first road trip

Saturday morning, the Westfalia started just fine & I made the decision to take her on my trip to the Kitsap Peninsula. Part of her test drive issues may have been due to the fact that the previous owner had let the oil level drop to absolutely nil. Ouch! Now that I've added oil, she smokes like crazy just after starting.

Off on a girls' weekend, I stopped in West Seattle to pick up Tracy, then it was off to Federal Way to meet up with Barb who had planned to caravan with us the rest of the way, despite my warnings that her Mustang convertible probably wouldn't appreciate lugging along behind my slow-moving Westy (we yelled our greetings out the window to Barb, as I didn't want to risk stopping the van, turning off the ignition, and not being able to get her going again). Barb reported that the van hadn't spewed blue smoke during most of the trip, as I'd half expected. We arrived at Hannah's house in Port Orchard without issue.

The next morning, I checked the oil before hitting the road again... it showed "low." A bit discouraged, I dumped in the extra two quarts I'd brought along.

Today, I'm taking a break from the van, putting off organizing/re-packing the belongings I moved from the little travel trailer to the van, from checking the oil level, from calling a rotary engine specialist for suggestions on how to reduce oil usage... or the Vanagon expert I met a few months ago who does a lot of conversions & may have a spare Vanagon engine he'd possibly let go at a decent price.

the test drive

Yesterday evening's van transaction was quite an adventure. It turns out the vehicle has been mostly sitting for the last two years, and apparently needs a tune-up (something the seller didn't mention earlier). The van did fine during the test drive other than an issue with the brakes that requires them to be pumped twice before they engage, but once it was back at the seller's house, it didn't want to start again. So the seller taught me his elaborate starting ritual: rapidly pump the gas pedal for about 10 seconds, pull out the choke (on the floor next to the parking brake) 1/2", THEN turn the key... which is apparently the only way the van will "reliably" start, but even that wasn't working this time. Out came the jumper cables, and she roared to life. The seller theorized that the van just needs a new battery... or possibly there's a problem with the carburetor... but a rebuilt carburetor is one of the spare parts that was offered as part of the sale, so after a few moments' hesitation, I went for it. Once I got her back to Redmond (where I'm temporarily staying) from her previous home in Seattle, parked her, turned her off, then decided I should move her to a spot where she wouldn't be sitting on a slope... but she didn't want to start again. I'll have to see how things pan out before deciding whether or not to take her to the Kitsap Peninsula this weekend.

new van

My new home-on-wheels!! "Appa the Wonder Yak" is a 1981 Westfalia, water-cooled 13B rotary engine, 148,000 original miles. I've been searching for a good while for a decent candidate. Living in the Pacific Northwest, competition is a bit fierce for acquiring a Westy within my current price range, but Craigslist came through for me, and I lucked out in being the first caller on Appa and the first on the scene to take a look. The seller was at work, but I was able to peek in the windows, and, after asking a few questions, agreed to a purchase over the phone. I am normally not a fan of yellow vehicles, but Appa's shade of pale yellow is actually my favorite Vanagon color. The exterior is in really decent shape, though there's a long crack in the windshield, and a few body spots that could use some touch-up. And the pop-top exterior is a sort of dingy grey for some reason... probably just needs a good scrubbing.

I can't wait to head back tonight to pick her up!

The timing is perfect. Now I'll have the van in time to take it to the Kitsap Peninsula this weekend when I pack up the little travel trailer I've been using on a friend's property. It'll be much easier to move what I need directly into the van rather than packing twice. On a side note, just yesterday I online-ordered a copy of the Twilight DVD (mandatory viewing for a soon-to-be Olympic Peninsula resident?), because I've been thinking it would be fun to spend my first night in the van with a good flick. Now I just need an external laptop battery, since the internal battery is going out & won't hold a charge for long.

I just re-read the Craigslist ad for the van & got a good laugh over a part I somehow managed to overlook the first time I saw it: "Perfect camper for summer fun. But you can also live in it!" Divine providence? I'm a believer.

welcome to Nomad Van

My house goes 70 mph... maybe even faster, but I haven't had it for long & am not interested in testing its limits at this point. Still, that's pretty fast for a house, in my book.

My home is actually a 1981 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia... not exactly a purebred, given the fact that the previous owner converted it from air-cooled to water-cooled and simultaneously dropped in a rotary engine from a Mazda RX-7, making it probably one of the oddest Westies out there. But it's home.

I came to this lifestyle through a desire for freedom. I work when I need to, and not much more than that... you might say a "work to live" rather than "live to work" approach. It works for me for now, though the grand plan is to follow my bliss once I find it... For now, I'll enjoy the regular changes of scenery that this lifestyle allows, and use the time to figure out where I'd most like to be, and what I'd most like to do.

I'll likely spend the next few months (at least) just getting set up to hit the road full-time, with the intention to share the process and my findings in this blog, and subsequently to share my experiences on the road.