Circle of (van) life

My first vehicle purchase was a ten year old 1967 Volkswagen Type 2. It had the rear seat replaced with a rear-facing combination wooden seating and storage, and lips at the edge of the footwell to support a board to make the entire rear area a flat sleeping area. But I did not trust it for long trips, so only took it camping once. It was very rusty. It had two inline fuel filters and if it was losing power I would back-blow the rust flakes from the first filter to get the fuel flowing again. Its tentative name was The Blue Whale, but after passing a flaming Volkswagen at the side of the road we realized it's probable fate and it became The Hindenburg. Fortunately its demise was unspectacular, a broken clutch doomed it.

My next steel tent was our 2000 Honda Odyssey. First, I simply put a camp cot in the back of it. Later, I used a fiberglass rod to curtain the back, cut out reflectix window inserts for the windows, crafted a multi-piece full-width (48") 6" foam bed with storage underneath, and bought a Goal Zero 1000 KWh battery/inverter. I used it at campgrounds from central Oregon to southern California. Not only is it very cramped, but with over 200K miles on it, it has become unreliable.

My most recent vehicle purchase was supposed to be a 2022 Ford Transit, ordered in February of that year. I ended up receiving the next year's model in September of 2023. These web pages will document this van's life, and maybe it will encounter an event that leads to a name. To start, here are the van's options.