It’s been a while, but we’re still alive and kicking. Let’s just say 2025 was a challenging year for us. Let’s not dwell on that. It’s 2026 now, many of last year’s problems have been resolved, and it’s finally time to move forward. We’ve placed an order for a Derksen cabin that will become our tiny home. It had to happen, both because that’s what Melissa and I wanted in the first place, and we’re running out of space in the main house now that a grandbaby arrived this past November. After we move out, people will shuffle around, and the kiddo will get his own room.
Last year’s challenges have left us with a smaller budget than we planned on, so we have some alternative plans. Instead of moving up the hill where we camped when we first got here, we’re going to put it in the abandoned driveway where the van’s been parked. That means we won’t need a separate driveway and utilities, saving a bunch of money both now and in the future. Instead of a driveway, we’ll make a trail up the hill and set up a hangout spot there.
Since we moved into the main house last year, we’ve been using the 10×20 carport we originally intended for extra outdoor living space as covered motorcycle parking. It worked well until an inch or two of light, fluffy snow settled on the roof, and one side collapsed under the weight. No motorcycles were damaged, and we’re still using the busted carport for now, but only temporarily. All this will have to move anyway to make room for the tiny house.
In a side quest, we just had this area across the driveway cleared. The old building that was about to fall down is gone, and we’ll be building a shed for motorcycle storage where the neighbor’s tractor is parked, with his help. He has a lot of extra building materials from a barn and other buildings he’s built on his property up the hill, and he actively wants to build this for us, so we’ll let him. It should cost the same or less than a cheap shed from Home Depot or Lowe’s, but be much stronger and anchored securely into the ground. Once complete, the bikes will go inside, and the busted carport will go away. Then all we have to do is move the van and trailer for the tiny house to go in once it’s ready, probably in April.
We haven’t forgotten about the van. We actually have plans for it. I originally built it for Lister and me, but the tagline of this website is no longer “A man, a cat, a motorcycle, and a van.” Now that it’s Melissa and me (Lister is doing well and very happy with house life at this point), we want to rebuild the interior into something that works for two people. We want a bed that doubles as a sofa, since there’s only seating for one right now (the passenger seat swiveled backward). The kitchen I made out of a fish cleaning table worked, but was always intended to be temporary, as well as the plastic drawers, many of which have broken after bouncing across 20,000 miles of roads. We’ve started stripping out the original no-build build to make room for something new. The old bed and top shelves remain for now, but they will also be changing once we figure out exactly what kind of convertible bed design we want.
The tiny house is the top priority right now. The side quest shed is only happening because it’s necessary to free up space for the house. We need to move into it this year, and the sooner, the better. But if things go well with the house, we’d also like to have a revised van build ready to go in time for us to escape back to the Arizona desert for a couple of months this winter. By that, I mean for the entire Arkansas winter when it’s actually cold here. It’s a bit of a stretch goal at this point, but it’s possible if we don’t run into any significant issues with the house. No promises, but that is the goal.
Even if it doesn’t happen in time for this winter, our plan is to have a cozy tiny house as a home base and travel part-time in the van. We’re not done traveling yet, even if we’re not doing it full-time anymore.
Smokey Da Van 