Coast 2 Coast Bicycle Adventure 2016

Day 295..

July 1st marks one year living rent free… On April 29th I’ll be downsizing from the van to a bicycle for about two months. Van Morissette will be missed. I find it a bit funny that the final weeks leading up to my one year anniversary of #VanLife, and I might be thousands of mile away from the van. No need to worry, the Dude In Van will still be posting even though I technically won’t be in a van. I have some plans for the future of this website, and I’ll be testing them out while I’m on the road. If it makes you feel better you can type www.onlysandro.com into your search engine, instead of www.dudeinvan.com.

Most of you know I don’t really talk to my parents that often. In fact, they don’t know I live in the van. I did tell my father about the bicycle trip, last week, because he emailed me inquiring about vacation time in April or May. His reaction was the same as Phil and Nick’s parents. Our parents in general are not pleased, to say the least.

I understand my father’s concern. I am his son, he reminds every time he emails me. (He starts off all his email with “Hi Son”) I just don’t agree with him implying that I’m ruining the rest of my life and career by taking a two month break to ride a bicycle across America. That’s a tad bit dramatic. Regardless, I’m excited for this trip, as you know. Quitting my job hasn’t really set in yet because I gave them a 6 week notice.  I’ll give you an update in two weeks before I leave. Maybe by then I’ll be freaking out.

If you want to follow along with me and my friends, Nick and Phil, you can do so by clicking “Like” on our Facebook group Coast 2 Coast Bicycle Adventure 2016. We are planning on posting pictures and videos as we roll across the country.

Also, we have self-funded the trip. We bought touring bicycles, tents, all sorts of gear for the biking/camping, cameras, maps, and more. We are planning to camp and not using any hotels to keep our costs down. If you’d like to support the trip with more than just kind words, you can do so by visiting out GoFund Me page! www.gofundme.com/NJ2CA2016 Our plan is to use this money for food and bicycle maintenance.

Thanks for following along and all the support!

#NJ2CA2016

Day 168- One Day Trip

Today is day one hundred and sixty-eight.

My birthday is coming up. Cool, right? Well it wasn't so cool until... I BOOKED A ONE DAY TRIP TO DISNEY BY MYSELF! ...ummm yeah... kinda seems lame now that I typed it out.

I digress. This is the 10 step plan.

Friday: 1. My plane boards at 6am. 2. I arrive in Orlando at 8:30am. The parks are about 20 minutes from the airport. I'm still trying to figure out what park I want to go to, but they open at 9am (I think). 3. Either taxi or shuttle over to the park. 4. Spend all day at the park. 5. Take pictures with many Disney characters. 6. Head to Downtown Disney, fill my face with tons of food and beverages till 3am. 

Saturday: 7. Head back to the airport after 3am. 8. Sleep in my terminal till 9:30am, when my flight boards. 9. Back in the van before noon. 10. Plan the rest of my birthday weekend.

Objectes I'd like to achieve.

1. Have fun. 2. Snapchat the experience (SC: onlysandro) 3. Find a woman visiting the same park, solo and marry her before the end of the day. 4. Don't get put on the "No Fly List". (I heard young males that travel alone without bags have been put on this list)

I'm in need of some help. Please give me suggestions on what park to visit and the best way to get from the airport to the park.

-on to the next stop!

Day 113

As the title of the blog post indicates.. Today is Day one hundred and thirteen.

This post is a little different than my normal Dude In Van posts. Today I am, roughly, 670 miles away from my van. I'm speaking to you as Dude In Chicago.

I'm sitting in a coffee shop with my black coffee and blueberry scone. (I never had a scone before.. kinda regretting it) I tried going to a zoo earlier, but the zoo was closed. I've been trying to go to a zoo for about 2 years. I guess this is the type of wild and crazy get away you have when you don't plan anything. Why am I in Chicago? Because it was the cheapest flight listed. I booked a room on Air BnB, but I have to wait till 2pm to check in.. It's at an art gallery, I think. The car I rented has Jersey plates, coincidence? Maybe.  Chicago has way too many stop signs, by the way.

Am I rambling? Is this what rambling looks like when you type it out?

My main goals this weekend is have some deep dish pizza, see some bean mirror looking structure and see a fountain.. Or maybe just watch the Saints game on TV. (All were suggested to my by friends)

Actually, I hope to record and post a podcast or two.

I'll check in later.

Side Note- It's freakin' cold out in Jersey, I froze my keester off the other night. I picked up some blankets, but I think I'm going to have to start prepping the van for the winter when I get back.