The heat of summer really started up this week with temperatures pushing toward 90º. High desert days, even the sweltering ones, usually start and end cool . . . sometimes even cold.
So we shift our travel to early mornings and are sheltered in AC with a good e-book by afternoon.
One recurring trip in June is a visit to the Adventure Van Expo in Hood River, OR. It’s a gathering that started with enthusiasts connecting with van conversion companies and has gained in popularity and of course, size.
Our trek has been to find a good way to travel and live semi-off grid in the wilds of the Pacific Northwest.
In the spring of 1998 we paid twelve hundred dollars for a 1972 VW Westfalia camper. A bright blue Vanagon that served us very well for a decade.
Transporting not just JQ and I, but also three Border Collies across Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.
On a late fall camping / fishing trip to the Lower Deschutes a wet dog walked shivering up from the river to the van. We wrapped her in a wool blanket, fed her and the next morning made inquiries at the Maupin General Store.
We called her Sage. She turned out to be a great companion for Maggie (our six month old puppy) during her hip surgery ordeal. While in Montana, Sage showed Maggie how to ‘chomp’ a soft serve ice cream cone. Good times!
There was an attempt to re-kindle the wanderlust briefly in a poor copy of the Westfalia.
A Winnebago build on a VW Eurovan that never lived up to the experience we enjoyed with the German design.
These days Class B RVs are way too expensive, stuffed with unnecessary tech, adorned with bling and usually built on a diesel Mercedes chassis that could be a nightmare to get serviced.
This year’s trip to Hood River promised a different camper van. DM Vans builds on a Dodge RAM ProMaster with a minimalist approach. An online discovery spurred memories of that old Westfalia.
DM offers a practical layout, well built cabinetry and windows that let the outside in. Plus, no flat panels or multi-speaker audio systems, just clean basic design. It’s a van conversion with ample solar power to allow for off grid adventures.” It really is “Everything you need, Nothing you don’t. “