Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado.
Bittersweet
While I assume there will always be something to add, adjust or repair with the van, I feel that it’s safe to announce that I have finally completed the van project! Or, rather, I’ve completed the build portion of the van project. There’s still plenty left to do in terms of moving in, organizing, decorating, and developing storage systems to make sure that loose items don’t fly all over the place while I drive, so my work is not done, but the van is officially move-in ready. And, not to toot my own horn, but it looks fantastic!
Although this project, at times, stressed me to the max, it has been so much fun learning all of these new skills, working with my hands, exploring a new creative outlet, and having a clear purpose and intention with which to spend my days. All of which I’m really going to miss. Although, now that I have this sweet new tiny home on wheels, I suspect I’ll find plenty of other ways to occupy my time.
Before getting started, having never done anything like it before, I really wasn’t sure how long a van conversion like this would take, but it definitely took longer than I would have guessed—just over eight months all-in-all. Although, in my defense, that includes times in which I was either traveling, unable to work due to poor weather, or simply waiting around for necessary parts and materials to arrive in the mail. And I did keep adding extra projects to the list along the way, which clearly didn’t speed anything up.
Because I was such a novice, many of my days were spent doing research (big shoutout to YouTube), developing a plan, performing trial and error tests or simply re-doing the things I didn’t do correctly the first time. You'd probably laugh if you knew how many hours I spent just sitting and staring at the van, paralyzed, unsure what to do or how to do it. But even the sitting and staring was part of the process, as eventually the path forward presented itself. Now, having learned so much, if I were to do a project like this again I’m confident I could easily shave months off the time to completion. Maybe even finishing it in half the time.
This project has been, by far, the largest undertaking of my life, and while it absolutely tested my resolve more than a time or two, and was far from fun plenty of times, I am deeply proud of the work I’ve done, the obstacles I’ve overcome, and the beautiful van I’ve created. I already know that this is a chapter in my life that I’ll look back upon fondly.
So what’s next?
I was initially planning to have been on the road by now, but there are some maintenance and repairs that I’d like to complete on the van’s engine before I head out on a long journey. Sure, I could just pay someone to do it for me, but since I already learned how to build the back of the van, I might as well start learning more about the engine while I’m at it. So I’ll be around for at least another week while I wait on the necessary parts to be delivered.
In the meantime, I plan on moving my stuff into the van, figuring out optimal places to store everything, and developing those systems I mentioned to prevent everything from flying around in the back. Then, I’ll hit the road! Although, for some reason, I still haven’t decided where I want to go. With all the options in the world I'm having a hard time choosing a single one.
I will, of course, keep you updated on how all that goes and where I’m headed, but I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for all of the support you’ve sent my way these past 8+ months. It means the world to me that so many of you believed in me so ferociously, and I cannot wait to show off the final product. I think you’re going to be very impressed.
As a final word, although exciting, I’m finding it very bittersweet that this project is coming to an end, not because I’m going to miss working on the van (which I will), but because completing the van represents the closing of a really lovely chapter in my life. Soon, I’ll be leaving this beautiful little mountain community I’ve called home for the past year and a half, and will begin my nomadic/van chapter. I’ve dreamt about being a van-dwelling photographer for years, and I'm excited for it to finally come true, yet at the same time I’m feeling sad that this current chapter is coming to an end. But, just like I learned time and time again during the van build, in order to move forward I know I must be brave and leave my comfort zone. One day, looking back, I know I'll be glad I did... but today I'm sad.
“He nods, as if to acknowledge that endings are almost always a little sad, even when there is something to look forward to on the other side.”
–Emily Giffin, Love the One You’re With
