Retired---Now, what?

I took my retirement at 62, then worked part-time to maintain my medical insurance until Medicare took effect at 65.  That was March 1, 2020.  Then, two weeks later, Covid-19 hit the US.  

My plan was to start using the van I bought to take trips to visit National parks.  With the lockdowns and restrictions, that quickly became a non starter.  The gas prices were cheap, but the businesses were closed to support travelers.  

Now, what?

The van quickly became my Covid project.  I have some autoimmune diseases that necessitated staying close to my doctor.  I started building my van to give me the things I would need to have the comforts I wouldn't have traveling in the Covid times.  This would prove to be more involved than I thought.

I contemplated what I wanted, what I needed, and assumed that would be as simple as moving in a storage cube, and using the 12 volt plugs to power a coffee maker.  So misinformed!  That would drain my van battery in minutes...  I had purchased a power station in 2018 to keep our granddaughter entertained on a family visit to New Mexico.  My wife downloaded a few kid movies that she could watch on her tablet.  This worked, as well as keeping everyone else's cellphone and tablets fully charged.  The power station also has an air compressor and battery jumper, so that was a definite plus.  I would plug into a motel room or house power to recharge it in the down times.  

This worked for us, until I got a 12 volt plug to recharge the power station while I drove, using the alternator on the van.  Then, I discovered a van culture, with all manner of possibilities to make the van self-supporting.  I watched hours of YouTube videos, and started.  I was quickly overwhelmed with information overload, not knowing how to start, where to start, and where to get the supplies.  I found the answers on a Google search.

gnomadhome.com.  The couple that own the site had a van very similar to mine.  I had the wealth of information and experiences to glean what I wanted: a plan.  

This website is well-written, provides photos, graphs, diagrams and links to do a van build from a simple vehicle to a self-contained camper for trips or living.  gnomadhome.com is perfect for a starting place on any phase, building a bed, storage, electrical systems, lighting, etc.  

And, that was the beginning of the next few years of my Covid project.  My 1997 Chevrolet Express 1500 conversion van started evolving from a daily driver to a self-contained camper.