About the Van Helen Crew
The photo is of the Van Helen crew, Captain Jim and co-Captain and writer of this blog, Racquel, somewhere under the rainbow. Actually it is Waikiki Beach in March 2020, a few days before the whole world went into lock down. Perhaps a strange photo for our vanventure blog as this is not a destination we can drive to, but it speaks to our ultimate goal, that is, to always seek and appreciate the beauty around us. Plus I think we look cute!
Our youngest daughter moved out of the family home a little over a year ago and we decided the time is now to go for it and do something a little crazy, so we bought a camper van.
We are fortunate in that we live in one of the most beautiful places on the globe, British Columbia, Canada. Right out our own doorstep is the lush and bountiful Coquitlam River, where we can see salmon swimming, bears fishing, and all kinds of birds hunting and pecking. But even with this, we still crave more of BC's rain forest and all its glorious secrets. And we want to discover more of our vast nation as well.
But, news flash folks, travel ain't cheap! Especially in Canada. It is usually cheaper to hop on a plane to Mexico than it is to fly from Vancouver to Toronto. And everything is expensive not just the flight: hotels, restaurants, entertainment, museums and galleries, car rentals, and gas. So if we want to explore this great country of ours and still have a retirement fund, we figure a camper van is the way to go.
We also have three dogs - 14-year-old whippet/border collie X, Pepper, 8-year-old jack russell/shih tzu X, Jack, and our new pug puppy, 5-month-old Bowie. They are another reason we wanted a camper van - being able to load them up and take them with us is important to us.
Jim and I find contentment in the simple things; sitting in nature, listening to the river run and birds sing. We like good, fresh food, and enjoy diverse music. When travelling we tend to walk a lot. Our favourite way to explore new places is by foot. Ten kilometres in a day is not unusual for us.
The goal with this blog is to share stories about our 'vanventures' but I recognize that we aren't that interesting. So this blog is also meant to be helpful, informative, and perhaps a little entertaining.
We hope you enjoy our vanventures as much as we do. And please feel free to comment on our posts, and share them with your friends. And if you are on the road and have any nuggets to share, be sure to reach out.
Thanks for joining us!
Jim, Racquel, Pepper, Jack, & Bowie