CRAZIEST VAN LIFE STORIES
My Solo Road Episode 2 | Crazy Stories from the Road
A bear broke in, I crashed into a hotel, and my dog needed emergency surgery? This week I share my wildest stories from the road thus far. Van life may look like a dream, but it can certainly turn pretty ugly pretty quick… Let me tell you how & what I’ve experienced in these last two years.
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE
INTRODUCTION
This week I decided to share my favorite stories from the road. One of which just happened yesterday. Let’s dive into the ridiculous stories I have from living on the road…
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A bear broke into my van...
- Staying at a house in South Lake Tahoe.
- Bears raid trash cans, and you might see bears when going for a hike in this area.
- Must have just left my doors unlocked on accident.
- Woke up, went outside, noticed that my door was wide open and then I see this huge muddy paw print on the inside of the back door. When walking around more muddy paw prints were found on my bed. The sliding door was cracked open and the bottom drawer in my kitchen was fully out and ripped to the sides. It looked like the bear had come through the back door, walked across the bed and stepped on that drawer (which was left one).
- Only things broken: Drawer slides, stove shattered, mason jars broke & muddy prints
- Lesson learned: always lock your doors and don’t keep food inside your van in a bear heavy area
I Crashed into a hotel...
- Stopped in Fresno to stock up groceries, gas etc. before going to a national park.
- Chose a hotel parking lot to sleep for the night. Stayed at a grocery store until it got late (I prefer pulling into where I'm sleeping once it's dark).
- When driving up, I can literally see two people in a hotel room right in front of the van. I pull up to the parking space, and prepare to shut the van down. For no reason, I step on the gas instead of the break. I floor the gas and go flying into the brick pillar, causing a BIG scene.
- I got Ella out of the van, made sure she was okay, then I had to call the police. They showed up with 3 cop cars, which is intimidating and having to take the standard breathalyzer test. Luckily, everyone was super understanding and helpful. The hotel manager had to come and asked the reasons why I was there and if I was staying at the hotel. So I told her the honest story and that I was going to park in her parking lot but while stealing a parking spot, also hit your hotel. She was very understanding and super nice, offering me a hotel room at a discounted price with Ella, even though they didn’t officially allowed dogs in that hotel.
- I ended up having to cancel my plans and staying in Fresno for a month while my van was being repaired.
- Lesson learned: Plans change quickly & hit the right pedal
ELLA HAVING EMERGENCY SURGERY...
- When attending a gathering I made a few friends and ended up following one back to where she was from in SoCal.
- Ella got sick as soon as we arrived. She couldn't eat or drink water. After 3 days, I panicked and took her to my friend's recommended vet.
- After getting x-rays and tests, it was confirmed something was blocking her digestion in the intestines. She got fluids which did not work and we returned to the vet the following day.
- She got ultrasounds which looked much worse and needed to have emergency, exploratory surgery.
- Surgery was supposed to last 3 hours.. It lasted 6. There were perforations all throughout her intestines which had healed to all her other organs.
- They removed part of her large intestine. Cut the perforations and sewed them back together away from her organs.
- After taking her back to my friend's home the following day and already feeling traumatized, the California wildfires broke out that night.
- It was the worst in history and we had to evacuate her sick father which took hours. We escaped with very little time left but managed to get out unharmed.
- Lesson learned: When your dog is sick for more than a day, press places in their stomach to see if it is sensitive. Trust your gut. GET PET INSURANCE.
FINAL ADVICE
- You will always be fine, and when keeping that in mind you will stay much more sane during the hardest time you experience, whether you live on the road or you don’t.
- I always tell myself that if Ella is alive and I am alive, we will get through whatever we are going through.
- No matter what you are going through, you always have something to be grateful for.
WRITTEN BY: Sanne Klein
