Where are we, where is it, and what are we doing?

Sometimes when I wake up in my van, I forget where I am. Sometimes, I still have to look for things inside of my van because I am still, after 2 summers of van-life travel, learning where the best places to store different objects are. (I have added new storage places and am still interested in a refrigerator door for my back cabinet.) And sometimes, even when you have an itinerary, Murphy rears his ugly head, weather changes and the Universe often has other plans. My advice, roll with it.

This past week has been a whirlwind of adventure. We spent an entire week in the southern Appalachian Mountains doing Trail Magic for Thru Hikers of the Appalachian Trail. The week culminated with a giant celebration of the Trail, in the small town of Damascus Virginia, at an event known as Trail Days. Many cans of Starbucks Doubleshot coffee, several nights with only 4 or 5 hours of sleep, helping to plan and cook a variety of meals designed to feed hundreds of folks from franks and beans to tie-dyed pancakes, and 7 or 8 incredible bonfires in the woods later, I found myself eating cheap pizza and a steak sandwich at a local pizza joint, tired, ragged and feeling pretty strung out on caffeine. After slipping out the front door into the parking lot I slid open the slider and hopped in the back seat. I collapsed onto the bench, found myself reaching for a pillow and stuffing it behind my head by the arm rest. Before long I had my knees bent with my feet propped up on the table and I was out like a light.

"Trail Magic" Show

 My dreams were vivid though I don't recall what they were about. The thing I remember most is waking up shivering in the cold with my arms folded across my chest and not having any idea where I was. I opened my eyes and it took a while for them to focus. Slowly, I pieced together the clues and figured out that I was inside the belly of the beast I lovingly call Wilson. My feet and legs were tingling and numb from their positioning but I made an effort to swing them down and around. It stung a little when they clumsily hit the floor. I rubbed my face and tried to find my glasses. (My eyesight is pretty bad and often I search for them if I don't put them in the same places so that I know where to find them.) I fumbled around a bit with my hands on top of the side cabinet and stove top before I located them. I peered out the front window and only saw empty parking spaces, to the left was a gold Subaru, to the rear a shopping center. The pieces slowly clicked into place. I shook my head, took a deep yawning breath and stretched my arms out wide. "Brrrr, it's damn cold in here," I said to myself. I reached for the remote that controls the lights, clicked the button to turn them on. "Where did I put my jacket?"

I rooted around in the back of the van and rummaged through the pile of bedding and pillows to no avail. I spun around kneeling on the bench and reached for the rear cubby door. Second shelf, sweatshirts and jackets, I pulled one out. Past G-HippiE did a good job, present me was happy.

Tent City South- an impromptu gathering of hikers

I don't always have such luck finding objects in my van. My system of storage has changed a few times and sometimes, when new objects enter the fold, it makes for a bit of a shuffle. Sometimes I neglect to put objects back where they belong for one reason or another and that always makes things more interesting. The way things are sorted right now, I have a decent handle on where most objects live and my system for sorting seems to be working pretty well. The objects I find myself using more often I try to keep in more easily accessible locations. I try also to keep them near where they will be used. For example I keep the front curtain in the glove box, and the divider curtains behind the passenger seat. A small set of tools live under the bench but I also use the bottom of the rear cubby for some automotive related things as well. That may change soon though. Most of my food is either in the fridge, the cooler or in the larger of the two top cubbies along the drivers side wall. Toilet paper and paper towels are in the gutter along the top with a variety of other objects. The small drawer under the stove has kitchen supplies like lighters, forks, knives and a can opener. Towels I keep in the rear cabinet and I find the use of the large back cabinet to be awkward at best. Mostly I think this is due to the way the access door is designed. I used to keep my camp chairs in there but since I made the rooftop box this past year, they found a new home. Pots and pans and plates are under the sink. My clothing I keep in a few backpacks that I toss in the back and I empty them for day hikes. My atlas stays tucked behind the driver's seat and I m not sure how often the front table will be used if at all on this next adventure. I decided, for now at least to stow it in the large cabinet in the back. I used to tuck it behind the driver's seat and on one trip I left it home.

This dog loves my van.

I am always debating what I actually need and would rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. As we adventure around, I am sure of two things: my system will improve and I will learn what I do and do not need.

Lastly, I found that not always knowing what is around the next corner is often the best way to travel. Sometimes I begin to slip into a place where I am paralyzed by choice. When this happens I find it is best to just do something, anything in fact. If I see that I am indecisive I often just depress the clutch and turn the key. I'll get out on the road and make a left or a right. Sometimes I flip a coin to decide. When the world is your oyster and there are places to go and things to see and experience, the best way to find them is to sit in the drivers seat. 

The Majestic Grand Teton Mountain Range

Sometimes when I'm hungry, I'll rely on Googlemaps or yelp reviews to find a place to dine. Other times I chat with a local at a gas station or ask another park goer about where they have been or what adventures they have recently been on. In the past 2 years the van and I have visited 35 of the lower 48 States. I hope to tick off some of the others this season as we travel about: Mississippi, Missouri,  Alabama, Louisiana,  Kansas,  Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Michigan, Rhode Island, Mexico, Canada, and Alaska are on the list. I'd like to see more of Texas and California as well as visit more national parks while revisiting some. Our itinerary isn't blank but there isn't much of a plan for direction of travel or what, or who to see first. Gearing up and being ready is a large part of life on the road as is life in the moment. Live for today, we are not guaranteed tomorrow. Get out there and roll... Roll the wheels, roll with the punches, roll the bones. Just get out there and feel the wind in your hair, feel the ocean breeze, feel the desert sun on your skin. Breath in the air. Embrace the moment, embrace your friends and family. Do it.

A screenshot of our Vanagoonies (work in progress) shirt and sticker design. Stay tuned for more information.