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!