#vanlife

The sun is coming up at Shady Lane RV Camp somewhere outside of Los Angeles.

For years, Won has watched YouTube videos, and we have subscribed to a seemingly infinite number of Instagram accounts picturing the romance of #vanlife. We were too impatient to wait until our AARP years to begin experiencing the freedom and allure of living nomadically in an RV.

The problem though, was that as strong as the wanderlust was, I am also a creature of comfort. Fancy, as Won would say. I drink Kir Royale at cocktail hour, and do not use compost toilets. I have accepted the fact that I am too high maintenance to follow the cliche of quitting one’s corporate job for a nomadic life of asceticism. There is of course joy in the simple life. We came here with one 40L carry-on bag each for a 2-week trip, but I’m not going to pretend each Merino wool shirt and Darn Tough sock was cheap. I am immensely grateful that we have this opportunity, in between well paying work, to have a campervan adventure with all the creature comforts.

We rented a 21 foot Pleasure Way Lexor from a military vet turned small business owner in Ontario, CA. It has a queen sized bed, a full kitchen with fridge and 2 burner stove, and crucially, a bathroom with toilet and hot shower. The layout and use of space in this little van is genius. I’m still glad, though, that we are small people with a neurotic tendency for cleanliness.

Our first night confirmed that Instagram only tells the good parts of the story. It leaves out the stressful part about navigating tight corners in the Target parking lot to pick up supplies, a decidedly unromantic dinner at a depressing McDonald’s, and looking for a remote RV campsite after dark. Poor Won was out in the dark with a headlamp trying to get a power hookup.

But this morning after a good night’s sleep, the sun rose early to greet a Southern California morning. Strong coffee and a wake up to No Plans, and I’m mollified about the pooling stagnant water in the campervan bathroom.

We head north toward Utah today.

May 7, 2019