Winter in the Van Part 2

Welcome back, everyone! This week on the Sweets Van Life Adventure, we’re diving into one of the wildest chapters of our journey yet! As life began to settle into a routine in Sedona, Jill started working a traditional job while I continued my remote gig. This stability was just what we needed financially, and it wasn’t difficult to adapt. After all, we’d done the routine thing before while living in a house. Our days followed a predictable rhythm: waking up, driving Jill to work, taking Bear out for a walk or a visit to the dog park, heading back to Jill’s workplace to start my workday, and then finding a spot to camp for the night, where Bear would get another walk.

Things were looking up—we were paying off debt, enjoying mild winter weather, and soaking in Sedona’s breathtaking views. Before we knew it, February and March flew by. April crept in with warmer temperatures, though still comfortable enough for a few hikes and short trips to nearby Flagstaff and Prescott. If you ever get the chance to visit Flagstaff, I highly recommend it—the views are absolutely stunning! But as April drew to a close, the heat intensified to an almost unbearable level. For anyone who’s camped in 90-degree weather, you know it drains the life out of you. Shade in the desert is scarce, and we noticed Bear was struggling in the heat as well. That's when we decided it was time to move north. The Pacific Northwest (PNW) had always been on our bucket list, and the weather seemed perfect. So, we made plans for one last weekend in Prescott as tourists before setting out at the beginning of May.

Prescott didn’t disappoint! We explored the stunning Watson Lake on paddleboards, enjoyed dinner and drinks at an old west-style bar downtown, and camped just outside town. After a fantastic weekend, we returned to Sedona so Jill could give her notice at work. The plan was to escape the heat and head north! However, the journey back to Sedona took an unexpected turn. Prescott is about an hour away from Sedona, with a mountain pass separating the two. Our van had managed the route before without issue, but this time, things went sideways. About 15 miles from Sedona, in the “no man’s land” between Cottonwood and Sedona, the van began acting up. Without touching the accelerator, it revved up to 7,000 RPMs randomly, showed signs of overheating, and struggled to maintain speed.

Completely shaken, we pulled over to assess the situation. After a brief rest, we tried driving again, but the problem persisted for another 6-7 miles. Finally, we stopped at a spot we knew just outside of town and decided to call it a night. The next morning, we called off work to figure out what was going on. Even in park, the van continued revving unpredictably. We had no choice but to call a tow truck and take it to a shop.

Being in the middle of nowhere, there were no Ubers or taxis available. The tow truck driver managed to fit Jill, Bear, and Bug in his cab, but there wasn’t room for me. He promised to return for me in about 30 minutes, so I decided to start walking to cut down the distance. After about half a mile, an RV pulled over. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Joe, you didn’t get in with strangers, did you?” Well, I did. Thankfully, it was a kind family—a young couple with three kids on vacation. They had seen the van being towed and offered me a ride. Thanks to their generosity, I arrived at the shop shortly after the tow truck.

Once the van was inspected, the verdict came in: we needed a new transmission. If you know anything about cars, you’ll know this isn’t a cheap fix. To make matters worse, transmissions were on backorder nationwide, which meant we were without a vehicle—or a place to live—for weeks. Fortunately, the shop owners were incredibly kind. They managed to source a transmission within two weeks and allowed us to stay in the van on their impound lot until our water supply and batteries ran out. Surprisingly, we lasted longer than I expected. Jill got rides to work, and I worked remotely from the van. Ironically, the impound lot was next door to a church, and all of this happened right before Easter—almost like a sign!

Once our water and electricity ran out, we had to move to a pet-friendly hotel. It wasn’t cheap, especially with the looming van repair expenses, but we were grateful to have the means to stay. We packed up everything we could carry—two backpacks, a large tote of clothes and food, and, of course, Bear and Bug. After cutting through alleys and parking lots to shorten the quarter-mile trek, we arrived at the hotel. Despite the financial setback, we were thankful to have a roof over our heads. Finally, after a week (and a couple of hotel extensions), the van was fixed, thanks to the amazing team at Stix Man Towing in Cottonwood, AZ. By mid-May, we were back on the road, resuming our journey north—hoping and praying we wouldn’t face any more surprises like that!

Thank you for following along on this week’s adventure! While it wasn’t the smoothest leg of our journey, it made for one heck of a story. Tune in next week as we share our adventures in the breathtaking Pacific Northwest!