This isn't a cute van life Post!

by Logan DeLaCastro (United States of America)

I didn't expect to find USA

Just as the words “van life” entered into the common vernacular, it seemed that the movement as a whole gained momentum in very much the same way as Facebook. At first it seemed only popular with a few, then the numbers surged as more young people found freedom in it, and ultimately making its way through the generations till it became a popular retirement pastime. Another, possibly more obvious, parallel that one could draw between social media and van life is the rose colored filter that gets put over everything. It's the polished exterior that gets shown to the world, but when the curtain is pulled back, there are certainly some things you didn't think you’d find. Nevertheless, despite its popularity, the notion of driving wherever the road takes you and stopping where it suits you captured my fascination. Michelle and I had married young and as college was coming to an end, we put all of our eggs into a giant painter’s van sized basket that we named Wanda. Our plan for the summer (& hopefully longer) was to live in the van, photograph weddings, and keep the weekdays for travel. We began our build in the one parking space of our college apartment and finished in the driveway of my dad’s house. After what seemed like thousands of nails, infinite amounts of sawdust, and equal parts sweat and tears- Wanda was finished. With what we then thought was the “hard work” behind us, we headed out on the open road, self assured that all the instagram accounts that we had been following would prepare us for this adventure. We were half right. As it turns out, sleeping in Walmart parking lots and only showering at the gym weren’t all that bad; however, as social media doesn’t always show the nitty and the gritty- some things we had to learn ourselves the hard way. For instance, the first three seasons in Colorado were amazing, but winter brought a whole new slew of obstacles. As snow rolled in, we soon learned that our girl was somewhat of a pavement queen; and despite looking adventurous, well how do i say this… if she was a boot, she’d be a pair of Uggs not Sorels. Throughout the winter, our water lines would freeze and we’d invest in a nice set of chains; however, there were a couple other hurdles we never expected to come across. For instance, as with any home, van life comes with chores. It is nice that you can sweep your entire floor with a few swings; however, you may not be able to get the fingerprints off your windows until spring time or whenever the windex decides to thaw. There is also the strange experience of rubbing frozen shampoo into your scalp until that sudsy slug decides to melt and do its job. However, the most startling discovery I made during our time in the van was the morning we woke up for sunrise in the Great Sand Dunes National Park. We slept off the side of the road and as the sun started to peer over the sand, we went out to take photos. I rounded the corner to find what appeared to be a leak coming from the middle of the van and running out into the street. Worried and confused, I lean down to see if I can tell what it is or where its coming from. Oil, coolant, and transmission fluid all look pretty similar on black pavement so I have to investigate further. Just then, Michelle comes around to see me kneeling on the ground running my fingers through this leak and rubbing them together. As I bring my hand up to nose and sniff, Michelle nearly breaks a rib laughing and shouts “what are you doing, that’s my pee!?” While not every experience we had in van was one worth repeating, there was never a moment I wished we had hedged our bets and taken the safe route. The adventure really begins when everything goes wrong, and just because van life wasn't everything we thought it be, doesn't mean we'd want it any other way.