I have a lot of LA adventures to catch up on, and I will. But with today’s date being 123123 like something I’d see on Sesame Street, it’s time to look back on this year and what a wild ride it’s been.
It started with getting laid off. Most websites and publications these days would rather pay unqualified writers very little, or pay AI nothing at all, instead of paying qualified writers a reasonable rate. Fortunately, a simple “hey, I got laid off, if you have any leads please let me know” post on Facebook got me enough leads to live on freelance work rather than repeat this cycle again, since my living expenses are so low in van life. One of these recently cut back my work, so I’m looking to fill in this gap, but since I have several smaller sources of income rather than one full-time job to rule them all, the impact has been far less. With the savings I was able to build up while living this way and working full-time in the past, I’ll get by until something else comes along.
One of the two big stories of 2023 was The Big Loop around the US. In late February I scooted across the southern US to San Antonio, Texas, visited friends there, then traveled with other van friends all the way to my family’s place in Florida. I went to the Forgotten Angels campout, then much to my surprise got a new van! After spending more time in Florida than I’d planned outfitting Smokey II, I headed north, visiting places along the way, and spent June in New England, where it never stopped raining. I cleared out my storage unit, which was my last anchor to my former home, then spent July traveling west toward the Rocky Mtn Roll in August, where I made a whole new set of motorcycle friends. Thanks to Starlink issues I didn’t get to explore the area as much as I wanted to, but sprinted to my friend’s place in Cottage Grove, Oregon to hang out and fix those issues. I didn’t get to see nearly as much of the PNW as I’d hoped to because the entire PNW was on fire. As it started getting cold, I headed south, with many stops along the way and eventually ending up back in Quartzsite, Arizona, where I started.
Of course, the new van is the other biggest thing that happened to me this year. What amazes me most is after throwing it together in a month to get out of hot, humid Florida, how little of the build I’ve ended up changing since its original form. It just works! I added a heater, of course (which I shouldn’t have had to do in New England in June, but that’s New England for you), and made a few minor tweaks along the way, but overall the design I started with has simply worked. It’s also my design, for me, myself, and Lister, not for a couple who is no longer together. The only memories in this van are mine and mine alone. Because I did three of the four legs of the Big Loop in this van, I already have many memories. I’ve put just over 10,000 miles on it since April, but few miles since returning to Arizona in October.
What does 2024 have in store? I honestly don’t know. Ever since leaving New England, that storage unit had always been drawing me back there. I planned to deal with it in 2022, but sky-high gas prices made it more cost effective to keep it an extra year and wait for prices to come down. I actually began the Big Loop in a clockwise direction, but aborted once I got to Oregon, choosing to stay out west instead. This year, it happened, and it’s done, so I no longer have external factors directing my travel. I can do what I want, and I’m not sure what that is.
I’ll likely stay out west. I’m leaning toward taking it easy on road tripping, spending more time parked and exploring the areas I visit. This keeps the miles down, as well as fuel costs. I may travel with friends. A few have expressed interest in the general idea, and while Arizona winters recharge my socializing batteries, I do get lonely out there traveling by myself. But absolutely nothing is certain at this point — only that I plan to keep doing this for the foreseeable future.
Smokey Da Van 