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Old 06-27-2018, 05:13 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by YoTerryh View Post
In light of this discussion, I was interested to see this cover on the latest Willamette Week, Portland's alternative weekly rag. I haven't actually read it yet.
Oh man. Thanks for the share.
Here's the same article online:

Oregons Exploding Boomer Population Is Flocking to the Vanlife, Turning a Once-Grungy Counterculture Into Big Business
Oregons Exploding Boomer Population Is Flocking to the Vanlife, Turning a Once-Grungy Counterculture Into Big Business - Willamette Week

Just starting to digest it now.....and again.....gotta say.....

....it's been hard to swallow the pill of realizing that ***yet another thing*** that you have privately loved....has become a widespread/full-blown cliche.......

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Old 06-27-2018, 05:34 PM   #22
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Maybe it's just me but I can't imagine getting rid of my van because folks are interested in it and have the nerve to ask some questions. Or gee whiz even have the gall to take a picture.

I agree the #vanlife thing is a bit nauseating.
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Old 06-27-2018, 06:50 PM   #23
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Maybe it's just me but I can't imagine getting rid of my van because folks are interested in it and have the nerve to ask some questions. Or gee whiz even have the gall to take a picture.

I agree the #vanlife thing is a bit nauseating.
Well....it seems that there's at least two perspectives on this.
There's lame reasons to leave a pursuit....and there's legit (or at least understandable) reasons to leave a pursuit.

To wit:

---------------------------------------

EXAMPLE SCENARIO A:
Hipster McBeardywitz has been dedicatedly down with The Flabberwockys for the last 4 years. (His favorite bearded indy band who plays in the Pearl District.) Owned all their EP's. Wore their shirts. Got himself more than a few dates with the ladies by claiming to be their number one fan.

THEN --
The Flabberwockys suddenly blow up. A random YouTube video of them (feeding pigeons while playing sitars and wearing Pope hats) goes viral. Suddenly everyone talks about the Flabberwockys. Social media lights up. Talk of a big record deal with Sub Pop comes true. Flabberwockys are on the radio and on Late Night TV shows.

SO, AS A RESULT:
Hipster McBeardywitz abruptly dumps all his Flabberwockys allegiance. Throws away all his Flabberwockys shirts, wipes their songs off all his media devices, stops talking about them, DONE....and then goes off in search of the next underground band that's an "undiscovered bit of awesome" so that he can maintain his identity as an edgy "ahead of the curve" cognoscenti of cool.

---------------------------------------

EXAMPLE SCENARIO B:
Brandon McChill just plain loves to go out for rows on the lake in his grandfather's old handmade rowboat. He could certainly afford a new kayak or canoe....or jet-ski.....but for some reason he's immensely satisfied with the experience of rowing the old boat across the lake each day and listening to the sound of the water against the old boards.

Nobody ever paid him much mind as he rowed his old row-boat back and forth for years.....they were all far too interested in their motorboats/jet-ski's/etc (and in fact they all thought he looked quite silly in his "little dinghy" as he contentedly paddled along.....many jokes were made at his expense over the years, but of course he never heard any of them, as he was happily "in the zone".....rowing away and watching the lakeshore go by, slowly and peacefully.)

THEN....THE BIG THING HAPPENED:
Kanye West declared that he was suddenly a fan of old rowboats, and how nothing connected a man to his source like the simple act of rowing. People were puzzled at first. But then social media lit up with all sorts of live-streams of Kanye happily rowing across lakes, a look of smug calm on his face. Someone invented the hashtag #rowkanyerow and that led to #rowboatlife and then BOOM --- Outside magazine and XXL Magazine did a collaborative piece on the new "Rowboat movement".....and suddenly motorboats weren't cool....jet-ski's weren't cool....and the lakes were suddently FULL of social media selfie-posting rowboaters.

Poor Brandon McChill found that he could suddenly not go out for his relaxing rows very easily anymore --- the lakes were full of rowboaters who weren't even looking where they were going! All of them live-streaming/posting to instagram, hoping they were being seen/getting noticed. Boating accidents started happening almost three or four an hour. Brandon caught some lowlifes in the act of stealing his rowboat at least three or four times, and then eventually one of them succeeded. (It was then found a day later at the other end of the lake, a bunch of PBR cans strewn throughout it.)

And then there was the constant "Hey Bro, "hashtag row-row yo!!!" that he found being yelled his way constantly as he tried to row across the lake. The solace and relaxation he had once loved in the simple act of rowing was pretty well vaporized. Every time he took his boat out to go row, he was besieged by suddenly-enthused people who wanted to know "is that boat all original" or "is that a reclaimed barnwood rowboat?" or "did you build that in the style of Kanye's rowboat?"....it went on.....

At long last, he looked at the lake one day (by now full stem-to-stern with what looked like a demolition derby of colliding rowboats and selfie sticks) and he decided, at long last.....that maybe he wasn't going to go rowing today.

As he sat there contemplating this sad sudden realization that perhaps he was done with rowing......and his mind began to wrestle with the question of how he would now regularly go find refuge from the daily grind..... his eyes fell upon his grandfather's old pogo stick.

"Hmmmmm.........!" he said to himself.

---------------------------------------

Just my humble take on this....
....but I would say that in Example B.....the reasons for backing away from a pursuit are both at least honorable (to oneself) and understandable.
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Old 06-27-2018, 08:42 PM   #24
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As far as the band example goes I'm a mix of the two. I am a huge music fan and buy tons of new releases so I tend to get into some bands before they catch on. Once they graduate to playing arenas I find I can no longer go see them since arenas are pretty bad places to see bands play. I still buy all their releases and am happy for their success but I just don't enjoy going out to see them.

I think the US is big enough that it shouldn't get too crowded out in the wild despite the "vanlife" thing. I worry more about the millennials not being into working and them being a drag on the entitlement programs later on. If fewer people contribute through their paychecks now then the future could be bleak. I won't be around to see that though.

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Old 06-27-2018, 11:16 PM   #25
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I tend to think that social media and the whole online dynamic accelerates trends. Online connections, like this forum, are a great way to exchange info and ideas, and get in touch with others of like mind. On the other hand, the instant and almost universal connectiveness has a downside, in that, among other effects, an under-the-radar activity or place gets wide visibility and suddenly becomes the cool thing, ruining by sheer numbers the original idea or location. If the internet were not around, the 'vanlife', or whatever the hell the hashtag is called, concept wouldn't even exist.

Don't much care for the attention the van gets, if anything, I'm an anti-trend sort, so what you gonna do, get rid of it for that reason? Not me. I'll still find the remote spots no one else goes to.
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Old 06-27-2018, 11:30 PM   #26
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Great stuff here guys. I’m enjoying the perspectives.


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Old 06-28-2018, 09:08 AM   #27
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Fyi
old rig and current rig
(we all love pics)

Old



Current




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Old 06-28-2018, 10:27 AM   #28
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Fyi
old rig and current rig
(we all love pics)

Old



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Mr bill
Is that an old Cruise America MH? If it is that is my original plan that I'm going back to. Rent one, cause that 19ft will go anywhere I wanna go and let the attention and the ALL the problems be some one else's
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Old 06-28-2018, 10:55 AM   #29
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Mr bill
Is that an old Cruise America MH? If it is that is my original plan that I'm going back to. Rent one, cause that 19ft will go anywhere I wanna go and let the attention and the ALL the problems be some one else's

Yes, Cruise america
$30,000 from 2nd owner, 120,000 miles, V-8

Only maintance i did was remove decals, put on
Change oil and service

EVERYthing else works great

Park anywhere, whip in McDonalds for a happy meal for my daughter, pull into the supermarket no problems. Park infront of the house, no drama with HOA

Full wet pottie/shower, bigger fridge than my SMB, sink, two burner stove, dinette sleeps 2 skinny people FULL Queen bed up top

This is my 14th rig, only thing i would change is 4x4, but really dont need it for road trips w/ Baby to national parks and local stuff

I will be doing a MonstaLiner paint job on lower portion, and bumps, and black out grilll, so I will look more macho

Miss my SMB, but I get out in this alot and my daughter loves that she has a set of toys in SnowFlake and i can have 3-6 toddlers crawling inside no problem

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Old 06-28-2018, 11:06 AM   #30
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Do folks with the Transits ,Sprinters etc get as much attention as jacked up E350? Would like to hear these owners take. I would think a Transit with a basic Quigley or Quad 4x4 conversion wouldn't gain as much shock and awe of the E350 variety. Just my thinking. I spend a lot of time in Mex. and eventually plan to do the whole Trans American and after driving to El Salvador years ago flying under the radar is a very desirable thing. I even get cops looking at me. I got pulled over twice in 6 weeks AK-Co. for the bs reason my windows were too tinted. They sent me on my way without any citation but they wanted to have a look see. The van just stands out! Colorado plates don't help either. With everybody thinking everyone on in the state is some type of stoner.
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