The Bumblebee Sprinter Van Trial Run - Learning What We Need

Two months. That was the official amount of time we moved into the Bee full time.

Pros: We saved rent money to put towards the build, learned a lot about what we want and need to be comfortable in a van home, our dog seemed to absolutely love it and we felt the freedom of a living simply.
Cons: Our build wasn't complete and it was super hard to work on the build when you don't have a house or shop to do it. Coastal New Hampshire is not the best place to find places to park. Lastly, we learned how difficult it is to juggle our home being the daily driver of a guy who works full time in the Coast Guard.

With some regrets but also the excited of looking forward to completing the van, we moved into a winter rental with a garage to set up shop. We're in the process of building cabinets and an outdoor shower, installing a second battery, roof racks, swivel seats and lights, and creating a custom foam mattress, rug and rubber floor protector.

What we learned: 

• We missed nothing about the comforts of a larger home except a shower and a kitchen. That's an easy fix!
• We love the idea of organized storage space so we don't have to crawl and shift things around all the time.
• A regular mini fridge really can run off of solar power and not drain your battery! 
• Food - planning is key. If you buy fresh veggies, have a plan to use them so they don't rot. 
• Our dog was super content living in a van.
• Lastly, a couple can live happily in a van together without feeling trapped, cramped or whatever else you may have worries about. 

Cross-Country in the Knight Rider: Part 1 from Oregon to Yellowstone

Camping in Pipestone, MT

Oregon to New Hampshire. We succeeded in our goal and saw some of the most beautiful views I have ever seen.

On Sunday, July 31st, we officially moved from the beautiful state of Oregon, leaving mid-morning for the hills of Idaho.  It was a beautiful day and Mt Hood stood proud, clear of any clouds, in the rearview mirror.  We drove through clouds of smoke wafting up from a forest fire in Pendleton and
waved to Glacier as we sped past (a place we definitely plan to re-visit in the future!). Around Butte, MT we decided to look for a place to camp for the night and found some beautiful BLM land just to the East side of the Continental Divide Trail.  Pulling up to a dark, dirt parking lot in Pipestone, MT, we were thrilled to find that the parking lot was for some epic single track mountain biking trails! Unfortunately, we didn't have the bikes or the time this trip, but it's worth a look for the future.  We choose the northern route 90 to head across the country for the hopes that it was cooler temperatures and calmer nights. On night one in Pipestone, that's exactly what we found - making for a cool night with plenty of blankets and a warm dog to snuggle.

Monday we woke up to a sunny morning and continued our drive towards Bozeman.

Looking for wildlife

We jumped on the 89 and were in Yellowstone by noon.  First stop, Boiling River - a piping hot spring  at ~150F that feeds into the frigid cold Gardner River.  We donned our suits, hiked about 0.6miles on an easy path and took a dip in water that's temperature is constantly in flux between freezing, boiling and perfect.  Post bath, we stopped by Mammoth Hot Springs and found a quick hidden hike to get away from the crowds.

Elk enjoying the Mammoth terraces

On the way back to the car, we watched a herd of elk walk along (and even sitting on!!!!) the terraces.  It was awesome.  After catching wind of a carcass that was attracting griz and wolves near Sulphur Cauldron, we decided to head towards Cany

Bison fording the river 

on Village via Tower-Roosevelt to find some wildlife.  We spent time watching two black bears pick at the carcass, dumb tourists run towards lonely bull bison to take "selfies" and a herd of bison stop traffic for about 30 minutes.  We ate homemade tuna sandwiches to a herd of elk feeding along Yellowstone River with bison creating dust baths in the distances.  We admired Sulphur Cauldron and Mud Volcano gurgle and bubble hot sulfur mud and the sunset fall behind the hills as we past Yellowstone Lake.  It was a beautiful day.

Just because all of that wasn't enough, we decided to park at the Old Faithful Visitors Center for the night (not exactly recommended for fear of a ticket but great for the 6 hours sleep we needed).  At about 10:40pm, we trekked from the car to the grand geyser, Old Faithful.  With only a few people nearby, we had front row seats and the soft glow from the buildings while we watched Old Faithful erupt.

Old Faithful at night

New Car Addition to the Bumblebee Van Family

Meet Knight Rider - the new newest adventure.

Knight Rider and the Bumblebee

Year: 2016

Make: Subaru

Model: Forester

Features: new, backup camera, that's about it.

Our family has grown in size again! Meet our new Subaru Forester, black in color and named Knight Rider. Although the Knight Rider is no comparison to the Bumblebee in size, space and livability, she is just as epic and many an adventure is planned for the "mini-van." Now, even though we are fond of camping and pulling out one of our many tents, we decided to build a platform for the Knight Rider to make long term adventures (like an upcoming cross-country road trip) more comfortable in all weather and conditions! 

Four boxes in place

After a lot of research, we decided on a minimal frame of 3/4" plywood to save on space and weight. There are four total boxes, two identical ones for the rear and two for the front. Each box is 3 sided, with 2x2s supporting side connections and a 1x2 completing the box for the lid. *See photo for clarity. The two back boxes rest on an all-weather cargo mat and are longer and taller to account for a slight seat bump up in the two front boxes so that the bed platform is even. When all four boxes are in the car, bolts hold them together to keep from shifting. The size of the boxes are custom to the car and the height was determined by the tallest object I'd pack - a cooler.

Boxes with fabric covered lids

The platform is a made from the four lids of the four boxes. We used cardboard to create patterns for each lid, extending the lid to fit the shape of the car. The plywood was then lined with black automotive headliner and thin (~1in) strips of plywood were attached the bottom of each lid to create a lip to keep it in place on the box. Check out the Bumblebee March update page to see how we covered plywood with automotive fabric headlining. We decided to keep the lids unattached and to make four total boxes for the versatility. We can easily take off one lid at a time to access the gear I have stowed in each box and leave just two boxes set up for a single bed versus the four for a double.

Headpieces for bed extension

The length of the platform with the front seats pushed all the way back (room for long legs!) is approximately 70" long. We are 5'9" and 6'2" so we moved the front seats all the way forward and in the upright position for extra space. Seeing we are using 3" foam pads ($25 each at Home Depot!) for sleeping on, we needed a way to support our heads with the extra space. We measured out two small rectangles of plywood and attached them to the front lids with hinges. *Shown in the picture. The headpieces can be folded back onto the lids when driving and laid forward, resting on the seat backs for sleeping. 

Complete with just one cushion

And, with that, the cargo boxes and platform are finished!! It's a really simple design and crude in some ways, but it's portable, easy to handle with one person, maximizes storage space and weighs little. The finishing touches are two covered pads to sleep on and curtains for all the windows! As mentioned before, the pads are 3" thick multipurpose foam (not the best for the back, but better than a backpacking pad!) and we covered them by cutting up a king size flannel sheet and creating two fitted sheets with elastic. The curtains were super easy. We bought a single Eclipse light-blocking curtain panel and undid all the stitching to maximize fabric. We had 7 sevens to cover - two front, two back, two tiny cargo and one back. The front and back ones have elastic rings at the top and bottom to hook around the door frame holding them in place. The cargo and back curtains are attached with suction cups - which are really cheap and work extremely well. If we had a redo, we'd probably make them all with suction cups! You know those super cheaply built and slightly expensive dash window shades? Buy a roll of Reflectix and make your own! We had some leftover from the van build so we cut it to fit our front dash windows and it keeps the car beyond-belief cool.
Feel free to comment with any questions! Here's to your next adventure!

Cheers to your next adventure!

Bumblebee, Our Sprinter Van...March Update *with photos*

Furring strips up

A couple weeks ago, we introduced you to Bumblebee... our new, part time #vanlife. We are doing a DIY conversion into a living space with a bed, kitchen, and a toilet.

If you've ever seen a wooden boat being built, the "skeleton phase" where the boat is just a frame is what the next step of our van looked like. Perry installed floor to ceiling 1x4" utility furring strips every two feet with rivnuts (hard, and definitely scary - it's only drilling a hole into your van...). Than, we put up the walls - 3/4" plywood covered in gray automotive lining. We first created patterns with cardboard, than cut out the wood. After checking the wood to make sure it fit perfectly, we spray adhesive to it and carefully placed it on the backside of the fabric. To make sure the fabric did not slip, we folded it to the backside of the wood and stapled it down. The fabric had foam backing for more structure and we found it filled the "little mistakes" in wood cutting perfectly. When finished, with lots of care, we screwed the panels into the furring strips and it looks great!

Mounting the fabric

Wall and ceiling panels up

Making a roof panel

Solar panel mounted

GoalZero Yeti charging in house first!

In addition to the walls, we added the #GoalZero Yeti 1250 and, and, after talking to #VanSpecialities and researching online, hooked it up to the alternator and solar panel (mounted on the roof with self-taping sheet metal screws, dicor and a mounting kit). A local company installed an Espar Airtronic D2 heater under the passengers seat, but we should've done that ourselves - it was a very simple installation! The heater is controlled by a simple digital thermostat and you can place the temperature reader anywhere (we did at bed height).

Bed skeleton

Because we are taking a spring vacation with the van, our goal is to get the bed in before next week. Perry installed the bed rails - 1/8" 2x2 angle iron attached to the wall with machine screws - and we laid out tape to determine the exact layout of the rest of the amenities. Looks like we'll have storage space for clothes, etc. above the bed, plenty of room beneath it for gear, a cabinet above the kitchen counter top for food, etc. and a cabinet below for the Yeti, toilet (Dometic 5gal portable toilet), cooler (ordered a RTIC 65 - comparable to the Yetis, but much more affordable - only catch is that it's on backorder for three months!) and water. Feel free to comment below with questions!!

The bed before fabric

Lake Tahoe in the Bumblebee Sprinter Van!

"Campsite" #1

Lake Tahoe here we come!!!
Our first long trip in the Bumblebee was over spring break and we've never been so comfortable on a very affordable vacation. Heck ya.

Sulphur Works

Days 1 and 2 - Made it to Lassen Volcanic National Park for a day in the backcountry. It was an absolutely gorgeous, sunny, winter day and we had most of the backcountry to ourselves. We hiked into the Sulphur Works from the parking lot at the Southwest Entrance. After a gentle hike to the Sulphur Works, we headed directly west towards Ridge Lakes. We hit the ridge between Brokeoff Mountain and Mount Diller and only wish we had more time to make more runs!! We were able to snowboard pretty much the entire way back to our van.

Cross-country at Donner

Day 3 - As an easy finish to the rest of our ride, we decided to cross country ski in Donner Pass in the rainy/snowy combination of weather. Yes, it's named Donner Pass for the infamous Donner party that were stuck in a winter storm and supposedly feasted on each other to survive. We parked at the Donner Summit Snopark and trekked across the highway to the Donner Summit trails. Not following a map, we skied as far as we wanted to and turned back when we were tired.

Snowfall during the hot springs

Day 4 - A warm getaway to the Sierra Hot Springs. We "camped" the night at Squaw Valley for their free parking (which rocks!) than headed the next day for a relaxing day at the Sierra Hot Springs. The springs are at Sierraville. The springs were a beautiful resort, but not the natural pools we typically would search out. Clothing optional and a hot spot for people looking to relax away from home. Check them out at - http://www.sierrahotsprings.org

The view from Jake's Peak

Days 5 and 6 - On the way home for the hot springs, we hit a fresh snow line and after dinner and trivia in Truckee, there was about 6 fresh inches on the van. We headed to spend the night at the Resort again, ready for an early morning of fresh snow on the mountain!! Squaw was epic! On our first day after fresh snow, we spent the day around Granite Chef hitting some sweet runs. Day two after the snowfall, the mountain opened up the cliffs below High Camp and we couldn't get enough of them! No only was skiing ourselves amazing, but watching all the locals and sick riders jump the cliffs rocked as well. We were super impressed with Squaw and hope to go back.

Resting on Jake's Peak

Days 7 and 8 - The best thing about traveling in the Bumblebee is meeting all the other epic vantrippers. In the parking lot of Squaw, we met the Bumble Beast - a sweet yellow van just like us! Shoutout to Hutch and her dog Stoke for the fresh shower and spending the next two days in the backcountry with us at Jake's Peak.

Day 9 - Sacramento for a farewell to two awesome friends who are hiking the CDT. Follow their blog at http://www.adventuretogether.us and on Facebook as "Adventure Together."

Questions about the adventure or our first long trip in the van?? Comment below and we'll get back to you ASAP!

Home for the night at the Resort :)

Van Decor - A Homemade Rug from Repurposed Blankets

Quick post today, but we have to give a shoutout to Elsie @ElsiesDiscountRoving!! After seeing our friends', Quade and Stephanie's, homemade rug, we decided we absolutely needed one. We stopped by Elsie's, learning some wonderful weaving skills, used her loom and made our very own repurposed scrap Pendleton blanket rug! It was a total blast and really simple. Added bonus, Ike loves it.

Thank you CompressionZ

More than excited for my near gear!

About two years ago my dad introduced me to a compression shirt company he found on Amazon. Looking to buy a shirt that could withstand the ruggedness of Spartan races yet not break the bank used to be difficult. When he found CompressionZ, he ordered a shirt and hoped for the best. When it came, it fit perfectly and withstood a gentle hike well. So he ordered a second... and a third. One for me, one for my sister. From that day, I rarely go on an outside adventure without the shirt, pants and socks. They fit perfectly, breath nicely in hot weather, keep me warm when I'm sweating during a brutal winter hike, protect my skin from rocks and barb wire during races, circulate blood through exhausted legs and add that perfect layer beneath my wetsuit for added comfort and warmth. Thank you #CompressionZ. I have never had a company that made great quality gear and has the 5 star customer service too! Check out their website at http://compressionz.com.

"Hot Rocks" on Mt Hood

For a bit of what CompressionZ can handle, feel free to read through the adventures my CompressionZ compression shirt, pants and socks have gone one just in the past year.

• Summited Oregon peaks - South Sister (10,358ft in 12.4 miles), Ht. Mood (11,239ft in 6 miles), Mt. St. Helens three times (8,366ft via Monitor Ridge for 10 miles and Worm Flows for 12 miles), Kwohl Butte and Tumalo Butte

• Skied down Mt. Bachelor, Mt. Hood (Meadows, Timberline and Ski Bowl), St. Helens, Kwohl and Tumalo

Black bear print



Sunset on St. Helens

• Hiked through the Olympic National Forest on Thanksgiving with bears

• Rappelled down several waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge, Abiqua Falls, Memaloose Falls and the South Fork Clackamas River with the tallest at 180ft

South Fork

South Fork

Memaloose

Montana Spartan Super



• Finished a Spartan Super and Spartan Beast 

• Ran the Lincoln City Half Marathon and Bend Marathon

• Been on countless cross county skis, mountain bike rides, training runs and walks in the woods.

Bend Marathon

Lincoln City Half

Oregon Coast 

Meet Bumblebee: Our Sprinter Van in progress

Meet Bumblebee - the newest adventure.

Year: 2015

Bumblebee with the newly installed window

Make: Mercedes

Model: Sprinter Van

Features: high roof, backup camera, that's about it.

The latest addition to our small family is a van - not one of those soccer mom and baby seat vans, but an epic adventure van. Dubbed Bumblebee for it's brilliant yellow hue, we (aka mostly Perry) are completing a DIY conversion to a homey, yet practical live-in van. First step - everything. Our plans include insulation and sound barriers, electricity via alternator and solar power, climate controlled heater, queen size bed with cabinetry, a portable toilet (per my request) and a kitchenette with a hand-pump sink, set in Coleman stove and cabinets hiding the Yeti cooler and supplies. 

Hole for vent

Installed and sealed vent

First cut - literally cut - was to professionally install a tinted window on the sliding door. Thanks #VanSpecialities for their excellent work and advice on home builds. 
Later that week, Perry took out the jigsaw and made the second cut for our Fantastic roof vent (both fantastic and by Fantastic). The vent will allow us to circulate air and keep the pup happy when chillin'. Putty tape and Dicor RV rubber roof was added for a good seal.

The second endeavor was create the epic sandwich of insulation and sound barriers. Reduction of road and rain noise was accomplished by coating the ceiling, floor and parts of the walls with FatMat sound deadener. Because we will be using the van in all locations and all weather, we decided to go big or go home with the insulation. Second layer in the sandwich is Reflectix - a  shiny, industrial bubblewrap that acts like the Omni-Heat reflective thermals by Columbia. Reflectix went along every inch of the floor, ceiling and walls. The third layer I think is especially for Ike and I - a R30 EcoBatt wool glass insulation. The company provides insulation guaranteed with nature in mind, creating it from the renewable resource wool and promising no harsh chemicals or dyes. Bye bye formaldehyde. Perry lined the majority of the walls with this batting, holding it together with duct tape until the vapor barrier can be added. However, the insulation was too lofty for the ceiling and floor so we went with 1" rigid polyeurethane foam board instead. Over everything front floor to ceiling went a 6ml clear plastic vapor barrier, which gives that extra protection from the insulation and makes sure humidity doesn't mold anything. As of today, the insulation is in place and we are ready to add electricity and the final layer of the sandwich - fabric covered plywood.

Vent and FatMat

Reflectix

Foam board and EcoBatt

Vapor barrier

Diamonds at 8,366ft on Mt St Helens

I am not sure it would be possible to publish a post more exciting than this one.

Mt. St. Helens is a 8,366 foot volcanic peak. Located right outside Cougar, Washington, its last eruption in 1980 dropped its original prominence from 9,677 feet and left a stellar crater with a smoking lava dome. I've had the pleasure (or pain if you will) of scaling to the top of this mountain three separate times - each testing my will and strength to the utmost. This latest adventure was a big one for the books.

On February 6th, Perry and I met up with with an epic crew of avid adventurers and jumped into the Bumblebee loaded down with gear for an overnight. We brought everything to stay warm and safe, expecting deep snow and chilly winds. The sky was mostly overcast on our drive up and we arrived to the Marble Mountain Sno-Park by early afternoon. Although our packs were stacked, we added last minute granola bars, crampons, skis, boards and boots with high expectations for a good afternoon of hiking. Our friends stepped into their AT setups while Perry and I shouldered our packs and strapped on epic MSR snowshoes. Even Ike was loaded down with a warm jacket and pack. We headed up the trailhead in several feet of snow, passing hikers on their way out regularly.

About 2 miles in, we broke tree-line and admired the beautiful peak and ridge leading to it. At this point the sky had cleared and we slowly began the real ascend. Within the hour, we found the last sheltered tree nook and set up camp. Shelters dug, tents erected, and packs emptied - the glow of the sunset illuminated the steam rising from our JetBoils and other camp stoves. Ike ran from person to person looking to take a nibble out of dinner he could. It was a beautiful night and, post-sunset, the stars were looking their finest.

The next morning we woke at 5am to eat breakfast and pack up camp. Luckily, we were planning to return the route we came in, so we dug out a pit and left our overnight gear behind. With lighter packs and the sun just below the horizon, we started back on our ascent. What a morning! We quickly rose above fog level and followed the Worm Flows ridge to the summit. Arriving by noon, we were surprised by a lull in the wind and a bright sun warming our faces. We plopped - literally plopped - down, exhausted and sweaty from the trek. After a good break, I decided to snap a couple pictures of the summit than strap on the skis for descent. As I stood, Perry did too. He asked for the attention from the 15 other hikers and I turned to give him a questioning look. Once the words "I love this woman with all my heart" left his mouth, realization hit. It didn't take long after he took a knee for me to drop down in front of him, crying like a baby to give him a big kiss. He pulled a beautiful diamond ring our from under his clothes, attached to his neck with an old dog tag chain. It sparkled brighter than the sun and so did my love for him. With applause, cheers and smiles, we returned to our feet as a newly engaged couple. One of the ladies ran over with pictures on her phone, gushing for our number so she could send him. Our buddies gave high fives and laughed, finally revealing they had known all along.

And with that, we strapped in and started our fast, wet and heavy descent from the top of Mt. St. Helens.

Rick, Nick and Tyler thank you so much for the laughs, patience, and support! You guys rock!