The Daily Log (The Dlog)

**We transitioned from this Dlog post to other Dlog posts. Now we'll group different locations or trips into their own Dlog posts to keep things shorter and easier to navigate. 

Here we'll keep a log of what we do on a daily basis: no matter how busy or boring.

Thursday, October 3rd:

Wednesday, October 2nd:

Jesse finished the van-curtain project today. As always, the project took longer than expected, but we are super pleased with the result! Will post an update story with photos soon! 

We discussed our plan for this blog, and are excited to announce a twice-weekly  (Tuesday and Thursday) article release beginning Oct 8th. 

Jesse introduced Max to the TV show Lost and we are already 8 episodes in. It remains to be seen if this is a sustainable habit while van-lifing. 

Tuesday, October 1st:

Monday, September 30th:

 

Sunday, September 29th:

This morning we all (Jesse, Max and Lola) ran together and had a somewhat slow start to the day. Around 11AM we drove the van back to Jesse's parents house. This evening we visited the local brewery called New Trail for a traditional weekly family friends get together. Then we went to Jesse's Aunt and Uncle's house for dinner and did a photo slideshow of all the van work we've completed. Super fun evening and we were so happy to connect with some hometown friends. 

Jesse's phone was picked up by our dear friend Eric who lives on Long Island and was shipped today. Thank you Eric <3

Saturday September 28th:

After a peaceful sleep, we woke up for our morning sauna reservation which was in a barrel styled sauna located on-site at the hotel. 

Somehow we'd worked on the van for 3 years (on and off) and travelled for 3 months without Max's parents ever seeing the van in person. And it's hard to communicate the ethos and experience of this lifestyle and some of the choices we've made without sitting in the van, or so we'd like to think. About 15min of driving forest roads later, they'd experienced the van in it's natural habitat, message delivered. :)

We then drove to another friends house and met Jesse's parents there. We ended up staying overnight at our frineds house to avoid driving the van in the dark.

Friday, September 27th:

We drove the van (we need to come up with a name for the van soon) from Williamsport to Greentown PA. Max's parents rented a beautiful hotel room at The Rex hotel located just outside The Promised Land state park. The story behind this place is that a family who moved from Philly to Greentown in 2020 to renovate an old motor lodge into a modern boutique hotel type of place. We ate dinner with Max's parents and watched the final minutes of the movie Fitzcarraldo which we had started, but not yet finished, the previous day. We were then obliged to watch a few random youtube videos about Werner Herzog and his crazy escapades and semi-psychotic thought processes.

Thursday, September 26th:

Jesse did some work on finishing up the blog and an instagram post announcement and published everything! Max spent half the day fixing his bike and the other half riding it (AND got the KOM on his favorite local road, Bobst Mt. Road; IYKYK.)

Eli's theater performance group "Penguin Project" invited Jesse to attend as a guest theater assistant. They are currently working on a production of Lion King. Eli read the lines of Scar and Young Simba with Jesse's help. 

Wednesday, September 25th:

We went to BuzzSaw coffee in the morning which is a new coffee shop in Williamsport. The coffee was good and we were both able to get work done on the computer. Jesse picked up a book from Otto's bookshop. It is one of the oldest independently owned bookshops in the country! 

The second half of he day was allocated to taking Charlie and Molly to the airport for their flight back to Madrid. We stopped at a Japanese restaurant and Sake Brewery in Delaware Water Gap called Sango Kura. We and Jesse's dad discovered this spot in 2021 while at a falconry meet and we were delighted to see that it has blossomed as a business since then! They've spruced the place up and added some more seating, a stage, and outdoor sitting area. All these changes are fantastic, but luckily the food remains just as amazing as it was the first time we visited! Highly recommended stop if you are ever passing through this area.

Shortly after our meal, Jesse realized that she had left her phone in a rest stop bathroom stall about a half an hour before we stopped for food. Strangely, the icloud tracking had not been turned off and the phone was moving towards New York City. There was nothing to be done and we thought the phone was a goner. 

We drove into Newark and dropped off Molly and Charlie at the airport with little issue. Saying goodbye was bittersweet. We are super grateful to have been able to spend some time with them before they returned to Spain. With our hearts quieted, we began the drive home. Suddenly, around 11PM we received a phone call from Jesse's phone and a woman with a heavy accent explained to us that she had picked up the phone while on a group tour and couldn't think of a safe place to leave it. She carried the phone with her through the heart of NYC all the way back to her hotel on Long Island. She was leaving early the next morning and would leave it with the hotel staff. With some help from our friend Eric who lives on Long Island, we may just see the return of Jesse's phone!

Tuesday, September 24th:

Another boring work day of computers and curtain sewing. So much work that we don't even have any Lola photos!

Monday, September 23rd:

Jesse continued sewing curtains and Max worked his computer-job. Nothing much exciting happened today but here is cute photo of Lola and Max.

And a pretty photo of the Jesse's house at sunset

Sunday, September 22nd:

Jesse had a migraine this day and did not participate in any activities.

Max replaced the muffler and catalytic converter on the back of the van. The loud banging/rattling noise which was characteristic of the old muffler at low RPMs is now gone. Instead, you can hear all the other rattling noises that were hidden before! In all seriousness, the van is sounding a lot better now than before. 

Saturday, September 21st:

We drove the van to the Williamsport farmers market and ate delicious cronuts, tarts, and cheeseburgers! Lola got some good socialization practice while there. 

Jesse got her first practice driving manual in the nearest empty parking lot. 

Molly invited us to visit Knoebels with them. It is this wonderful old fashioned amusement park in the middle of nowhere PA. We rode on some wooden rollercoasters and enjoyed the fantastic people watching (it's got to be one of the only places in the world where you can ride a rollercoaster next to an amish person). Max made sure to get some kettlecorn before we left.

Friday, September 20th:

Today we celebrated Jesse's mom's birthday and Charlie and Molly's going away. Molly's family came over and we cooked way too much food and ate outside on the picnic tables. Then we started a fire and Charlie showed everyone his dark chocolate peanut butter s'mores recipe. We spent all evening under the starlight talking and joking around the fire. It was a perfect beginning of fall celebration. 

Thursday, September 19th:

Max got a lot done for his computer-job and Jesse started sewing the curtains and finished the back curtain for the van!

Wednesday, September 18th:

Today, we went to SURPLUS CITY which is an all purpose store for everything from fabric and home decor to autoparts and wood working tools. Needless to say, the Greene brothers had a field day. While there, we picked out fabric for the curtains for the van and max was able to get some supplies needed for the muffler replacement job.

Winfield flew home to Colorado today. He left from Williamsport airport on a 9-passenger plane with only 1 other passenger and the pilot as company! 

Win's view as he left Williamsport

Tuesday, September 17th:

Jesse went on a run with Molly, Charlie, and the pups.

Now that we're back and settled, here's our journey over the last 10 days.
It's not exactly correct, but Google Maps only allows me to add so many destinations in one trip...

https://maps.app.goo.gl/DgB6aPrbMKWeGrGK6

Monday, September 16th:

Lake Lewey was foggy and slightly overcast in morning. One could barely see the other side of the lake. Max built a fire and made coffee and tea for everyone. We skipped breakfast and got right on the road. According to Google maps, we had about 5.5 hours of travel ahead of us. But travel in the van is always a bit slower than you expect and it ended up taking about 7.5 hours to get to Williamsport. It was a bit of a grind-day, but we successfully made it!! WOO! 

The day's route:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/VPfj5RKuPzGPpcLf7

Wow, that was a big one.

Lola was reintroduced to Sam and Roxy and the three of them had a vigorous play session. We helped Dad prep dinner and ate an incredible meal with everyone. The finishing touch on the day was picking up Jesse's mom from work using the van. 

Lake Lewey, about 10m from the van in the morning:

Sunday, September 15th:

We spent the morning drinking espresso, packing our stuff, and preparing the van for it's longest journey yet. The leaves in Vermont were just starting to turn when we left and the nights and early mornings had a chill in the air. The Van (we still need to find a name for it) drove beautifully and the views were astonishing. We stopped briefly in Burlington, VT which was cool, and then headed directly to our campsite in the Southern Adirondacks. Arriving shortly after dusk, we quickly cooked and ate before crashing into bed. 

The day's route:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/PpsoAAUuuRyWroXJA

Not a bad campsite at JF's...

Creamee stop, somewhere in Vermont...

Saturday, September 14th:

From JF's we took a day trip to the Kingdom Trails mountain bike park. we put a super heavy bike rack with a swing bar on the van and loaded it with three bikes. We were so proud of how capable an adventure vehicle the van proved to be. We met with Patric and Marie who are fellow Vanagon adventurers. Max also had a friend Bob from eastern Mass who is an accomplished mountain biker himself. He graciously acted as our tour guide around kingdom trails. After shredding the trails for a few hours we all met up at a tiki bar and shared drinks and charcuterie.

Kingdom Trails; Classic Vermont:

Side note (by Max): you may remember our Vanagon-friends-turned-real-friends Patric and Marie from episode September 5th and 6th of the Dlog. By chance they were travelling from Southern Maine to Northern VT to ride the Kingdom trails the same day we were planning to go. Such a wonderful coincidence. Great to see you two, and may our paths cross again soon!
And Hey, don't let too much dirt get in that CV joint boot!

Better yet, my friend Bob from MA was also there by chance, and somehow we made the whole thing work out to get us all together. Bob and I shredded another 15mi together afterwards. Thanks for the trails and great to see you again, Bob! I hope your fancy dinner shmoozing the land-owners went well :D

Friday, September 13th:

We woke up refreshed and clean at JF's house. This is when we were in introduced to JF's espresso machine. We were able to help out JF with some minor homestead projects including building some solar kilns for drying firewood and chopping some kindling. After that work was done, we took Lola to Dog Mountain for a nice long walk and got maple creemees, sweet corn, and raw milk on the way home. 

Morning Views (Photo creds to Win):

Espresso! JF, what a beautiful view you have.

Solar Kiln build process:

Solar kilns finished!

Dog Mountain Chapel

Thursday, September 12th:

The day's route:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ny7kMePk3BZuAnC26

Something changed when we entered Vermont (photo creds to Win):

Wednesday, September 11th:

The day's route, from the lake house to the campground, with a few stops:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/o3f3vNFG9i95M5a19

Sunrise at the lake:

Kancamagus Highway:

Hike from the campground:

Dinner over the fire:

Tuesday, September 10th (Retro-Dlog):

• Quick morning at Aunt Debbie and Uncle Eric's House, on the road by 7:00am
• Drive to Kennebunk, ME to get an alignment and inspection. The van ran very, very nicely.
• Bakery + Coffee Stop
• Kennebunk beach to walk/run/play Lola
• Library (Blog writing) while we wait for the inspection
  
  
• (plan) drive to Lake Winnepasaukee, camp the night and drive to the White mountains in the morning for some hiking

Inspection and alignment; SHE PASSED!!

Just 4 days  prior I took the van for an inspection and they brought back a list of 5+ things that needed to be fixed. Here are the issues and the ways I fixed them in just 4 days:

1. Windshield crack: found a donor vehicle, got the windshield and swapped it with a new seal.
2. Horn not working: swapped the blown fuse
3. Reverse lights out: fixed the electrical connection to the sensor on the transmission
4. Left Side Rear light out: swapped for a new light/housing (thanks Patric!)
5. Left Rear Running Light out: Swapped the bulb (thanks Patric!) 

Monday, September 9th (Retro-Dlog):

It's van-work day at Debbie and Eric's!!

• Jesse removed our old (cracked) windshield and began to prep the whole surface for the new one. 
  There were a few rusty spots the needed rust treatment and some bondo
• Win and Max diagnosed some idle issues including replacing vacuum lines and finding a *very* broken part, the "auxiliary air regulator valve", which had been completely destroyed, see photo.
  Our symptoms were high idle (up to 2000rpm :O) at warm temperature and a sporadic throttle. Win did a fantastic tune job and now she runs at a steady 850rpm :D

(This broken part was responsible for regulating extra airflow that bypassed the Mass Airflow sensor, to account for changes in engine temperature and other operating conditions.)
While we determined it'd be fine to block off the whole loop, we wanted to replace the part so we...

• Made a trip to Gloucester, MA to pick up a new (used) aux air regulator valve from a donor Vanagon
• While Win and I were gone, the neighborhood kids came over to test-drive the van
  
  
  
  
  
• We refueled with some wonderful stuffed shells for dinner (Thanks Aunt Debbie!) and all got to work putting the new windshield in
• We took a few laps around the neighborhood (probably 9:00pm by now) and Max took Debbie and Eric for a long-awaited Vanagon ride.
• Max stayed up installing some new parts in the van and packing up all of the day's tools for departure in the morning

Lola was plenty tired from the day's activities.

Sunday, September 8th (Retro-Dlog):

• Early wake-up for an obligatory HGS (Harvard General Store) ride with the 545Velo crew
• Prepped the dogs and wrapped up at Ali's house
• Picked up Max's brother Win from the airport (he'll be joining us for the next 10 days :D)
• Watched dogs play at Middlesex Fells dog park for several hours (Jesse, add some photos here!)
• Ventured back to our favorite pizza spot in Hudson, MA to meet Uncle Eric and Aunt Debbie
• Finally made it back to their house with the van (where we'll stay until Tuesday morning)

Side story: We stayed with Debbie and Eric for the month of April while Jesse finished up her job and we always talked about visiting again with the van (and that I'd bring some minor project to work on while we were there). Some part of me wasn't sure we'd ever get the van on the road and that element of uncertainty had hung over my head a bit. Making it back here and taking them around the block in the van felt like a really wonderful celebration of our last few months of effort and marked a new chapter for me on this journey. 

Here's the van in their driveway:

And here's our planned journey for the next two weeks while Win is in town:

        

Saturday, September 7th (Retro-Dlog):

Friday, September 6th (Retro-Dlog):

Thursday, September 5th (Retro-Dlog):

Wednesday, September 4th (Retro-Dlog):

Tuesday, September 3rd (Retro-Dlog):

Monday, September 2nd (Retro-Dlog):

Sunday, September 1st (Retro-Dlog):

• Woke up at the campsite, chill morning
• Drive to Freeport w/ friends
• Walk/Hang at Tidebrook Preserve
• Freeport Shopping/Outlets
• Pizza + Beers at brewery
• Back to Campground, Friends to Boston