What have I done…. What have I done…. What have I done!

I’m going to be homeless. No! I’m going to be houseless. I have a home. It just happens to have four wheels.  

This journey unknowingly started for me many years ago. I traveled extensively with my dogs to shows and trials. A few friends and I felt we were “adventurous” and camped at these shows. Who wants to pay all that money for a hotel, right? 

Over the years, our camping in tents evolved into sleeping in our vehicles. Most of us had minivans, so it was completely doable. We invested in cots and window covers and sleeping pads and all the goodies one needs for camping. We had a blast! 

As we got older, some opted to go back to using hotels. Some decided to stay closer to home and enter local trials so they could sleep in their own beds. Some, like myself, graduated to larger vehicles. 

I started out with my minivans and those were great for vehicle camping. Then I discovered #vanlife. Those folks were the real deal! I kept my eyes peeled and found a Chevy Express passenger van. It was pure luxury! I pulled out the seats, built a bed frame, made window covers from Reflectex, and had a cozy place to “live” when going to dog trials. 

Life with “Walter”, the Chevy Express, was awesome until the day after Christmas in 2019 when someone failed to stop for a red light. I was fine, but Walter was totaled. Fortunately, the dogs were at home and spared that little bit of excitement. 

I spent the next two months searching for Walter’s replacement. I considered the “big three”: Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit, and Ram Promaster. They all have their pros and cons. I felt the Sprinter was out of my budget both for the initial cost of the van and the maintenance. I had originally wanted to buy the Promaster as it was the widest and most square which leads to an easier build. Unfortunately, the Promaster was going through a major recall at the time I was shopping. They were hard to source and, even if I could find one, I was not able to buy it if the recall work had not been done. This left the Transit. I was very fortunate to have a small dealer in town that specialized in cargo vans and they had several Transits in stock. 

On February 24, 2020, I brought “Teddy” home. Teddy is a 2019, 148” wheelbase, high roof Ford Transit. He is named after President Theodore Roosevelt, who brought about the creation of our national parks. 

Well, we all know what happened in March of 2020. That is a story for my next post. I think it needs it’s own space as it’s a bit of a doozy, as they say.