as well. My van backed right up to a small lake and beyond the lake was a river. The people here were very friendly and it felt like a good place to stop and relax a while, so I booked a week in the campground.
As I settled into my new place I felt truly happy. I felt that I somehow “arrived.”
The next morning, my van wouldn’t start. I thought maybe I had drained the battery, so I went to the office and asked for a jump. A kind gentleman came out with a charger and at first the Van wouldn’t start and then after a few tries, it finally kicked in. Whew! I was still concerned however, that maybe there was an issue with the battery, and so the gentleman helping me suggested I go into town to the local auto parts store and ask them to test the battery. He also recommended a good auto mechanic, if I needed one.
The battery tested fine and so I thought maybe it was a one time thing. I went on with my day, stopping at the little “whole foods” store and stocking up on my treats and then stopped for a pedicure. The woman sitting next to me was very friendly, welcoming me as her new neighbor. We struck up a conversation. We talked the whole time, carrying on like best friends, and when it was time to go I bounced out into the parking lot with my shiny pale pink toes, feeling happy about my experience. I went to start the “Red Raven” and she wouldn’t start. I tried again and again until she finally kicked in and I drove directly back to my camp spot and called my warranty service. They informed me they didn’t have anyone in my area but I could use any Certified auto mechanic and they would reimburse, if the issue was covered under the warranty. I called the mechanic that was recommended to me and schedule an appointment for the next day.
The next day, an hour and a half before my appointment I climbed into the “Red Raven” and she wouldn’t start again. I tried and tried and she still wouldn’t start. I called my warranty service again and they issued a tow service to come and tow my Van to the auto mechanics.
As I sat waiting for the tow truck, it suddenly occurred to me, I was about to become homeless. They were coming to take the Red Raven away. I had to think fast and so I pulled the tent and tarp from my roof rack and set it up directly under the big tree in my camp site. I then began to pull everything from the ”Red Raven” and put it in the tent. I left the bedframe, but took the tri-fold, memory foam mattress. Before long I had a little cozy tent cabin with all my stuff, including my fridge and the shelf unit I had in the back of my Van. This would have to be my home until the Red Raven returned from the hospital.
No sooner did I get my tent set up, the tow truck arrived. Gerald, the driver was very kind and offered to give me a ride back to camp, if needed.
One thing I noticed so far, was the kindness of the people around me. The woman from the office at the campground also offered to help in anyway. She said they were always going into town and could give me a lift for groceries or whatever I needed. It felt I was being taken care of.
When we arrived at the mechanics, Gerald offered to wait until we could figure out if I needed a ride back or to a car rental agency. The mechanic was also very friendly and helpful. He took care of the warranty claim like a pro, telling me they work with warranties all the time. He also offered me a loaner vehicle, explaining it was nothing fancy but would get me around. On that note, I bid Gerald farewell, he gave me his card in case I needed anything and told me to call anytime.
I drove home in an old Ford Explorer with Colorado License plates. Now I had arrived!
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The Mystical Van Kitchen Tour
Since I am a healthy eater, adhering to a plant based vegan diet, it is important to me to have a functional kitchen. I put a lot of thought into putting this mini-van kitchen together in a way that didn’t require a lot of stuff, but still got the job done. For example I have one large sauce pan with a steamer basket and lid, and one frying pan. That’s it for pans. I have two forks, knives and spoons, and one set of bamboo utensils including spoons and spatulas. I have two bowls, two plates and a couple storage containers with lids. I’ve got two dish towels and a couple dish cloths. Trader Joes also carries these amazing inflatable sponges that take up very little room. All of the above fit into my Walmart crate that 
fits on the bottom rack of my two rack shelf unit. The Coleman two burner cook-stove fits perfectly on the top rack.I love my igloo 12 volt fridge/cooler. You can set it upright or use it like a regular cooler. I choose to set it upright to create more space for my two small drawers that house my food and spices.
I am giving you a tour today as I create a delicious Tempeh Stir-fry. A very quick and easy recipe that can be made in fifteen minutes. I just saute’ red onion and peppers, add a block of cubed tempeh (a fermented soy product) and add spices, like cumin, turmeric, chipoltle chilli seasoning, and Tamari. I brown the tempeh first and then throw in the onions and peppers, but you could do it the other way around. I just like my veggies lightly cooked.For a quick “van tour” my friend Hinton took a video that you can watch here.
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Ojo Caliente
After five days camping in the national forest, I not only had my first shower, but spent the day at the Ojo Caliente hotsprings and soaked in several different mineral pools, had a mud bath, a steam sauna and a long luxurious shower. It was a well deserved spa day. I also got my first hike in, up on the mesa above the hotsprings, to a Native American ruin that didn’t have much left but a lot of pottery 
chards.My friend Hinton, was going to Ojo Caliente for the day so I decided to join him. We had lunch and dinner in their restaurant and wine bar, which provided a couple Veggie options.
The day was beautiful! Warm and sunny. There were clear skies to where I could sit in the tubs and look up at the stars. The grounds around the springs were beautiful. Overall it was a good day!
I had to cancel the client I had scheduled in the afternoon because there was only Internet inside of the restaurant and lobby and my Verizon hotspot didn’t work. I was concerned about this so I called ahead to make a camping reservation and to ask if they had good Verizon service out there. They said “Yes, Verizon is the only service we get out here.” They were wrong about that. Verizon was “roaming” only. Note to self: “Don’t schedule outings in remote places on work days.”
I camped in their very overpriced campgrounds, which was nice to have nearby, but the hotsprings charged “high end” prices for a “low end” campground. They charge the same for tent campers or vans that don’t need “hookups” as they do for full hookups and they failed to provide me a site with hookups. It isn’t that I needed them, I just expected I would have electricity and water, which I fully planned to use, since I have an extension cord in my van. The water didn’t work, there was no electricity and the number of my site 28, was missing the “2,” so my site just said “8.” I was pretty blown away they were charging $40.00 a night for a tent spot with a rickety picnic table and no services. The code I was given for the restrooms didn’t work either. I imagine they can get away with charging such prices, which, by the way, didn’t include entrance to the hotsprings, because they are the only game in town. If you wish to camp, this is your only option; except my friend Hinton camped in the nearby Church parking lot and some van campers just leave their vehicle parked in the main lot overnight.Was it worth it? The soak definitely was! It was such a treat to soak in the tubs and I slept so well that night.
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Back to Work in the Mini Van Office Suite
One of the burning questions I will always have come Monday morning is “where do I work?” My plan was to take my phone/Skype clients out of my van but parking was the concern. I’ve been camping out on national forest grounds where there is no cell phone or Internet reception, so I have to find a place to park the van where I get both shade and reception.As I was driving around Taos, I found a Coffee house, quite by accident, perched in the trees with a big parking area and even a little stream running between the parking area and the adjoining property. This was it! How perfect! I could get my coffee “to go” and instead of spending countless hours occupying a table in the coffee house, I would just occupy my van in the parking lot.
I decided on Sunday to go for a visit to take a closer look. No sooner did I walk in the door I saw an old friend “Hinton” from Sedona who was also traveling around in a van. He purchased a Promaster, did a camper conversion and lives in his van full time now. I met Hinton through mutual friends, who also travel around in a Sprinter Camper. We all work on the road and have different projects going.
Hinton left Sedona the day before I did and is leaving at the same time. He will also be visiting many of the same areas as I am, so it will be fun to connect here and there.
Monday morning, after cleaning up camp, I headed to the coffee house and the far end parking spot was available, so I backed in and headed into the shop for a coffee. I noticed on my way in that some nomads were setting up a drum kit outdoors…”oh NO!”
It was too late to change plans so I set up my office and started working. No sooner did I start working, the drummer began playing for pennies. Another opportunity to practice tolerance and the understanding that life always gets in the way of our pristine plans.
I also found the Internet connection on my Verizon Hotspot wasn’t so “hot” back there in the corner.
Hinton popped back in, between clients and took a photo of me in action.
In the afternoon I moved to another cafe with a large back parking lot and the reception was great. So were there veggie burgers. I enjoyed the rest of my afternoon in peace.
