I recently sold my beloved 2010 Chrysler Town & Country van for $5K USD cash. It had 130K original miles on the odometer. I purchased it used eight years ago in Sacramento California. I drove it 2400 miles across country pulling a small aluminum fishing boat in November 2016. I put my red kayak on top a Yakima rack.
My 2010 Chrysler Limited touring had cloth seats, no navigation features or DVD players. What it had was a powerful, 3.8 V6 engine that could pull a boat and accelerate off a highway ramp. And climb the Sierra mountains with ease!
I slept inside the van one night on a twin, inflatable mattress at a rest stop in Nevada. Temperature dipped below 40 degrees. The sound of nearby diesel trucks running all night kept me awake with little sleep. So the next three nights I stayed at motels. My favorite stop was at the Little America in Wyoming. It’s a favorite destination for truckers and travelers. Easy off ramp access and a large restaurant and hot showers. I couldn’t resist the 75 cent ice cream cones!
I nicknamed my van “Bubba”. I didn’t have animals or children to haul. Just myself, bicycles, water toys, and the frequent need for trips to Home Depot, Lowe’s, Menards when remodeling homes I rented or lived in.
Bubba had no problems towing my boat across the Continental Divide in Wyoming. However, I got distracted on Interstate 80 in Illinois. My cell phone accidentally dropped from its air vent holder. I swerved to the right when I reached down to pick up my iPhone. And then a highway patrol pulled me over. I was already in the right lane so I didn’t cause any near accidents nor cut off another vehicle. But I looked “suspicious”. A 55+ female driving alone, pulling a fishing boat. The trolling motor was on the front seat inside a black carrying bag… strapped in by the shoulder & lap seat belt. I put a hat & sunglasses on the bag to look like I had a passenger with me. The patrolman asked me several questions about having any weapons or drugs in the van. I answered “No”.
A second Illinois patrol car arrived on the scene. And the patrolman had a German Shepherd dog circle my van and boat. Then they asked to search my van. I agreed saying I had nothing to hide. So out came the air mattress, bubble wrapped paintings, and luggage. Twenty minutes later, a perplexed patrolman said the drug sniffing dog alerted on my backpack, pillows, and blankets. I explained to him marijuana was now recreational and legal in California. I showed him my medicinal marijuana card that was previously required before the recent law change. Apparently my personal belongings still had weed smell on them. LOL…He told me to be careful driving to Ohio. And to have a nice day. Overall, it cost me an hour of travel time delay. I discovered later… online that California and Colorado license plates are specifically targeted by the highway patrol because I-80 is a known drug corridor. When I asked the patrolman, “Do I look like a drug runner to you?”. He replied: “We see all types of people on this highway. Grandparents driving RVs carrying drugs for extra money. Your mannequin in the front seat looked highly suspicious. That’s why the drug sniffing dog was brought here to search”. Luckily, I only had weed smells, no actual marijuana anywhere inside my van, gloveboxes, backpack or boat!
https://www.criminaldefensene.com/drug-busts-on-i-80-lead-to-record-seizures/
I also remember the weekend camping trip in September 2022 at a Bluegrass festival in central Ohio called “Ohiolina”. It was a name that combined Ohio Appalachian bluegrass with that of the Carolinas. Dennison University sponsored the weekend event. I bought a tailgate tent with rain flap on Amazon for under a $150. And cooked inside on my foldable table. At night, I lowered the tailgate and tent to the ground to keep the morning dew from dampening it. And the colder night temperatures from entering an open tailgate.
I’m going to miss my spacious Town & Country van with stow-and-go seats. Room to bend over and walk between the two front seats without exiting the van!
Goodbye ole friend. It was a fantastic 21k miles together before you went to another home. Purchased by a grandmother in Marion Ohio with recent custody of her four grandchildren. May you have safe journeys and travels.
Last photo taken of “Bubba” van in Ohio
Micro Van Life 