Escapees November-December 2023

Take a video tour of Kate’s one-of-a-kind van: WWW.TINYURL.COM/KATEBRIGHT

national parks in the lower 48 states. Only accessible by boat, Kate had the good fortune to get a last-minute seat on the ferry. “I fi nd I have a lot of opportunities that came along unplanned,” she explains. “I have never made a reservation, never used a commercial campground and never plugged in anywhere since I built out my camper van, in 2019. It’s amazing how much one can do with one solar panel and two batteries!” One-of-a-Kind Van Build The inside of her RV is a vanlifer’s dream. As a former mathematics teacher at a two-year community college, she meticulously calculated, designed and built almost every feature, from the sleeping platform to the galley, storage and more. “There is very little in it I would change, but possibly put in two solar panels, because of my lung machine I use an hour a day,” she says. The beautiful interior is sunny and warm, with a durable sensibility that RV manufacturers would do well to emulate. Earlier this year, her one-of a-kind van build was pro fi led in a YouTube video at: www.tinyurl.com/katebright. Her years of solo travel adventures and experiences on the road could create a fascinating book, and hope fully, one day she will write one. But in the meantime, when asked about her best suggestions for other solo RVers, here are some guidelines she

RENE AGREDANO AND JIM NELSON #103274 are enjoying their 16th year as full-time RVers and location-independent entrepreneurs. They enjoy sharing the life style with others at www.LiveWorkDream.com. says have helped make her travels better: • I never travel after dark if I can help it. • I usually stay in free or low-cost spots. Forest service campsites, BLM land, truck stops and rest areas (when allowed). I never stay in a rest stop if there is only one car overnighting there. One RV, ok, one trucker ok, etc. • I have never plugged in. My 100W solar panel and two 100 amp-hour LiFePo batteries are enough (at least so far). • Truckers are generally wonderful. I woke one up in the middle of the night because I had gotten seriously ill. He probably saved my life. Kate’s summer journey will slowly take her back to Sutherlin in the fall. “I love to travel with a fi nal goal in mind, but just meander to and from to get to that goal.” As a former resident of Maine, she’s no stranger to harsh weather but this summer tested her tolerance for it. “I have had some challenging days, with triple digits and no A/C!” Thankfully, the fans she installed in her DIY van remodel helped keep her comfortable. “I’ve had a lot of uncomfort able days and nights, but they’ve all been worth it!”

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November/December 2023 ESCAPEES Magazine