bringing the roof down

When we got her, CWV had this fluffy, fabric roof. It was torn in some spots and the foam was coming out around the edges. I also think it had some vital things embedded, like A/C vents and maybe a light or two?

It actually looks kind of amazing without the roof. (I'm sure there's a plan in place for the vital things that go up there.) In this picture you can also see that the grey panelling has been pulled out and all the seatbelts unbolted and taken down. (I helped a little bit with those. Then I had to go home and make pizza dough. Priorities.)

rooftop nest inspiration

I know we're a long, long way from this. A rooftop nest for watching the sun set, sleeping and just BEING is not a priority. But THIS is the most awesome thing I've seen on a "van life" VAN. Obviously there are some really cool things to do INSIDE the CWV, but I can't wait for THIS!!

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A post shared by 🚐 Vanlife l Nomad l Travel 🌎 (@camper.lifestyle) on Feb 28, 2017 at 2:47pm PST

It all started with a craigslist ad ...

I wish I could say something like, "It all started with a craigslist ad...", but I kind of think it started way before that. But for the purpose of this very first post, It all started with a craigslist ad. A craigslist ad and a 1998 Ford E350 15-passenger van with 46,000 actual miles on it. This thing must've done a lot of siting because I have probably walked more than 46,000 miles since 1998. Well, close to that.

Also, I wish I could say she was in pristine condition and stored in a garage all her 21 years, but then she would have been out of budget. (Wait, was there even a budget for a spur of the moment creepy white van purchase?) Instead she has a rusty bumper, a rusty roof, and her insides are not quite perfect, but actually, not too bad either. I kind of really, REALLY like sitting inside her. She's super cool and spacious and has a lot of potential.

The tricky part, I think, is where to start. It could be really easy to just start DOING and CHANGING random things on her, but I THINK I've convinced my SBF to make a list. We need to prioritize. The good/bad is he actually knows how to turn the potential things into real things (He's crafty and clever and can fix helicopters and bicycles and probably ANYTHING.) so it's gonna be hard to HOLD. HIM. BACK.

We're starting with a tune-up. You know, to make sure she can actually get us places without breaking down. Because that seems the most grown up, (most boring) most important thing to do.

In MY head, the second most important thing would be to make sure we have 2 more seats with headrests, because you know, whiplash. Why are all those seats so low? Didn't people get whiplash in the 1990s?