I’m excited to finally be moved into my van. I spent the first night in my van in the driveway at my house and then took it out into the wild for a night. It was amazing to get out into nature for a night. Highlights included a nice hike, watching the sunrise and having an amazing view out of my windows. I just wanted to share a few pictures and my excitement at finally being in my van! While I’ve taken a it out on a handful of trips over the last few years, this feels a lot different because it’s not a trip, it’s my new life.
Of course, there have been a few bumps along the way. My fridge won’t stay lit. Odd as it may sound to those unfamiliar with RV refrigerators, it runs off of propane through some sort of complicated process. My dad who is brilliant tried explaining it to me one day, but I half-understood at best. To me, it’s still kind of magic that a little flame keeps my food cold. At least, it keeps my food cold when I can keep the flame lit. Also, my auxiliary battery doesn’t seem to have enough power for what I need for a night out. There’s always something to keep things interesting.
Honestly, I’m not too worried about any of the little things that aren’t working. Part of the idea of doing some short trips away from home is to start to figure out what I need to fix and what stuff I really need to have with me while I can still return to the resources of my house to work on the problems. My excitement at finally being in the van out-weights any little issues. Taking the van out for a night really reminded me exactly why I am working so hard to sell the house and travel around.
First Night Out
I finally made it out in my van for a night
Parked where my view was quite a sight
What a perfect little spot I found!
Miles from anywhere and no one around
I went way down a bumpy dirt road
I was glad not to have a Class A with a toad
Or I never would have arrived where I wanted to go
Hoppy and pals with noses pressed to the window
Then I went out for a bit of a hike
Being outside is something I really like
But perhaps my very favorite part
Was getting up when it was still dark
I went out to watch the sun slowly rise
Starting to send light flooding through the sky
While writing about the sunrise is overdone
There really is something magical about the sun
4 Responses
Hey Kyla!
What a wonderful PM on SKPs to get today! And a noob fulltimer website, a good old fashioned .com instead of a blog.
I love your RV. And more inside pics please. I just tried this page out first so it may be elsewhere, if so, I’ll find it. I’m available if you have any questions I might help with.
Safe travels!
Derek aka RV
Hi Derek,
Thanks for the offer to help with any questions. Sending me over to the SKP site has already been more help than you know!
There are some more pics of the inside of the van here: http://www.livehoppy.com/van/. They’re all older, so I’ll try to get some new pics up soon!
-Kyla
Kyla, I really admire you for going for your dream. I wanted to do something similar when I was younger but was too afraid to go for it. Now I have a family and much as I occasionally want to get in a van and disappear, I wouldn’t!
I look forward to travelling vicariously with you! X Annie
Hi Annie!
I’ll admit that sometimes I get kind of nervous about my plans and I have all kinds of fears that come up about them. I first decided I wanted to do this several years ago. I bought the van then, but that was as far as my plans got. I’m glad to have finally decided to go for it, but it’s still kind of scary at times.
You might not be able to back up and disappear, but perhaps you could take off on your own for a day or a week and enjoy a bit of freedom?
hugs,
Kyla