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What's Next

What’s Next

May 12, 2020
by Steve
Van Life

In October 2016, my several-year-goal of moving into a van became reality. Prior to that, I’d been dedicating my time to a job that wasn’t…

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What's In A Number?

What’s In A Number?

April 18, 2020
by Steve
Life

4/17 The date once again smacked me in the face with a harsh reminder of exactly where I am in my life. It’s a number…

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The Craziest Place in the World

The Craziest Place in the World

September 12, 2019
by Steve
Life

When I told people I was going to Burning Man, the most common question I got was “Why? Isn’t that just a place where people…

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That Time I Had To Pay Off The Cops

That Time I Had To Pay Off The Cops

January 30, 2019
by Steve
Van Life

Yes, it actually happened. Ok, so it was in Mexico. It was the last day of my Baja trip. I had decided to cross back…

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Another Year Down

Another Year Down

January 9, 2019
by Steve
Van Life

The speed at which the years seem to pass never ceases to amaze me. Here we are in 2019, almost another decade into the 21st…

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Disappearing Shower

Disappearing Shower

October 16, 2018
by Steve
Van Life

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that showers are pretty fantastic. The ability to control an unlimited cascade of clean hot…

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And I Would Walk 500 Miles

And I Would Walk 500 Miles

May 18, 2018
by Steve
Hiking

Wake up, check phone, make coffee, decide where to go hang out / work / explore for the day, drive, check phone again to see…

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A Lesson in Preparation

A Lesson in Preparation

March 16, 2018
by Steve
Van Life

Near Miss: an unplanned event that has the potential to cause, but does not actually result in human injury You’ll hear them talked about by…

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Campervan vs House Heating Comparison

Campervan vs House Heating Comparison

January 9, 2018
by Steve
Uncategorized, Van Life

It’s freezing outside, don’t you get cold? I get this question a lot. Not to worry, I have a 6 kilowatt Webasto diesel heater installed…

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Reflections

Reflections

December 31, 2017
by Steve
Life

Recently I went for a hike in an area I don’t frequent. I’d been on this trail before though, 7 years ago. It brought back…

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Latest Adventures

Happy Valentines Day to my adventurous maintain lo Happy Valentines Day to my adventurous maintain loving bus traveling stylish mountain biking motorcycle exploring canoe navigating pool shark tree licking wedding date of a partner!

Excited to see what the next year brings @lyndsay.anne ❤️❤️❤️
Hi friends, it's been a minute huh. There's been a Hi friends, it's been a minute huh. There's been a lot going on in my world this last year, but not very much traveling, which is what I usually post about.

I've certainly debated whether it's worthwhile to keep using this platform, given its well documented downsides, but it is how I stay in touch with a lot of people, so I'm going to attempt to be better about posting.

Let's start with a quick game of catch up, rewinding about a year.

After Holland's build last summer I took a quick break to reset, then jumped right into working on the bus. We did the roof raise and I roughed out the structure of the fold down deck, then put most of the sheeting on the exterior before tarping the bus off for the winter and heading south.

This was a lot of work, but it actually wasn't that difficult and I half enjoyed getting into fabrication mode and working with metal. The notable exception to this is riveting the sheet metal on, which was very time consuming and pretty labor intensive. Not something I particularly want to do again.

I headed South in Little E once it got too cold in Wisconsin to keep working.  It felt pretty good to be on the path to success with a project as large as a roof raise, but  I was excited for warmer temperatures and a rendezvous in the desert with van friends!
My favorite evenings are when that first sliver of My favorite evenings are when that first sliver of Moon reemerges, barely visible against the pasteled evening sky, most of the its surface lying in shadow, a faint light wrapping around it's edges betraying its full presence.
Yesterday was pretty surreal. Watching the capitol Yesterday was pretty surreal. Watching the capitol get stormed by a frenzied mob of Trump supporters; police doing virtually nothing.

That was the most shocking part. The gross disparity between the display of force in response to protests of police killings this summer, and what we witnessed yesterday when an armed mob invaded the seat of the US government, threatening to kidnap and hang our elected officials.

What was the difference in those two situations? It’s difficult to chalk it up to much more than skin color. Having watched the blatant police brutality in response to peaceful protests this summer, and what happened yesterday, it’s impossible to not be enraged.

Now don’t get me wrong, the Capitol police were overwhelmed, and many of them were likely making a calculated decision in not responding with appropriate force because they were outnumbered and knew what the outcome would be if they stood their ground. But it’s funny how they didn’t “fear for their life”, as is so often the case when the opponent is black. Odd how much restraint they’re able to show when they deem it prudent.

Can you even imagine if those people storming the Capitol, with congress in session inside, were black or Arab or anything other than white? What the difference in response would have looked like? How quickly and eagerly battalions of police in riot gear would rush in to violently confront the “protestors”. Or rioters, or insurgents, or treasonous gullible uneducated wannabe martyrs who’ve been deliberately misled and worked into a frenzy by the fucking president of this country – whatever your desired terminology is.

Instead we got police running from confederate flag waving “patriots”. Police casually escorting rioters out of the building and holding their hand walking down the steps. Police taking selfies with those seeking to somehow overturn the results of an election proven time and again to have been free and fair, all while their counterparts plant pipe bombs in the building.

It's pure white privilege. The ability to mount an armed assault on the Capitol of the United States of America and be allowed to walk out the front door and go home after.

Art - @denny_ow
It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what it is It’s hard to put my finger on exactly what it is.

Is it the independence of being self sufficient and free from obligations? The possibility offered by an unobstructed horizon? The winding roads and canyons I’ve seen countless times that nevertheless make me giddy when I lay eyes on them again?

Whatever it is, it’s addictive, and it’s been far too long since I’ve felt it.

I bought my bus at the beginning of May, and have basically been in Wisconsin since. Holland’s build made quick work of the summer. After that, there wasn’t enough time to really travel and get back to work on the bus before winter, so I substituted a quick trip up to Northern WI and the UP to decompress, then jumped right into the bus. The calendar quickly turned to November and I knew I’d be staying for Thanksgiving. We had a stretch of amazing weather after that and I was still making good progress on the bus, so I kept at it a few more weeks.

Before I knew it, it was both proper winter in Wisconsin, and almost Christmas. Was I really going to leave right before the holidays, especially in a year where it means more than ever to be able to spend time with family? It was a tough decision, but I could tell my mental health was suffering and I needed badly to get back on the road.

I have absolutely the most welcoming family in Wisconsin, an amazingly nice “mother-in-law suite” to stay in, and there’s really nothing there I’m lacking, but… it isn’t mine.

This is. The direction I choose to point my wheels, the places I wake up, the experiences I have, they’re mine.

It’s easy to forget how much I need that.
Happy Halloween 🎃 Happy Halloween 🎃
Took a brief trip to the UP a couple weeks ago. WO Took a brief trip to the UP a couple weeks ago. WOW!
So I didn't post a lot about the @hollandroden van So I didn't post a lot about the @hollandroden van build, mainly because I was busy figuring out how to actually fit everything I promised into Holland's van! And also because there are far more important things going on in the world right now.

But it's finally finished, and now you all get to jump right to the end and see the finished product! Or you can watch the full build series on the Hollandays YouTube channel if you need a distraction 😉

Van Tour is live! Flares, skylight, spray foam insulation, hydronic diesel heater, Tesla battery integrated with Victron controls, recirculating shower, battery powered air conditioning, bike storage, and all the solar we could possibly fit (640W). Link in bio!

Also, Holland and I couldn't have done this without the help of Mike and @carriedeau, who came on during the last month (aka the valley of despair period) to provide a much needed injection of energy and get this project finished in a reasonable time.

Mike and I have talked about doing van builds professionally for years, and are finally pulling the trigger. I'll still be building the bus and traveling, but at least some of my time will now be devoted to @nowhere.vans as well. Give us a follow for more van content and details on the Hollandays build, and of course get in touch if you're interested in owning your own Nowhere Van🤙
Summer nights ❤️ No chickens were harmed in t Summer nights ❤️

No chickens were harmed in the making of these photos (not for lack of trying though)
Summer nights on the river With the ambitious sch Summer nights on the river

With the ambitious schedule of this van build, I haven't had much opportunity to enjoy the short Wisconsin summer. Savoring these few adventures I've made time for.
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