Last Update: 2/02/2019

Road Trip! Haida Gwaii, BC, Alaska, and Points North!


Vanholio's been thinkin' an' itchin' at the feet. Six months'n more Texas housebound's got him ready ta Go Big and Go Alaska! Plan is ta meander toward British Columbia and Alaska late March, early April. And he needs your help!

Check out the embedded Google Map below. Vanholio needs your advice on good places along the way. Don't mean tourist traps. I mean good free camp spots, cheap eats, little known side treks, hot springs and swimmin' holes for a bath, things like that.

And I ain't in no hurry, neither. Might take a month or more ta get up North.



"But Vanholio!," ya say, "You're missin' all the best stuff in the mountains and National Parks!" Well, first off, Vanholio's been ta all them parks.

Second, leavin' in spring, the notion is drive desert on the way up, goin' for sunshine and mid-50's weather. Mountains'll be too cold'n snowy that early. Might hit 'em on the way back south, though! TBD

That route there ain't set in stone none neither. It's a work in progress. But it avoids most big cities and interstates. And it keeps ta warmish high desert – Colorado Plateau, Great Basin, Inland Empire, and BC Interior. At least til the end.

Plans A, B or C?


At the end of that road, Vanholio's got a buddy with open invite up in the Haida Gwaii islands. Plan A after is a sidetrip ta Hyder, AK ta notch Vanholio's belt with his 50th USA state. Then it's back south one way or d'other.

But who knows! Maybe he'll hear the Northern Lights callin'! Plans B and C is up the ALCAN Highway or by Alaska State Ferry along the Alaska Marine Highway … Ya'll stay tuned!

So, ya got advice? Wanna hear it. Post in them comments!



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Last Update: 1/22/2019

Vanholio! Is Back! On the Road!

vanholio van overloaded with stuff on top, sagging down the back shocks

Fuck Texas! And fuck house imprisonment! Vanholio's got his dump on the market and's already hit the fuckin' road, Ya'll!

If ya read my last post 6 month ago, ya know that I'd decided ta settle awhile at my rental house in Texas – a failed Baltic Avenue type rental. Bad bizness.

Dreams! Vanholio'd dreamt a woodworkin', gardenin', paintin', and all such housebound pursuits! Especially hangin' with my peeps near every weekend and odd times.

But it was not ta be. Ended up doin' almost none a that shit. Ended up mostly sleepin' on the floor in one tiny room. Might as well a been a van with a cracked engine block!

What can I say? It was a dead end taken, a wrong road turned onto. The only good things was FAST internet and an oven ta bake my bread an' chicken wings easy.

I'm back in the Vanholio! Territory! – for now – livin' the vanlife and dreamin' bigger dreams. And hopin' that fuckin' house sells damn quick, afore it costs me too much taxes and utilities.



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Last Update: 6/01/2018

End of the Road (for Now)


Won't beat around the fuckin' bush: Vanholio's outta vanlife for the near future. He's done moved back to his ol' sticks'n bricks. Deal with it!

Why? Well, it's pretty much what I said in my post a month or so ago: gardenin', woodworkin', cookin' (in a full kitchen), and bein' near my people.

Not ta say he won't hit the road again at some point. Vanholio's always had itchy feet. Could be I'll turn part-timer. Could be I'll sell up and go full-time again when I get sick a this shit. No tellin'.

Only thing for sure is, I'm gonna do whatever the fuck I want!

Don't Expect No More Posts


 No, I ain't bloggin' no more. Been at Vanholio.com for two years — It's gotten boring. Never did make much money nohow, maybe $20 a month. That ain't even a tank a gas! But most important, like I said, it's gotten boring. So there will be no blog about vanlife nor Vanholio's houselife from here on out.

Had fun writing 169 posts for Vanholio.com, plus more besides. Had fun chit-chattin' with readers and others I got ta know on social media. Even met a few folks IRL. But all good things come to an end.

I'll leave up Vanholio.com for a couple years. It covers most a the things newbies need ta learn, plus a bit besides. When Google drops the traffic way down, then I'll smother it with a pillow.

Partin' Wise Words


Get off your ass and hit the road, ya whiny bastard. Or don't, if ya don't really wanna. Just follow your heart, goddammit. It ain't that fuckin' complicated!


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Last Update: 5/03/2018

Washing Clothes in the Van With a Toilet Plunger

ball clothes washer and 5 gallon buckets ready to do laundry

One cheap way ta wash your laundry when vandwelling is with a 5 gallon bucket and a toilet plunger. Just started doin' this last week. Works great! Here's how.

The basic formula is ya get a 5 gallon bucket. Ya can get 'em free here and there. Or ya can buy 'em. I got mine at Walmart for less than $4 each. Ya need the lid, too.

Then ya get a plunger. Any ol' plunger'll do. It helps if ya drill holes in the rubber.

Vanholio got fancy, though. That one in the photo is the Ball Clothes Washer. Sprang for the $25 mostly 'cause I figured it'd be nice ta have the handles. Works fine. Only problem – and I ain't the only one who run inta this – is the workin' end comes loose. Plumber's tape fixed that.

Now, in the bucket lid, ya cut or drill a hole for your plunger handle. That cuts down on water swishin' out.

Toilet Plunger Clothes Washing How-To


  1. Pretreat stains.
  2. Put your plunger inta the bucket.
  3. Add some clothes.
  4. Add some laundry soap.*
  5. Top up the water. Hot is good.
  6. Close the lid.
  7. Work the plunger for about 10 minutes.
  8. Wring out the clothes
  9. Repeat Steps 2-8 with clean water / no soap ta rinse.**
  10. Hang dry.

* Since I'm at my house now, I'm usin' ¼ C Castile soap so that it's safe to pour the wash water onto my yard after. Good idea in the woods, too. One gal told me she just uses hot water and vinegar.

** Photo shows two buckets, but I think ya can use the same bucket again. Also, I put a little vinegar, about ½ C, ta the rinse water to clean off the soap better. Read somewhere that helps.

That's about it! Vanholio didn't invent this shit. He just tried it an' is passin' along.

Heard about other ways a doin' laundry on the road. This is just one. But it's a small enough system for vandwellers. Only issue is havin' 'nough water at hand for the job, about 6 gallons.

Try it out and let me know how it works for ya.

Fancy Toilet Plunger Clothes Washer Video





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