Walk with us through spontaneous and unapologetic adventures. Join us in budget minded Sprinter DIY successes and failures: Sleeping 4 in a Sprinter 144.
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On the eve of 2020, I think back to New Year’s Eve 2000. A few of us headed out on the second annual trip to Tom’s Lake Cabin.
Our destination was North of Manistique and South of Munising at a forest service cabin in Hiawatha National Forest. The road to the cabin was not plowed but we could get fairly close by truck, if I remember correctly.
We came prepared with nordic skis, snow shoes, a camping stove, headlamps, propane lamps, food for days, and plenty to drink.
Occasionally we would hear a snowmobile buzz by but otherwise the woods were quiet. The nights were dark. We didn’t have running water but I couldn’t tell you how far it was to the outhouse. I assume it wasn’t far. I think there was a moon some nights but can’t remember for sure.
We wore our nordic ski boots to the local snowmobile restaurant and bar. We didn’t exactly fit in but everyone was nice and it seems like the chili was especially good.
Most of our time was spent mulling around in the snow, drinking blackberry brandy, and stoking the fire. By this time, I don’t remember thinking much about Y2K.
We stopped by a bar in Munising on New Year’s Eve. While I had spent a fair amount of time exploring small town bars around the country, this was the first time I walked in to a pot luck. Even without a dish to pass, they welcomed us. They gave us homemade food, party blowers, hats, and champagne. We joined in the singing and hugging at midnight.
The next morning, back at Tom’s cabin, we still didn’t have indoor plumbing, electricity, or gas. We stoked the fire. As we packed up to leave, I wondered if any computers out there had been devastated by Y2K. We hadn’t noticed any problems.
That was the last time our group went to Tom’s Lake Cabin. I hadn’t thought much about it until right now.
A favorite quote hangs in the spare bedroom of some of our kindest Colorado friends. It reads:
“Travel light in life
Take only what you need:
A loving family, good friends, simple pleasures, someone to love and someone to love you, something to eat, enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink for thirst is a dangerous thing.”
On the eve of a new decade, I wish everyone simplicity and peace.
Happy New Year and all the best adventures in 2020.
We went on a road trip without the Sprinter and it was enlightening.
We drove from Oregon to Big White to Whistler and back.
Would the Sprinter have made it? Yes.
Would I have been nervous? Maybe. Abbotsford to Kelowna on the way there was dark and snowy. Visibility wasn’t great. I was a bit nervous anyway. The Sprinter would have done fine.
What was it like traveling in a minivan again?
Dramatic. With two kids that have been spoiled by The Luggable Loo, this was a good reminder that most people think ahead when traveling. On several occasions, we drove five miles away from a gas station or restaurant to hear Grace say: “I have to go potty”! Her usual announcement goes like this: “I have to go. Its an emergency. I have to go in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, …”
Combative. The kids feet and arms could reach each other. Enough said.
Wet. We didn’t have anywhere to hang our clothesline.
Cross fit for an out-of-shape mom. I pick up a kid while CD pulls the boots off, puts snow pants on, and puts the boots back on. Repeat.
Spendy and Gluttonous. Snacks started out fine but after ten days on the road, the food situation regressed. Here is the common scenario: The kids are desperately hungry and can’t possibly wait to eat. None of the available snacks are acceptable. We look for restaurants. We don’t have cell service or chose not to use cellular data. We drive around. We find one but it is just a brewery with frozen pizzas. We drive around more. We find another one. We run in and order $40 worth of food. The kids color in coloring books. We ask them to eat. They get up and walk around the table. We tell them to eat. They eat two bites each. CD and I eat two meals each. We get in the car. The kids say they are hungry. They eat popcorn. *Repeat every 2-4 hours.
“The Zephyr” in Squamish. CD and I ate a Zephyr salad, a bowl of veggie chili, a cup of Mexican Chicken soup, a falafel wrap, and a bunch of corn chips. It was good. It may be worth mentioning that this was a bit after brunch where CD and I ate 2 eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, 2 orders of hashbrowns, and eggs benny. The kids ate popcorn in the car.
Confusing. I couldn’t find anything in the back seat or front seat. CD was in charge of the back door and seemed to keep everything in its place. The kids and I didn’t do as well.
I should be too embarrassed to post this but just in case anyone feels like their car is a mess, this should help you feel better! Here is the scene in our back seat as we rolled back into Oregon. Yikes!
CD’s take on the situation: “20 days on the road comes much sooner in a mini-van than a Sprinter”. Shortly after CD said this, the mini-van alert popped up and asked: “Would you like to take a break?” Ha!
Advice? Get a 4 x 4 Sprinter if you can. If not, stay true to your rear wheel drive Sprinter. Invest in good winter tires, be flexible with your schedule, and stay committed to #vanlife.
If you have to take your mini-van, stay positive. Its not that bad. In fact, it is probably helpful in providing perspective and reminding everyone how to wait patiently while looking for a restaurant, a hotel, or a potty.
“Today’s Parent” rated Big White the number 1 ski resort for families in Canada. Do I agree? Yes, Yes, YES
I have skied at over 30 resorts in North America. Most of these were before I was a mom. I was more informed about Apres-ski conditions than kid’s activities and green runs. Times have changed!
Big White offered a long list of activities for kids. This included arts and crafts at Happy Valley, a Saturday night carnival, Santa’s workshop, ornament painting, pictures with Loose Moose, tubing, ice climbing, horse drawn sleigh rides, ice skating, a scavenger hunt, snow shoeing, fireworks, a glow stick parade, and a free gondola.
Not a great picture but this was the scene at the carnival: complete with cotton candy, games, prizes Saturday night fireworks.
Are these activities the reason I think Big White may actually be the best family resort? Not really, although it doesn’t hurt.
Between skiing, sitting in the hot tub, going in the plunge pool, and building a luge track next to the condo, we didn’t even get to half of the activities above.
What was so great about Big White?
The base area was just right. There were enough but not too many services. The main base area included a hand full of restaurants, the lodge and coffee shop, a candy store, a ski shop, a market and liquor store, a gondola to Happy Valley, and a ski run down to three chair lifts.
Green runs were everywhere. We did our obligatory run on the magic carpet and then headed up to the Plaza Chair. The Plaza Chair provided access to a hand full of green runs and some kid friendly trees. Hummingbird to Woodcutter was our main route to the Plaza Chair. Two other chairs provided access to other green runs. We quickly realized that we could save the base area traverse to our condo by skiing a green cruiser from the Ridge Rocket Express. The other option was a cat-walk to Happy Valley and Lara’s gondola back up. This got us 50% closer to our condo door. Either way, the walk from the Plaza Chair to our ski lockers was less than 100 yards.
There was tons of un-trackedpowder. In-bounds was less crowded than out-of-bounds at many resorts I have skied. CD and I were with only a handful of people on the T-Bar. We were alone on the way down. After a bit, one other skier came by and asked us if he was going the right way to catch the Powder Chair. We didn’t really know and we didn’t see him again. Big White has more acreage and fifty percent less skiers than the resort where CD and I met. This was obvious as I was making fresh tracks after just being told “last chair”. Even CD let out a “whoo-hoo” now and then!. Skiing at Big White was super fun!
Our accommodations were perfect! Stone Bridge, building 2, was a lucky find. While pretty much all of the condos advertise ski-in, ski-out access, ours had ski-in, ski-out access for kids under 10. That is hard to find. We also had a hot tub on our deck, a plunge pool nearby, ski lockers, and a big snowy hill just off our patio! The nearest run was approximately 10 yards downhill and delivered us right to the Bullet Express. The main base area and Plaza Chair green runs were less than 100 yards away and by the third day, the kids could nearly get there on their own.
Main lodge. The hill by our patio. It later developed in to a luge track. The kids did it more like the skeleton than the luge, however. Outside our condo. Every time I went out after dinner, there were moms and dads and kids playing on these hill slides or in the snow by the lodge. Everyone was loving it!
Christmas Eve was magical! Evening activities included a photo booth, live music, books with Santa, reindeer food, a visit by the Grinch, a glow stick parade, and an impressive fireworks display.
Christmas Eve fireworks. Our condo is to the left and we are at the main lodge looking up the run.
The scenery was beautiful. It was sunny at the bottom and occasionally towards the top.
How long would I recommend staying at Big White? At least a month, or two weeks, or as long as you can. I am not sure how long we would have needed to stay in order to find time for ice climbing or Nordic skiing, or ice skating but I want to go back and do it all!
What other tips may be helpful?
Costco and IGA are both on the route out of town from Kelowna to Big White. I recommend stocking up at both but also checking out the Big White market for fun.
If you happen to forget your boots, the rental shop staff are super nice. I went there after dinner and was the only one there. I took advantage of having rentals and tried three different pairs on the last day. The staff was nearly as interested to hear what I thought about each one as I was to ski them. I paid $11 more to have get access to better quality skis and I think it was worth it.
Saturday night fireworks may not be easy to see. If you happen to stay at Stone Bridge, take a hard left after the BullWheel. You will have a perfect view!
Skip the chicken parm poutine at the Happy Valley Lodge. What was I thinking?
Check out the BullWheel.
Head to the candy shop on the lower level of the main lodge for all of your bulk candy needs.
Bring the big bottle of Bailey’s.
The market carries Egg Nog, just in case.
Duck into the trees on the way to Plaza Chair. The kids will find it hilarious.
Bring a sled.
Ride the T-bar.
Drop off your live Christmas Tree at the transfer station on your way out of town. Don’t worry if yours is the first tree there. They assured me that there will be a pile of trees there by the end of the week.
We went on a road trip without our Sprinter. We keep the Sprinter stocked and ready to hit the road at a moments notice. Consequently, it also serves as a storage locker for our most important travel items.
Here are a few of the things we forgot to pack.
Solar panel
Portable battery charger (This was a huge fail for us)
Sunscreen
Plates
Cups
Shoes (An entire box full of spare shoes)
Board games
BC map
Rain jackets
Tea
Hiking poles
Spare pens
My ski boots (This was a miscommunication more than the fault of a vehicle change, however)
Here is a partial list of items we packed.
Christmas tree stand
2 strings of Christmas tree lights
Box of Christmas ornaments
Ingredients for reindeer food
Knives, spoons, forks, sporks. Cutting board
Hot cocoa
Gloves (Equal numbers of rights and lefts but not matching)
Embroidered red flannel Christmas hats
Power strip
Tins of cookies (As gifts, not for eating)
4 pairs of Holiday Specs glasses
Mexican blanket
Karo Syrup (For making ginger bread house icing. CD gets credit for this one)
3 Jackets per person (Only CD had a rain jacket)
2 swimsuits per person
Work clothes and dress jacket (For Molly’s 2 hour meeting at the bar)
Neck warmers, scarves, hats
Flip flops, sandals
Slippers and flannel PJs
A gift wrapped used DVD (For re-gifting)
Here are a few things we picked up along the way.
2 winter jackets
Icing sugar (The first store was sold out)
An edgie wedgie
Advent calendar (I thought they would be on sale by December 21st, but they weren’t)
An elf on the shelf (HB wanted one and we put it in the condo. Grace cried because it is creepy. She doesn’t want it watching her. I agree, it is creepy)
2 sets of Karate pads
A baby doll car seat
Rental skis and boots (Ha!)
Cheese puffs
“Winter Jack”
Christmas tree
A gallon of organic local cider
18 frozen spring rolls. 4 frozen pizzas. 36 eggs.
Just in case you wonder how our tree fared. Here it is.
It didn’t fit in the parking garageIt was a tight fit in the elevatorA mere hour later, here it is.
I tend to make packing lists, give ideas, and load suitcases. CD tends to be in charge of packing the van. We check out of Big White on the 26th. He thinks he can get everything back in the car if he starts on the 24th.
CD’s shirt today. I think he is suggesting ideas for future packing.
I have been fishing for ideas as to how to dispose of our Christmas tree. I wonder if Big White has a plan for this.
We made it from Vernon to Kelowna and are now basically waiting to check into the condo at Big White.
It snowed last night. Huge awesome snow flakes. CD picked me up from my meeting at the Tree Brewery. The drive back to the hotel was reminiscent of drives in Summit County. I was disappointed to wake up to rain.
CD’s parents arrived last night and Grace had them in the pool by ten. Two hours later they were just getting dried off. I think I made a snack plate for lunch but honestly can’t remember if I fed them lunch or not.
The last few weeks have been busy. I wasn’t ready for Christmas at all. At home, I pulled out our boxes of Christmas tree ornaments, looked at them, and packed them directly in the car.
So, here we are in Kelowna with all our of Christmas decorations packed under ski boots, jackets, and hats.
Well, I am pretty sure everyone was skeptical of my plan but today was the day to cut our Christmas tree. I called every place that popped up on my internet search. One answered the phone.
It was pouring rain but we put on our boots and drove 7 kilometers to the edge of town to K & J Pacific Peaches (and tree farm, I guess). They looked surprised when we pulled in but quickly welcomed us with fresh hot cocoa. We were told that trees to the left were $30 and trees to the right were $40. They all looked the same to me.
These trees were different than any I have seen. As we walked around we came up with tons of theories as to why the trees were so unusual.
This is how pretty much every tree looked: A perfect Christmas tree shape on the bottom, a long bare spot and then another little mini Christmas tree shaped spot.
In any case, we chose a six foot tree with all of the characteristics specific to this tree farm. I gave them the $30 and they gave me twine and two bags of apples. Apparently each tree comes with one free bag of apples but since we were the only people there that day, they just gave us two bags.
It was still pouring rain. We dropped the kids off and changed to dry jackets. We still had to do most of our Christmas shopping. CD, the tree, and I went all over town. I realized later that it may have been funny to take a picture of each place we went with the tree on our car. The list included two sporting goods stores, a martial arts school, Walmart, Toys R Us, two bike stores, the mall, and a fancy restaurant for dinner.
Later the same day: CD and the tree pulling up to the sidewalk to get me. #vanlife
Tomorrow, CD, his parents, the kids, the tree, and I will go to Safeway, Costco, and then finally to Big White. I hope to have the tree up, a fire on, and an Irish coffee in hand by dinner time. We will see how it goes!
We don’t give our kids electronics when we travel and sometimes I wonder what we are thinking.
I didn’t watch movies or have fancy electronics in the car when I was a kid. It was okay. I also didn’t have a car seat so I am not sure that the “good ole days” philosophy is really the way to go.
In any case, our Sprinter trip timer total from last summer was over 190 hours. That is 190 hours of sitting in a van. I find that number a bit alarming. At the very least, it can’t be healthy.
They also don’t sleep in the car. Their refusal to sleep in the car may be an entirely different blog someday.
Two days ago we drove a mere 600 miles from Corvallis, Oregon to Vernon, BC. We left in the dark and we arrived in the dark. They didn’t sleep.
What did they do?
Talked
Asked questions
Argued
Ate snacks
Kicked my seat
Sang songs
Argued
Invented a new version of the “Florida or Bust” signs that I used to see in car window’s on I-75 South Bound during spring break. HB used most of a pad of sticky notes writing messages to passing cars. The notes included “Merry Christmas”, “Big White, here we come”, “We the North”, and “I love adventure.” The notes are still there.
Engineered a pulley system to lift HB’s “toy box” from the floor to his lap. Grace was involved in pulling the rope when he needed both hands to secure the box on his lap
Reviewed their license plate list from last summer. (60 license plates, spanning 4 countries)
It is unlikely that there was a consecutive sixty seconds of silence at any point during that 600 miles. There may have not even been thirty seconds of silence. At least they still talk to us I guess. Until they find out that other cars have DVD players, I think we will continue to travel the more old fashioned way.
We don’t give our kids electronics when we travel and sometimes I wonder what we are thinking.
I didn’t watch movies or have fancy electronics in the car when I was a kid. It was okay. I also didn’t have a car seat so I am not sure that the “good ole days” philosophy is really the way to go.
In any case, our Sprinter trip timer total from last summer was over 190 hours. That is 190 hours of sitting in a van. I find that number a bit alarming. At the very least, it can’t be healthy.
They also don’t sleep in the car. Their refusal to sleep in the car may be an entirely different blog someday.
Two days ago we drove a mere 600 miles from Corvallis, Oregon to Vernon, BC. We left in the dark and we arrived in the dark. They didn’t sleep.
What did they do?
Talked
Asked questions
Argued
Ate snacks
Kicked my seat
Sang songs
Argued
Invented a new version of the “Florida or Bust” signs that I used to see in car window’s on I-75 South Bound during spring break. HB used most of a pad of sticky notes writing messages to passing cars. The notes included “Merry Christmas”, “Big White, here we come”, “We the North”, and “I love adventure.” The notes are still there.
Engineered a pulley system to lift HB’s “toy box” from the floor to his lap. Grace was involved in pulling the rope when he needed both hands to secure the box on his lap
Reviewed their license plate list from last summer. (60 license plates, spanning 4 countries)
It is unlikely that there was a consecutive sixty seconds of silence at any point during that 600 miles. There may have not even been thirty seconds of silence. At least they still talk to us I guess. Until they find out that other cars have DVD players, I think we will continue to travel the more old fashioned way.
4 x 4 Sprinters are hard to get. Our Sprinter dreams started with an opportunity to buy a barely used 4 x 4 Sprinter from our local dealership. We did not expect to have the opportunity to get a 4 x 4.
We were already tossing around the idea of getting a Sprinter when we took a Mother’s Day trip to Manzinta. We drove along the coast from Pacific City, through Tillamook and past Cannon Beach. The scenery was beautiful. There were people in Sprinters everywhere. A high roof Sprinter 170 passenger van drove in front of us from Pacific City to the Cheese Factory parking lot at Tillamook. A family of 4 hopped out and looked happy. We chatted with them for a bit. They recommended the high top because they liked to sit on the roof and see the view. They were also the first people we spoke with that recommended rear AC. They had spent the previous summer driving to Texas and were unable to keep the back passengers comfortable.
That night, I typed “Sprinter for sale, Oregon” into a search bar. A Sprinter 4 x 4 popped up. Did the Eugene dealership really have a 4 x 4 in stock?
I called as soon as I woke up. They were selling their 4 x 4 floor model. What? I really wanted to buy this van.
One of my top reservations with buying the Sprinter was the rear wheel drive. I spent my late twenties driving a Chevy Trailblazer 4 x 4. In putting 200,000 miles on it, I learned that rear wheel drive is useless and kind of scary in snow or other variable road conditions. Now that I had two children and my mom brain was in full effect, I just couldn’t imagine driving my kids around in the snow in a full size rear wheel drive van. CD wasn’t too concerned.
As you know, we met at a ski area. We appreciate winter. We love snow. We hope to instill the same in our kids.
With winter driving on my mind, we looked at the only front wheel drive cargo van, the Dodge ProMaster. Since there are four of us, we would need to have backseats. CD found a local company that was able add seats. The next step would be to add windows. CD looked in to that as well and felt like this was possibly something he could do himself. Ultimately, adding seats and windows erased any potential costs savings of getting the ProMaster. We went back to looking to used Sprinters. After all, the Sprinter diesel engine should go forever.
The day after we got home from Manzanita, we drove to Eugene to see the 4 x 4. Since Sprinters are a niche market, we hadn’t driven one yet. It was a high roof and had a few extra inches because of the four wheel drive and more aggressive tires. It seemed huge. We weren’t ready. We discussed the van every day for two or three weeks. We drove it a hand full of times.
Here is the 4 x 4 that we almost bought. It felt big then, but now it doesn’t seem big at all. Sprinter DIY
The price tag was too much. We weren’t ready. It felt big and tall. I was worried that we would sell our other car, spend more than the money we had on this one vehicle and then not want it. To our relief and the sales person’s relief, we decided not to buy it. Well, I regret it a bit. Although, we didn’t have enough money for it anyway.
Here we are two years later. We bought and sold a low roof Sprinter, looked at every truck trailer combination imaginable, designed every DIY camper trailer we could think of, drove Dodge ProMasters, Ford Transits, and settled on a rear wheel drive Mercedes Passenger van.
I have watched YouTube videos of Sprinter vans losing control on snowy roads. I have also watched the videos of guys driving their vans in the snow with snow tires and chains. They swear their Sprinters do fine in the snow and ice. Again, my current mind set is that of a mom.
Tomorrow we head to British Columbia for Christmas. Our route is Seattle, to BC and then East through Kelowna to Big White. The roads should be fine. I am not really worried about it.
Big White recommends snow tires and chains. I grew up in Michigan and went on to drive high mountain roads in Colorado for years. I am sure the van can handle it. I watched full size passenger vans drive in and out of the ski resort and over Vail pass every day. I am sure the Sprinter would be fine.
Hail storm on the way to the Needles Ferry, BC. Summer 2019. Sprinter DIY. #vanlife
So what are we doing? We put our Thule rack on our AWD Sienna and packed our clothes and Christmas gifts in the back. Tomorrow we head to BC in our Sienna. I am a bit disappointed. CD wouldn’t have made this choice so I own it. We could be enjoying the view of Okanagan Lake from our Sprinter while drinking homemade hot cocoa, standing and stretching in front of our Lil Buddy heater, or laying on our bed to rest. Instead, we will be sitting in our seats and then stretching our legs while standing outside in the wind and cold.
I know that my mom-brain is reasonable and helpful in some ways. I also wonder if it is over cautious in other ways. In any case, I will stick with the AWD until CD and I leave the kids at home and take the van up and down snowy mountain passes of the Pacific North West. Until then, I will be grateful that Toyota makes an AWD Sienna.
I will indulge in all of the minivan perks that cargo vans lack. The first thing I will do in the morning is a turn on my seat heater and check out my smile in the visor mirror. Merry Christmas!
We live in the Willamette Valley. The coastal range is to the East and the Cascades to the West. It rains; it is wet. Lichen and fungi are prolific.
CD and I met in the high mountains of Colorado. The high desert is a comfortable climate for us. With that being said, we both enjoy the Willamette Valley. It is not typically until I leave the valley that I realize how much more comfortable I am with brown pine needles than with banana slugs and trees chocked by lichen.
It was CD’s birthday weekend. We had been home from our summer trip for less than a month. Our Oregon to Oregon odometer reading for the summer was 8528 miles and our trip timer reading was 190 hours and 55 minutes. Even with just having returned home, we missed the Sprinter life. The kids and I suggested an overnight camping trip for CD’s birthday. It needed to be a quick 1 night get-away.
We all agreed to drive East towards Sisters. CD had eyed up a few places and chose Suttle Lake mostly because we were short on time. It wasn’t as far as Sisters or Bend but was still on the dry side of the pass. There were several National Forest campgrounds and had easy access from the highway. Although he is not a fisherman, CD was kind enough to suggest that the kids and I bring our fishing poles and try our luck. We were sold.
If you have even driven Highway 20 from I-5 to Sisters, you may remember that there is a tipping point were the lichen stops and the high desert begins. I can’t tell you at exactly which mile marker this happens. This time, I didn’t think much of it until we pulled in to the campground. The ground and the air was dry.
The campgrounds were only a few miles from the highway. We drove through Blue Bay campground. It was nice but we kept going and settled on Link Creek. There were plenty of sites available. We chose a central site so that the kids could fish from the dock and we could see them from the van. There was a dirt boat launch, fish cleaning stations, and pit toilets. The sites were plenty large and it was generally clean.
It was CD’s birthday so he was calling the shots. CD was happy to sit on the picnic table, strum his guitar, and enjoy the air. The view wasn’t anything spectacular.
Sprinter DIY. #vanlifeSprinter DIY. #vanlife
I set up the kids fishing poles and started dinner. There were a few boats on the lake. From where we stood, it was shallow and not very inviting for swimming. It may be noted, however, that I was born and raised in Michigan and have high fresh water standards.
In any case, it wasn’t long before we heard a motor revving. Some sort of race boat with two exhaust pipes sticking up launched at the adjacent dock and was driving around the lake. This lake isn’t huge, by the way. The boat would speed around the lake two or three times, then idle for a bit. When it was driving it was so loud that we could barely talk to each other. I am sure other campers were irritated but I was more amazed, interested, and surprised. The whole thing went on for an hour or so and then they loaded the boat on the trailer and drove away.
The second most interesting thing we saw was a good sized cabin cruiser. It was anchored off shore a bit. Again, this is not a huge lake. I assumed they would sleep there but rather than doing so, they pulled into the dock at the campground and slept in a tent.
I guess people really love boating on this lake. Based on our lack of success fishing and the fishing equipment on their boat, it occurred to me that you may need a boat to get to the fish.
Several campers had kayaks pulled up on shore and easily accessed by walking paths from their campsites. This seemed like a nice idea to me.
By the time the kids and I got back, CD was fully immersed in his much anticipated awning experiment. Years ago he made an awning for our minivan. He had been wanting to try it out on the Sprinter. Rain was expected over night and I guess he decided this was his chance.
Here it is. Don’t trip over the guylines. Sprinter DIY. #vanlife Sprinter DIY. #vanlife
Well, he did it. It was set up and surprisingly solid. I was curious about the sag in the middle but it sounded like he had a plan. The guylines were a bit of a hazard but I was willing to humor him and give the thing a try. It was his birthday after all.
He told me to walk around the van to see how he secured the awning. I really hadn’t thought much about it and wasn’t really that curious but, again, I humored him. This is what I found:
Sprinter DIY. #vanlife
He seemed to know it was ridiculous and not any sort of ground breaking invention. Since we couldn’t open the driver’s side door, it was barely even a short term solution but he was so happy.
HB woke up around dawn. We found a bridge that we had failed to see the night before. There were fish rising and jumping all over the place. We headed over the bridge and ended up on the dock for the larger boat launch. We tried every fishing trick I knew but they just didn’t bite. We watched the sun come up and saw trail runners. We walked some of the trail. It may be worth mentioning that you can see and hear highway 20 while standing on the shore. We didn’t notice this from our campsite.
Shortly after CD and Grace woke up, the skies opened up. The awning held. We ate oatmeal in the van and broke camp.
CD was curious about the Suttle Lake Lodge. It was near Highway 20 and not far off the road. We walked into the main lodge and were greeted by a crowded room of happy lodge guests. There was shelf after shelf of board games. The dining area was community style with big long tables next to sofas and coffee tables. Dogs were welcome and everyone was smiling. Big windows and glass doors offered a lake view. A large patio and lawn were beyond. There were docks with row boats and fishing boats for rent.
I am quite sure that CD didn’t intend to spend time or money here but it was just too tempting. I ordered fresh squeezed orange juice, grapefruit juice, and an egg sandwich with aged cheddar.
We already had breakfast at camp but the opportunity to drink fresh squeezed juice while playing board games by a hot fire with tons of happy people just seemed like the right thing to do. The kitchen was slow but for good reason. The place was packed and they were obviously making every order one by one. We didn’t mind the wait.
Would I camp at Suttle Lake again? Probably not.
What would I do differently if camped there again? I would walk, boat, or bike to breakfast at the Suttle Lake Lodge. I would spend time playing corn hole and drinking fresh juice. I may consider happy hour at the lodge too. I may consider just staying at the lodge if I need an easy to get to lodging location for a few people that like that kind of thing.
We live in the Willamette Valley and enjoy camping in Oregon.
The coastal range is to the East and the Cascades to the West. It rains; it is wet. Lichen and fungi are prolific.
CD and I met in the high mountains of Colorado. The high desert is a comfortable climate for us. With that being said, we both enjoy the Willamette Valley. It is not typically until I leave the valley that I realize how much more comfortable I am with brown pine needles than with banana slugs and trees chocked by lichen.
Birthday Weekend Camping: Oregon
It was CD’s birthday weekend. We had been home from our summer trip for less than a month. Our Oregon to Oregon odometer reading for the summer was 8528 miles and our trip timer reading was 190 hours and 55 minutes. Even with just having returned home, we missed the Sprinter life. The kids and I suggested an overnight camping trip for CD’s birthday. It needed to be a quick 1 night get-away.
We all agreed to drive East towards Sisters. CD had eyed up a few places and chose Suttle Lake mostly because we were short on time. It wasn’t as far as Sisters or Bend but was still on the dry side of the pass. There were several National Forest campgrounds and had easy access from the highway. Although he is not a fisherman, CD was kind enough to suggest that the kids and I bring our fishing poles and try our luck. We were sold.
If you have even driven Highway 20 from I-5 to Sisters, you may remember that there is a tipping point were the lichen stops and the high desert begins. I can’t tell you at exactly which mile marker this happens. This time, I didn’t think much of it until we pulled in to the campground. The ground and the air was dry.
The campgrounds were only a few miles from the highway. We drove through Blue Bay campground. It was nice but we kept going and settled on Link Creek.
Link Creek Campground
There were plenty of sites available. We chose a central site so that the kids could fish from the dock and we could see them from the van. There was a dirt boat launch, fish cleaning stations, and pit toilets. The sites were plenty large and it was generally clean.
It was CD’s birthday so he was calling the shots. CD was happy to sit on the picnic table, strum his guitar, and enjoy the air. The view wasn’t anything spectacular.
Sprinter DIY. #vanlifeSprinter DIY. #vanlife
I set up the kids fishing poles and started dinner. There were a few boats on the lake. From where we stood, it was shallow and not very inviting for swimming. It may be noted, however, that I was born and raised in Michigan and have high fresh water standards.
The Boats, Oregon Camping at Suttle Lake
In any case, it wasn’t long before we heard a motor revving. Some sort of race boat with two exhaust pipes sticking up launched at the adjacent dock and was driving around the lake. This lake isn’t huge, by the way. The boat would speed around the lake two or three times, then idle for a bit. When it was driving it was so loud that we could barely talk to each other. I am sure other campers were irritated but I was more amazed, interested, and surprised. The whole thing went on for an hour or so and then they loaded the boat on the trailer and drove away.
The second most interesting thing we saw was a good sized cabin cruiser. It was anchored off shore a bit. Again, this is not a huge lake. I assumed they would sleep there but rather than doing so, they pulled into the dock at the campground and slept in a tent.
I guess people really love boating on this lake. Based on our lack of success fishing and the fishing equipment on their boat, it occurred to me that you may need a boat to get to the fish.
Several campers had kayaks pulled up on shore and easily accessed by walking paths from their campsites. This seemed like a nice idea to me.
The Great Awning Experiment
By the time the kids and I got back, CD was fully immersed in his much anticipated awning experiment. Years ago he made an awning for our minivan. He had been wanting to try it out on the Sprinter. Rain was expected over night and I guess he decided this was his chance.
Here it is. Don’t trip over the guylines. Sprinter DIY. Oregon camping oregon camping
Well, he did it. It was set up and surprisingly solid. I was curious about the sag in the middle but it sounded like he had a plan. The guylines were a bit of a hazard but I was willing to humor him and give the thing a try. It was his birthday after all.
He told me to walk around the van to see how he secured the awning.
This is what I found:
oregon camping
He seemed to know it was ridiculous and not any sort of ground breaking invention. Since we couldn’t open the driver’s side door, it was barely even a short term solution but he was so happy.
HB woke up around dawn. We found a bridge that we had failed to see the night before. There were fish rising and jumping all over the place. We tried every fishing trick I knew but they just didn’t bite. We watched the sun come up, saw trail runners and walked some of the trail. It may be worth mentioning that you can see and hear highway 20 while standing on the shore but we didn’t notice this from our campsite.
Shortly after CD and Grace woke up, the skies opened up. The awning held. We ate oatmeal in the van and broke camp.
The Suttle Lodge
CD was curious about the Suttle Lake Lodge. It was near Highway 20 and not far off the road. We walked into the main lodge and were greeted by a crowded room of happy lodge guests. There was shelf after shelf of board games. The dining area was community style with big long tables next to sofas and coffee tables. Dogs were welcome and everyone was smiling. Big windows and glass doors offered a lake view. A large patio and lawn were beyond. There were docks with row boats and fishing boats for rent.
I am quite sure that CD didn’t intend to spend time or money here but it was just too tempting. I ordered fresh squeezed orange juice, grapefruit juice, and an egg sandwich with aged cheddar.
We already had breakfast at camp but the opportunity to drink fresh squeezed juice while playing board games by a hot fire with tons of happy people just seemed like the right thing to do. The kitchen was slow but for good reason. The place was packed and they were obviously making every order one by one. We didn’t mind the wait.
In Summary,Oregon Camping Review:
Would I camp at Suttle Lake again? Probably not.
What would I do differently if camped there again? Walk, boat, or bike to breakfast at the Suttle Lake Lodge. Spend time playing corn hole and drinking fresh juice. I may consider happy hour at the lodge too. I may consider just staying at the lodge if I need an easy to get to lodging location for a few people that like that kind of thing.
Rambling Footsteps 