Take A Hike

This weekend we went on our first outdoorsy adventure. We went to a state park in Ohio called Burr Oak. They have a backpacking trail that goes aroung a lake, and we heard that the view of the stars was amazing, so we decided to give it a go. It is about a 4 hour drive from Cleveland, and an hour of that is on this amazing windy hilly road. The speed limit was 55 but we would have flown off the road many times if we had gone 55 the whole way.

The hike was about 4 miles to the campsite and 4 miles back. It went through mostly forest, and circled around Burr Oak Lake. It was vigorous enough for us on our first hike out!

Some pictures from during the hike:

...and once we got to our campsite:

We went out at night and looked at the stars. We saw more satellites than shooting stars, but it was beautiful. I've always loved the night sky, but having lived in the city for most of my life, I haven't gotten to stargaze as often as I'd like.

We spent the night in our tent, cooking over a little gasoline-powered camp stove, and then hiked the 4 miles back to our van the next morning.

In the next couple days, we:

Had some delicious salad:

Hung out with family:

Met some fat puppies:

And then got earhaircuts from Jim's dad's wife, Lena, who owns a beauty salon.

I'm very pleased with it!

That's our last few days in pictures!

Happy Birthday to Me!

A little late, but Friday was my birthday. Jim and I took our van out on its first trip, about 200 miles up to Windsor, Ontario to see my mom and sister. We stayed for two nights, sleeping in the van of course, and had a nice birthday dinner and some awesome presents.


As you can see, I got a 5 string banjo. I've been asking for one since before Christmas, so I was pleased to say the least. Now all I have to do is actually play it, unlike all of my other previous instrument attempts. Violin, Guitar, Drums...Although I often yearn to play all three, I can't seem to get the motivation to learn them. I think I have the motivation now, and I'll have lots of free time while on the road!) Now all I need is some overalls and a piece of straw. My mom also gave us a djembe, which has a rip in the head but still has a great sound, and it can double as a table since we don't have to worry about ruining it. Jim also has a Harmonica. Now we can be troubadours!

I also got some hand-knit warm socks for those chilly nights, some earrings my aunt made, a really sweet picture album chronicling my life with nice notes from my family and Jim, and some various odds and ends. And bubbles. Of course we got the van less than a week before my birthday so that counts too! All in all, one of the best birthdays yet.

Now we are back in Ohio, running errands to get the van up to (our inflated idea of) snuff before we hit the road, hopefully by the end of July! I can't believe it's June 22nd already. Things are going great. It's comfortable here but I can't wait to get on the road. Even if our summer travels are shorter than we thought they would be, I'm satisfied with how things are going. Ohio is a lot different from New York, and it is nice having a change of pace and a new place to rest for a while.

Also, I'd like to put up some pictures from the day we left New York for future comparison:

Van electric systems

As promised, I'm going to write a bit about how the electrics in the van are set up.

We had no idea how everything was wired so we were forced to do a bit of research and a lot of guesswork. The hardware was pretty deep behind the counter and the wires were run behind the walls, so we didn't have access to them. We decided to run a series of tests to see how each system would respond to different power sources.

First we removed the shore power and shut of the engine. It seems the only things that still run are the 12v DC cigarette lighter plug, the cab lights, and the tiny speaker for the TV's audio. This seems like a mistake to me since that speaker could completely deplete the starter battery's power. Oh well. Also, when we turn the key partially, we get power to the radio.

Next, we ran the engine and took inventory of the working devices. In addition to the above systems, we were also able to power up the fridge. (An igloo Cool Mate 36, actually a cooler/heater), the rooftop vent fan, the internal lights, and the 12v DC plugs for the TV and VCR.

We then cut the engine and attached the van to shore power from the house. All of the above systems became operational again, but in addition, we also had power to the 120v AC outlets. This activated the microwave and let us plug in our laptops. Unfortunately this means that we have to be plugged in to shore power in order to do this.

From all this information we drew some conclusions. First of all, there is no recreational battery. All of the systems run from the starter battery and the shore power. This needs to be addressed. Second, we determined that the starter battery was NOT being charged by the shore power. Since the tv speaker is hooked up to the starter, this means that even if we are plugged in, the starter battery can run down completely leaving us stranded.

The wiring was so obscure and hard to reach that the idea of performing the upgrade ourselves seemed out of reach. I got the suggestion to call Winnebago and see if they had any documentation or an owners manual available for the van conversion. So I gave them a call this morning. They said that they typically don't do van conversions and haven't for a while. Also, he mentioned that they don't have the blueprints or wiring diagrams or even an owners manual since it was probably done off the cuff. He suggested that we call and RV dealer and repair facility and hopefully they can perform the kind of upgrade I want. I asked about a secondary battery and he suggested that based on the info I gave him, the van is running on shore power and the starter battery only.

So I took it to an RV shop that specializes in repair and upgrades and had the guy take a look at it. After checking the thing out, he wasn't too impressed with the way it was set up. He examined it and confirmed my theory that there is only the starter battery and it isn't charged by shore power.

He gave me a few suggestions. He wants to switch out the converter with a beefier one. It should do a better job of handling the load from multiple 12V DC devices. Then we would install a 12vDC breaker box to route all those connections through. In addition, he would install an inverter with a voltage controller so that we can get 120V AC power from the recreational battery. He also wants to put in a recreational battery and hook it up to get a charge from the alternator and shore.

He quoted 85 bucks an hour for roughly 6 hours of work. Combined with the cost of parts and a generator it would come out to about 2 grand. Now it's up to us whether or not to persue this route.

Highway to Hell

On the road- for the first time. Rockin' out to ACDC. The future is ours!

Everything's coming along

Things have been going very well so far. We spent the last two nights in the van and I have to say, it was the perfect picture of comfort. I haven't slept this well in a long time. I don't know if it's the comfortable bed or the fact that it's mine but I can't wait to spend a lot more time inside.

Once we bought the van, we still had a few more tasks to complete before it was ready for the road. We had to get it registered, get our license plates, get insurance. After that all we had to do was pass an emissions inspection. Our baby aced it with flying colors. As of now, all of these items are done. The insurance was a bit pricey but it takes effect at 12:01am tonight. We wait with baited breath until we can get this mean machine on the road where it belongs.

Tomorrow, we're going to make our first major trip on the van. It also happens to be our first international trip. We're crossing the border into Canada to vist Angelica's family. We plan to sleep in the van during our visit so hopefully we can find a place to hook up the power in the driveway. I will try to detail our plans for an upgrade to the electrical systems in the next few posts.

In preparation for our trip, I decided to learn some of the basics of vehicle maintenance. I am pictured above putting the finishing touches on my first tire change. I felt very manly afterwards. A new skill under my belt always makes me feel good. The rest of the day will be spent cleaning out the various accoutrements. Till next time!

Home

After a positively grueling hour-long search on Craigslist and a drive into Cleveland, we came across this beaut'. It's a 1995 Chevy that was made into a camper van by Winnebago. It has Winnebago written all over it, which won't be conducive to stealth camping, so we have to do something about that. We welcome any ideas.


The Van has a kitchen, complete with Sink, Microwave, and Fridge. We will put a coleman camping stove on that counter so we can cook fresh things every day.


There is also a porta-potty. It hasn't been used as far as I can tell. There is a curtain that wraps around for privacy. This might be useful when we're out in the desert!



One thing I love about this van is that the bed folds out lengthwise instead of widthwise. In a regular conversion van, the bed takes up the whole back so there is no place for other things, like a kitchen. Not to mention those beds are too short even for me. We slept on this bed last night and it was one of the most comfortable we've ever slept in.



We moved in right away. There is a power hookup on the side and we are running a cable from the van into the garage. In fact I'm posting from the van right now! Snowy will be coming with us. Look for my "Snowy Round the World" series!

We are incredibly happy with the van. We got really lucky and found our perfect van in our city, within our budget, and without having to go to a lot of auctions. It is already set up exactly how we wanted it, so all we have to do it put in a few more storage bins and add a recreational battery and switch so we don't drain our regular battery during the night. In a week or two, we'll be on the road!

First Stop: Cleveland, OH

We arrived in Cleveland at 7am after a 9 hour overnight bus ride from Port Authority Terminal in New York City.


We're now staying with family in a guestroom, or as I call it: "The Base of Operations". Our mission? To acquire a "Mobile Command Center". So far we haven't met anyone who wasn't from Russia, so we were forced to conclude that Ohio is entirely comprised of Russian people. Each of these people owns at least one dog (though two is more typical). Our Base houses two toy poodles (ferocious guard dogs) and often hosts a neighboring Pomeranian.


This is our third day and we've already looked at 2 potential vans.
They were both late 90s GMC Savana Conversion Vans with Explorer High-Top modifications.
(image from explorervan.com)

One in green and the other in gold. These conversion vans have 4 Captain's chairs and a power bed that unfolds in the back. It also has a television and a lot of storage space.

The first ended up being not for sale, the second was in poor condition. But it was very helpful to get inside one of these vehicles. Now we have a much better idea of how much room we have inside. I learned that contrary to my belief, I can not stand full height inside the van, even with the high top. I also learned that the unfolding bed is much too small to be comfortable. We are considering going with our original plan of stripping the inside and installing a kitchen and bed.


We will keep our eyes open on the internet and in auctions for similar vehicles with low milage.

Angelica's Introduction

I've been travelling my whole life. From a baby on the shores of lakes in New Hampshire to Alberta, to a teenager sailing and diving in the Caribbean, to Thailand, to Europe, and Central America. But all of those trips have been missing something. There were so many plans, having to accommodate everyone else, or having to follow a set schedule. The trips were always less than a month, and I've had to rely on other people for food, transport, ideas. I'm very grateful and consider myself very lucky, as these travels have had a huge part in shaping me. Now, I'm ready to see the world through my own eyes, not through the eyes of a guidebook or following the paths of millions of tourists.

I'm so lucky to have found someone with the same mindset. We're young, but we're ready to experience life and grow.

For more personal details: I'm 20 (21 on friday), have lived in New York all my life (half upstate and half in New York City), I have never been without pets until my mom moved to Canada 2 years ago, I love languages and linguistics and my major is French. I have one semester left in University, and I will graduate in December. If I ever settle down I want to open a dive shop somewhere warm and pretty.

Right now, I am not much into book learnin' and want to learn from living. Some of my goals for this trip and the near future are to go deeper within myself and bring out opinions and ideas for those existential talks. I want to learn an instrument, so I always have something to bring to a group. I want to listen and see how other people think. I want to hone my survival skills, take awesome photographs, and find beautiful, unspoiled people and places. Mostly I want to continue to be happy, which as far as I can tell is what life is all about.

Jim's Introduction

An apology and a beginning

I want to apologize in advance for my disorganized writing style. It has been a while since I've been forced to write anything and I'm a bit rusty. Please bear with me, and I hope to improve with time.

With that said, here goes. After trying the 9-5 grind, I can safely say that it isnt't for me. My voyage of self discovery is only beginning and the road is calling my name. Angelica and I have dared to answer that call and together we hope to have all sorts of wonderful adventures. We decided the best way to do that is by buying a camper van and touring the country! (Going where ever the wind takes us.)

The journey as a metaphor

This journey is a way for me to work on myself physically, intellectually, and spiritually. For all my time on this earth, I have barely lived. My goal is to expose myself to as many visceral, direct experiences as possible. I believe that this is the only way for me to learn what the world has to offer and discover my place within it.

Personal growth is a private subject. So why create this blog? It is a way to record my beliefs and ideas as well as chronicle events so that I may continue to learn from them long after the moments have passed. But most importantly, a blog might imbue me with a sense of responsibility to fill it with interesting experiences. The only way to do that is to have them. Instead of letting my natural shyness get in the way, I will throw myself headfirst into any and all interactions.

Getting Personal

I've always found it hard to define myself so I'll start with my name. I'm Jim and I'm from New York. I worked in I.T. up until a few months ag0 when I was laid off. I like adventure, travel, hiking, exploration but haven't had much of an opportunity to do any of that. I'm also deeply interested in the mind. How we learn, what we're capable of, and why we do the things we do. I spent a large portion of my life living in my own head and I'd like to hear what the world has to say. I'm newly 23 years old and my childhood is for all purposes, over. However, I don't feel like I've been tested. There was no defining moment to catapult me into adulthood and waiting for one will get me nowhere. Leaving my life behind was difficult but I now have the chance and it may not come again. I've decided to take it.

Some thoughts on travel


The idea has always seemed appealing to me. Beautiful places, interesting stories, and a break from the monotony of the day to day. Foreign travel is expensive and uncertain. As it stands, I don't think I have enough experience to successfully handle this sort of trip so it will have to wait. However, there is an enormous range of possibilities right here at home in the US of A. I've spent almost all my time in New York City and as much as I love it, it's time to see the rest of it.

Being a city boy, I've seldom wandered experienced the joys of nature. The time I spent upstate were some of the happiest I can remember. The idea of the wild really appeals to me and I spend a lot of time watching nature/survival shows. But as anyone will tell you, this isn't a substitute for the real thing, so for this trip, I want to focus on the great outdoors. Hiking, camping, and backpacking are all things I want to experience. I had one major hiking trip in the past and it wasn't a walk in the park but it was very rewarding and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

Social goals

I've always been shy and it's something I am struggling to overcome. I can listen to people for hours but when it comes to having a conversation, I get anxious. I blame this on all the years I spent watching TV. I feel more comfortable when conversations are one sided. However, I also want to meet people and listen to their stories and learn how they live. There are various communities of people that live on the periphery of society. I think they are the most interesting kind. My goal is to push myself and overcome my resistance to social situations.

The plan is a van

Taking all this into account, we decided to sink our savings into buying a van, outfitting it with some essentials, and living out of it full time. (All for about 10 grand.) After that, our only responsibility will be freedom. That has always been a dream of mine.

However, the first step is to buy the van. We left our lives behind and made the trip from New York to Ohio to start a new life. This has proven to be no easy task. The vehicles we want are pretty far out of our price range. But we're going to keep looking. I just know we will find our new home soon.