We survived our first night in the Magic Van! After dropping off the rental car and hitting the road in search of a place to sleep (see entry #1), we finally spotted a Walmart parking lot at around 11pm somewhere along the 95 south of the Providence airport.Once parked, James began mastering the electronics (heater!) while I unpacked a bit. Unfortunately since our box of supplies that we shipped out before we left was waiting for us in New York, this meant that we had no blankets or pillows for the night.
As the excitement of finding the van began to wear off, fatigue hit and we bundled up in about 4 layers of thermals and jackets, beanies, gloves, an awning cover we found lying around and extra sweaters as pillows. Then we braced for the cold night.The Wind was howling and gusting so hard I was certain the van was going to blow over. We managed to get some broken hours of sleep, waking up only when it got so cold we couldn't sleep anymore.
Thankfully my fears of the van toppling over were never realized and we woke up to a thin layer of snow on the ground. It melted quickly with the sun and James made his way into Walmart for a blanket and some pillows. Then a quick stop at Home Depot for a part to fix a leak in the sink, which James somehow was able to figure out in the ice cold temperatures. Then back to Walmart for some basic supplies and breakfast stuff...apples, water, plain yogurt, tangerines, baby wipes, antibacterial gel and dish soap.
Thankfully my fears of the van toppling over were never realized and we woke up to a thin layer of snow on the ground. It melted quickly with the sun and James made his way into Walmart for a blanket and some pillows. Then a quick stop at Home Depot for a part to fix a leak in the sink, which James somehow was able to figure out in the ice cold temperatures. Then back to Walmart for some basic supplies and breakfast stuff...apples, water, plain yogurt, tangerines, baby wipes, antibacterial gel and dish soap. 
As we were getting ready to head to the next stop (New York), reality set in that we are all the way on the East Coast in the middle of winter with no way home other than this Magic Van. Have we completely lost our minds? For the full Rhode Island to Connecticut photo album, click here. You can also view other city adventures by clicking on the links in the top right of this page.
You guys are brave souls! Thanks for the updates.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the back story to the 'Magic Van'?
Take care and be safe.
AP (Alex Polen)
The Magic Van is owned by our friends Tim and Rachel. They spent a year driving across the country in it and were the inspiration for our abbreviated version. I'll be blogging about them soon, keep checking in! Also, you can read about their adventure at www.myspace.com/jalopytour
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