Interstate Eats and Adventures

At a recent family gathering, a relative exclaimed “Are you going to live in your campervan?” I can see where their curiosity came from when one of these vehicles can cost as much as a house.

Taking day trips was all we planned to do with the campervan. We imagined uphill skiing, hiking, and biking and maybe spending one night at most in the van while traveling. We thought it would be a good place to work from and still be able to sneak in some ski runs before and after meetings.

It turns out the van is so much more than a day trip. That said, we have had some odd discoveries and adventures on day trips.

On a day trip this past July to a local rail trail, we parked at an ice rink. While getting ready to ride, we saw a truck pull up to a pile of snow that was dumped in the lot and the person got out and started shoveling the snow into the bed of his truck. We asked what he was doing with the snow and he said that it was to keep his fish catch on ice while he was out at sea. At first we thought, wow, what a great idea. But, what about all the blood, sweat, and spit that happens during a hockey game or practice? What about the chemicals and filth from the Zamboni? I’m making a face just thinking about how yucky that ice is.

On another day trip my daughter, husband, and I attended a 1920’s themed lawn party at Crane’s Estate in Ipswich, MA. We arrived in dresses resembling the era, headbands, long beaded necklaces, and my husband even trimmed his beard in a 1920’s style and in fact he is still wearing it that way today. We were the only campervan at the event and we were guided to park deep into the property on a grassy hill next to all the other cars. We walked up the expansive lawn toward the estate and enjoyed seeing everyone’s outfits, picnics, and dancing. When it was time to leave we learned that we cannot just follow all the other cars mindlessly to the exit. When you are driving a car, it’s easy to take a wrong turn and turn around. In a van, it’s a whole other story. We have 9 feet, 9 inches of height in the van and although it’s 4-wheel drive, it is still a beast to turn around. We thought we were being lead to the exit path when we followed a car through a tunnel of trees but we ended up on the lawn of the estate. Before we turned around the van to drive back through the low branches, I grabbed some opportunistic photos with the van on the lawn with the estate in the background. We were caught by an employee and escorted to the correct dirt path toward the exit.

Another thing we noticed, not just day tripping but any time we have our bikes on the back of the van, it is a friend magnet. We are always happy to meet people who like to bike, hike, and ski. As our grown children move on with their own interests and adventures, they do not need us in the same way that they did when they were young. We feel that transition as a couple. We love having the van to get outside of life as we knew it for more than 20 years. Whether for the day or for a few nights, we are able to reflect on life without the distractions of house and yard work. Though we are not living in the van, we are definitely spending more time in it than we are at home.