After 2 years of van life in both Europe and North America, our self built camper van is in need of some TLC. We’re in the middle of a road trip from Alaska to Argentina, so we don’t have time to stop at a garage for a couple of weeks. Instead, we’re trying to find the perfect park up to work on the van, in one of the hardest places to do van life that we’ve been to. Welcome to North California and our mission to fix Sophia!
Sesame Ginger Beef recipe! We used Beyond Beef and it was delicious – https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/ginger-sesame-pineapple-beef/
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📍 Redwood NP, Ladybird Johnson Grove (https://maps.app.goo.gl/TYDj1tFv9kNvkiFG9https://maps.app.goo.gl/TYDj1tFv9kNvkiFG9)
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↠ IN THIS VIDEO
0:00 – 02:35 – Crazy west coast fog!
02:35 – 05:35 – Feels like the old van build days
05:36 – 09:07 – California here we come! Inside nature’s cathedrals 🌲
09:08 – 11:09 – We found a hidden pirate cove, or did we?
11:10 – 14:57 – Van Life struggles on the Californian coast
14:58 – 17:43 – We’re on a Mission
17:44 – 21:17 – My first DIY Sprinter van oil change
21:18 – 23:30 – Essential maintenance
23:31 – 28:27 – She’s falling apart… what needs fixing?
28:28 – Job done
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↠ WANT TO WATCH MORE?
Van Life France to Sicily Series
» https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9T0BcGBqYn1NUYY2VXyhlgsLvnXZQWp0
Van Life UK Series
» https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9T0BcGBqYn0ZKqneAbha94jkMnkBBGFr
Van Life Portugal Series
» https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9T0BcGBqYn1NoG9YimtMCTeQpk-aqstn
Van Life Spain Series
» https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9T0BcGBqYn37KGDpBq683reFQuxjlhXR
↠ SEE HOW WE BUILT OUR VAN
Watch our Van Build 2.0 from the start
» https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9T0BcGBqYn09Q7QKe9RSfcmCvu5KgxHZ
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↠ A BIT ABOUT US
We’re Chesca and Ben, and with our two pups River & Scout (🐶 🐶 ) we live and travel full-time in our self converted sprinter van, Sophia. We spent the past 2 years road tripping as much of Europe as we could, from the wild coasts of Portugal to the Syrian border in Turkey, tackling lockdowns and a van re-build along the way. But now, we’re feeling like a new challenge. In the summer of 2022, we’ll be shipping our van from the UK to Canada, on a mission to drive her all the way to Argentina!
23 Comments
Great vlog as always guys love the thumbnail you going for the sexy country girl mechanic vibe. Reminded me a little of Kelly Reilly, Beth Dutton in Yellowstone. Happy travels ❤
Oh my…..those redwoods!!!!!
Thanks for showing us the redwoods my gosh they are spectacular!!!
Great work on the maintenance guys, take care and safe travels.
When you are talking, ditch the music. We want to hear you, not music.
mother nature can sure make us humans feel insignificant you looked so small next to those redwoods great job sharing the maintenance load divide and conquer i would say you guys did a very good job building Sophia if only these few things came loose on those roads as always looking forward to next week Karl from eastern Canada
My wife & I drove the 101 from Vancouver Island to Monterey & back in an MGB convertible along with friends in a TR6, great to relive that journey.
Great to see you 4 doing well. Joy to see the maintenance went well. Poor girl was due for some life blood good job Ches.
As always be safe and keep the smiles coming. Plan on getting some more stickers I'm waiting for you to arrive in Argentina
So I can have an envelope from Greece and Argentina for my collection. What an adventure thank's for the ride.Some day I too can see the great red wood's. Bucket list.
Cheers, keep the faith
Dean
Awesome team work ,great job on mechanical work on Sophia .Been to Redwood forest a few years back ,incredible.❤️
After doing an oil change I'd want a nice long hot shower, doubt I could do it on the road like that but good for you!
Are you able to check out the sea glass rocks?
Great job on all the fixes! Good thing to do before heading into Mexico
Never boring! Wasn’t expecting a van maint tutorial this week. We’ll done Chesca.
Great vid guys. Good call on oil change intervals,(6-7k miles on mine), it pays in the long run to keep good oil. I know it seems like a small thing but, I’d recommend changing those black ‘O’ ring seals on the oil filter even if they look ok, they get a lot of heat and are seated when fitted new, plus the new uns are with the filter, Anyway, Just a heads up.
Excellent work Ches with the maintenance👍, although agree with Ben on those sticker things you wanted!!!…
Safe travels guys. Excellent vids as always🤙🤙
Sophia gets a spa day! Job well done, you two.
The cool foggy mornings are elements contributing to the great wines produced in northern CA…of which i'm confident you'll try.
Yeah my spray glue hasn't lasted in 45* in Greece 😂😂
Ok so California would be one of the most intensive Latino States in North America.
Lets see you start to practice espanol some, before you punch into Latin America.
Name the Fruits. Count in the hundreds and thousands. Animal names for your Dogs sake.
Basic everyday needs. You obviously know you are not the only ones that have traversed the Transpacific Highway.
You guys are doing a great job by the way. Cutting this shit together on the fly takes a lot of work.
Big ups and take care you lot.
What happenned to the sound mixing this week?
So envious, the red woods have been on my bucket list since school. They are amazing. Thanku for sharing. ❤
Great work 👍
The bit you rotate to tighten the hose clamp is known as a worm, hence the worm drives the clamp😊
Good shout on Walmart over Home Depot. Not only cheaper, but if you just need a few bits & bobs the DIY stores take F O R E V E R…(See: 'unnecessarily large') Yep, jubilee clip = hose clamp in the States, but I think the "worm drive" part would confuse even us! 🤔💬
Aww, thank you so much for the shout out! 🤗 Sorry the Ritz only lasted a few weeks, we shoulda got two boxes! 😁
Do you think some expanding foam would work on the gaps around the hose pipes? You might be stuck getting a larger can than is needed, tho…
Some excellent work on a not-small tick list!! Gotta bring some peace of mind having all that done. ❤️❤️😎😎xx
(edit) Gotta agree with Ben, the face smudges brought some authenticity to the thumbnail! 🤣🤣
Chesca I would like to hire your VAN ADMIN crew for work on my car🤣Well done with all of the van jobs. Always easier doing anything with two people (that's you Ben). That private beach through the sea fog was marvelous. A gem of a place and sea otter footprints! The only thing better would have been to see the moms on their backs floating with the babies on their tummies. Great, squeaks repaired 👍 Cheers and 💜 for the week🌻🌼🌻
Drop off to Napa for wine and Carmel. From keith and cynthia