Wayfarer Vans: How are you currently traveling in your van?

Marilyn: Actually, today I just handed out a card for Wayfarer to some people who pulled in wondering what all the vans were here, so I was explaining about it. And I said “Look, Ian gave us cards. Here’s one.”

Hey! I’m Marilyn Quinn and I’m from Bellingham, Washington. And I have been traveling in the van, it’s much easier than when I had to put up my tent and take it down every time. I can pull in somewhere and just lay down. I probably take longer trips, go more places because I can put so much livable stuff in here and, again, because I don’t have to set up tents. So, if the weather is not quite as good, it’s nice to have an indoor space even if it’s a small cozy one.

WV: What has been your most memorable trip with your van?

Marilyn: I’ve gone on, my last trip was 4,600 miles in a month, and I never would have done that without the van. My favorite adventures, there’s a couple of blends of that. One, on my long trip this year, I was able to go places I’ve never been like Grand Canyon, the meteor crater petrified forest, Bear’s Ear national bridges, canyonlands, and then also we always go to the Central Oregon coast to camp there. For someone who’s traveling alone or with their dog, the Wally, Ram Promaster City is a great size. It’s perfect. Get’s good gas mileage, it’s comfortable. You keep warm and cozy in there. My first night in it was 26 degrees, and I was fine. I had thought about the next size up and if I was going to spend a whole lot of time in a van that might have been a consideration forgetting that, so I can stand up in it. But I like it being small, because on the two-lane highways it’s narrower and I drive more comfortably. Makes it more accessible for me, easier to use.

WV: How have your personalized your van?

Marilyn: I started out with the Yakima awning first. And it’s difficult for me to do it by myself. I can do it, but it falls all over the place. So then, I found this one. Which looks like quite the contraption here. But, remembering the order of what to do things is the hard part. The rest I can do very easily. It also holds up to wind better and so I’ll anchor it there or on the ground. I added a little two-shelf unit so that way I keep the clothes I wear all the time in it for easy access. And then I have a portable toilet that I use night times and pine pellet cat litter (laughs) in it. That way I can leave the table down all the time, all the things on top of the table are velcroed onto it. The little standing unit I have is velcroed to the floor. And I tried to move it today and I couldn’t detach it, so it works pretty well. This is my own personal thing, the license plate of the year I was born and my parents took me on my first road trip when I was two to three weeks old. In a wicker laundry basket in the back of an old Packard. So, when my mom passed, I found the license plate from when I went on my first adventure road trip and now I have almost 33 thousand miles more of road tripping. So… a special thing. And I wouldn’t have the van without the love gift from my parents when they passed, so I get in it and I’m always thankful for every time I get in and take off.