On The Road with April

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On The Road with April

April � Charlie � Lucy � Finley �
Exploring the US, one campsite at a time! Instagram.com/

22/12/2023

In my motorcycle era! 🏍️

25/11/2023

It’s my birthday today! Think I can stay 34 and a half for a bit longer, if I can’t count to 35 on both hands?! 😉🎉

12/11/2023

Today was an absolute fairytale ✨

04/11/2023

Is it too late to go back to the fall? My wardrobe doesn’t know how to winter.

22/10/2023

Virginia part two with the best crew! ❤️

22/10/2023

Apple picking in Virginia 🍎🍂🍏

20/10/2023

In my cozy fall era 🍃

07/10/2023

Just installed in the van. While it won’t fully keep my cats inside, it is the best option I found in keeping the bugs outside 🙌 Now, back to “step one” of their installation process!

02/10/2023

Took the van on a test run last weekend…it was pretty unbelievable!! More photos to come when I pick my jaw back up.

17/09/2023

My garage might be small, but boy are we maximizing every inch of it! I can’t wait to have it finished…and organized 🙌

08/09/2023

In less than two months (hopefully), these two will be back on the road with me full-time! 🐱 🐱

30/07/2023

I’ve been to some beautiful places, but this is always my favorite view! ❤️

17/07/2023

The electrical system is finally going into the van! ⚡️🚐 🔋

• Do I know everything about electrical systems? No!

• Can I build out the pieces to house/mount the electrical system for now and learn the rest from my dad as we go. Also yes!

As of now, the batteries and their chargers, both have an official place in the van. Swipe to see the final build out for the chargers. Much more to come as we dive into this new chapter of the van build.

09/07/2023

Nothing like installing a wall panel and then drilling big holes into it! 😣 The first electrical outlet and the BMV-712 Smart Battery Monitor will be installed here soon, and I still have a few more holes to cut. Stay tuned!

17/06/2023

The van kitchen wall is complete 🙌 I originally painted this wall with a satin white paint and soon found out that satin is tough to wipe clean. Since this wall is by the sink, I knew it would take some abuse and needed a tougher finish…and a pop of color! Finished the wall off with the simplehuman soap dispenser that has lived in my apartment, my travel trailer, and now my van!

08/05/2023

According to my cats, if it fits, I sits, so let’s try it out! My upper cabinets are big enough for me to slide into and strong enough to support me and then some! Shout out to for encouraging me to build with 🙌

25/04/2023

The first three modifications to the van are all pictured here! Can you spot them all? Details below 👇

• Headliner Shelf from : This was a breeze to install. All of the hardware was included with no drilling required. The unit I purchased included a 180 wrap around curtain and I purchased an additional straight curtain from Amazon. Totally recommend 🙌

• Swivel Seats from SprinterSwivel.com: There were a couple of pins that needed to be shaved down to allow these to fit nicely, but I’m happy to have them. Pro Tip: Add a swivel to one seat first and see if you need both.

• Shoe Storage: I added some bungees to the seat pedestals to house my shoes. The cords are tied with knots on the inside of the pedestals. This might not be a long term solution, but they’re holding up pretty well for now.

20/04/2023

It’s been almost five months since I sold the Winnebago. We’ve been living less nomadically and gotten quite used to the comforts of a structural home. It was nice to spend a night in the van a few weekends ago - even though it’s not fully done. After an exhausting drive, we all settled right in, and the cats enjoyed their new views and birdwatching from bed the next morning. Aiming to have the van done by the end of summer to be back out here with them! 🚐

10/04/2023

Long story, but I had to route us from GA to SD this weekend, which forced us into camping overnight in an unfinished van midway. While no one loved the back to back, extra long travel days (our longest yet), we all loved waking up somewhere new and exploring! After just one night out, I am even more excited to get this van completed and hit the road once again! 🚐

02/04/2023

I’m here, and we’re okay!! So sorry for the unexpected hiatus in updates! I don’t even know where to begin in posting?! So much progress has been made on the van, but there’s still a good amount of work left before it’s ready to be lived in full time. Have you missed us?! What do you want to know? Trying to teach the cats to drive the van and handle my social media isn’t going as well as I’d planned 🤣

25/02/2023

Finley could really care less about the van build. As long as big boxes like this one from keep showing up, she’s happy! Any guesses what came in this box before she claimed it? Hint: 💧

22/02/2023

❤️

22/02/2023

Traveling with a pet is a huge responsibility. They are an equal part of this journey after all. Making sure that they have time for their own little adventures is really important to me and a joy to watch.

08/02/2023

This little side ladder from Flatline Van Co. is 🔥 It fits easily into my Van Tech roof rails and will definitely make installing solar panels much easier when the time comes!

07/02/2023

Thinking about teaching the cats to drive, so that I can become a full-time passenger 🐱

04/02/2023

Here are the photos that didn’t quite make the cut, but sure made me laugh!

03/02/2023

Putting Voyager harnesses on my cats is easy…getting them to take a photo together with me on the other hand is the real challenge! Charlie (on the left) wears a size XS Voyager Step-In Lock Harness, while Finley (on the right) wears a XXS.

26/01/2023

Hey Dometic! Let’s be friends 🚐

Van Build Update: I’m still finalizing the interior layout, but it’s a project that keeps evolving for the best. I wanted to get some of the larger pieces (like a bed frame, shower pan, water tank, and this Dometic) roughly in place first to see where they’ll live and than build around them.

But what’s a Dometic and why did I choose it? I had a Dometic refrigerator with a freezer in the Winnebago that worked really well and ran off electricity/propane. It was huge for me as a solo traveler. In the van build, I plan to run be more energy conscious by incorporating solar power, and I needed a refrigerator that would match those needs.

Dometic’s CFX lineup has energy efficient chest style refrigerators in multiple sizes. I choose the 75DZ model. This “dual zone” model gives me the versatility to run one section as a fridge and one section as a freezer, or have two fridge sections, or two freezers. I can even power one section down if needed on those “I really need to get groceries” kind of days.

23/01/2023

Finley only likes the van build project right now because of the boxes that come along with it! 📦

19/01/2023

Answering A Few Questions:

🚐 Can we see the inside? Yes! Here’s what I’m starting out with.

🚐 How’s the build coming along? So far so good! More to come!

🚐 What kind of van is that? A 2022 Mercedes Sprinter 144 Wheelbase AWD

🚐 Wait, I thought you ordered a Ford Transit? I did back in September! I was still looking at van listings since the Ford production timeline was so uncertain. In the final days of 2022, I stumbled upon this Sprinter that was listed incorrectly!!

🚐 Where are you living for now without the travel trailer? The cats and I moved into a place temporarily with my dad, who is helping me convert the van!

We’re just getting started! Please keep those questions coming so I can remember to document everything!

17/01/2023

Took the van out on its first dirt road adventure yesterday! Oh, the places we will go 🚐

31/12/2022

I loved my Silverado, but I think I might be in love with this Sprinter…MY Sprinter! Vanlife, we’re coming for you in 2023! 🚐

24/12/2022

This is your reminder to take those family photos that everyone dreads! I posted this photo last year with a caption like “one day we’ll get the perfect Christmas card worthy photo.” In looking at this photo last year, I couldn’t look beyond Lucy’s eyes being closed and Finley looking annoyed. Little did I know, this WAS and IS our perfect Christmas card photo! We didn’t get that “one day” because this was our day! Finley looked annoyed because she does 9/10, and Lucy’s eyes were shut because she was wiped out after having the absolute best day of her life outrunning me through the sand dunes. Happy holiday everyone!

10/12/2022

Now that we’re in an AirBnB with more cable channels than I can count, I’m realizing that Finley is an iPad kid at heart. She loves Animal Planet and gets upset when Charlie lays on the remote and changes the channel 😂

25/11/2022

This is 34 🎂 I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

21/11/2022

The last year and a half feels like a dream, that I was woken up too early from…a dream that I am desperately trying to hold onto the best pieces of…a dream that if I close my eyes long enough, I’m right back in it! Couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend Lucy’s final days and miss her dearly! Dreaming up the next chapter for the cats and I and can’t wait to get us back on the road again! Thanks for all of the love and support these past few months 💛 I promise our journey isn’t over yet!

16/11/2022

Settling the cats and my stuff into an Airbnb, so that I can work to get the trailer cleaned out and sold. Keep your fingers crossed!!

10/10/2022

I’ve my fair share of challenges on the road, but this one was the hardest by far! On September 26, we said goodbye to Lucy. The treatments for her back legs weren’t working as well as they had before, and she was struggling to stand comfortably. She still had quite an appetite, but I couldn’t selfishly keep her around just for me. We had luckily just moved out of the path of the hurricane, and I made a call that I’ve dreaded to have someone come out to us to euthanize. She left peacefully and dignified, right where this beautiful adventure started, surrounded by love and plenty of wet cat food. I’ve struggled to write this all week, but wanted you all to know. You’ve gotten to see the absolute best of her years, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have had this time out here with her by my side! The cats and I are okay, just taking things one day at a time without our sweet girl. 💔

08/09/2022

Not sure how it worked out, but we scored two nights in Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground for a continued celebration of Lucy’s 16th birthday!

27/08/2022

LUCY UPDATE: We had a few tough days. Lucy’s back legs were struggling to support her, so we checked in with our local vet. After a steroid shot, some pain meds, anti-inflammatories, and a pup cup, I’m so excited to say that she’s walking much better this week and I have a special trip planned for us to celebrate!

IMPORTANT FOR DOG OWNERS: Lucy’s bloodwork also came back positive for Ehrlichia, something I’d never heard of until now. Ehrlichiosis is a disease that develops in dogs after being bitten by an infected tick, mostly commonly the brown dog tick, which lives throughout the entire US. While there’s no sure way to determine exactly when she got bite, her bloodwork confirmed that it definitely did happen. She was on a monthly dose of Next Guard, but it was still no match. We speculate that her recent weigh loss is a symptom of the disease and her blood cell counts seem to be normalizing. Please be careful with those ticks out there!! If you have any tips for how you protect your dog from ticks, please share them in the comments below.

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National Geographic at my doorstep! 🦌 Did I run outside barefoot in 30 degree weather with my phone in one hand and iced coffee in the other when I saw this buck come wandering in? Absolutely!!

Go get yourself a good day!

Meet my co-pilots! Finley has gotten much bigger in the last few months, but some things definitely haven’t changed 🐾

Picked up a little traveler on the way home yesterday! 🐢 His new home isn’t the prettiest, but it sure beats the middle of the road!

I sure could get used to mornings like these!

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