THE CAR-SPORT TOP : ADVENTURE-1

 

Rolling homes that make an R.V. look palatial, But having said, lets begin right at the beginning with The Car.

Their car was, of course, heavily adapted to the nomadic life. It has over 10USB charging ports, seven - 12 volts power ports, and six 110-volt plug ins.

It took two R.V. type batteries and 400 watts worth of solar panels to power their hatchback, a small fridge, various electronics and a ceiling fan.

The windows had screens, the body panels were insulated, and the bed slept two adults 

It has a D.I.Y rear lift kit, with an upgraded suspension and steering system.

Two rooftop boxes functioned as the attic, holding adventure equipment, backpacks, cameras and accessories.

The car's kitchen consisted of a Craftsman tool bag and ''a random combination of camp kitchen and home kitchen items,'' Ms. Hernandez-Cruz said, everything as light and small as possible.

When hunger hit, they pulled over and cooked : free campgrounds, rest stops, gas stations or the side of the road. Empty, the car weighed just over 2,500 pounds, but full it pushed over 3,700 pounds.

Everything in the car ''has a place, and usually you can reach it in less than three movements,'' Mr. Salwei said. ''Parking is a breeze, it's easy to squeeze into small campsites, and most importantly you can pick it up and move it by hand if necessary.

WHAT if you went on a road trip and never ever came back? Two couples called the road their home for years, logging hundreds of thousands of adventurous miles. Their refuges?

For one couple, a Mitsubishi Delcia four-wheel drive van, small when compared with an R.V. or even other vans, let alone a faddish tiny house. For another, a Ford Festiva, small compared with just about anything on four wheels.

The coronavirus pandemic has idled both couples and their vehicles, for now, so they wait for their next chapters.

That 1988 two-door Festiva came to be known as the  Peace Love Car. it was Sam Salwei's home for eight years.

''While I was working on my bachelor's degree, a friend gifted me the car,'' said Mr. Salwei, 39-year-old native Crystal N.D., who got his degree in social entrepreneurship at the University of North Dakota. ''A free car that was also gas-efficient was a dream. I really didn't need anything else.''

He started with short road trips, then figured he could stay places longer if he didn't need to return home. ''Little by little, I started adapting the car to allow me to sleep in it,'' he said,  pointing to a ''slow five-year conversion.''

As Mr. Salwei's car rests at his mother's home in North Dakota, the couple have continued their travels.

They have spent recent winters in Thailand, but after the coronavirus outbreak early in 2020, they left to ride out the pandemic with Ms. Hernandez-Cruz's family in Puerto Rico. In September they headed for  California, where they, too, bought a Delcia and have been outfitting it while living a hermit-lifestyle in Long Beach.

For Ms. Hernandez-Cruz, who is 40 and grew up in rural Puerto-Rico, ''my life seemed pretty ordinary as I followed the road previously laid by my parents - school, college, marriage, grad school, maybe have children and work at one job for the rest of your life.''

The publishing of this beautiful work continues to Adventure 2. The World Students Society thanks author Mercedes Lilienthal.