After much deliberation and a bit of procrastination, I've finally parted with my beloved van. As most of you probably know, the engine threw a rod on my last trip with it and the van never made it back from Texas. It was not an easy decision for me. My brain tells me it was the right thing, but my heart doesn't feel the same way. It's not so … [Read more...]
Ouachita National Forrest
The Ouachita National Forest is perhaps my favorite place in Oklahoma. I know in my post about Wister Lake State Park, I said the southeast corner of the state was my most favorite. The Ouachita National Forest is in this same area, so I'm not just saying they're all my favorite. Although I do have many other favorites, this area tops the list … [Read more...]
Lake Wister State Park
I have a lot of favorite places in Oklahoma, but I have to admit that the southeast part of the state is my favorite favorite. It's full of rolling hills and tree-covered mountains. It is green in a way that nothing in New Mexico is green. It's the part of the state that I like to go visit when I have a free weekend during business trips. Lake … [Read more...]
Everything I’ve learned about traveling in a Class B (van) RV (Plus pictures!!)
I've wanted to share in depth about my van for quite a while- including pictures and all of the little things I've learned that make traveling in it easier. This turned into a fairly long post, but I hope it may provide some value to other people with Class B RVs or perhaps be a topic of interest for others. Some of the things I share are pretty … [Read more...]
Van engine blew up
The engine on my van basically exploded while I had the van out in Texas. "Exploded" is not the technical term for it. I'm too tired to care about the technical term. I was set to start driving back home later that day. It has been a long couple of days since it happened. Tonight, I am tired. Or more accurately, totally exhausted. Tomorrow … [Read more...]
Red Rock Canyon State Park
Red Rock Canyon State Park is a very welcome respite when driving I-40 across western Oklahoma. That drive is characterized by fairly flat farmland. In contrast, Red Rock Canyon State Park is a small, luscious canyon lined with red sandstone walls that seems to appear out of nowhere. Unlike some of the Oklahoma State Parks that I love, it doesn't … [Read more...]
Caves, ghosts, and Carolina Reapers
The story of a week long trip in the van I left Socorro a week ago for a three night trip. A week later I'm finally back home. I left a night early for a weekend yoga retreat at Ghost Ranch, figuring that I would camp somewhere on the way. I had a map showing some roads in the National Forest north of Albuquerque around Placitas. I missed the … [Read more...]
First night out with the van
I'm excited to finally be moved into my van. I spent the first night in my van in the driveway at my house and then took it out into the wild for a night. It was amazing to get out into nature for a night. Highlights included a nice hike, watching the sunrise and having an amazing view out of my windows. I just wanted to share a few pictures … [Read more...]
Preparing the RV
There were some things that I wanted to get taken care of on the van before I moved in. I had it out on a two week trip a few months before beginning to prepare it for living in, so I had some ideas about the things that needed to be fixed. While part of me just wanted to move in, I knew I would be better off if I took the time to do some of this … [Read more...]
About my van
My van is built on a 1984 Dodge B350 base. The modification process involved cutting off the top and back and replacing it with a fiberglass piece. The back end is extended slightly beyond the length of the original van body. It's an Xplorer van, and the modifications to turn it into an RV were done by a company called Frank Industries. It … [Read more...]