Tag: traveling with kids

Sprinter Camping Shopping List: Stocking Stuffers. Sprinter DIY

by Molly O'Rourke, posted in Recreational equipment reviews, Sprinter DIY, Traveling as a family

I could write dozens of blogs about products we use and love in our Sprinter. Each time we change the layout of the van or try a new design, we end up with new products. Some last the test of time; others are quickly proven ineffective and re-purposed or passed on to the next person. The most important products are best discussed in detail while standing and staring at the van and drinking a beer.

In the spirit of last minute Christmas shopping, I put together a short list of small and inexpensive items that have withstood the test of time.

  • Light My Fire Titanium Spork: We stand by the Titanium model but please beware that if you pair stainless steel plates with a titanium spork, you may have to tolerate the metal on metal scraping noise. We each bought a plastic spork ten years or so ago and those have long since broken and been sent to the landfill. We typically use plastic camping plates if anticipating a lot of spork on plate scraping and metal plates if we are having finger foods. Everyone is happy!
  • 3 mm accessory cord: CD’s exact words are: “3 mm cord is handy”. It may be because CD knows every knot and when exactly to use every knot but I actually am starting to believe that string is an important travel accessory. Regarding everyday use, we have a piece approximately 6 inches off the floor of the van, extending from one end of the kids seat to the other. We have square storage boxes under each seat and this cord keeps the boxes from sliding forward if we brake hard. It works!
  • Plastic Soap Dish: I know, this seems completely out of place. When CD recommended it, I laughed. Then I thought of going to garage sales looking for one but I actually don’t like shopping. I soon realized that I would just have to spend the few dollars and sacrifice the plastic and get one. This was a game changer. We have a convenient hand washing station and our bar of soaps stays nicely in its latched soap dish. No Mess! Clean hands! This was a win!
  • National Parks Passport Book: Pick up at any National Park. Warning: May be habit forming. CD has commented that he is glad we didn’t have one of these before we had kids or else we may have doubled the length of all of our trips by just driving around to get our stamps.
  • Hydroflask: We live in Oregon. This is standard equipment. It really keeps hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold. It doesn’t leak. Try it!
  • Dustpan and Brush: This is another one that I thought I would never use. CD had this in his Honda Civic when we met. I never used it. I was actually against using it. I just thought it was crazy and the car would be sandy anyway. Well, last summer CD caught me brushing out the van – the floor, the step, the seats. Once I started, I just couldn’t stop. I keep this next to the sliding door, secured by 3 mm climbing cord. A quick brush of sand or dirt off the step or floor is super satisfying. It may be the mom in me speaking but I just can’t see traveling without it!
  • All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon: We have traveled with the smallest version of this book. We love it. It inspires us. The full size edition is great for a baby shower, grandparents gifts, or just anyone that appreciates a pick me up. “Hope and Peace and Love and Trust, All the World is All of US”.
  • Head Lamp: The kids and CD love their headlamps. I prefer to use my “night vision”. Ha! I am sure we couldn’t travel without these!
  • Notebook: An old fashioned lined notebook – there is just something great about it!
  • Portable Charger: We charge this each day using our portable solar panel. Then we charge our cell phones or whatever else. It has saved us tons of times. We have the Jackery Bolt 6000 mAh
  • Portable Solar Panel: We have the Biolite Solar Panel 5 and we like it. It even works on cloudy days.
  • Small Wooden Cutting Board: We eat a lot of cheese and crackers. Grace’s 5th birthday menu was a cheese stick for breakfast, cheese and crackers for lunch, and cheese pizza for dinner. We use our cutting board all the time!

Happy Holidays!

The next post will likely be next week from Big White, BC! Cheers!

Sprinter Van Shopping List For The Minimalist

by Molly O'Rourke, posted in Favorites, Recreational equipment reviews, Sprinter DIY, Traveling as a family

I could write dozens of blogs about products we use and love in our Sprinter. Each time we change the layout of the van or try a new design, we end up with new products. Some last the test of time; others are quickly proven ineffective and re-purposed or passed on to the next person. The most important products are best discussed in detail with friends on a Friday afternoon. In any case, here is a minimalist’s Sprinter shopping list.

Disclosure: Please note that this post contains affiliate links. This means that we may get a small commission if you click a link and purchase something that we recommend. Clicking these links will not cost you extra money but will help us grow our website. Thank you for your support!

Light My Fire Titanium Spork

Light My Fire Titanium Spork: We stand by the titanium model but please beware that if you pair stainless steel plates with a titanium spork, you may have to tolerate the metal on metal scraping noise.

For those of you that are not quite ready to commit to titanium, there is a plastic model as well.

3 mm Accessory Cord

3 mm accessory cord: CD’s exact words are: “3 mm cord is handy“. It may be because CD knows every knot and when exactly to use every knot but I actually am starting to believe that string is an important travel accessory. Regarding everyday use, we have a piece approximately 6 inches off the floor of the van, extending from one end of the kids seat to the other. This cord keeps the storage boxes under each seat from sliding across the floor and it is quite effective!

Plastic Soap Dish

Plastic Soap Dish: When CD recommended this, I laughed. It reminded me of going to the community pool in 1985. That led me to consider going to garage sales looking for one. I don’t really like shopping, however.

I soon admitted that the best option was to just spend a few dollars, sacrifice a little plastic, and buy a soap dish. Wow, what a game changer. Our Sprinter has a hand washing station and now our bar of soap stays nicely in its soap dish.

No Mess! Clean hands! This was a win!

National Park Passport Books

National Parks Passport Book: Pick up at any National Park. Warning: May be habit forming.

CD has commented that he is glad we didn’t have one of these before we had kids or else we may have doubled the length of all of our trips by just driving around to get our stamps.

Hydroflask

Hydroflask: We live in Oregon. This is standard equipment. It really keeps hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold. It doesn’t leak. Try it!

Dustpan and Brush

Dustpan and Brush: This is another one that I thought I would never use. CD had this in his Honda Civic when we met. I never used it and was actually against using it. I just thought it was crazy and the car would be sandy anyway.

My opinion has since changed. Last summer CD caught me brushing out the van floor, step, and seats. Once I started, I just couldn’t stop. I keep this next to the sliding door, secured by 3 mm climbing cord, of course.

A quick brush of sand or dirt off the step or floor is super satisfying. It may be the mom in me speaking but I just can’t see traveling without it!

All The World by Liz Garton Scanlon

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon.

We travel with the smallest version of this book. We love it. It inspires us. The full size edition is great for a baby shower, grandparents gifts, or just anyone that appreciates a pick me up.

“Hope and Peace and Love and Trust, All the World is All of US”.

Headlamp

Head Lamp: The kids and CD love their headlamps. I prefer to use my “night vision”. Ha! I am sure we couldn’t travel without these!

Notebook

  • Notebook: An old fashioned lined notebook . There is just something great about it!

Portable Charger

Portable Charger: We charge this each day using our portable solar panel. Then we charge our cell phones or whatever else. It has saved us tons of times. We have the Jackery Bolt 6000 mAh

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Portable Solar Panel

Portable Solar Panel: We have the Biolite Solar Panel 5 and we like it. It even works on cloudy days.

Small Wooden Cutting Board

When you eat cheese and crackers everyday you need a good cutting board!

Have fun out there!

Please follow our blog for more tips and adventures!

PCT – Packing List: Throwback Travel Journal
https://atomic-temporary-169313545.wpcomstaging.com/2020/01/02/sleeping-4-in-a-sprinter-144-sprinter-diy-camping-conversion/

Las Vegas Family Trip in 1 day

by Molly O'Rourke, posted in Old Posts

We spent 36 hours with our kids in Las Vegas. To be fair, I spent 28 hours with the kids and 8 hours working but CD put in the full 36.

We talked about flying into Vegas in order to get easy and fast access to Zion or Bryce but this was something different. My idea was to save money by routing all of us through Vegas on the way back from family Christmas in Michigan. In the end, we didn’t save money but we learned some things about Vegas that we didn’t know prior to being parents.

The Excalibur

We arrived at the Excalibur just before 3 am. Only 4 days earlier we left Oregon at 2:30 am PST. We spent 4 days in Michigan on EST and now arrived at 3 am in what I will refer to as “Vegas time”. 

Before I write more about our 36 hours in Vegas, I will rewind a bit and add some context to the culture shock that we forced on to our kids that night. A few months earlier, some friends invited us to an amusement park. It was called the Enchanted Forest. CD and I listened to the kids talk as we drove. HB was explaining to Grace what to expect. She was listening and asking questions. He told her that there would be hiking and wildlife. “It will be so cool.” CD and I didn’t interrupt or correct him as he went on and on but it was obvious that he actually thought we were going to a forest. We never asked him about it after but we realized that while we had been hiking, camping, fishing, and driving around in our van, we may have failed to introduce our kids to pop culture.

Here we were, 3 am on the Las Vegas strip. The kids weren’t phased a bit. HB was excited to play at the “arcade”; Grace asked if it was night or morning. Two days later, she still wasn’t sure when it was night and when it was morning. 

What did we do in Las Vegas on our family trip?

  • We walked the strip. I suggested to the kids that we were saving tons of time and money by going to New York, Paris, and Venice all in one day. They kept this joke going the entire trip.
  • The kids played in the Excalibur Fun Dungeon. (HB was right, there was an arcade)
  • We rode the escalators on the sidewalk and the moving sidewalk into the casino
  • We saw the volcano erupt at the Mirage. (We were planning to see the Pirate Ship at Treasure Island but it was discontinued in 2013. Yes, we are that out of it.)
  • We ate dinner at the Grand Lux at the Venetian and recommend it. HB’s kid’s sliders were super yummy. My wedge salad was a perfect balance of lettuce and blue cheese.
  • CD and the kids filled their 8 extra hours with the following:
    • The “Container Park”. It was in a questionable part of town; I can’t remember the last time I heard CD call any part of town “questionable”. They got there around 8 and it didn’t open until 11:00. There was a sculpture that the kids wanted to see but the environment wasn’t very inviting. We do not recommend this park.
    • Circus-Circus: 2 thumbs down. The parking was sketchy. It was dirty and old.
    • Mandalay Bay: The pool made a positive impression on CD and he seems to want to stay there in the future. Shark Reef was a walk to get to but the kids really liked the touch pool. To keep up with our Junior Ranger theme, they earned Junior Naturalist certificates. Staff were great and gladly answered question after question from HB. Grace was curious and sat down to look and watch.
    • The tram from The Excalibur to Mandalay Bay: It stops at the Luxor on the way back. CD found the Luxor architecture to be really interesting. It’s free.
Las Vegas family trip
Las Vegas family trip

Would I recommend the Excalibur for families with kids?

Yes. It was great for our purposes and I was impressed. It lacks the high end presentation of other places on the strip but had advantages for us.

  • The room was accessible. We could walk from the lobby to our room in 5 minutes flat. The last casino hotel that I stayed in included a fast paced 15 minute walk to get to my room. I would stay at the Excalibur just because I could make it to and from my room in reasonable time.
  • The room was basic but clean and the beds were comfortable. 
  • Our room was quiet and dark! I was amazed! Being that we had traveled at all hours of the day and night and bounced around between PST, EST, and Vegas time, we took advantage of the dark room and took a mid afternoon nap. When the kids woke up they didn’t know if it was time for breakfast or dinner. I didn’t know either and it really didn’t matter. 
  • The Fun Dungeon was downstairs from the main lobby. It was easy to find. The kids loved it. 
  • Parking was close and was $10 per day. We could park at any MGM resort. It was accessed by using your room key. 
  • There were tons of hidden fees. This is Vegas. 
    • Each guest over 2 per room is $30 each per day. They agreed to charge us for only one additional guest. Since I paid less than $50 per night, I figured that the extra $30 was okay. There is also a resort fee, which was about as much as the room price.
    • Kids in-room movies were $10.99. We didn’t order any. 
    • There were fees for late check out; we kept the room until 6 pm. That was the best $50 we spent in Vegas. CD and the kids used the room all day; they even took an afternoon nap. I changed my clothes and put my feet up for a minute after work.

Will we be going to Vegas again soon?

I don’t think so. While taking the kids to Zion is high on our list, we will likely steer clear of the Vegas strip on the way through. The kids took Vegas in a stride and don’t have much to say about it now. 

Building a snow fort to ambush Uncle Mike in Michigan was way more fun than riding the one-way moving sidewalk into our casino hotel. I think we will stick with snow fort building next time. 

Please follow our blog for more adventures!

https://ramblingfootsteps.travel.blog/2019/12/11/sprinter-shopping-list-stocking-stuffer-edition/ https://ramblingfootsteps.travel.blog/2019/12/21/we-dont-give-our-kids-electronics-when-we-travel/

Las Vegas: The Family Edition

by Molly O'Rourke, posted in Traveling as a family

We spent 36 hours with our kids in Las Vegas. To be fair, I spent 28 hours with the kids and 8 hours working but CD put in the full 36.

We talked about flying into Vegas in order to get easy and fast access to Zion or Bryce but this was something different. My idea was to save money by routing all of us through Vegas on the way back from family Christmas in Michigan. In the end, we didn’t save money but we learned some things about Vegas that we didn’t know prior to being parents.

We arrived at the Excalibur just before 3 am. Only 4 days earlier we left Oregon at 2:30 am PST. We spent 4 days in Michigan on EST and now arrived at 3 am in what I will refer to as “Vegas time”. 

Before I write more about our 36 hours in Vegas, I will rewind a bit and add some context to the culture shock that we forced on to our kids that night. A few months earlier, some friends invited us to an amusement park. It was called the Enchanted Forest. CD and I listened to the kids talk as we drove. HB was explaining to Grace what to expect. She was listening and asking questions. He told her that there would be hiking and wildlife. “It will be so cool.” CD and I didn’t interrupt or correct him as he went on and on but it was obvious that he actually thought we were going to a forest. We never asked him about it after but we realized that while we had been hiking, camping, fishing, and driving around in our van, we may have failed to introduce our kids to pop culture.

Here we were, 3 am on the Las Vegas strip. The kids weren’t phased a bit. HB was excited to play at the “arcade”; Grace asked if it was night or morning. Two days later, she still wasn’t sure when it was night and when it was morning. 

What did we do in Vegas with our 36 hours?

  • We walked the strip. I suggested to the kids that we were saving tons of time and money by going to New York, Paris, and Venice all in one day. They kept this joke going the entire trip.
  • We played in the Excalibur Fun Dungeon. (HB was right, there was an arcade)
  • We rode the escalators on the sidewalk and the moving sidewalk into the casino
  • We saw the volcano erupt at the Mirage. (We were planning to see the Pirate Ship at Treasure Island but it was discontinued in 2013. Yes, we are that out of it.)
  • We ate dinner at the Grand Lux at the Venetian. We recommend it. HB’s kid’s sliders were super yummy. My wedge salad was a perfect balance of lettuce and blue cheese.
  • CD and the kids filled their 8 extra hours with the following:
    • The “Container Park”. It was in a questionable part of town; I can’t remember the last time I heard CD call any part of town “questionable”. They got there around 8 and it didn’t open until 11:00. There was a sculpture that the kids wanted to see but the environment wasn’t very inviting. We do not recommend this park.
    • Circus-Circus: 2 thumbs down. The parking was sketchy. It was dirty and old.
    • Mandalay Bay: The pool made a positive impression on CD and he seems to want to stay there in the future. Shark Reef was a walk to get to but the kids really liked the touch pool. To keep up with our Junior Ranger theme, they earned Junior Naturalist certificates. The staff was great and gladly answered question after question from HB. Grace was curious and sat down to look and watch.
    • The tram from The Excalibur to Mandalay Bay: It stops at the Luxor on the way back. CD found the Luxor architecture to be really interesting. It’s free.
Awaiting volcano

Would I recommend the Excalibur for families with kids?

Yes. It was great for our purposes and I was impressed. It lacks the high end presentation of other places on the strip but had advantages for us.

  • The room was accessible. We could walk from the lobby to our room in 5 minutes flat. The last casino hotel that I stayed in included a fast paced 15 minute walk to get to my room. I would stay at the Excalibur just because I could make it to and from my room in reasonable time.
  • The room was basic but clean. The beds were comfortable. 
  • The room was quiet and dark! I was amazed! Being that we had traveled at all hours of the day and night and bounced around between PST, EST, and Vegas time, we took advantage of the dark room and took a mid afternoon nap. When the kids woke up they didn’t know if it was time for breakfast or dinner. I didn’t know either and it really didn’t matter. 
  • The Fun Dungeon was downstairs from the main lobby. It was easy to find. The kids loved it. 
  • Parking was close and was $10 per day. We could park at any MGM resort. It was accessed by using your room key. 
  • There were tons of hidden fees. This is Vegas. 
    • Each guest over 2 per room is $30 each per day. They agreed to charge us for only one additional guest. Since I paid less than $50 per night, I figured that the extra $30 was okay. There is also a resort fee, which was about as much as the room price.
    • Kids in-room movies were $10.99. We didn’t order any. 
    • There were fees for late check out; we kept the room until 6 pm. That was the best $50 we spent in Vegas. CD and the kids used the room all day; they even took an afternoon nap. I changed my clothes and put my feet up for a minute after work.

Will we be going to Vegas again soon?

I don’t think so. While taking the kids to Zion is high on our list, we will likely steer clear of the Vegas strip on the way through. The kids took Vegas in a stride and don’t have much to say about it now. 

Building a snow fort to ambush Uncle Mike in Michigan was way more fun than riding the one-way moving sidewalk into our casino hotel. I think we will stick with snow fort building next time. 

Stay tuned for Sprinter upgrades January 2020. 

Sleeping Bear Dunes: Bike, Swim, Repeat

by Molly O'Rourke, posted in Old Posts

We have driven from Oregon to Ontario each summer since 2016. We see beautiful sights and have amazing experiences along the way. The kids start talking about the trip as soon as spring arrives. They set their sights on our annual Sleeping Bear Dunes camping trip!

Whether it is because our nephew joins us on this trip or because we have consistently hit it out of the park in terms of fun, all I know is that they love going to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake shore. They come by this naturally, as CD and I were married there in 2008. 

Glen Arbor Family History

CD was voting for getting married in the back country of Colorado; I was voting for somewhere a bit more accessible. Next thing I knew, we were in Glen Arbor. I can’t remember if we were having a drink at Art’s or sitting in the coffee shop, but somewhere along the way a local recommended we get in touch with “Don”. Don was well known in the Glen Arbor community. He was elderly and his health was not the best. Don didn’t have any children and he was an active member of the community.

I can’t remember if we were given his number or if we simply walked up to his door and knocked, but later that day we were sitting in his living room. He was happy to meet us and told us about how he met his wife when they were middle aged. She was the love of his life. He asked tons of questions about skiing, Colorado, and where we would ski next. We heard stories about skiing in Chamonix and flying in and out of Aspen. We had an instant friendship. His Lake Michigan beachfront was adjacent to a public access and he invited us to use his beach for our wedding. Glen Arbor has become much more hectic since then and Don is no longer with us but the town still holds a certain charm. Sleeping Bear Dunes is easy to love. 

Highlights of our Sleeping Bear Dunes Annual Trip

  • DH Day Campground
    • Pit toilets, water, access to the bike trail, close to Glen Arbor and Glen Haven
    • Reservations: Until summer 2019, this campground was first-come-first-serve only. We typically try to avoid crowds by going August, mid-week. I have mixed emotions about the reservation system but we were able to get a site, so it has worked out so far.  
Glen Haven
Walk to Lake Michigan from DH Day
  • Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail
    • This paved bike trail is the gold standard by which I measure national parks and campgrounds. We rode North to Glen Arbor and South to North Barr Lake in 2019. Together with three kids, we logged 29.1 miles on the trail in 2 days! The kids would have gladly ridden farther if we had stayed longer.   
    • Here are some reasons that we love this trail
      • It keeps you and the kids from riding on the shoulder of the road
      • You can get from DH Day to Glen Haven in under 5 minutes. You will find nice restrooms with flush toilets and running water when you get there
      • You don’t have to find a place to park in Glen Arbor 
      • It keeps your car free from of sand after the Dune Climb
      • You feel motivated to swim in Lake Michigan. Simply ride, get hot, swim, and repeat. The kids and I are all about this plan!
      • It is good exercise and better for the environment
      • It’s nearly impossible to ride and not smile
      • You get to talk with other riders 

2019 Biking Itinerary

First Day: 

  • Bike from DH Day to Glen Haven to rescue raggedy Ann from a shipwreck using a Lyle Gun.
  • Ride bikes from Glen Haven to Glen Arbor to pick up provisions at Anderson’s Market
  • Bike from Glen Arbor to DH Day

Second Day:

  • Bike from DH Day to the Dune Climb in time to catch the Dune Climb Concert
  • Ride bikes from the Dune Climb to DH Day

Third Day:

  • Bike from DH Day to Glen Arbor for breakfast 
  • Ride bikes from Glen Arbor to DH Day
  • Bike DH Day to North Barr Lake

CD was kind enough to be the support vehicle. He packed up the campsite and met us at the North Barr Lake parking lot.

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Parking in Glen Arbor: 2018. Dinner at Art’s
Dune climb parking
2018
2018. DH Day to Glen Arbor
Crazy storm damage from straight line winds: DH Day to Glen Arbor
  • Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lake shore
    • Too many great trails to mention. I have pretty much tried and like them all.
    • The Dune Climb trail has earned a quick mention though. Don’t underestimate this trail. If you think you climbed the last dune and are headed for the beach, you aren’t. There are still more dunes to climb! Before having kids, I loved this trail for the pure exercise.
    • South Manitou Island
      • There are campsites. Our site was fine but some of the sites looked really amazing. Try to get one of those!
      • We spent one night there and hiked all the entire island
      • It would be a fun place to take the kids. One night would be enough
    • North Manitou Island
      • More remote than South.
      • We camped one night and walked around the island. It is likely that we would have gotten restless there if we stayed longer
North manitou, 2011?
A few dunes up on the dune climb. Fewer crowds here
Sleeping bear point trail
Sleeping bear point trail; Sleeping Bear Dunes

Towns

  • Glen Arbor
    • Art’s Tavern: A local favorite. There may be a wait in the summer. Bring cash – they don’t take credit
    • Good Harbor Grill: The food here is genuinely good and fresh 
    • Anderson’s Glen Arbor Market: bigger than the store in Empire
    • Great Lakes Tea and Spice: Pick up Christmas gifts while you are here!
    • Crystal River Outfitters: We rented kayaks here in late September and spent a day exploring the Lake Michigan between Glen Arbor and Glen Haven. You can also paddle the river.
Glen Arbor public access. Sleeping Bear Dunes
  • Empire
    • Village Park: 1 block from downtown. 2 playgrounds, 2 beaches, boat launch, shelter, vault toilets. Fires are permitted in fire rings. This park was free previously but now parking fees apply. Parking may be tough to come by during the summer. 
    • Empire Bluff Trail: This is a “do not miss” trail if you are looking for the best views in the park
    • National Park Service headquarters: Just in case you need a park cancellation for your park passport book
      • There are at least 4 cancellations in the park.
        • Dune Climb
        • Visitor’s Center
        • Glen Haven general store
        • South Manitou 
Empire Beach

South End

  • Riverside Canoes: Platte River
    • Head here during the fall salmon run. You won’t be disappointed. Avoid it in the summer unless you love crowds!

Please follow our blog for more adventures!

Child Carrier For Hiking: Our Recommendation
Sprinter Camping Shopping List: Stocking Stuffers. Sprinter DIY

Sprinter DIY: MaxxAir Fan Installation

by Molly O'Rourke, posted in Recreational equipment reviews, Sprinter DIY, Traveling as a family

CD was sure that a MaxxAir fan would significantly improve our #vanlife experience. He presented a convincing argument. He laid out his plan.

Step one: cut a hole in the roof of our van.

Step one is pretty much where I got lost. Did he really say he wanted to cut a hole in our van? 

To be clear, our van roof  was perfectly fine. It functioned as it should; it kept the rain out and our things in. 

The fan arrived in Oregon. As any skeptical wife would do, I recommended that he consult a professional. 

We were headed on a road trip for most of the summer so we packed the fan. Another great advantage of driving a huge van is that we were able to tuck the van in behind our bikes, fishing gear, backpacks, toy box, jackets, and shoes. I barely remembered that we had it until two weeks later when we arrived in Michigan. 

CD took the fan and headed over to a family members body shop. I was fully confident that they would have the tools and the inclination to cut a hole in our perfectly good Sprinter. Well, they had the tools and gladly offered them to CD so he could cut the hole himself; they weren’t willing to do the cutting. I wondered if they were afraid of facing me if our van started leaking. In any case, I was starting to appreciate the less intense but more ridiculous side of saving a few hundred dollars by cutting a hole in our Sprinter. 

In any case, CD went back to the drawing board.  

He read blogs and watched Youtube videos. 

Ultimately, he decided to invest in a custom adapter by “DIYvan” (impactproducts). The vent adapter served as a template for cutting, as well as a filler to occupy space in the roof ridges. Hopefully this would ensure a level and snug fit. 

As usual, our timeline was tight. We were headed to our cottage in Canada the following week. It occurred to me that If we didn’t get the adapter before leaving for Canada, we would just driving it back to Oregon with our other luggage.

Working with “DIYvan” was great. The adapter arrived just in time. We packed the fan and the adapter and drove to Canada. 

After much anticipation, CD was ready to cut a hole in our van. He borrowed a jigsaw and bought new blades. I knew things were serious when he recruited one of my oldest friends to stand by as moral support during the cutting. 

While CD sometimes does projects like this with friends around, I have not known him to recruit help just for support. In any case, the kids and I went down the road for dinner and CD headed off to do the cutting.
The rest of the installation account would be pretty much second hand at this point. You can email CD directly for specifics. Here are my take-away points:

  • Safety glasses should be used, starting with the first cut
  • Rubbermaid bins stacked floor to ceiling may be helpful in catching metal shavings
  • You will have a hole in your van roof all night while the sealant dries
  • A plastic bin over the hole is a good way to keep out the dew
  • Cocktails come after
  • The anticipation is the hardest part
  • New blades are worth it
  • You may scratch the roof of the van but no one ever looks up there anyway
  • A MaxxAir fan really does improve the #vanlife experience
The first cuts
Apparently this was an effective way to catch metal shavings

Mountain biking: Sprinter DIY. Brief kids bike review.

by Molly O'Rourke, posted in Old Posts

We drove from Oregon, through the coastal range, the Canadian and US Rockies, and even the Porcupine Mountains of northern Michigan before making the jump from road biking to single track. We took the leap at Luton Park in Rockford, Michigan and this is an account of how we got there.

Our kids have been proficient bike riders for what seems like their whole lives. Before HB was even born, we were given a hand me down Strider bike full of good biking karma. He started riding it shortly after he could walk.

He was ready for a two wheeler by the time we moved to Oregon. We were introduced to Islabikes right away and these bikes blew our minds. They were built for kids. The awkward top heaviness of many kid’s bikes was not an issue. 

We ordered the smallest model and HB quickly started riding. We were impressed. Despite being two years younger than HB, Grace was desperate to keep up. She walked at eight months and used the Strider bike shortly after. 

For HB’s fifth birthday, we upgraded him to a 20” Islabike and gave his old bike to Grace. At just over 18 months old, she had been waiting to ride. My mom helped Grace onto the bike seat and expected to help her learn to ride. Instead, she ended up running next to her as she took off down the driveway. A short while later, Grace was two-tracking through the weeds.

First day on a peddle bike.
Her second Islabike and our family’s third.

A year later, we were ready for all four of us to have gears. We were convinced that if Grace had gears we could start taking some of the days trips that we imagined. 

Islabikes no longer had a Portland showroom and we were lost.  

We tried every Trek, Giant, and Specialized in town. HB just wasn’t quite tall enough for a 24 inch bike but Grace was tall enough for his 20”. I started searching the internet.

Prevelo bikes was the first company that I called. I spoke with Jacob, the owner and mastermind. He gave me exact measurement for his bikes. He also agreed to ship it right away so that we could have it before we started our summer road trip next week. I was sold. Digging deeper, I learned that Prevelo participates with 1% for the planet and supports several other like minded organizations. I couldn’t have found a better fit!

The bike arrived a few days later, two days prior to leaving Oregon for the summer. I can’t say enough good things about Jacob and his company. The bike was obviously packaged carefully. It fit HB perfectly. He took off on it and Grace quickly claimed ownership of the 20” Islabike. She had been practicing with the gears and didn’t miss a beat!

Prevelo bike packaging

We headed North from Oregon to Leavenworth Washington. From there we went further North to British Columbia, South to Idaho, and East to Montana. We crossed the planes, turned North again towards the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, South to the lower peninsula, crossed the Mackinac Bridge and eventually landed at my hometown in lower Michigan. 

The bike was in and out of the van most days during this trip.  

CD had already decided to introduce the kids to single track once we made to Rockford. Luton Park was where we took the leap. We added my nephew’s bike to the van and headed out.  

We pulled the bikes out of the van, looked at the map, and headed for easiest trail. The kids loved it and wanted more. We chose a larger loop and they kept up the enthusiasm. The other bikers that we saw were considerate and supportive of our young riders. 

On our second lap, we stopped for a dip in the creek and everyone was happy. We went back as many times as we could during the next week or so and each time the kids got faster, more confident, and more skillful. A few laps on the single track followed by van side apres-biking and I almost felt like I was 30 again! 

Family style apres-biking

How did we get here? Where are we going?

by Molly O'Rourke, posted in Introduction: How did we get here?
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We were here.
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Then we were here. I call this picture: low roof Sprinter camper conversion reality.
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Now we are pretty much here. We are not sure where it is headed but we are happy to walk along.

How did we get from our Honda Civic hatchback to a Mercedes Sprinter passenger van?

CD and I met in a medical clinic on a ski run in Colorado. It was Christmas Day. We were working. I was a physical therapist; he worked for ski patrol.  

We were each in our thirties and living lives that we chose. Together, we skied, hiked, and went to burger night at the local pub. We were living our dream. Each May we headed West.

CD’s Honda Civic hatchback was our road warrior. The gas mileage was impressive. Our worldly possessions were an arms length away. We could unpack, take inventory, and re-pack in ten minutes flat. Then my biological clock started ticking. From there the story looks much the same and also much different. 

Our inaugural camper van was purchased when I was eight months pregnant. It was a 1984 VW Vanagon. It came complete with a sorted history of rebuilt engines, solar panels, and a pop-top. The Vanagon dream spoke loudly to CD but the first mention of DIY car seat attachments caused me to panic.  

We sold it in the midst of a summer heat wave. The twenty- something who bought it was not phased by the lack of safety features, absence of AC, or the fact that it broke down less than a mile from where we handed him the title. A moratorium on camper vans went into place. 


Fast forwarding a bit: I accepted a nine month position at a university. We sold our second car and moved to Oregon. CD picked the kids and I up at the airport on New Year’s Eve 2016. I assumed that working a seasonal job would be like riding a bike.

Little did I know that it would be more like riding a broken down tandem with two kids trailers in tow. Despite this, we headed off to the Trans-Canada highway. Our Toyota Sienna proved itself worthy while making the trip, even with a U-Haul trailer in tow. The trailer was both horrible and genius. On one hand, we spent all of one morning looking for a suitable parking spot in Banff but on the other hand our minivan was free of clutter. Four bikes, hiking poles, and backpacks were easy to access; shoes and jackets were abundant.   

Months later, I tossed out the idea of selling our minivan and replacing it with a Sprinter. We bike commute. The idea of a 15 passanger van as our daily driver didn’t seem unreasonable. CD had the same idea. The quest for an affordable Sprinter to meet our needs will need to be discussed an entirely different blog post. In any case, we found a van in California and the next week it was delivered to our door.

We headed off to Canada again. This time we were armed with a 2012 Mercesdes Sprinter, complete with the elusive low roof, the standard diesel engine, one bed, and our hopes and dreams. The kids stood tall inside the van as we had our first picnic an hour from home. I stood up with my head bent 45 degrees. The boys slept on the bed and the girls slept on camping pads on the floor. Each night, shoes, food, and countless other items moved from the floor to the front seat so we could build our second bed. We slept in our tent most of the time. 

This plan was marginal at best. Our confidence was wavering. 


Is it possible that a Mercedes Sprinter isn’t our golden ticket? 


I suggested selling the van and getting another Sienna. The next week it was done. Six months later, we were wallowing in self doubt. How could we go on endless adventures while confined to the inside of a minivan? Our evenings and weekends became occupied by looking at teardrop trailers and discussing DIY camper trailer designs. Finally, we concluded that a newer Mercedes Sprinter was our best option.

This takes us to today’s Sprinter. It is a 2015 high roof complete with lane change alerts, rear AC, and cross-wind assist. It is superior to our first Sprinter in every way. 

With this, our family of four committed to a Mercedes Sprinter DIY choose your own adventure: Sleeping 4 in a Sprinter 144.