peacetara's travels in a 1999 Ford E-350 Diesel(7.3L) extended van

[peacetara]

Hi all,<br /><br />In honor of twokniveskatie's sticky thread, I thought I'd start a topic <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />I started this August, but spend all most of that time in a minivan, in the bay area, while also getting the minivan 'fixed'. It was a nightmare.&nbsp; Anyways, I ended up replacing that van with a 1999 ford E-350 extended 7.3L diesel.&nbsp; I love it!&nbsp; Someone in my life suggested I name it 'Ferdinand the Bull', Ferdy for short.&nbsp; The name hasn't quite stuck, but I definitely like the name (there is a childrens book with this title, and a disney movie that tells the story of a bull that didn't want to fight but would rather stop and smell the roses!).&nbsp; Pretty much describes my approach to Van dwelling, where 100 miles of travel in 1 day is a LOT LOT LOT of travel! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />I've started a trek thru the PNW, wandering thru Montana, and eventually heading south for the winter.<br /><br />It took me 10 days to drive through Oregon, which is a record for me (normally takes me 2 weeks at least).&nbsp; But I have a flight to catch out of Seattle, so I had to hurry!<br /><br />I'm in Seattle now, fly out Tuesday for work stuff, but I'll be back Saturday.<br /><br />I'm staying with my sister while here in Seattle, will stay a little while, I haven't seen her in a long time, and her birthday is coming up.&nbsp; Then I'll head east working towards Montana.<br /><br />With Love,<br />Tara

 

[ttpadilla]

You are an inspiration!!! I can't wait until I have my own stories to share, but in the meantime, I'll sure enjoy yours!&nbsp; It's going to take a lot practice for me to stop and smell the roses; I'm very much a "Go fast and hard" kind of girl.&nbsp; Always about the destination, and never the journey.&nbsp; That's gotta change!

 

[Guest]

Awesome Tara...good for you and we'll be looking forward to more adventures from you...<br />Bri

 

[SoulRaven]

Very good to here from you again, and sounds like things are going just as you planned... Your in my home state and town where I was born and raised, good people in Seattle... How is the solar panel working out, I was worried about freeway travel and the way we mounted it, seemed good and secure, but some times things dont work out, hope all is well... I just&nbsp; heard today that it snowed in the lower Cascades above Enumclaw, you be very careful on your journey, your going to be hitting some dangerous areas concerning snow, travel and surviving in a van...<br /><br />Wish you all the luck and will see ya again at the RTR...<br /><br />

 

[peacetara]

ttpadilla: *blush* uhm thanks <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">&nbsp; Well just make your destinations in the 10's of miles, and you will then be a stop and smell the roses kind of gal! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> Well ok, this won't fix anything, but it might help you get in that frame of mind! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">&nbsp; But do all this hard pushing now, until you get a van/RV/etc to live in, and THEN relax! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />I'll post another story here in a minute, about a place in Oregon.<br /><br />@bk2valve: I'm afraid you might be stuck with me <img src="/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />@SoulRaven: I didn't realize this was your home state!&nbsp; The solar panel is totally awesome! I haven't seen it in the rearview mirror!&nbsp; Thank you and @akrvbob again for your hospitality and your help on installation!&nbsp; I'm trying to be careful! it was hailing&nbsp; yesterday, totally disgusting! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />I've gotten a lot more insulation done, the black divider wall between driver area and house area is all sealed up now, and I got the lower half of the back doors done, and I got the ceiling finished.&nbsp; I can work in a t-shirt comfy down to about 50 degrees or so outside, so definitely an improvement!&nbsp; I also now have a Mr. Buddy heater thing, whatever it was @akrvbob said to get, I forget the magic numbers he said, but it's in the van and working really well!&nbsp; So far I haven't had to turn it on very much, which is really nice.&nbsp; I need to get some weatherstripping and redo that along the back door(s), I noticed a bit of a draft, so I'll work on that one of these days.<br /><br />Overall quite pleased! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />With Love,<br />Tara

 

[ttpadilla]

Tara have you posted pictures of your van?&nbsp; I'd love to see the interior!

 

[Sunny1]

Tara, I am really enjoying following your progress and adventures.&nbsp; Thanks for starting this thread!

 

[peacetara]

There once was a little fish who had just come into this world, but had forgotten how she had gotten here already.&nbsp; She saw hundreds and hundreds of other fish that looked just like her surrounding her, but she wasn't scared, she felt ok with all these other fish around! But today her focus is on getting bigger and stronger!&nbsp; She has all the food she could want, but sometimes her brothers and sisters around her fight her a little for the food, but she's tough!<br /><br />She grows and grows for awhile, and suddenly her entire world changes!<br /><br />Instead of being surrounded constantly with her brothers and sisters, suddenly she is free in this world, and all her brothers and sisters have quickly vanished from sight!&nbsp; She gets a little scared, but she knows she just needs to focus on eating and growing, so that is what she does!<br /><br id="tinymce" class="mceContentBody " />That is to say, I went and saw her, and lots of other fish, and had a grand view parked for the day just behind a fish hatchery somewhere in southern Oregon.<br /><br />I, like her, am suddenly free in this world, still a little unsettled in this new world, but trying to stay focused on the things I know I need to do, shelter (van, check!), food, water, etc.&nbsp; I'm feeling like I'm starting to get a handle on the basics of van dwelling now, and am starting to venture into slightly more free waters.

 

[blueberry]

Tara, thank you so much for sharing your journey, both the physical and the emotional. I feel so frustrated having to wait and dream while I save for a van - and then break a tooth and have to spend it all on the dentist! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/frown.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"> You (and the rest of the crew in this forum) keep me going.

 

[peacetara]

I thought I added pictures but apparently not.. doh!&nbsp; <br /><br />This is the picture I meant to add:<br /><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8196/8113067561_522dd127a4_b_d.jpg" alt="" />

 

[peacetara]

@blueberry<br />&nbsp; Boo hiss on the dentist thing!!! I hope you get out here soon!<br /><br />@sunny1: You are very welcome!<br /><br />@ttpadilla: <a href="/post/peacetaras-1999-Ford-E350-Diesel-Extended-Van.-6016959">In this conversion thread, there are pictures, I think most of them are on the Second page.</a> But if that fails for some reason, I have a flickr set here: <a href="https://secure.flickr.com/photos/peacetara/sets/72157631573624814/with/8113067561/">https://secure.flickr.com/photos/peacetara/sets/72157631573624814/with/8113067561/</a><br /><br />Thank you all for the warm thoughts! I'll try to as I'm able post here what's going on.&nbsp; I need to do some writing for some other things too, so I'm a bit behind! <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />With Love,<br />Tara

 

[ttpadilla]

Beautiful Scenery!!!&nbsp; And a good story... Thank you for sharing your journey with us!

 

[peacetara]

Thought I'd update everyone it's been a while <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />So I'm in Montana still, but am now headed back into California and south for the RTR and to be warm for the winter.<br /><br />My lowest temperature so far was 0 degrees Fahrenheit, I was warm in bed, but I surely had ZERO desire to get OUT of bed!&nbsp; I did eventually when food and bathroom became very important indeed.<br /><br />Anyways, I have had a pretty good trip so far!<br /><br />This morning I had the 'cop knock'&nbsp; I was parked in a residential neighborhood, slept great all night, and then this morning about 8:45 local time, I had the knock on the door.&nbsp; I'm not sure how long he was knocking, but I kept feeling the van vibrate, and thought huh, that's odd, so went to investigate and found a local sheriff (with a beard! so no lipreading) staring at me.<br /><br />I thought Oh bother.&nbsp; I was like I'm deaf!!!! pointing at my ear frantically.&nbsp; In California cops tend to be mean first, and nice second, once they realize you aren't out to kill them.&nbsp; Here tho, he has a big&nbsp; smile and keeps chattering away like I can hear him.<br /><br />So I raise my finger in the just a second motion, and then grab my laptop and write out to him, "Sorry, I am headed back home after visiting my friend in Montana." (I have California plates)<br /><br />Before I could offer him the laptop to type something back, he just walked off, got in his car and drove away.<br /><br />My friend from here thinks he was just checking to make sure I was alive, and that makes sense, he seemed very friendly, and didn't seem to be concerned that I was there, or anything of the sort.&nbsp; But it wasn't really all that cold last night, just above freezing, maybe 33 or 34 degrees F.<br /><br />The good news now is, I know what a cop knock feels like on the van, so I can hopefully figure it out sooner!<br /><br />I imagine this same scenario with a mean cop, and it would have been a very different story if he had been waiting out there banging on the van for minutes.<br /><br />Overall, YAY for MT Sheriff's just saying howdy, and for being nice and friendly like <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />With Love,<br />Tara

 

[rvwandering]

&nbsp;Hi Tara! I've been wondering how you were doing. It was getting pretty cold when we went through Montana on our way west and that was four weeks ago. Take it easy over the mountains and have a safe trip to RTR.

 

[peacetara]

Montana WAS Cold!!!!! BRRRRR<br /><br />@tonyandkaren: I hope the rain stopped, and that you are enjoying yourself in NorCal, it's such a beautiful state! Seems I'm just a little bit behind you, since I'm headed to Norcal.&nbsp; I'll wander around Norcal for the month of December, have Christmas with the kids, and then head south to the RTR and Warmth!<br /><br />Tonight I'm on BLM land in Elko, NV. I was hoping to make it to the kids for thanksgiving, but I'm still 500+ miles away, so I won't get there by tomorrow. *pouts*.&nbsp; I had some 6" snow issues in MT that kept me about a week of driving, so it's about right, I'm about a week out from the kids. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/tongue.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br /><br />Anyways, I'm enjoying taking a few days off from driving, I'm just not going to do it, I NEED a break.&nbsp; Maybe Friday I'll wander off a ways, we shall see.<br /><br />I'm enjoying all this BLM land in Nevada.&nbsp; I stopped at the BLM Office here this morning, and they gave me all sorts of great places to camp for the next few days, so I'm happy.&nbsp; They also gave me maps of the area.<br /><br />With Love,<br />Tara