A short introduction

[sreesekelley]

I thought it about time for me to introduce myself on the forum.  I am normally a lurker and just read. Anything I have to contribute about living out of a vehicle would probably not be correct and I tend to stay out of voicing my opinion these days.

I am 63.  I was waiting on my sister to retire earlier this year so we could travel and spend time sightseeing.  She died.  So I will continue on with my plan of sightseeing with my trusted canine companion.  

I've lived in a vehicle before.  I was a consultant up and down the east coast and I had a truck with a camper shell on it.  I spent a lot of time in roadside parks in between assignments.  In the army we had a 5/4 ton trailer we built into what we called the 'winnebago'.  it was just a metal trailer with plywood sides and canvas for waterproofing.  We installed a 60k BTU heater because the army always liked to camp in cold wet places.  We had a generator to run the coffee pot and lots of food to supplement the c-rations.

When I was a child my family camped across the United States every summer.  Two adults and five children living in a tent with a VW bus to carry everything.  We could pull into a campground and have camp set up and dinner cooking inside of 30 minutes.  

My intention is to show up at Quartzsite this next January.  I have many places I plan on stopping to visit along the way if the weather permits.  

I bought a van and am currently adding a few things to it to make it a rolling metal tent on wheels.  I might like it and stay out longer or I might decide not too.  At this point my only goal is to make it to Quartzsite for the RTR and meet folks and have some fun traveling with my dog.  After that ...

An introduction would be incomplete without a thank you to Mr. Wells and the many people who take the time to post videos and interviews.  

i was born in Yuma so this feels like a homecoming to me in some small way.  

I asked google what to name my van and google said 'Trevor'.  A friend of mine said the front of the van looked like a puffer fish.  So Trevor the Pufferfish and the Ruby dog will seeyas in January if the mule ain't sick and the creek don't rise.

 

[Queen]

Hello, and welcome! Very sorry to hear about your sister, but nice that you're continuing on with the plan.

 

[Wabbit]

Hi sreesekelley and welcome. Sounds like you have a lot to offer this forum! As far as your opinion goes, if all the people with reasonable opinions keep a low profile, it might appear to the up and comers that logic and reason are not all that valued. Saying that, I hush up a lot, reason being I am not a huge fan of confrontation anymore. However, I realize the importance of speaking up so maybe I'm just picking my battles. Can't wait to hear more from you, and I hope you feel your Sisters presence if that is something that would bring you comfort. Best of luck and keep on keepin' on.

 

[rvwandering]

Welcome to the CRVL forums sreesekelley! It sounds like you've had a lot of experience and you'll be able to add to the wealth of information on the forums so please keeping posting.

To help you learn the ins and outs of these forums, this "Tips & Tricks" post lists some helpful information to get you started. We look forward to hearing more from you.

 

[WanderingScribe]

That's a great story! And I, Gigi the Great White Beast, and Davy dog look forward to meeting you in January ... if the mule ain't sick and the creek don't rise!

 

[sreesekelley]

I've found this to be interesting as I work on my van getting it ready.  Every neighbor I have has wandered over to check out exactly what I'm up to.  I've always introduced myself to new people when they move in and say hello.  I held many chats over the fence, rescued a dog that was being attacked and just generally been a live and let live kind of neighbor.  My neighbors watched me a couple of years ago build a sailboat.  So now it seems the curiosity is overwhelming.  I actually have to stop what I'm doing and have a conversation.  I don't find it intrusive just interesting.  I worked today building some shelving to the point of muscle fatigue.  Of course I'm doing it the hard way.  i cut the wood on the front porch and I'm in and out of the van many many times measuring and dry fitting.  Today the police had pulled over someone speeding at the end of the street and even they drove by slowly to check out what I am doing.

Who knew that cutting a few boards would be so fascinating.  

 

[BobBski]

Welcome, great to see you here with us. All the best to ya

 

[Almost There]

Who knew that cutting a few boards would be so fascinating.  

Welcome to the forum!

I too was the object of much neighborly speculation and fascination! I built the entire interior of my van in the driveway of the 4 plex I was living in. It was 1 block from the main part of a small town of 1,000 on the main street. Also next to an ongoing commercial construction project. I tried my best not to be an too much of an object of interest to the carpenters next door but I'm sure I failed....   as witnessed by their frequent coffee breaks taken within spitting distance of my work area!!

I had people I didn't even know stop me in the IGA and ask how the van was coming along. Complete strangers took their daily walks up and down the main street so they could check on my progress!!

 

[sreesekelley]

Trevor is ready! Ruby is ready! All I need do is load a few things and I'm ready to hit the road. I did a short slideshow of the build. here is the URL to the youtube video.

 

[ColdBrook]

Nice build!

 

[tx2sturgis]

I like it!

I especially like that you made the bed platform out of nylon webbing instead of a plywood platform.

No way, no how, will I ever build a van or trailer bed platform with flat plywood or wood slats. 

Saves weight and looks very comfy!

 

[John61CT]

> bed platform out of nylon webbing

Pics, howto links please!

 

[sreesekelley]

I had that webbing left over from a motorcycle project from a few years ago. Sadly i must report that after three days of high humidity with the mattress on top it began to sag. perhaps if I had had double the amount of webbing it would have worked. I did eventually just throw a 1/2" sheet of plywood down. I used upholstry tacks x3 and 2 heavy duty staples underneath. I just wove it like a lawn chair. It was quite strong enough but not strong enough to stand against SC humidity. There are no links on how to and the pics in the video are all there is.

 

[sreesekelley]

I discovered a roll of 300 LEDs I bought for the bike in the garage. Trevor had to have them. Remote controlled so I have them set on red to save night vision. I have everything piled in the living room so I can sit and look at it and think of what I'm forgetting. So far can opener is all I have on the list. I'm anxiously watching the weather but it's still 10 days till liftoff. I did go out in the van with the heater in my slippers (about 42f) and I was quite comfortable. My sleeping bag is good for much lower temps. My concern is using the bucket in the wee hours of the morning. i wanted to see if just the pilot light would warm the place up. Undecided on that part. I've decided to not hang curtains but stick them in place with magnets. I have plenty of magnets, just have to cut material to size. Ruby is getting the hang of the van. i suppose if it's really cold i can drive a lot more and sleep a lot less. I made it back to SC from yellowstone in 2 days. Ya'll keep posting stuff for me to read and videos for me to watch. All I'm doing is waiting on zero hour at this point.

 

[sreesekelley]

Ruby and I left yesterday. Spent the night in a lovely campground between augusta and atlanta. Went for a nice walk on the nature trail. Fed Ruby, then fed myself all inside the van. Listened to a little music and tried out all the electrical gizmos I installed in the van. Started getting ready for bed and discovered my pistol wasn't in the holster. PANIC! Outside with a flashlight retracing every step Ruby and I made except for the nature hike. No luck. Tore the inside of the van apart looking. No luck. Figured I would wait until daylight and search again. Temp 18f. I was quite cozy in the sleeping bag but Ruby got cold about 11pm and decided to come snuggle with me in the sleeping bag. wow does that dog snore!

Awake every hour to see how close to daylight. 7AM, light enough to see. Ruby on the leash and me bundled up we go back on a nature hike and scour the campground again. NO LUCK! All night long I retraced every single step in every single rest area and dog walk and couldn't remember a single instance where I had heard a hunk of steel hitting the ground.

final straw in a list of things that hadn't gone right. headed back to home. had a herd of deer jump out in front of me and slammed on the brakes, All the stuff that wouldn't fit under the bed because of my poor planning came crashing to the bulkhead with ruby in between. She wasn't hurt and I missed deer #2 and #3. Long drive back to bombcyclone blizzard town with the ice and snow still everywhere.

Walk in the house and find the pistol right where I put it when I washed the jeans I was wearing. TOTAL RELIEF! angry at my stupidity for being in such a hurry to do something so dumb. Unloaded the van and declared this year a bust. I'll fix the issues with the bed so I can store things underneath like I wanted.

Van is unloaded, Ruby is happy on her luxurious doggie bed I couldn't take because of the lack of room. My adrenalin is back to normal and the water is back on and the house is warming up.

I learned a lot, mostly that I can sleep comfortably in 18F temps inside the van. Maybe next year ...

 

[Teresa33]

It's too bad you and Ruby aren't going to make it after all the work you put into Trevor the Pufferfish.  It's certainly not too late.  I'm not going to get there till the 19th.  I do understand that if you're on the east coast that the weather is against you right now.  I'm in Oregon and will be heading south next week after having a few repairs done on my rig.  Maybe you'll make it next year.  Teresa (Dragonfly)

 

[sreesekelley]

In forty years I've never misplaced a weapon. I threw one down once after grabbing a hot barrel but I picked it up just as quickly. I could not conceive of spending three weeks worrying about what happened. Had I found the weapon in the campground I would have pushed on. Everything happens for a reason. Next year I'll have saved more so I can splurge if I want to. Maybe next year the nation won't be in the throes of record breaking cold snap. Next year I'll be able to use the storage under the bed and the cargo will be secure. Next year my battery bank will be larger although I turned on every thing I had in the van and my current battery barely registered a dip in capacity. Next year I'll have a fridge. My blackout curtains will have tracks to hang on instead of magnets. I was pleased with the way they worked this time but I can improve on the design. next year ruby will have her bed.

With a few hours of modification the storage problem will be solved. there are plenty of places within a hundred miles to go camping and I'll do plenty of that over the summer. Sometimes I think I cause my own problems because something 'just isn't right' and even though I give credit to the universe it isn't the end. It is just a rocky beginning and many lessons learned. I did think about making the modifications and then drive straight thru but in the end the RTR was just a stop, the end game is smelling the roses along the way and driving straight through turned everything into a destination with a time schedule. Misplacing the pistol was just too intense and worrying. final straw in a list of little straws.

 

[Cargo Margo]

So looking forward to seeing you at the RTR.  I'm coming for the first time with a couple of fellows.  We got to borrow a sprinter van camper, so we're getting packed up to leave.  We're coming from the Gem State and want to learn as much as we can about van dwelling and meet people.  We're in the van with the sign "Taking a Trip, Not Taking a Trip"