My Van

 I wanted to show my van to some folks in my Facebook group and this is the best way to do it. I apologize for the bad quality of the videos. It isn't easy making a video with nobody to hold the camera. 

I bought my first van after I was diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. My ex built out an attached garage for me, but that didn't work. I needed to be away from people and their fragrances so I had lived out of my Mercury Tracer for a while. Here is a blog post about that:
https://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/2019/02/building-out-mercury-tracer.html

Soon I bought a house with my disability settlement and shared it with my son. When he got married and moved, I had difficulty finding a housemate who was fragrance free, so I sold the house and bought my first van. It was a 2003 Toyota Sienna. 

I tried all sorts of thing to outfit my van, buying a lot of things I really did not need because people told me I needed them. I finally sorted out what worked best for me. Window coverings went through several stages of curtains, then coverings, then back to simply using reflectix and window film.  Simple always seems to win out.  This is one blog post I did - some things have stayed the same, but some have changed. 

https://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/2019/02/organizing-my-2003-toyota-sienna-mini.html

By the way, you can follow some of my travels by clicking on "newer post" at the bottom of each blog post.

In 2018 I tried an ArcHaus - It was nice, but I didn't like not being able to close my hatch easily so I sold it. 

https://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/2019/02/organizing-my-2003-toyota-sienna-mini.html

For one season, I used a Thule. It was "ok" but wouldn't allow me to park in the garage. It made the van too tall. Also, they are NOT waterproof!

https://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/2019/02/thule-to-rescue-april-10-2018.html

Christmas 2019 I discovered I had breast cancer. I had a double mastectomy and recovered at my son's house. Then my mother fell and needed help, so I sold her house and took the cash from her house and mine and paid cash for a house here in Dallas, Oregon.  Mom refused to sell her car, so I had to sell my van. It was a super hard decision. She didn't even drive her danged car!  At any rate, I cared for my mother until she passed away. At some point, when she finally admitted she would never drive, I sold her car and bought my current van, a 2000 Toyota Sienna. 

I had a bed and kitchen put into it and it's what I've used now for the past several years to spend the winters in Quartzsite and to take cross country trips to Georgia to visit my son there.  I love my van!

Here is a blog of how my ex put in my bed:

https://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/2025/07/my-2000-toyota-sienna.html

Here is a blog post about building out the first kitchen:
https://caminosantiago2.blogspot.com/2019/02/my-new-van-kitchen.html

I hope this helps someone. 

Love,

Annie