Test Run

Once I'd settled on selling the house to pursue Vanlife, it only made sense to do test run. I needed to know if I could tolerate being in a small space for extended periods, if daily chores would be doable without too much hassle and if finding places to park overnight was feasible. I already owned a Chrysler Town & Country minivan, so that would serve as home base. This model has stow & go seats in the back. I tucked those away to make as much open space to accommodate my bed, stove, kitchen utensils, clothes, fridge, food, water, power station, toilet and Tinker's gear. It was tight, but it fit with a little floor space to spare.

The easiest part of the test run was deciding where to go. Ever since my first trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in 1987, I was hooked on the region. I remember thinking it was impossible to fathom how many shades of green there were. It was breathtaking! Add in the miles of shoreline... well, I couldn't imagine a more beautiful place. When hubby and I got married, there was no question about where we'd go on our honeymoon. It was so perfect we made it a point to vacation there every couple of years. We stayed at the same group of cabins each time as our home base. From there, we explored various hiking trails, waterfalls, stretches of beachfront, downtown attractions, a few museums and a couple lighthouses. I felt so comfortable there at this point, that it only made sense to do my solo trip revisiting all those familiar places.

I gave myself three weeks to try different locations to see which would be more comfortable as far as proximity to other folks, access to power & water. My first overnight was a the rest area just north of the Mackinac Bridge. I'd been driving all night in the rain, so a few hours of sleep was definitely needed. I put up my window covers for privacy and to block out the light from the overhead lamp posts. It was surprisingly quiet considering how close it was to the interstate. Tinker and I slept well for a few hours, refreshed & ready to hit the road.

I headed west in search of our next spot. I chose a state park for a couple days so I could settle for a bit, test out my set up and scope out my options after that. The campground had an electrical hookup and access to water. It also had restrooms and shower facilities. It was nice to have those amenities so I could focus on getting a routine in place for cooking, etc without having to worry about keeping my power station charged. It was a little bit noisier that I liked, but I sort of expected that. It also gave a good idea of where to select my site on future trips.

Following that experience, I tried out some stealth spots all over the region. Walmart was my first pick, because, of course... There were lots of folks with the same idea but it was okay. Everyone minded their own business and that was fine with me. Subsequently, I tried out Menards, Lowes, and a hospital lot. The challenge with those places was trying not to be obvious when settling in for the night. The window covers were easy enough, but putting a screen over the sunroof for ventilation was a bit more tricky. I became really good at being quick and sneaky. At the end of that experiment, I found a share-a-ride lot in a small strip mall. Parking is allowed there for three days straight. We took the end spot to make it easier for Tinker to do her bathroom needs, plus enough space to stretch her legs and explore a bit.

I wrapped up that site and chose another camground to round out the trip. It was a private campground this time. I chose a primitive lot in order to give my solar panels enough time to fully recharge my power station. I'd been doing short stints all during my travels to keep it up sufficiently to keep my fridge/freezer running and to charge my phone. The site I chose turned out to be a struggle as it was periodically shady. I had to make sure the solar panels were positioned correctly to get the maximum benefit. That campground was actually my favorite, though, as it was over 4th of July. I got to see if my fire starting skills were still up to snuff. (They were!) The only drawback was their wifi hadn't been installed yet. Luckily, I had some books on hand, just in case I ran into this situation.

I consider the entire trip a success because I got to problem solve on the fly. I didn't run into any major issues, thankfully, but it was confidence building nonetheless. I now know that I can handle things on my own or where to find assistance. I got a taste of the constant planning needed to find a place to overnight, how often I need to restock supplies and how to find the best gas prices. All in all, I know (roughly) what the expect when I go full-time. I can barely wait for that day!