Waiting Sucks!

Sometimes its fun to have something to look forward to, sometimes not so much!

Okay, so I have the van (vanlife). I am excited to start my travels and to get on the road. What should I pack, what should I bring? In Canada you need warm clothes, and summer clothes … but mostly warm clothes.

First, I had to wait for the van to be available. The seller went on a two-week vacation. I have the van, but I need to install the spare tire, ladder, and Starlink. Waiting, waiting… Parts have been ordered and are en route.

So, should I start making lists? Should I start loading the van? Decisions decisions. I have nine siblings, and so far, I have told 5 of them. We are all very close and meet monthly on Zoom to talk. Often, the conversation runs for hours. I started this during COVID to stay connected. I love it; it’s a lot of fun.

I am not sure why I have not told everyone; I suppose it is so far out of the ordinary. Vanlifing is not a thing in my generation except for those who do it out of necessity. I am a street photographer for fun, and I love to travel. Because my work is all done remotely, this was the best method of travel.

Most people my age get up in the morning, go for a walk, have breakfast, work or do a hobby, have lunch, have a nap, have dinner, watch TV, go to bed, and repeat. Sure, there are other things in between and variations of tasks, but it’s a very routine day. I don’t want that; I want to figure out where I want to be tomorrow and go there. I want to explore cities, parks and, shorelines and everything in between.

I do like to nap, though. They say that 68% of people who take naps during the day see a decrease in heart disease. I usually nap for 30 minutes. I set a timer on my watch. It’s a power nap. And in the van, it is very easy to do. Turn off the lights, close the blinds, and hop into bed. Thirty minutes later, I’m ready to hit the road. People used to make fun of my naps, but I love them. I get recharged.

I plan to travel in sections. I will depart in September and return in November. Then, I will depart again, hopefully missing the snow. I will take the quickest route to avoid snow and head south. My intent is to head southwest. I want to try to avoid being in very hot and humid places because the van is not equipped with air conditioning.

I will coast around the mid-states, trying to stay in a not-too-cold, not-too-hot place and avoid driving on snow-covered roads. I could end up doing the winter driving and camping in a year or so, but I would like to not do it just for a year, maybe.

I have been venturing out and working from the van as my mobile office this week. Although the days are very hot, getting the feel of things is still fun.

I would still like a bigger screen to work from, and I could put an arm with a VESA monitor mount on it and clamp it off to the side. It would need to be removable and or movable so that I could watch a movie if I chose. I will have to kick that around. I have been using my cell phone as a hotspot this week, which is okay but not great.

As you can see from the picture, I have a lot of storage space. The passenger and driver’s seats swivel, giving me comfortable seating. The table can also be moved to different locations in the van, which is handy. Once loaded, it will be like living in a new house—determining which drawer to find stuff in. I have clothing for warm and cold climates, footwear, towels, sheets, utensils, appliances, cameras, chargers, and toiletries.

I am also considering purchasing a carbon fibre mountain bike to use should I park further away from downtown. Carbon fibre bikes are light and easier to lift. Or maybe I get a cheap bike that I would not be so concerned about being stolen. I also have a stealth e-bike.

The back of the van, under the bed, has considerable storage in an area referred to as the garage. It is where the water tank, batteries are, and some slide-out storage.

So, the wait continues as I do short and multiple-day local trips. I received a parking ticket for being parked over a 12 hour period near my home. Soon to be my wife’s pad. Which means either someone called and complained. It is a big ugly looking black van that I doubt people want in front of their homes.

Someone said it looked like a police surveillance van. I would think the police would find something less conspicuous.

I was also asked if I would be lonely on the road by myself; I don’t think that it will be a problem. I will keep you posted.