Road Trip to Colorado with Version One of Our Van Conversion

From the Atlantic Coast to the Mountains of Colorado for my Son’s Wedding in an Unfinished Conversion Van.

Oh! And in a Pandemic.

**The majestic Rocky Mountains of Colorado**

Soon after we bought our cargo van to convert into something resembling a Class B recreational vehicle (hashtag Van Life!) we realized that we would have to drive it 1800 miles to Colorado in a couple of months. It would be full of all of the stuff that would be necessary to pull off a destination wedding and the various receptions and parties. Packed into the space under the elevated bed in the back (the ‘garage’), would be all the things needed to serve at least twenty people a full buffet after the rehearsal. Also included were all the decorations for the wedding, the reception, and the buffet, and even ten full faux fur stoles for various members of the wedding party. We also had to include all of our gear to live in the van for a couple of weeks. To do all of this, we had to drive the van no matter what state of construction it was in…our Prius just wouldn’t cut it.

I worked to get as much done as I could. Due to the effects of the pandemic on equipment supply chains, several critical components of the construction were not available. The large window to be cut into the side of the van where the dinette was to go was back-ordered. The fan to go into the ceiling was delayed. The refrigerator we wanted wasn’t in stock. We worked around the missing items and worked on the absolute essentials to pull this trip off. Even though we were in the last months of summer in the Mid-Atlantic region, we realized that we would be in the Rocky Mountains in mid to late November. Insulation and a heating source were our greatest needs, so we prioritized those needs.

**Work in progress. Garage area paneled, subfloor down, sound deadener on van walls and floor, and some insulation in. So much more to go…**

The first of November was on us before we looked up from the construction and we had to get on the road to get to Colorado in time. There would not be any sight-seeing on the drive out, but we had hopes for an extended return trip.

The dinette was designed, assembled, and installed in the last few days before we left. The kitchen area had a functioning two burner propane stove and a sink, but no running water. Water jugs would have to do. None of the cabinets or drawers had latches; bungie cords kept everything from flying open as we drove, if we remembered to hook them up. We had a few overhead cabinets, but no doors on them. Luckily the elevated bed was comfortable and we slept warm. We were well insulated in the walls, ceiling, and floor. The electrical system, while rudimentary, worked well. The solar panels were still in the garage waiting on the roof rack to arrive and be installed, but we had 300 amp hours of batteries that were fully charged and we had some lights. We had thrown together the basic interior design as best we could although nothing was trimmed out or even painted.

**This is a photo of the van towards the end of the trip, but it shows the unfinished interior of the van, and all the under bed wedding stuff**

With little time to spare, we had to stick to the interstates. Conveniently, I-70 runs from Baltimore through Denver with just a brief stretch as I-68 (I have no idea why). Practically a straight shot.

One advantage of flying down the interstates is the ability to easily stop at highway rest areas. We took advantage of them to quickly shut down for the night and get a pretty decent night’s rest. This also made for a quick getaway in the morning. One advantage of having a van rather than a larger RV was that we didn’t have to park next to the semis and their all night idling engines.

**A rest stop somewhere in Indiana with the sun setting**

After an overnight stop in Indiana followed by a stop somewhere in the middle of Kansas, we arrived in Colorado the evening before the first wedding event. Time to spare. The van performed flawlessly, and the tossed together interior worked pretty well. The bed was great, the stove and sink worked ok, but the dinette was badly flawed, with no room for more than one of us at a time to have our feet under the table. At least we could eat on it without too much trouble. That was good because as COVID began to close in around us, take-out was often the only source of food. We preferred that anyway; it seemed safer.

The wedding was a wonderful success, especially given the looming, growing pandemic. We had a great fun-filled five days packed with activities. That the bride and groom could pull off this multi-day event with such success was amazing. Now it was time to head back home, and maybe take our time.