Netherlander Nomad!

[Shasza]

Hello everyone! I've been lurking for a bit so I thought I'd get around to introducing myself. My nick name is Shasza and I'm a Dutch/American citizen (duel). I'm 51 years old and married to the most wonderful dutch man a girl could ever want. I live 9 months out of the year in the Netherlands, and 3 months out of the year in the USA, although my last trip was 4 months because of 2 grandchildren being born a couple of months apart.

I got into watching van life video's because of a bucket list trip I wanted to make.... Route 66! (Still haven't had the chance to do it) I first thought I would buy a camper but I had seen the horror that is fairly common on campers... leaks! Whatever I got I didn't want to have to worry about that aspect of my trip. I figured I would keep an open mind about it and keep looking. I arrived in the states June 22nd and started the search. I didn't find anything in June, July, or August so I started to think it wasn't going to happen. Meanwhile I was keeping an eye out for gear that would make my ride more comfortable.

I must admit I had my eye on this one particular van that was not for sale. It belonged to a neighbor down the road from us. I would drive past every day and think to myself... Now if only that was for sale, I'd buy it in a heart beat! Serindipity did the rest! The neighbor down the road put the for sale sign on it and 1 hour after he did I saw it while driving past and said "MINE!" I turned the car around (which freaked out my 71 year old mom) when she found out what I was doing! I went right up to the house, knocked and said "I'd like to buy your van!" This was on September 1st, and for 1850.00 I had myself a van! Yes, it has high miles 190K and is in need of some body work, but for a 28 year old van she looked incredible!

I drove it back to my mom's and began the slow process of stripping out the inside and loading it up with all my facebook marketplace finds! In the mean time I got ahold of a local garage to have the van checked out to see if there was anything that needed to be done and also to have them install a battery disconnect. On the day I was to take it in to the garage I heard this winding noise and then a klunk and then I ran over something! The power steering went and the van started overheating! I pulled over as quick as I could and hopped out. Thankfully I took the tow package with the insurance and the tow didn't cost me a dime! I got it to the garage and the next day they let me know it would cost 700 to get it fixed (serpentine belt and the hoses it took out on it's way out of the motor cavity) and an additional 45 to get the battery disconnect installed. Works for me! I gave them the greenlight and the next day they had my beast of a van up and running again!

Now mind you, in the Netherlands I have a TINY car... hyundi i10, very small city car that is just perfect for me, my son and my dogs. My husband has a larger SUV and if we go anywhere as a family we take his car... and I get nervous about driving his car because it's so big so my husband was wondering how I would handle this large of a van. I'm happy to say that I took it slow and annoyed everyone behind me, but I did get used to it and made it up to 70mph eventually! I didn't like driving that fast, but on open straight stretches it's ok. It's top heavy, she likes to sway back and forth and dip up and down, but it's a very comfortable ride.

I already knew it was too late to do the route 66, but thought it would be great to take it out for a run around Michigan where my family lives. I even spent time camping out first at my daughters place to see her newborn, and then to my son's to see his newborn! Babies everywhere! So exciting! Then I took off by myself 20 days before my flight back to the Netherlands. I planed out a route and made sure my mom, husband and daughter all knew where I was going and told them there was a good possiblity that I would be out of touch for days because I didn't know what kind of cell service I would have in the upper peninsula in no where land! I started off stealth camping at hotel parking lots at night and during the day I went to parks or picnic turnout places. I also had a reservation up in Paradise Michigan at a state park (yay for the recreational passport!) I had a fantastic time! By the time I got cellular service again I got 1000 messages from family asking if I had gotten eaten by a bear!

I've been watching the youtube channel for quite some time and absolutely love the ideas I have gotten from that... for example, I am using a recliner which was an idea I got from the channel. I also used the idea of vaseline on cottonballs to light a fire, I started calling them sticky bombs and now I can't walk past vaseline without saying sticky bombs! I have a knife that was reccomended by the channel and I realized that I didn't bring any kindling along with me.... to the woods.... where it didn't occur to me that there might be kindling there... in the woods.

I just keep saying when I write my memoirs about this trip it would be called "Oma f*cked up!" (Oma is the dutch word for grandmother), but yes... I learned a whole lot! I ran into a trapper which I didn't even know they still exsisted! I got a skunk fur from him and the skunk is now my co-pilot! I bought the wettest wood I could possibly find... I'm pretty sure they soaked it in water just before I came and it was all wrapped in plastic so when I got out the knife to cut open the plastic I made sure I did it in a way where the wood would come tumbling and rolling out onto my toes... EVERY SINGLE TIME! You'd think I would learn.... LOL I kept moving things around in my van to make sure I'd crush my toes in the middle of the night and even managed to take off the top of one of my toes... cut the tip right off! Superglued it right back on! No stitches! I left food out on the table and there were some very FAST chipmunks at the campground! I finally convinced the little guy to give me back my coffee creamer and he could have a hot dog bun. I don't think he minded, the bun was as big as he was!

I guess I looked a little out of place at the camp grounds because the DNR came every day to check on me. I just remeber pulling into the campround in my long maxi dress with my blue glitter butterfly hand fan (it was really hot that day) and them asking me: "You haven't ever been camping before have you?" Nope, not as an adult by myself, when I was a kid yeah! And yeah, I'm soooooooo inexperianced and I really just chucked what I thought I would need in the van and got really, really creative when I needed to. I survived... the end of my toe did not, but hey, I have 4 other... no make that 3 other toes (smashed the big toe too) that are perfectly fine!

I have all a girl could want... 160 watts of solar, just enough so I can run my cpap, watch one movie a night and charge my phone. For the rest of the time I worked on crochet because that's my job! I design, write, edit and test crochet patterns for publication. I made a happly flower blanket for the van out of merino wool and it's in one of the pictures. I can't say that I made it entirely while on the road, I had been working on it for weeks and finished it up just as I was leaving the campgrounds and hung it over my dad's walking stick.

Anyways, before this becomes a book... I'll leave you with pictures and a promise to be back routing out new ideas for when I return to the US next year! So my question for those that made it this far, any advise? What were some of the things you did to make your life easier on the road?

Peace!
Shasza

 

[tx2sturgis]

What a wonderful intro Shasza, thank you so much!

There was a slight delay getting your intro online here but now it is and I hope others will welcome you also!

Beautiful rig!

 

[maki2]

Looks like a great van! Perfect for some summertime fun!

But if you have not yet done so, do have the suspension on it checked. Swaying back and forth and dipping up and down is not caused by it being a large van. That kind of movement is caused by worn out suspension components. Given the age of the van and the miles it is not surprising that it needs some work on the suspension components. Those parts are import safety items as they affect the stability and therefore the control of the vehicle while it is underway on the road.

A high mileage vehicle can have quite a few worn parts. A full inspection is advisable. You won’t have to do everything all at once but do ask for a prioritized list of the repairs it needs.

 

[Shasza]

Looks like a great van! Perfect for some summertime fun!

But if you have not yet done so, do have the suspension on it checked. Swaying back and forth and dipping up and down is not caused by it being a large van. That kind of movement is caused by worn out suspension components. Given the age of the van and the miles it is not surprising that it needs some work on the suspension components. Those parts are import safety items as they affect the stability and therefore the control of the vehicle while it is underway on the road.

A high mileage vehicle can have quite a few worn parts. A full inspection is advisable. You won’t have to do everything all at once but do ask for a prioritized list of the repairs it needs.

I will have it checked the next time I'm there. I figured it was because I had taken all the weight out taking the seats out of the back. The recliner is lighter than even one of the seats that we took out so I thought it was a weight problem. My son and son-in-law promised me next year that they would help me with a build and that should add some more weight to the van, but I certainly will make another appointment with the garage to have an inspection done.

 

[INTJohn]

My father was born in Groningen……..
The city itself; not just the province.

intjohnny

 

[Shasza]

My father was born in Groningen……..
The city itself; not just the province.

intjohnny

One of my best friends lives there. It's a 2 hour drive north of where I am by car, very beautiful up there! So your dad would be a frisian. My husband speaks frisian, but I can't wrap my head around it.

 

[eDJ_]

Welcome to the Van Living Forum Shasza. Lovely intro post you've written too.

As you are new to driving a Van I'm sure it's quite a different experience than driving your Hyundai. But you'll get a feel for the difference and as suggested have a qualified person to drive it with you as the passenger to see what they think.

I would mention the "Captain's Log" part of this forum for you to consider. I think you would play well there telling all of us about your travel experience.

The two links below may be of some help for you in your travels. It's all free info to help provide safety, comfort, and convenience.

All the best Shasza

 

[INTJohn]

One of my best friends lives there. It's a 2 hour drive north of where I am by car, very beautiful up there! So your dad would be a frisian. My husband speaks frisian, but I can't wrap my head around it.

It’s a strange dialect only because of its blending of so many differing languages of the region from hundreds maybe thousands years ago?

I’m not a philologist at all and philology is a subject not well known in the US like it is in Europe as Europe & the Middle East too has a myriad of written languages & dialects; modern & ancient with a rich written & coded evolutionary history.

I never really knew my father much any way as he lived his life like the artist painter he was.

intjohn

 

[Carla618]

Welcome Shasza! Great van and great stories. Looking forward to reading more after your next trip.