from the van

Route del Sol is a media company currently documenting the travel of two intrepid explorers. Joel and Keegan are driving from northern Alaska to the southern tip of Argentina in an electric camper van powered almost exclusively by a massive array of solar power. This van is unlike anything I've ever seen. It was a real treat to catch up with Joel down in Chula Vista, Ca, just before he crossed the border into Mexico. 

Follow the journey:

@routedelsol

YouTube

Bowen is a paraglider, kite surfer, and entrepreneur who moved into his minivan camper the day after the last time he was on the podcast. He and I both have the Mercedes Metris diy camper van, and we hooked up down in San Diego county to talk about his first few months in van life and where he's headed in his van to camper conversion in the future. We talked about parking, travel around North America, and his plan to ship his van over to Europe next year. It's always fascinating to compare and contrast experiences with other folks living on the road to hear how we perceive our space in this nomadic adventure.

Becca & Jeremy spent the last couple of years living in a tiny house on Colette's dad's compound in Fallbrook, CA. Tim had a bit lot with space for another structure, and he helped them build a stand-alone loft studio / shed in the yard. They've since moved into a larger place in Palm Springs, and they're getting married in June 2020. I wanted to have them on the podcast to talk about the similarities and differences between #vanlife and #tinyhouse life. They're delightful folks, and we had a great conversation.

Kamryn moved out to California from Alabama a few years ago. After being confronted with astronomical rents, she was inspired by members of the climbing community to build out a van and move into it. Today, she’s living with some friends of mine in a house where I used to live several years ago. We had a great chat about her decision to move back into a brick and mortar residence as well as what her time living in a van taught her about herself and the world around her.

Johnny is a 65 year-old singer/songwriter who moved into his Dodge Promaster exactly two weeks ago. He's got a broad range of stories, from dealing with mental illness, addiction, and several years previously living in a car out of necessity. Now, his music and gigs are booming. After being laid off from a job of 17 years earlier this year, he is leaning into his creativity and making a living off of his lifelong passion, music. 

Check out his website at JohnnyCBand.com

We were racing back to San Diego through the Colorado Rockies. I was looking for someone to ask for advice on where to go hiking and where to crash in the van. The local paper had a write up about these guys who are building out vans close to vail, so I hit them up. Two strangers turned out to be two super sharp dudes who are approaching the van thing from a particularly community-oriented angle. I really enjoyed hanging out with Dave & Matt. Go bother them at their shop when you're passing through Gypsum, CO.

Blair has customized her Mercedes Metris as a weekend river surfing adventure rig. We were passing through Denver and had a good chat with her about this fascinating sport we've never tried.

September 21 marked one year of Colette, Spin, and I living in my van full-time. We sat down to talk about her life and our experience making a life in a very small living space. We discussed our desires for the next van we'd like to move into and our friends & families' reactions to our decisions to wade into this somewhat unusual lifestyle.

This is a different one! D-Stroy is an emcee who's part of the Arsonists, a NY hip hop group that put out one of my favorite albums of all time. D-Stroy is of particular interest to me because he's a super inspiring renaissance man, of sorts, who has cultivated and translated his performance talents into a super diverse career bridging from hip hop to announcing for a variety of sports to hosting a show on satellite radio. He's energetic, hilarious, and exploding with positivity. Very inspiring. I've been a fan of this guy for 20 years, and it was an honor and privilege to get to sit down and pick his brain.