Mike Marlowe, Author at Van BunBun

December 9, 2022December 10, 2022

Gear We Use – Camping

This is a constantly evolving list of items we have purchased and use on our adventures in our van. They have been of good quality, and we would recommend.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Screen Tent

We love this screen tent (aka bug tent). While we have an awning on our van, we use this just as often. It keeps you dry but more importantly, bug free. If we are camping in a location for more than one night, we set this up and store our table and chairs in it. Keeps them dry overnight. Also, leaving this set up allows us to leave our campsite “occupied” while we drive off for a day’s adventure.

String Lights

We use these under the awning or in the bug tent.

Electrical Adapter

Allows you to plug into a 30Amp hookup. I like this smaller version rather than the “dogbone” style adapters.

Water Filter

Helps filter out some of the funky tasting water

Water Hose

A short hose is easier to store. So far this has been long enough. And this one is safe for drinking.

Water Hose Adapter

I’ve only used this once, but I was able to easily fill a 5-gallon water jug from a sink.

Trasheroo

This is marketed as a spare tire mounted trash bag. But it is really sturdy pack. We use it to carry a lot more than trash. We’ve carried firewood, rocks we’ve collected, stinky dirty clothes we don’t want in the van, etc.

Longe Chairs

These are really comfortable and have held up well. However, they are a bit big, so they only come with us if we aren’t bringing our bikes. We also use them a lot in our back yard.

Rocking Chair

This chair folds up fairly small and is really comfortable. I like the rocking action and how it works even on lumpy ground.

Rocking Chair

Another rocking chair. A little smaller, sits a little lower to the ground. Of the 2 rockers we use, I think this one is a bit comfier when sitting by the fire pit. But it is a little low when sitting at the table to eat.

Velcro Cable Ties

We use these to keeps the extension cord and hose coiled. neatly. Also use them to lash small things inside the van.

Extension cord (came with the van)

Camp Table – The one we have is over 25 years old and still works great

Hatchet – Something I got at Home Depot 25 years ago. We use it to split a log into kindling and for using as a hammer to stake our screen tent.

December 9, 2022December 10, 2022

Gear We Use – Straps, Ropes, and Bungies

This is a constantly evolving list of items we have purchased and use on our adventures in our van. They have been of good quality, and we would recommend.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

We us quite a few carabiners and quickdraws for attaching and hanging stuff on eyebolts connected to the 8020.

CamJam

These are the smaller plastic ones for use with 1/4 inch bungee cord.

CamJam XT

This is a larger metal version that works well with 6mm cord. I use this with my hammock. Makes it really easy to adjust the length of the rope.

CargoBuckle

These are the same as the ones VanDOit uses.

Tie Down Strap

We use these to tie down a standup paddleboard.

Shock Cord

1/4″ Shock Cord. This fits in the predrilled holes in the 8020. I strung it back and forth along the ceiling for overhead storage.

Rope

This is really thick paracord. A 5.6mm static rope (doesn’t stretch). Works great with the CamJam XT. I use it to hang my hammock when the trees are too far apart for my hammock straps.

December 9, 2022December 10, 2022

Gear We Use – 8020 Components

This is a constantly evolving list of items we have purchased and use on our adventures in our van. They have been of good quality, and we would recommend.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

VanDOit uses 40-series 8020 extrusion for the bulk of the components in their vans. A few of the smaller components (e.g. Kitchen Pod, hanging cabinets) use 25-series 8020 extrusion.

Amazon currently sells some hardware that fits 40-series. But 25-series hardware is less common on Amazon. You can order from 8020.net. Or, if you just need a few nuts or bolts, VanDOit will sell you some. I picked up some extra 25-series drop-in nuts from them when I was in Kansas City.

If you are building larger, more complex things with aluminum extrusion, tnutz.com is quite a bit cheaper than 8020.net. But they only sell extrusions in imperial measurements. Grainger.com also sells aluminum extrusions and hardware.

If you don’t need exactly the same size, you can use get away with using an imperial size that is close to the metric size. Most hardware that fits 40-series, will also fit 15-series.

Metric	Imperial
40 series = 40mm width	15 series = 1.5-inch width
25 series = 25mm width	10 series = 1-inch width

M8 nylon washers

I use these when mounting eyebolts to the 40-series 8020.

M8 Stainless Washers

I use these when mounting stuff to the 40-series 8020.

M6 Button Head Socket Cap Screws

I use these when mounting stuff to the 25-series 8020 (kitchen pod & hanging cabinets).

Eye Nuts

Use with M8 Drop in Stud.

T-Slot Drop-in Stud

Use with 40-series 8020.

T-Slot Drop-in Stud

Use with 40-series 8020.

M8 Knob

Use to mount stuff to 40-series 8020 (M8 T-Slot Drop-in Stud). Nice for stuff you want to move around without requiring tools.

M8 Roll in T Nut

Use to mount stuff to 40-series 8020.

M8 Roll in T Nut

Use to mount stuff to 40-series 8020.

Corner Bracket

Use to mount stuff to 40-series 8020.

December 9, 2022December 10, 2022

Gear We Use – Van Components

This is a constantly evolving list of items we have purchased and use on our adventures in our van. They have been of good quality, and we would recommend.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Sumo Springs

These really improved our ride. Much less swaying in wind or bouncing on bumpy roads. Cheaper than replacing the suspension.

Blackout Curtains

We used an old shower curtain rod fastened to the shelf above the front seats to hang these. It is much easier to close the curtains if you want a little privacy than it is to put up the window covers. Very useful for a quick change of clothes in a busy trailhead parking lot.

Lynx Levelers

We have 2 sets of these. Also carry a couple of ~18-inch long 2×8 boards. I put the boards on the ground and stack these levelers on it if the ground is soft/muddy. The prevents them from sinking in too much.

Telescopic Ladder

We use this partially extended inside the van to climb in & out of the bed. Also use it fully extended outside the van as a clothes drying rack.

Spare Tire Cable Lock

Gives me a little piece of mind that the spare won’t be easily stolen.

Hand Mirror

We hang this from a cabinet over the kitchen pod.

Key Rings

We received 4 sets of keys with the van and didn’t have many extra key rings laying around, so I bought this pack.

October 22, 2022December 13, 2022

Kalaloch Off-Season

Took a 3-day trip to Kalaloch Beach. We thought our trip from 2 weeks earlier would be the last beach trip of 2022. However, the weather was still sunny and dry. Very unusual for this time of year in the Pacific Northwest. So, we decided to go on yet another 2022 beach adventure. Camped at Kalaloch Beach. This time it is off season so no reservations. It is first come first serve. Unlike the busy summer that books up months in advance, we had no trouble finding a spot.

Travelogue

Kalaloch Beach

Day 1 – 10/18/22 Tuesday

Left home around 11am

Stopped at the store for a few groceries and then at Costco for gas.

Drove south to Olympia and then west to WA beaches. North on 101 to Kalaloch campground.

It is off season and first come first serve. We got there around 3:30 and found a nice spot. It was on the road right along the beach but not on the beach side. There were a couple of sites on the beach side, but they weren’t level and small. Our site (A24) was great (A21 would also be good) because it is flat, large, and close to the beach access trail and not too far to the restrooms.

We set up the tent, then went to pay for our spot. Also went to the little store to get some firewood.

Back to the site and then a hike along the beach. Went about 1.75 miles north toward beach 3 (3.5 miles round trip). Tide was high.

Dinner was going to be grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup, but I brought the wrong soup (chicken tortilla), so we scrapped that plan and made meatballs with tomato sauce and French bread. Has a good campfire too.

Tracey wore her giant alpine climbing parka that she used when climbing Mt. Rainier. She was not cold this time. But it wasn’t really that cold out, probably 55 degrees.

Day 2 – 10/19/22 Wednesday

Got up and ate breakfast. It was kind of foggy but not wet.

Went to the store and bought a can of Campbell’s tomato soup to make with grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.

Drove up to beach 4 and hiked it. This was previously our favorite Washington beach. Saw the tide pools but the tide was high so not as easy to see the creatures. Hiked further north and found lots of cool beach rocks.

Looked on the maps and saw “gorilla rock” wasn’t too far but further than we wanted to hike so we went back to the car and drove a few miles further north to Ruby Beach. When we visited Kalaloch previously, the Ruby Beach parking area was closed for construction, so we hadn’t seen it. It was cloudy/foggy and windy when we parked. Tracey was cold so we sat in the van for a bit and ate lunch. The sky started to clear, and the beach looked really nice. We hiked down to the beach and the skies completely cleared. It was beautiful. Saw gorilla rock and lots of other rocks and islands. This is now our favorite Washington beach. We hiked a little further north and came upon a dead beached yearling humpback whale. It was sad to see but also very interesting.

We walked around on the beach for a while and took lots of pictures. Eventually we went back to the van, but it was still nice out, so we sat in the van and watched the beach for ~45 minutes before eventually heading back to the campsite.

Set up another campfire. Used a bunch of woodworking scraps I brought from home to get it started. Made the grilled cheese sandwiches (mozzarella and pesto on sourdough) and the Campbell’s tomato soup. The soup was really sweet. Not nearly as good at the other soup I left at home. But it was good enough for dipping a sandwich.

Day 3 – 10/20/22 Thursday

It started raining lightly around 8am. That lasted until 10am. Had some hot chocolate in the bug/rain tent. Glad we have it. Makes rainy (or buggy) days not so bad. Although the rain stopped it was still really cloudy and foggy, so we just packed up and headed home.

Stopped at the Elma rest stop and had some lunch. Stopped at a Tacoma area Costco for gas, got home by 3pm.

Had to set the tent back up and rinse it off and dry it before packing it away.

October 9, 2022September 26, 2023

Oregon and Washington Beaches

Took a 5-day trip to NW Oregon and SW Washington beaches. We had so much fun on our previous beach trips and the summer weather was hanging on much longer than normal for this time of year in the Pacific Northwest, we decided to go on another 2022 beach adventure. Camped at Manzanita OR and Cape Disappointment WA. Also, this allowed us to escape the bad air around Seattle due to nearby forest fires. Air at the beaches was great.

Travelogue

Day 1 – 10/04/22

Left house at 10:30am

Stopped in Pe Ell and made some sandwiches for lunch. Looked at the old jail and a war memorial that had a cool tank.

Driving into Dismal Nitch we realized we forgot to bring BunBun and Nut! They are going to be pissed. We had been talking about getting a picture of BunBun in front of the Cape Disappointment sign (since she has a disappointed look on her face). Guess we’ll have to do that another time.

Got to Manzanita around 5pm.

While driving thru town we came across a herd of elk walking thru a neighborhood.

Set up our campsite. Walked on the beach. Weather was great. Still felt like summer.

The camp host is across from our site and he has 2 dachshunds. They like to bark at a squirrel who likes to taunt them.

Had salad with chicken for dinner. Also had a campfire.

Day 2 – 10/05/22

Oh Deer!

Ate breakfast at the campsite and we were just hanging around. At 11:30am Mike noticed some deer walking through the campground. They weren’t afraid of people. Saw some other campers feeding them chips. Tracey got really excited, and we walked a few sites over to see them. Tracey fed them trail mix and was able to pet them. It was super cool. We walked back to our site and kept watching them. Decided to feed them again and gave them some more nuts. Went back to our site and kept watching them. They eventually wandered over to our site and I gave them some cornbread. They liked that.

We went for a bike ride around the campground, around the air strip, corals, and eventually to the beach. Biked a couple miles down the beach along the water’s edge. Watched several kite boarders. Went to buy another bundle of firewood. Got back to the campsite and took showers. Around 6pm, the dear came back by our site. This time we gave them some pita chips. They ate a few and then moseyed on.

Dinner was red beans and rice. Had another campfire.

Day 3 – 10/06/22

Had breakfast and was hoping the deer would come back but we didn’t see them. Packed up and left around noon. As we were driving out, we saw one of the deer near the airstrip.

While driving north of Cannon Beach we saw more elk.

Stopped for gas in Seaside.

Got to Cape Disappointment around 5:30. Went to the camp store and bought more firewood and a new lighter.

Set up camp then went to take showers.

Had leftover pizza and tomato soup for dinner. We now want to have campfires every night. Had one tonight. While sitting by the fire we heard a spoon fall off the picnic table. A raccoon was looking for food. Luckily, we had already cleaned up. We put away the dishes in the van and went back to our fire. While sitting there, 3 raccoons came by looking for food. I shined a flashlight on them, and they walked off.

Day 4 – 10/07/22

Had breakfast.

Cell coverage is spotty but we were still able to do our Wordle games.

Went hiking on several trails around the park. Covered some of the paths that Lewis and Clark traveled. Saw 2 light houses, jetties into the Columbia River, beaches, Deadman’s Cove. All cool stuff but it is foggy and windy and not great for photos. Saw lots of tiny little frogs on the hiking trails.

Got back to the campsite around 4pm. Took showers to warm up. Started our campfire at 6:30. Made chicken tortilla soup for dinner. Sat by the campfire and about 30 mins before it burned out, the three raccoons walked right by it. They were only 5 feet away and didn’t seem to care that we were there… until I turned on the flashlight. Then they wandered off and out of sight.

Day 5 – 10/08/22

Skipped breakfast.

It rained a little overnight, so the bug tent was a little wet. Dried it off a bit and packed everything up.

Drove home. Stopped for lunch at a rest stop outside of Olympia.

Got home and it is still quite smokey. Air quality is still in the dangerous zone.

September 3, 2022December 13, 2022

Olympic National Park – Mora Campground

Took a 4-day trip to Olympic National Park. Camped at Mora Campground. This is where Tracey’s family used to go for summer vacations when she was a little kid. So, she showed me around where they camped many years ago.

Travelogue

Day 1 – 8/30/22

Left home @10:30 and stopped at QFC for milk and salad stuff. Got to the Edmonds ferry for 11:55 departure.

Stopped at Sequim state park for lunch. Parked at the boat launch and ate sandwiches. Walked on the dock and saw dozens of baby Dungeness crabs. This place is so prosperous they have separate trash cans just for crabs.

Drove to Mora campground and set up camp.

Hiked to the amphitheater and Tracey gave a nature talk to Mike (only one in attendance).

Hiked to the pond.

Hiked the slough trail. Got about 3 miles of hiking in around the campground.

Day 2 – 8/31/22

Drove to Rialto Beach. Hiked to Hole in the Wall rock. Collected some beach rocks.

Drove to First Beach and got out and took a picture but it was super foggy and windy and cold. Saw some people trying to surf.

Saw a sign for smoked fish and thought we would buy some. Drove thru a sketchy neighborhood and saw the sign in someone’s front yard that was full of junk and opted out.

Stopped at third beach and ate sandwiches for lunch. Did the hike to the beach and back. Tracey realized that was the hike she thought was really hard when she was a kid. It was only 1.4 miles one way.

Came back to the campground and read and relaxed. It was kind of cold.

Had leftover pizza with tomato soup for dinner.

Day 3 – 9/01/22

Tracey messed up her back.

Drove to Neah Bay and to Cape Flattery. It took about 2 hours to drive a relatively short distance because many points could only go 25 mph. Hiked to the viewpoint. It was really spectacular. Cool cliffs, caves, and rocks with big waves. It was gorgeous. Looked like something out of a pirate movie.

Drove to Clallam Bay and ate lunch in the beach parking lot. Played Wordle since we had a cell signal. Got gas.

Drove back to Rosario beach and collected a bunch of rocks. Saw some seals playing in the waves.

Got back to campground around 6pm. Much quieter tonight no neighbors with kids.

Cooked penne pasta with vodka sauce and Andouille sausage and a salad for dinner.

Day 4 – 9/02/22

Packed up and headed home

August 6, 2022December 12, 2022

Mount Rainier – Cougar Rock Campground

Took a short 3-day trip to Mount Rainier. Camped at Cougar Rock Campground. Did several hikes and drove around the park sightseeing.

Travelogue

Mike & Tracey on Mt. Rainier
Glacial Waterfall on Mt. Rainier
Chipmunks on Mt. Rainier
View of Cascade Mountains from Mt. Rainier
Cougar Rock Campsite Mt. Rainier
Mike & Tracey crossing the Nisqually River
Narada Falls Mt. Rainier
Mt. Rainier on drive to Sunrise

Day 1 – 8/03/2022

Went to Paradise. It was busy. Took a while to find parking.

Hiked to Pebble Creek. Saw some climbers coming down. They said they didn’t summit because the winds were too high.

Saw a bunch of chipmunks begging for food. Tracey gave them a lot of nuts.

Camped at Cougar Rock Campground. Decent campground but none of the sites are level (it’s on the side of a mountain so understandable). It is hard to get a reservation at Mt. Rainier campsites during peak season. Campsite is full. So, it was kind of annoying that half the sites never had their occupants show up. Please don’t make a reservation if you don’t plan to use it.

Ran into Michael Covey at campsite. Had a nice visit with him.

Mt Rainier from the trail to Pebble Creek

Sharing lunch with the friendly chipmunks

Day 2 – 8/04/2022

Rainy in the morning

Hiked on the Wonderland trail from Cougar Rock Campground to Narada falls. Nice hike. Cool Nisqually River crossing over a log bridge. On the way back, Mike hit his head on a fallen tree he didn’t see. He should have ducked! Had a headache for the rest of the day.

Day 3 – 8/05/2022

Drove to Sunrise. Beautiful drive but narrow road with big drop offs. Tracey was scared. Parking at Sunrise was full, so we stopped lower down the mountain for a picnic lunch then headed home.

July 23, 2022December 12, 2022

Kalaloch Beach – Olympic National Park

Took a 4-day trip to the Washington beaches in Olympic National Park. National Park campgrounds fill up during the busy summer months. We got lucky and found a site when someone canceled their reservation. We took a 4-day trip because that is all that was available. We had a lot of fun and will have to come back again.

Travelogue

Day 1 – 7/18/22

Drove to the Kalaloch campground, set up our site.

Hiked on the beach. Found some sand dollars and cool looking beach rocks.

Ate pasta with sausage for dinner

Watched today’s stage of the Tour de France.

Day 2 – 7/19/22

Went to “Beach 4” and saw the tide pools near low tide.

Ate lunch on the beach.

Hiked “Beach 3”

Collected a bunch of cool beach rocks.

Had leftovers for dinner with a salad

Largest Spruce Tree in the World at Quinault Rain Forrest

Day 3 – 7/20/22

Drove to the Quinault rain forest and hiked around. Saw the largest spruce tree. Had a picnic lunch at Lake Quinault.

Hiked “Beach 1” and “Beach 2”

Day 4 – 7/21/22

Drove to the Hoh rain forest. Went to the visitor center and hiked around.

Headed home

Took the ferry from Kingston to Edmonds. First time driving the van onto a ferry.

Kalaloch Beach Trip Route – Click for map

June 19, 2022December 9, 2022

VOX#5 – Stats

“VOX” = VanDOit Owners Experience

We took a 3-week trip in May & June 2022 to attend VOX#5. This particular VOX was put on by the VanDOit company. Prior VOXes have been self-organized by fellow owners at various locations around the US. Since this one was in Bentonville and close to the VanDOit factory in Kansas City, VanDOit wanted to be a part of it. This was the first VOX we have attended so I can’t compare to others, but they did an excellent job. For us coming from Seattle, the journey there and back was just as interesting.

See details and pictures in these weekly posts:

VOX#5 – Week 1: Seattle WA to Kansas City MO

VOX#5 – Week 2: Bentonville AR

VOX#5 – Week 3: Lubbock TX – Seattle WA

States Visited

Washington
Idaho
Montana
Wyoming
South Dakota
Iowa
Nebraska
Missouri
Arkansas
Oklahoma
Texas
New Mexico
Colorado

Distance Traveled

Over 5000 miles

Full Route