Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2003 15:30:04 -0400
Reply-To: John Parson <bentway@IWON.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John Parson <bentway@IWON.COM>
Subject: Re: Urban camping -- what it is not
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Well, I'm not working, so I guess I don't get your respect. I DO sometimes feel a tiny bit concerned sometimes though. Do I get any cred for that?
My situation is : I sold my house, made a bunch, moved into the Westy. Live in it full time. Could afford a campground, or even a hotel room - but don't need it.
Interestingly, some HOMED people admire my choice. HOMELESS people envy me, for my comfortable permanent mobile bedroom. People in trailers and motor homes generally look down on me. I can live with it.
At a burn rate of about $10 a day, I can do this the rest of my life if I want to. Will I? Who knows.
--- On Wed 08/20, Blake Thornton < blake@MATH.WUSTL.EDU > wrote:
From: Blake Thornton [mailto: blake@MATH.WUSTL.EDU]
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2003 19:25:26 -0500
Subject: Urban camping -- what it is not
Now, I know that many people on this list have lived in their vans for<br>prolonged periods of time. In addition, many of these people have lived<br>in their vans as their *ONLY* place of residence.<br><br>With this in mind, let me tell you what I think is *not* true urban van<br>living:<br><br>- being on vacation and staying a few days in the city or walmart. This<br>is still *vacation*<br><br>- Sleeping in your van in your driveway from time to time. Your house is<br>right there and you are on private property -- no threat of being caught<br>and you have a shower/bathroom right there.<br><br>- Sleeping in your van 10-15 minutes away from home. Fairly similar to<br>the above reason.<br><br>If your van is your only residence and you have a "real" job, you have<br>my respect. If your van is your only residence and you are a river guide<br>or a park ranger or something similar, then this isn't the same. If you<br>have to wake up in the morning, find a place to shower, put on somewhat<br>nice clothes, get to work and pretend to your fellow workers that you had<br>a nice sleep in your bed, then you have earned my respect.<br><br>As far as getting caught. I lived in my van as my sole residence from<br>march - december 97. I slept in the parking lot at the university. I had<br>police wake me up 4-5 times. Until the last time, it was a male officer<br>who woke me up and told me that he was concerned that someone was dead in<br>the van. He told me to go back to sleep and even told me that he would<br>watch out for me. Very nice. The last time I got woken up, it was a<br>female cop who told me to leave or she woud arrest me. I left and didn't<br>go back to the university parking lot. In any case, I got the feeling<br>that the cops wouldn't do anything to you if they found you. Since this<br>time, I have found ways to not get caught. I wasn't as smart as I should<br>have been back in 97.<br><br>But, remember: sleeping in your van in an urban setting while vacationing<br>is nothing at all like living full time in your van in urban settings.<br><br>Blake<br>84 Westy<br>St Louis<br>
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