Dreams Die Hard.11

What led to my interest in living a van life? Well, to start with, my interest in travel drove me to buy a van in the first place. I had previously traveled for 35 years as an over-the-road trucker. I have seen a lot of this country and a little of Canada. But, I was simply driving through places. Time constraints never allowed me to stop, explore, and really get to know the country I drove through. 

But, that all changed after the elections of November of 2019. The direction this country was going totally changed, and I knew things were going to get much worse. I was now glad that I at least would have a roof of some kind over my head as long as I could meet payments on my van.

My biggest fear when starting to prepare for living in a van has turned out to be the headache that I feared. I could not afford a newer van. Mine, at the time of purchase, was 17 years old. It is now 21 years old. I have a lot of maintenance and repairs ahead of me. But, the age of the van would be only part of my problems. I had to put a new $7k motor in the van last year. And, two months later I was rear-ended at a stop sign. Another $7k in repairs.

So, after 4 years why am I not living in my van. Well, it is family matters, bad luck, truck repairs, financial troubles, health issues, and lessons learned that have me living in a senior citizen's apartment complex today. I won’t dwell on it in this blog. But, much of 2021 and 2022 was spent living in my van. And now, today, I still get the urge to hit the road.

My Bucket List Buggy.

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King of the Road

Bucket List Buggy

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King of the Road - a Roger Miller original tune.  

Dreams Die Hard.10

Flag of The 46th State and Old Glory

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My vision makes it very hard to read or write. I cannot be sure my photo editing is any good. Two pairs of glasses have both been the wrong prescription. The doctors say they can’t do anything for me. So, what do I do now?

I have been back in my own apartment now for 5.5 months. It is not necessarily where I want to be, but for now, it will allow me to accomplish some things that need to be done and reflect on what I can do if I can no longer do my photography, music, and travel.

For almost half of my 13 years of retirement from the mostly over-the-road trucking industry, I have lived in the Las Vegas Valley in Nevada. I love the city. There is always something to do. There is always a new place to eat. But, I am not a gambling fanatic. I have never played a table game. I will put a few bucks into the slots, but win or lose I spend very little time on them. What I love most about the city is the mountains around the city and the wildlife and nature that is there. And, I would be there now if I could.

But, I believe I am in Oklahoma for several reasons and I am working to achieve them. I will be better prepared for my next time to van life.

The Nevada State Flag

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Dreams Die Hard.9

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It is the first week of April. I am on a 12-month lease on this apartment with eight months to go. I am trying to tell myself that living here is not that bad, and it really isn’t. But, it would be much easier for me to live here if I was financially and physically able to travel. As it is, I expect to be tormented with a need to “go” for the next eight months if not for much longer. 

I am trying to decide what to do with my van. Putting a $6000+ engine in it last year, and getting rear-ended less than 3 months later has put a heavy strain on my financial situation. Plus, I blew the insurance money I received to fix the van on 3 of my 5 attempts to relocate to southern Nevada. And, I have several small repairs to make just to keep it on the road.

Temptation is rather hard to deal with at this time for me. I know it would be best for me to wait to do any kind of van build at this time. I am doing ok with that for now. I want to fix a couple of current electrical issues first. Then I think I need to save a little nest egg to take care of major issues that are bound to come up. I am trying to hold off on any type of van build until my banknote on the van gets lower. Then I can make up my mind whether I want to even keep it or trade it in for something that will make a better RV for me. Or, will I be able to forget about living on the road again? I doubt I will be able to do that.

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