New old school van life
January 10, 2024 7:31 AM Subscribe
From 2008 to 2012 Bob Skelding drove a team hauling a caravan 9000 miles through the United States and published tales to his blog and published a free ebook on everything you need to go wagoneering. His only goal:
to see new places, meet plenty of nice people like yourself, and to enjoy this great country of ours like it’s meant to be enjoyed, but I found out that my travels and the horses positively affected the lives of countless people
Well this is delightful. Sometimes I worry I've seen everything genuine and sincere on the Internet already, it's lovely to find something new-to-me like this.
If you're just skimming here it's worth time to read some of his entries. Here's one at random that's quite smiley.
posted by Nelson at 8:01 AM on January 10 [3 favorites]
If you're just skimming here it's worth time to read some of his entries. Here's one at random that's quite smiley.
posted by Nelson at 8:01 AM on January 10 [3 favorites]
See also William Least Heat Moon's - Blue Highways.... done already but this too is worthy.....
posted by IndelibleUnderpants at 8:20 AM on January 10 [5 favorites]
posted by IndelibleUnderpants at 8:20 AM on January 10 [5 favorites]
He mentions a travel companion (Denise) a few times but only in the most passing of ways.
posted by Mitheral at 8:27 AM on January 10
posted by Mitheral at 8:27 AM on January 10
Oh gosh I missed this on first look; this trip was definitely not all perfect. His Trip 1 ends with a horrible accident, lost horses, and weeks in a hospital. But he's back up and travelling again four months later.
posted by Nelson at 8:31 AM on January 10
posted by Nelson at 8:31 AM on January 10
this pairs nicely with the "how to be a tea monk" post of yesterday
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:35 AM on January 10
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:35 AM on January 10
Can you really count on having a good stable for your horses every night if you do this?
posted by ocschwar at 8:39 AM on January 10
posted by ocschwar at 8:39 AM on January 10
No. Bob spent most of his time camped on the side of the road or in someone's yard.
posted by Mitheral at 8:45 AM on January 10 [3 favorites]
posted by Mitheral at 8:45 AM on January 10 [3 favorites]
Then I'll stick to my plan to tour by bicycle. Not dragging a horse along on my adventures if the infrastructure isn't there for it.
posted by ocschwar at 9:40 AM on January 10 [1 favorite]
posted by ocschwar at 9:40 AM on January 10 [1 favorite]
There are nice people like myself! There's also a whole lotta people who hate who I truly am, my beliefs and my freedom. How much is my safety at risk? Good question
posted by Jacen at 10:22 AM on January 10
posted by Jacen at 10:22 AM on January 10
Then I'll stick to my plan to tour by bicycle.
That'll be significantly quicker than going by horse too.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 10:58 AM on January 10
That'll be significantly quicker than going by horse too.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 10:58 AM on January 10
significantly quicker than going by horse too.
In my youth, we were hitch-hiking in the West of Ireland and getting nowhere when a horse-drawn caravan [it's a tourist thing] paused and invited us to jump on. We spent the next tuthree hours bumbling along with our new pals, having to walk if there was the slightest incline. I was much taken with the fact that, at that pace, you notice wild strawberries: it was the first time I'd ever eaten such a thing. Process not destination etc.
posted by BobTheScientist at 11:27 AM on January 10 [4 favorites]
In my youth, we were hitch-hiking in the West of Ireland and getting nowhere when a horse-drawn caravan [it's a tourist thing] paused and invited us to jump on. We spent the next tuthree hours bumbling along with our new pals, having to walk if there was the slightest incline. I was much taken with the fact that, at that pace, you notice wild strawberries: it was the first time I'd ever eaten such a thing. Process not destination etc.
posted by BobTheScientist at 11:27 AM on January 10 [4 favorites]
IndelibleUnderpants: “William Least Heat Moon's - Blue Highways”I think about the calendar system of diner ratings more often than I would have guessed when I read it decades ago.
posted by ob1quixote at 11:30 AM on January 10 [1 favorite]
I think I've seen--yes, another article about an older woman doing something similar by riding ~600 miles on the back of a roan cob between England and Scotland. She usually camps by the side of the road in a tent.
In my own life, my roommate recently celebrated her 40th birthday by cycling from Minneapolis to South Haven, Michigan by way of Toronto via the Upper Peninsula, where she met up with family members for a reunion. I believe she mostly camped, too. I couldn't do it, but she certainly had a great time.
posted by sciatrix at 11:38 AM on January 10 [2 favorites]
In my own life, my roommate recently celebrated her 40th birthday by cycling from Minneapolis to South Haven, Michigan by way of Toronto via the Upper Peninsula, where she met up with family members for a reunion. I believe she mostly camped, too. I couldn't do it, but she certainly had a great time.
posted by sciatrix at 11:38 AM on January 10 [2 favorites]
I remember when they stopped over at the local grocery store on their way into Santa Fe. Years before, there was an older fellow who also drove a wagon that had wooden wheels and not the tires that Bob's wagon had. It was wonderful to see and I always wondered how they could do this on the narrow roads we have here in New Mexico.
posted by jabo at 12:09 PM on January 10 [1 favorite]
posted by jabo at 12:09 PM on January 10 [1 favorite]
Ahh this reminded of the three mules guy.
Previously. (And a previouslier, within.)
posted by notyou at 9:13 PM on January 10
Previously. (And a previouslier, within.)
posted by notyou at 9:13 PM on January 10
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