January Gone Already

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Where did January go? Wasn't it just New Years?

Not a ton of news this month. For a couple of years Carol and I have been planning to buy a Volkswagen Vanagon camper. We now have the cash in hand and have started serious shopping. After a bunch of research I determined that we want one made between 1986 and 1991 (when VW stopped making Vanagons). We thought we wanted a full camper (with stove, sink and fridge), but after talking to several friends who have owned them we've decided to take their almost unanimous advice and try to find the "weekender" version that does not have the kitchen equipment but still has the pop-top sleeper and the full bed downstairs. I have notifications set up craigslist for all of Western Washington plus Vancouver, B.C. and Portland, OR.

Before we made the no-kitchen decision we found a full camper in Portland that looked good. We drove down there one Sunday to check it out. The van was pretty good, but it was the first one we had driven and we decided to wait for more experience. We're glad now, having learning more about them.

Why do we want to buy a 20-year-old van? Because this vehicle is the only "normal" sized "car" that can comfortably sleep four people. We plan to use it for lots of spontaneous weekend getaways. We had the plan long before knowing we were moving to Boston. Now we'll use it to explore the environs of our new home. Anyway, we'll keep hunting. We know that a van this old will need a fair bit of investment every year to keep it going. We're prepared for that.

While we were in Portland we visited OMSI. My grandparents lived in Salem, OR when I was a kid and our occasional trips to OMSI are very fond memories. The girls had a great time there.