Frequently Asked Questions

Something you want to know? Ask me here!

Table of Contents

• What kind of van was it?
• How did you poop?
• How did you shower?
• Where did you go?
• Did your van have solar panels?
• What did you do for electricity?
• How did you keep food cold?
• Did you get lonely?

Questions and Answers

• What kind of van was it?

  It was a 92D190V. That’s how other Roadtrek owners refer to a 1992 Dodge Roadtrek 190 Versatile. The 190 means it’s 19ft (5.8m) from bumper to bumper. Versatile refers to the van’s footprint: four total seat-buckled seats, as opposed to the Roadtrek Popular which only has three.

• How did you poop?

  While I was lucky enough to have a van with a built-in toilet, I never used it for “#2”. Finding a reliable clean bathroom was a daily challenge, but I started to pick up tricks (and lower my standards). Walmarts, libraries, coffee shops, campgrounds, rest stops, friends houses and the gym were common options.

• How did you shower?

  One of the early challenges of the trip was transitioning from being a daily-showerer to someone who showered only about once a week. Wet wipe “baths” were a common technique. Some vans have built-in showers but mine did not, so instead I got a membership to a national gym chain. This way I had a reliable place to shower, and a good excuse to stay in shape.

• Where did you go?

  I started in San Francisco in mid-February. I made my way down the California coast, stopping by Big Sur, the central coast cities, and LA, before stopping in San Diego. I then went to before coming back to SF. Next was Yosemite, after which I headed for the desert.

  After visiting a series of parks in the Southwest, I stopped by Santa Fe before heading to my dad’s house in Dallas. I rested there for a bit before heading to Austin, TX for a music festival. From there I went deeper south to Big Bend, which was one of my very favorite stops on the trip. Next I headed north, stopping by national parks on my way to Salt Lake City. It was there that I somewhat-randomly got backstage passes to see P!NK in concert.

  After SLC I went to the Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, another highlight of the trip. From there I made a beeline eastward toward Chicago, stopping by the Badlands, Devil’s Tower, and Mt. Rushmore on the way. I spent a long time in Chicago before heading to Detroit to visit the Henry Ford museum, after which I went to Niagra Falls. From there I went to Letchworth State Park in Upstate NY, and then Hartford, CT. I spent the whole summer in New England, including an entire month on Martha’s Vineyard, a week at Acadia, and a week at a Buddhist monastery.

  As summer drew to a close I headed south, stopping by various Civil War battlefields that were of interest to me. On my way to the Great Smokey Mountains I had my (mechanical) breakdown. I went back to Dallas to get everything fixed up, and then drove straight across the country to LA to meet a friend at a music festival. From there I made my way back up the California coast, spending more time in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. Finally, I ended up back in SF where I lived on the streets for 6 weeks while I worked on selling the van.

• Did your van have solar panels?

  Unfortunately not! While I looked into adding them, the price was high and my power needs were low. Next time I do a trip like this I will probably want solar, mainly because it means I could go much longer stretches without driving.

• What did you do for electricity?

  My van had two batteries, a standard starter battery for the engine, and a deep-cell “coach” battery for the living quarters. The coach battery powered the interior lights, a rear cigarette-lighter-style power outlet, and the rooftop fan. Both batteries were charged whenever the engine was running and when I was plugged into “shore power.” A small compartment on the exterior of the van contained a typical three-pronged power cord which I extended with a heavy-duty 100’ extension cord.

  While there were many outlets available in the interior cabin, none of them worked unless I was on shore power. One small addition made everything a lot easier though… hidden in a cupboard was an inverter with two power outlets. This let me run two devices off of the coach battery, which is how I powered my laptop to write this blog!

• How did you keep food cold?

  The fridge built in my Roadtrek could be powered in three ways: shore power, the coach battery, and propane. With propane I could keep it cold when I was holding still for several days, but I rarely used this feature. Instead, I found a fancy marine fridge on sale and used that for everything. This way I could keep things cold with only battery power, and boy could that thing get cold!

• Did you get lonely?

  Sure, at times. I had abandoned a life surrounded by friends and coworkers to venture by myself into the unknown. The first couple weeks were the toughest, as I was still figuring out the lifestyle, and I had no one in my circles to turn to for advice. The excitement outweighed the feelings of isolation, however, and I quickly settled into new degree of comfort with myself. Later in the trip, waves of loneliness would hit me after spending a few weeks without seeing anyone I knew. Luckily I have friends and family scattered across the country – most of whom were happy to have me visit – so anytime I felt I needed company all I had to do was point the van in their direction.