For several years since my kids have left home, I have been crossing the United States and visiting National Park Service properties along the way. I have been to 48 states since 2015 and have visited over 100 NPS properties in that time – mostly on long road trips. Along the way, a pattern has developed, where I drive only about 4-5 hours a day, eating granola bars and such for breakfast and lunch, then find a local brewpub for dinner. I have met tons of great people and have had some awesome experiences!!

In the summer of 2019, tried solo camping for the first time, and it was NICE!! I did not particularly like the tent though – it could have been because it was snowing at Glacier NP, and wet, and I’m not in my 20’s, but I starting thinking of alternatives to a tent and to a hotel. Over the ensuing months, I thought about an RV (too big for one), a pop up (I have NO desire to pull something), and a converted cargo van (will not fit in my condo’s garage). I finally landed on converting a plain old minivan.

In mid May 2020, amid the coronavirus stay-at-home directive, I was bored and looking for an outlet. I found the vehicle. I contacted my friend Greg to see if he would help me (that is “do”) the necessary renovations to it, and he agreed. I went out that afternoon and bought the van. When I called Greg that night to see if we could meet to talk about what needed to happen, he was a bit surprised. “Moss doesn’t grow under your feet, eh?” I guess he thought this was sometime in the future when we had talked, when I was thinking later in the day. Regardless, we met that night, and Greg and his daughter Kristina crawled inside and out of the vehicle with me, helping me with the idea.

Later that night, I got a list of materials to buy from Greg, and the next day, I delivered the van and materials to their shop. (garage). They got right to work, always supervised by Roux. Over the course of the week, documented by the photos below, they transformed a minivan to a campervan, and I am SO excited to see where I end up with this vehicle.

I had brought Greg a folding cot that first night and asked him if he could secure it to the floor of the van, and then make a cabinet in back. It took him about 2 seconds to tell me to return the cot, and that he would make something a bit sturdier. He ended up making a SUPER sturdy platform for the bed and put nice sliding doors on it so that I can use the under space for storage. He built it with a little cantilever over the space JUST behind the front seats because the van had some storage bins already built in, and the cantilever allows me to access that.

I had asked him to leave one seat in the back space, and we opted to leave in one of the far back seats. The seat we left in is 40% of the far back 60/40 split bench seat installed by the manufacturer. It folds flat if needed, but when in the up position, allows for another passenger, and serves as my “living room”. He had designed the platform of the bed to allow for this seat to go up and down without issue.

After making the bed platform, Greg and Kristina went to work on the cabinet – using every bit of allowable space, and positioning the shelves so that I could still access the car jack that was tucked inside the wheel well. They made a great door on the cabinet that folds down into a table when open.

I added some drapes, mattress, comforter and a few other essentials, and the result is a very compact, usable, and really cute campervan! I am so grateful for good, talented friends, and am looking forward to having some new adventures in it!

#Wisconsin #LocalCoolThings