More Van Mods

THE FLOORING

The van came with some absolutely God-awful bright orange and brown fuzzy 1970's carpet. Personally, I think any kind of carpet in a travel rig is the worst decision you could make. This applies doubly when it's so ugly it makes you naueseous to look at it. I undertook the task of ripping it out so that the subfloor could be inspected and new flooring installed. The subfloor was solid, and Dave did a beautiful job installing the new linoleum. Huge improvement here, and worth every dime!

Before and After!

RACK CITY, B****.

We were having a hell of a time finding a rack set up that would work for us, without costing $1,500 or more. We needed to carry a generator, 2 bicycles, and a spare tire on the back, while still being able to open the rear doors. After some exhausting research, we finally found a solution! We purchased a swing away Thule brand bike rack that mounts in a trailer hitch (see 'Products and Gear' tab for full review). Dave drew up a design for a locking generator mount, and had it welded up by a mutual friend at work. We had to special order another door mount piece, the mirror image of the stock mount that holds the spare tire. Once welded up, we fit tested everything and it works like a charm!

STEREO

The van came with an outdated (to say the least) stereo. We went to Mobile Music and had it replaced with an HD radio/CD/MP3 player that we can play our iPod or Spotify radio through. It also charges the iPhone while it's plugged in, which leaves our cigarette lighter 12v open for other devices. We also upgraded the speakers to something a little nicer, so now we have a great all around sound system!


MISCELLANEOUS ADD ONS

The center console, or "doghouse" on the van didn't have any cup holders, and I was shocked by the lack of options for add ons. I finally found some at a marine supply dealer for a reasonable price. They fold down when not in use, and can be mounted to a flat or vertical surface.

The one downside of bringing your furry friend along on a trip like this is HAIR. Hair everywhere. Hair in shocking abundance in places it ought not to be. We are doing everything we can to combat the never ending waves of invasive Doberman fur, but it can feel like a losing battle. The stock fabric on the bench and front seats was apparently specifically designed to cling to any form of dust or pet hair, so it had to go. We had the rear bench seat reupholstered with a thick Pleather-like fabric, and I found some universal slip-on seat covers on Amazon.

Lastly was a bit of labor on our part. There was a substantial leak along the bottom line of the windshield that was letting water and air through. On closer inspection, we found the bottom seal was completely gone and the metal had become quite rusted. After a quote from an auto glass shop that left me laughing hysterically and Dave clutching his chest in the manner of a heart attack victim, we decided to fix it ourselves as best we could.

We drove the van to my parents' house to have a warm, dry place to work. We pulled off the trim surrounding the windshield and began cleaning out the gutter that surrounds it. Everything had to be perfectly dry for the new sealant to stick, so we got to work with hair dryers and paper towels. When everything was clean and dry, we used a caulking gun to apply the new sealant to the damaged areas. It was no easy task to get a good seal without removing the glass, but when everything was said and done it turned out great, and Charlie is once again watertight!

Charlie Gets Some Lovin'

As Charlie is an older van, he needs some lovin' care. I'll be posting our little add ons and edits in the order that we do them, which is somewhat random.

I have a deep and abiding love of minimalism and function. I have dabbled in the backpacker travel set and ultralight backpacking, as well as Lean Manufacturing. All of these hold to be true the main principle that less is best. Everything must have more than one purpose. The freedom you attain from becoming unburdened is a truly sweet thing.

Dave is slowly coming around to this school of thought, although he doesn't share my fervor. Comfort is key, and if it means that he might have to reuse a pair of socks twice in a row, he's going to bring MORE SOCKS, despite my protestations. Despite this, he has come to admit that many things that pass under the radar in daily life are just clutter, and not valued possessions.

We recently downsized from a medium sized home to a one bedroom apartment, which required quite a bit of throwing out of junk.
"Dave" I said, staring in exasperation "Why do you have a pack of unopened seafood forks?"
He looked at them sheepishly and said "For eating seafood?"
Our moving proceeded in this manner with several items getting tossed in the process, including my personal favorite: a butter warming pan. (Yes, this is its' sole purpose in life. Warming butter.)

What this comes down to is that in a small space, sometimes function must take precedence over comfort. However, spending a year in a tin box with none of the small comforts of home is not preferable either. Together we make an excellent team, and the van will soon be the perfect home on the road!


CURTAINS/INSULATION

After doing some research, I decided to replace the old molded out cloth curtains with Reflectix brand home insulation. It's essentially bubble wrap coated in aluminum, and acts as a radiant heat barrier. You can find it at Lowes and most likely other home improvement stores for about 25$ a roll. I used large sheets of butcher paper to create templates of the window shapes, then cut the Reflectix to size, and fastened them with Velcro. Be sure to use the Velcro glue if you go this route, as it's stronger than the sticky back alone, and won't melt under high temperatures.

 

It's definitely not a "stealthy" way to go for windows, but that's obviously not what we're going for with our rig. After testing in cold weather, this works beautifully! It reflects the radiant heater's warmth and keeps drafts out, as well as blocking about 90% of the light.

In addition to the Reflectix, we decided to purchase another heat source. Since we are traveling with our Doberman "Jax", he needs to keep warm as well. After reading on some of the van forums out there ("cheaprvliving.com" is a great resource) we decided on a Mr. Heater "Buddy" brand radiant propane heater. They are safe to use indoors, and put out a good amount of heat. They run on 1lb propane bottles and can also be hooked up to a 20lb tank. It set us back about $80 at Lowes. This keeps us nice and toasty on even the coldest days! Just be sure if you go this route to provide lots of ventilation.

LIGHTING

Next up on the list was some auxillary lighting. We are trying to avoid drawing off the battery as much as possible, so everything that can be powered in a different way, will be. I found these guys at Lowes.

They are a little pricey at 10$ a pop ($18 for the two pack), but they are great! They are push button type LEDs, put out a soft light that is plenty bright, and the batteries last forever. They run on two AA batteries a piece, and have a "bright" and "dim" setting. The back is magnetic, and a small steel disk is included, which you glue to any surface you want the light to stick to. They also will stick to any steel surface without the disk. We put some right down the middle of the van and over the card table area, and it lights the place up great! I also love them for late night trips to the bathroom, because I can simply grab one off the ceiling and use it as a flashlight. No more fumbling in the dark!



KITCHEN

The kitchen in the van is mostly awesome, it just needed some small mods. I added a dishtowel rack to the cupboard door (made from some wood parts I found at Goodwill),, a paper towel roll holder, and a refillable wet wipe dispenser. Wet wipes are awesome, they can be used to clean both you and the countertops! I also added a small broom and dustpan to help keep the floor and inside the cupboards clean.

Here is the kitchen area with the Reflectix window cover installed:

The towel rack and broom:

Wet wipe dispenser and paper towels:

The Norcold refrigerator that came with the van has not been tested long term yet, but appears to work great. We added a small magnetic whiteboard from Office Max. These are invaluable for taking notes and remembering dates!

As well as drawing awesome ninjas:

MISC ODDS AND ENDS

The entry steps on the sides and rear were bare painted metal, which can be very slippery when wet. This makes for cracked heads and an unhappy Dobe when he goes sliding off while climbing into the van! I purchased some stairway grip tape from our local hardware store and layed that down to eliminate the problem.

Meet Charlie!

In order to make an epic van roadtrip, one needs an epic van. After a few months of debating between the pros and cons of various models, we found a posting on craigslist that looked perfect. He met all of our stringent requirements, those being that he was dirt cheap and had a running engine.

A short trip to Sedro-Woolley and a cash transaction later, and here he is!
Meet Charlie the Wondervan!

Charlie is a true classic, and his previous family treated him like gold. He is a 1976 Ford Econoline 250, with a custom hardtop and camper setup done by a company in Ballard, WA. No leaks, no major engine problems, no rat nests in the upholstery?? Unheard of! We brought him home, and he'll be our command center for the next year or so.

The van has a high top roof, AT tires, a propane stove, table with benches, and a fold down bed. We were specifically looking for a smaller rig like this that can go more places than a large RV. In our past experience truck stops work excellent for hot showers, and this being America, bathrooms are plentiful and evenly spaced. This guy will get us where we need to go, albeit not in a hurry, and do it in style!

Of course, the van needed some tweaking to obtain absolute travel perfection, so I'll be posting updates as we add and remove little bits and pieces!

The Dangers of Drinking Good Wine

10 months ago Invisidave and I were sitting down to a very good meal in our home town of Bellingham, WA. A damn good meal. The kind of meal that makes you roll your eyes back and say “Mmmmmm” loud enough that the other patrons in the restaurant start wondering if food is all you're having.


We had decided to go to D'Annas Italian Cafe as a treat. It's my personal favorite in town for down right beautiful Italian food done rich and right. We sat at the wooden table in the dimly lit cafe, surrounded by the sound of happy diners and clinking silverware. As always, we began the meal with a glass of Riesling. I am no wine afficienado, not even a wine fan really. You will never catch me rolling wine around a glass while sniffing and declaring I detect “subtle hints of resin and asphalt”. However, I do adore a good Riesling. To hell with your pairings and subtle scents, give me a Washington Riesling in a Mason jar and I am a happy woman. I am not the entomologist in his lab dissecting the butterfly on a slide to see what little part makes it a beautiful creature; I simply know I like butterflies. Especially when they taste like sugar and apples and get me drunk. You know. Metaphorically.


The glass of wine turned into a bottle, and we talked and relaxed into the atmosphere while getting slowly and pleasantly drunk. Then came the food. For me a plate of lightly seared Ahi tuna topped with a balsamic reduction on a bed of Italian rice, chewy thick handmade spinach noodles, and light sweet potato crisps. Dave went for duck breast medallions in a cherry sauce. For a while we attacked our food with enamored ferocity, pausing only to sigh with absolute contentment and laugh at a joke.


There's a special state of mind you enter after a truly excellent meal in some dimly lit place, full of wine and goodwill towards man. The world glows and anything seems possible.


“Dave”, I said “I think we should drive to South America in a van.”




And so it all began.




Shortly after, we were walking down Clayton Beach with our little Dobe Jax, passing another bottle of cheap wine back and forth, breathing in the salt sea air and enjoying the sunset on the water. We decided that in exactly one year, come Hell, high water, or anything in between, we would be leaving our beloved home town and becoming nomadic for a period of up to a year. Although we tucked the South America idea away for a later day, this trip will be around the United States, in a vaguely south, squiggly sort of line.



Now, fast forward, and here it is 10 months later, and it is actually happening. So here's our story, thanks for coming along for the ride!!

The Olympic Peninsula or "I went to Wynootchee and all I got was this stupid blog post".

My friend Wildcat, her dog Herman and I have returned successfully from a mini adventure, and in absence of anything resembling important stuff, here's what you get.

Wildcat and Herman in action

Big, Weird, Wonderful World
Route and highlights:

Bellingham - Home base!
Olympia - Wolf Sanctuary
Forks - Way too much Twilight paraphenalia
La Push - Waves and rain
Sequim - Olympic Game Farm
Port Angeles - Frugal's burgers
Port Townsend -Ferry and porpoises
Bellingham - Back on home.




Wild Cat and I got the super tent set up on the beach at La Push while a light rain passed through, and the sun sank below the waves. The wind was gusting through a keyhole formation in the rock face and making a low, mournful hooting sound. We cooked up a quick dinner of clam chowder and bread on my REI Duallist cookset, then turned in for bed with lukewarm Olympia beers in hand. Several hours, and many hands of Nerts later, we squinted at each other through a haze of entirely legal smoke and resoundingly agreed it was time for a well earned sleep. The super tent served us well, and after a long, warm, dry night we rubbed the sleep and sand from our eyes, and broke camp.

We headed into the finest restaurant in La Push for breakfast. Well, admittedly, it is the ONLY restaurant in La Push for breakfast, and it opens at the late hour of 8am. It also doubles as a souvenir and bait shop, the latter of which may possibly have ended up in hour breakfast. Wildcat and I played a leisurely game of Cribbage over bitter coffee and lukewarm food, enjoying the simplicity of it all. When the concentration of wide-eyed, over enthusiastic patrons ordering "Creamy, delicious Cullen chowder" and "Jacob Black-berry shakes" became too high, we headed back to the Jeep to mosey our way to the Olympic Game Farm.


The Olympic Game Farm is always worth a stop. As you drive through, free roaming bison, yak, deer, elk, and others walk right up to your car window and beg or slobber for bread. You can interact with everything from Grizzly bears to peacocks, with adorable little bunnies sleeping fearlessly outside the wolf enclosure.
As you can tell from the picture, the animals are all well fed and darn right cheerful.

Happy yak approved!

There are even a pair of best friends there, a wolf and a black bear that were raised together from infancy. When the handlers tried separating them into their own enclosures, they were heartbroken and stopped eating. So now they live together in one enclosure, much to our delight and Herman's dismay. Despite being the evolutionary equivalent of a stuffed plushie llama, he growled threats and rude names to the wolf from our window. The wolf paced back and forth with intense eyes and hackles up until his friend the black bear placated him with comforting words. "Come on bro. He's only a pup."

Out of bread and ready for our second high-quality meal of the day, we headed to Frugal's in Port Townsend. Frugal's is a long standing institution in the community of broke and hungry fast food lovers. Tasty, greasy, American goodness with a side of fry sauce, and of course, a couple chocolate shakes to wash it all down.

On the ferry home we consumed what was most likely our 895th cup of coffee in two days, watched the porpoises follow the ferry along, and Wildcat once again showed me how far inferior my Nerts playing skills are. One day, victory shall be mine!

A great time was had by all and we got home dry and ready for our own ever-so-comfy beds. 

Bonus Blog Note!

 Here are some actual names of towns in Washington State:

Wynootchee (it's like derpy Wenatchee!)

Humptulips.

Duckabush.

Tumtum,

(and last but not least)

CLIMAX.

That's all till next time, folks!