The day I brought Anna home

Today was a very important day for me.​ Today, I picked up my camper van! I woke up feeling excited and also a little nervous. The only time I had driven her before was in a parking lot, together with the previous owner. First, she made me practice U-turns and tight turns. I really had to work for it. And then, before I knew it, we moved on to the road, and she had me take a roundabout.​ Pffff.... But everything went well, and I remember feeling so proud of myself.

This was different.​ I had to do it all by myself.​ I had to drive her from the storage to Roseanna's Guesthouse, the Airbnb where I’m staying​ right now. This included a stretch on the highway. Luckily, the Airbnb host was kind enough to drive me to the storage facility where my camper van was waiting for me.​ I call her Anna, by the way. I named her after my dear grandmother, whom I loved very, very much.

So there I went.​ From the storage… straight onto the highway.​ Anna is not exactly small: she is a 1987 Ford Econoline 460, 25 feet long. Much bigger than anything I’m used to. The biggest vehicle I had driven before this was a Nissan Frontier SV, back in 2018, when I drove from San Francisco Airport to Yosemite during one of my pet sits.​ Normally, I drive a tiny Toyota Yaris. So yes, this felt like a big step.​ But once I was on the road, something shifted.​ I felt confident.​ I knew I could do it.​ Of course, I made a few mistakes, but that was to be expected. And honestly? It felt kind of amazing.

She makes a lot of noise, but when you drive around 50 miles per hour (about 80 km/h), the engine settles down and starts purring like a lioness.​ And as I got closer to the Airbnb in Errington and turned onto the smaller roads, I suddenly felt happy​ - really happy. I saw green fields, a bright blue sky,​ ​big fluffy clouds and mountains with their tops covered in snow.​ And there it was.​ A smile on my face.​ A sense of freedom.​ And for the first time in a long period, I felt truly free.

I can’t wait for all the adventures ahead and to share them with you!