It’s been a little over a month since I sold my property in Milford, DE, and just under a month since I left there for good. I originally travelled in Delaware, somehow feeling reassured by “staying close to home.” That of course, was a psychological trick I played on myself, since my only home was and is my van. But it was a useful crutch to be close to the people I’ve lived near for the past 15 years, and feel reassured that if I had any problems with my new home/van, at least I was near friends who could come to the rescue.
Even though I’ve been living in the van since September, I had a car, so when I needed to run errands, I just hopped out of the van and into he Kia and drove off. Now, when I need to run an errand, I must drive my home! It isn’t as simple as putting the key in the ignition and taking off. If I’m plugged in to electricity or water or both, I need to disconnect, and store wires and hoses. I need to clear all the countertops inside, and put everything securely away, lock all cupboards, close the ceiling vent and all windows and be sure propane and water pump are turned off. These are not hard things to do, but if I miss a step (and I have), calamity follows once I start moving.
I left Delaware on July 1st, after having some final work (tune-up) done on my van. The first thing I noticed was that driving such a tall, heavy vehicle was difficult. It takes some time to accelerate from a full stop, so pulling out in traffic requires a bit more caution. Likewise, stopping quickly is not an option. Slamming on the brakes, causes everything in the van to fly forward, and even if things are secured in a cupboard, once I stop and open the cupboard, things have shifted and sometimes fall out. Accelerating on steep hills is very difficult and (to me) often a tad scary. The van is heavy. It weighs 4 tons. That’s a lot for an engine to pull up a steep hill. The first part of my drive was through the hills of Pennsylvania and West Virginia. I use a website called flattestroute.com which shows me the flattest roads between any two points. I found the flattest route to Madison, WI, but was stymied by lots of detours and road construction. I ended up on some very steep and winding roads, often with no shoulder and pretty severe drop-offs. There were times I was absolutely terrified!
I vowed to drive only 4 hours a day–a tip offered to me by RV friends who pull a huge fifth wheel trailer behind a large pickup truck. They suggested that driving was work, and now that I’m retired, I should limit that stress whenever possible. I agreed. When I plotted out my course for the day, I planned to drive under 4 hours, giving me lots of time to get to my destination, settle in and relax before going to bed. I hadn’t planned on a couple of things: First, if Google Maps says a trip takes 4 hours, that assumes that you are driving 70 mph (on the roads I took) which I NEVER do. I find that 55 to 60 mph is about right for my vehicle. They also assume that you won’t run into road construction (which I did every day) or detours (which happened at least once each day.) So I often ended up driving 5 hours or more, in pretty stress-filled situations.
Once I arrived at my destination, I realized that I needed to get level. My propane won’t work and thus my fridge and stove will be incapacitated if I’m not level. In Delaware, that was easy. Delaware is nothing but flat. But once I left, every place I parked was quite a bit out of level. I often move to another spot that is more level, and still need to adjust my van using blocks under the wheels to lift one side higher. I’ve also found that my solar batteries will power my van for about 48 hours without sunshine. When I got to my friend’s house in Wisconsin, the neighborhood was extremely hilly. I found only one viable parking spot on the crest of a hill. Unfortunately, that was in shadow for most of the morning, meaning my solar panels were not charging the batteries until after noon. If I moved the van to a sunnier spot, then I was out of level and the fridge and stove didn’t work. It took a little bit of doing, but I found another spot that could work with a few more blocks and some maneuvering. And then we had two cloudy days in a row.
Staying in a campground is idyllic. Surrounded by trees, almost always on level ground, with full hookups (electricity and water is included in the price of the campsite), and usually bathroom and shower facilities (I have a bathroom and shower onboard, but what a luxury to take a long, hot shower and not worry about running out of water.) All that comes at a cost. The price of a cheaper campsite is usually around $30. That’s reasonable, but if you multiply it by 30 days in a month, that pretty much eats up my entire Social Security check. So I’ve opted for Walmart parking lots, Cracker Barrel parking lots (they have designated spots for RV’s and they are usually quite nice), and when possible, friend’s driveways. While in Wisconsin, I’ve been parked on the street which created its own set of issues. There are many people with dogs who get up and walk at sunrise (or sometimes before). They walk on the sidewalk, just feet from my “bedroom window.” When Cosmo sees them, he barks, and draws attention to us. I worry (probably too much) that they will see me, and call the police saying an old, homeless hippie is living in a van in front of their house. Or, sometimes they come up to the van and press their noses against my window, peering in. At first I was appalled by this, but then realized they did it because they saw a dog locked in a vehicle in the summer. They wanted to be sure he was OK and not being left to suffocate in the heat.
All these issues are surmountable. I think I’ve coped with them quite well, but they certainly have placed an unexpected layer of stress and anxiety on the beginning of this trip. I prepared for several years, watching YouTube videos of couples traveling the country in a van, and I’ve read many articles about what I need to bring, and how to prepare. Nothing prepared me for the reality of being on the road, in an older van, alone with a dog to care for.
I’ll be leaving Wisconsin in a day or two. The next leg of my journey is through long stretches of flat, straight roads and mostly through sparsely populated areas. Driving should be less stressful, but I will be nearly 2,000 miles from the next visit with friends. I’m sure that will introduce new learning curves into the mix.
I think I’m ready!