After sliding into a much-needed layer of Gore-Tex and double checking my pack for all the back country essentials, I made the short walk to the lodge to grab my lift ticket and meet up with my riding buddies. While the living amenities in a van aren't top-notch, starting your day in a van that's sitting several yards away from your first chair lift is hard to beat.Have I sold you yet?
Okay, so maybe every morning isn't this great. The van life is full of its challenges too. The night I spent at Mt. Baker also happened to be the first night that I wasn't parked on the street or in a Walmart lot. This came as a huge relief to me, since I was getting pretty tired of parking/sleeping in areas with cars going by all night or streetlights making me feel like I was on display for the world to see. I do appreciate the generosity of Walmart for letting travelers (van dwellers) loiter in their lots overnight, but the popularity of a 24-hour all-in-one super store almost offsets the convenience. Might be parking down by the river after all...
The first thing a lot of people think about when I tell them I am living in a van full time, is how much money I am saving by living rent-free. So true. I no long pay for electricity, internet, and water/sewage/garbage too. However, since living in the van, the change in lifestyle has caused me to incur some new expenses as well. For instance, when I had a kitchen to use at home, eating out was something I did only a couple times a month. Now, I do it almost every day. I no longer take a lunch to work (something I plan on changing; I will start bringing cold cuts and keeping them in the fridge and a loaf of bread at my desk) and cooking in the van while also keeping it clean inside is very cumbersome; especially without a place to properly wash pots and pans. But I don't see this as a curse or a penalty right now. I see this as a legitimate excuse to sample the amazing restaurants and dive joints that I've been missing out on since moving to Seattle.
Obviously, I spend a bit more on gas these days too. Having a 4.3L V6 for my ride means about 11 mpg (highway). Luckily, using my isolated auxiliary battery for lights and charging my phone/laptop means I don't have to idle the van to make sure I'm keeping a sufficient charge on the starter battery. But with the humidity and colder temps in Seattle these days, I do start the engine more frequently in order to circulate the air and keep condensation out. If I had more time/resources prior to starting this "vanventure" I definitely would have tried installing an air exchanger/heater that drew off the auxiliary battery...something to look into next time I put one of these together. Oh! And thank the economy for lower gas prices these days! That is saving me buckets of dolla' bills y'all!
Now, I would like to consider myself a fairly organized person. Some of you might agree, others might be throwing their hands up in a furious objection. Regardless of your opinion, I am finding out how important it is to be "super organized" when living in a small environment. Space is extremely limited and fitting all the day-to-day essentials together inside that small environment is a daunting task at times. Even more so when you're indecisive like me. "This goes really well here." (Next day) "Oh no, it fits way better there." (Next day) "Where did I put that?". See what I am saying? Having an organized living space is in the works, and probably will that way be for at least a few more weeks. I'm slowly figuring out what I use the most and should be stored in easily accessible places, and what I hardly use at all and could be stored somewhere lower or even in my storage unit. I should ad that the photo shown here depicts the van on a slightly disorganized day. The shelves on the left are now stocked with neatly folded clothes and a strategically placed laptop bag and duffel bad.After my weekend at Baker, I've also discovered the importance of getting a rooftop storage box for the van. At the end of the day, my skis were caked with snow/ice, and getting all of it off was not going to happen. With deep sense of precognitive regret, I slid the skis under my bed, only to thaw off ten minutes later. Thankfully there wasn't a lot of snow (future water) on the skis but any amount is enough, and should not be going into the van floor.
Baker also introduced me to one more predicament. Drying off wet ski gear with 100% humidity. I hadn't really thought this would be a problem. But after skiing a full day in the northwest, where temperatures are always teetering on the brink of freezing, your gear gets wet. Luckily, the Gore-Tex I have meant a dry jacket and pants, but my gloves and backpack were toast (or more like wet cereal that you poured milk into and then forgot about for too long...yeah that's a better breakfast analogy). Luckily, having awesome friends in Bellingham meant being able to crash at their place and let my gear shed a few pounds overnight sitting over a heater vent. Not sure what I'll do next time, but my options include praying to the van gods that the gear will eventually dry off inside the van, laying the gear out to dry in my storage unit, or taking my wet gloves and skins to work for all my colleagues to see and inquire about. "What'd you do this weekend?" That's the question I'd like to hear. But I'll probably get, "Why does it smell like dog farts over here?" Just kidding. Nobody here is that callous. I'd probably just get weird looks. Still, awkward.
Today is the start of my first full-ish week back at work (I leave for UT for some more skiing on Thursday afternoon) since living in the van. All of last week was spent bouncing around here and there, celebrating New Year's Eve, skiing Crystal, skiing Stevens, skiing Baker, and visiting friends. Now, a desk chair beckons my presence every morning. Lame, tedious, mundane; call desk work what you want...I'm right there with you. But my hope is that a few routines start falling into place.
Needless to say, things are working out, but there is still work to be done and stiff kinks to work out.
Cheers,
Ryan and Victor
