Destination: As the Wind Blows
I had saved up 5 weeks of vacation, and I aimed to use it all (and then some as it turned out). The amount of pre-planning that went into this trip was minimal. I downloaded 2 apps, FreeRoam and RV Parky, spent a few hours putting some interesting destinations into Maps, and stocked up on supplies. This ended up working out pretty well, navigating each leg of the journey through a combination of tips from locals, happenstance, and whim, that is. In the end, I made it as far as Colorado before the e-bike broke down a second time, and I began the leisurely return leg of my trip.
Mountainous Dirt Road Beginnings
You know that feeling when you clean your van up all nice and shiny-like for the first time in months, start off your trip by selecting “Avoid Highways”, then find yourself partway through NF-23 following a Subaru Outback whose driver doesn’t have the common decency to yield to a more-spirited driving enthusiast (in a van) whilst showering your previously clean exterior with fresh mountain dirt? Well maybe not. Too late for second guessing now, I decided to press on behind Subie McSlow rather than pull over and wait for the clouds to settle.
Day 0: Let's Cook
Believe it or not, this was my first meal cooked in/out of the van. So what was my meal of choice to mark this historic event? Spicy Italian sausage tacos cooked on the ground (in a church parking lot next to a cross roads and a stream). The stream was actually pretty nice ambiance.
Cooking greasy meat outside of the van was undoubtedly the right move. Sure, the ground isn’t the best place to cook, but you gotta start somewhere, so why not start at the bottom. Plus, when you start at the bottom, you can only go up from there. It’s just common sense.
There’s also something to be said about not planning, roadtrips, and cooking whatever you have on hand. It is effective. The fact that I’m writing this blog post right now is living proof that this method works.
Outdoors and Slightly Above Ground Level
After a long uphill trek, 2 failed attempts at occupying already-occupied camp sites with views, a U-turn due to an absolutely uncrossable diminutive stream, and copious amounts of trimming the ground foliage with my bumper/under carriage, I acquired a free camp site. The great thing about my haphazard camp-site selection was that the site I eventually landed on ended up being directly connected to the trail system I wanted to ride tomorrow morning. Very fortuitous.
Building on past success, I stacked some rocks to elevate my cooking surface for the making of the hamburgers. This was good. What was not good: fancy pickle flavors other than standard vlasic hamburger dill pickles. Coincidentally, I also experienced another first here: crapping in the woods.
Insert Amazon link for folding shovel
Cooking: Inside
Oatmeal mixed with whatever I had laying around quickly became the breakfast of choice for most mornings. That orange foldable pot, however, left much to be desired when it came to cleanup. Eventually, the orange pot was only allowed to boil water and pasta, but moron that later.
With 3 methods of cooking available and now proven, indoor, outdoor, and restaurant, things were looking up.
Trap Sprung: Welcome to Another Cooking Blog
Picnic tables, when you can find them, are superior cooking surfaces. Throughout the trip I used many parks in my travels for making meals and even for bike repair/maintenance.
Pro-Tip: Spaghetti is a pretty good time-saving staple once you cook up enough sauce for 3+ meals.
OK, I guess that can break then
After refueling the propane bottle, I discovered the inner seal of the primary ACME-ended hose had cracked. This was probably caused by normal use as the 10lb propane bottle had been filled with some regularity for heating purposes over the last 2 years. That said, a 2 year service life isn’t exactly something to be proud of.
Some contemplation and finagling later, I determined this part wasn’t repairable. Luckily, a family member had an active Amazon Prime account and ordered me up 2 replacement hoses to be delivered to an Amazon locker en route.
A monkey wrench, some propane thread tape, and a couple days later, I was back in business.
Ogden, UT: Flapping in the Wind
My brand-new, super durable 600D bike cover flapped itself into disrepair, and I found myself in need of a professional seamstress before leaving town. Shout-out to Kristi with TK Tent Repair for the quality and affordable double-stitch repair and Cody for letting me charge the e-bike overnight in the garage so I could collect both the bike and cover the next morning.
Let it also be said that there are some Great Mormon Muffins to be had in Ogden.
From One Moving Box to Another
Never hurts to be friendly with the locals, sometimes it even pays in the form of a free lift ticket gifted in a parking lot outside of Snowbasin Resort. Caught one of the last rides up for the day. Nice.
Skatebike: the Reckoning, Part 1
Snowbasin Resort trails claimed my derailleur hangar (or maybe it was that electric spinning device). Luckily, I kept a spare in my pack. Unluckily, it was the wrong one. After kick-pushing the bike several miles back to the van, I made a list of 10 nearby bike shops who might possibly stock what I need. Next day, the first place I called had everything I needed (thanks Brandon with Hangar 15).
2 derailleur hangars, a new shifter, some shifter housing, a new derailleur, some chain degreaser, and a couple hours in the park later, and I had a semi-legal functional e-bike again.
Improvisational Cooking Continues
Nothing profound to say here, just some tuna and cured ham tacos. Van cooking is an adventure in itself sometimes.
I heard it said once, that with enough Tapatio, you can eat just about anything. Perhaps that’s true, I wouldn’t know.
But Where Do You P(Get Water)?
I got water wherever I could get it, preferably when it can be had for free.
On this trip I’ve filled up at desert springs, well-water taps, coffee shops, residential houses, and grocery stores.
With two 3.5 GAL jugs, I could go up to 1.5 weeks between fill-ups with my usage rate.
Pro-Tip: Topping up an empty can or nearly empty can when it’s convenient is never a bad idea.
Accidental Utility
One of the neat things about living out of a vehicle is all the new uses you discover for things you already own. A plastic dash, especially the deep one found in Ford Transit Connects, makes for a pretty good drying surface. A pretty simple, but nonetheless useful discovery.
Skatebike: the Reckoning, Part 2
And that’s a wrap! This on the tail end of the Ginormous trail in Colorado, the new derailleur hangar decided it wanted a separation, again. I guess it just wasn’t meant to be. At least I now had plenty of time to re-imagine drivetrain component selection as I kick-pushed my way back to the van.
Pressure Changes: The Hard Way
Driving up and down Colorado with a fully-inflated camp pad wasn’t exactly the wisest of moves.
And using one of those silly little Gear Aid stick-on patches on a seam blowout held air… for about 15 minutes.
Seam Grip, however, did the job. Although it required traveling to one of the larger human population zones. Life is full of small sacrifices.
Cleansing Waters
2020 was a pretty unique year to say the least. With public pools, campsites showers, and other places to clean up sporadically closed, it was a time to get creative. The solution? I believe they call them “hobo showers”.
Closing Thoughts
All in all, I had an excellent time. If it weren’t for work-related engagements (and the state of my trusty electric steed), I would’ve kept going. I should probably say something about how the van build worked out living in and out of it full-time on the road considering the whole purpose of this website… well, I’ll put it this way – the only thing I’ve changed since returning is buying a better air pad. It’s surprisingly easy to live on the road, might just have to keep doing just that…