Sometimes I feel a little dizzy at all the travels. It's just over three months that I have been on the road. There have been some stays with friends or family, and other stretches with long drives, other whiles living out of the van while it sat in one place.
The crazy van idea has worked well. It's functioned for all the various situations I've put myself into. Hotel parking lots work well in urban areas. National parks have free campsites and the van worked well off-grid. It worked well parked in a driveway when visiting a friend. Parked on a farm.
I officially fell in love with the van in Badlands, South Dakota. I arrived just before dusk after crossing flat prairies all day.
At one point I saw a butte. It was a little hint: you're almost there!
Then I arrived at Badlands. I stepped out of the van, I felt the dry air, and saw the desert landscape around me. It felt like the west, all of a sudden!
After the sun set I drove through badlands able to see a little in the dusk (although it was too dark for photos). I noticed lightning to the south so I parked and watched. After a while I climbed out my window and onto the top of the van. Evening breezes, lightning flashes in the distance. A brief sprinkling of rain. After a while I laid flat on the roof and watched the Milky Way gradually increase in brightness.
And that is when I fell in love with my van. It's still white and looks boring on the outside. But it's a good pal for watching the night sky.