by VANagain Wed Jul 23, 2014 5:36 pmIt was 30 years ago today that I set out in my 1966 Chevy Van to see more of this world than the little bit of Minnesota where I'd spent the first 25 years of my life. When you live and travel in a vehicle it eventually gets a name. My faithful van was "Old Blue".
I kept a journal of, not just the sights and events, but my thoughts, observations, and other philosophical BS. Back then I wrote with a pen in a spiral notebook. I took photos with an old 30mm camera -- and not too many photos because the film and developing cost money! The only way to contact anyone back home was to call long distance on a payphone or put a letter in the mail. To get news you had to buy a newspaper or find a TV somewhere. It was truly a solitary endeavor. And it was dealing with this solitude, making my own decisions, and facing my fears on a regular basis that allowed me to grow and discover who I was. The other unique part of this experience was it wasn't a vacation; it was wandering with no destination and no timeline. This is a rare thing.
This trip was the best thing I ever did. Back then I could share bits of it with my friends and family by sending post cards or the occasional photos (those that were worth having duplicates made). I would draw cartoons and use a copy machine to make them into letterhead. Just think if I could somehow give my old self the ability to post ongoing updates on the Internet.
Presto! Thanks to modern technology I can do just that! You can follow along, day by day, as thoughts and pictures are posted (with just a 30 year delay). Start here, on the entry for July 23, 1984, the day I set out on my trip:
http://vanagain.travellerspoint.com/47/
You guys might just want to look at the van pictures -- and there will be a lot of them!
There are other entries from the months previous to this day as I prepared for my big trip (click Previous or Table of Contents). Subscribe so you can be notified as new entries appear on the day of each subsequent journal posting. Feel free to add comments (you don’t need to make an account).
Glad you can join me in this!
I kept a journal of, not just the sights and events, but my thoughts, observations, and other philosophical BS. Back then I wrote with a pen in a spiral notebook. I took photos with an old 30mm camera -- and not too many photos because the film and developing cost money! The only way to contact anyone back home was to call long distance on a payphone or put a letter in the mail. To get news you had to buy a newspaper or find a TV somewhere. It was truly a solitary endeavor. And it was dealing with this solitude, making my own decisions, and facing my fears on a regular basis that allowed me to grow and discover who I was. The other unique part of this experience was it wasn't a vacation; it was wandering with no destination and no timeline. This is a rare thing.
This trip was the best thing I ever did. Back then I could share bits of it with my friends and family by sending post cards or the occasional photos (those that were worth having duplicates made). I would draw cartoons and use a copy machine to make them into letterhead. Just think if I could somehow give my old self the ability to post ongoing updates on the Internet.
Presto! Thanks to modern technology I can do just that! You can follow along, day by day, as thoughts and pictures are posted (with just a 30 year delay). Start here, on the entry for July 23, 1984, the day I set out on my trip:
http://vanagain.travellerspoint.com/47/
You guys might just want to look at the van pictures -- and there will be a lot of them!
There are other entries from the months previous to this day as I prepared for my big trip (click Previous or Table of Contents). Subscribe so you can be notified as new entries appear on the day of each subsequent journal posting. Feel free to add comments (you don’t need to make an account). Glad you can join me in this!
..Gotta thank "Dad" for the Adventure.!!!..
Expense, people, parking etc. I hope there's more to the story. I felt like I really got to know you, and it was a wonderful snapshot of 1984. So honest, and I agree with the others, you should expand it into a book. You're a good writer, and your story really touched me. A recent trip I took down Hwy. 1 in a new rented Dodge Caravan from SF to LA, sleeping next to the ocean in Big Sur, got me back into vans and led me here. Thank you
