Travels with Kevan

Installing a lightbar on our 2018 Ram Promaster

Wed, 29 Dec 2021 00:00:00 +0000

After being on the road for a year, we know that the stock headlights on the Promaster leave a lot to be desired. We have experimented with upgrading our high and low beams to LED, which does provide an increase in visibility, however, we still wanted to be able to see better at night when traveling along dark forest roads when we fail to find a camp spot before dark.

I knew I could install a lightbar and couldn’t find anyone that documented the process. I am not an expert, but I feel like it turned out looking good and wanted to share our experience in hopes of helping others looking to do the same.

⚠️ Safety First

Always disconnect the battery before working with electrical components.

Tools & Materials Needed

Tools:

T30 Torx bit
Step drill bit
Hacksaw (or Dremel for cleaner cuts)
Wire strippers/crimpers
Drill and bits

Materials:

31” LED lightbar
Wire harness kit
Butt connectors with heat shrink
Electrical tape
Zip ties
Shorter bolts and nuts (for mounting)
Touch-up paint (for exposed metal)

Time needed: Approximately 4-6 hours

Identify location for install

I decided to install the lightbar recessed into the front paneling. I noted that the bumper aligns perfectly with the bottom opening of the grill. The opening seems like it would fit a 30-32 inch light bar nicely.

I purchased the Nilight 31 inch LED lightbar and the associated wire harness from Amazon.

Installing the exterior light

Remove the upper plastic. There are 4 bolts on top and 2 on the bottom. I used a T30 torx bit to remove all of the plastic pieces. Be careful when prying the plastic away, there are plastic retaining clips along the side and bottom.

The lower panel is removed with bolts around the entire outside edge, 1 in the center, and 2 underneath the van.
After dry-fitting the lightbar, I noted that the center support is in the way of my light, and didn’t think it would hurt to remove it completely. I cut it off and painted the exposed metal to prevent rusting. I have not yet noticed any instability by removing the center support.

Center the lightbar on the bumper, then mark and drill holes large enough to pass the bolts through. I had to get shorter bolts and blindly align a nut underneath the lightbar to secure.
Trace the hood release cable to find passthrough to get the wire inside the cab. I noted there is a rubber stopper blocking a hole I spotted inside the van under the drivers side. It was easy to push the stopper out from the interior side.

Showing open hole to pass switch cable through.
Switch cable passed through the hole.
I reused the rubber stopper as a grommet by cutting a hole and running the switch cable through it and pushing it back into place.

Connect the lightbar to the cable run for the switch. I used butt connectors with heat shrink, then made sure to cover all of the exposed wire with electrical tape for extra protection.
Use zip ties to secure the cable out of the way and ensure it runs neatly to the interior of the cab.

Cut out all of the vertical plastic pieces in the area for the lightbar. I used a hacksaw for this, but I think a Dremel might have been easier.

Test fit on the van to identify where to cut out the plastic to sit around the lightbar mounts.

Reassemble the front of the van, time to start working on getting the switch installed!

Installing the interior switch for the lightbar

Using a step drill bit, I made a hole in the panel that sits next to the fuse box. I had previously installed a switch for my DC-to-DC charger, so it felt like a natural place to put my switch.

I hooked the power directly to the car battery. In the future, I intend to tap a fuse because I don’t personally like having wires directly connect to the battery.

I tucked the cable in with the wire management to get it to the battery, and zip-tied where the wire management was already full.

After putting all the panels back inside the van, you can see the switch is located to the left of the steering wheel.

Final product

Bloopers

I accidentally connected the lightbar with the switch without running the wire out of the way of the hood. That was an annoying discovery.

I found a surprise rodent nest while pulling back panels to run the cable. We had noticed a few signs of a mouse, but couldn’t find it. Now I know for sure I got its nest cleaned up.

First Post

Fri, 05 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0000

Hello and welcome to our first blog post. When we set out on our journey in Kevan, we did it with the thought that we would be forging memories for years to come. We think writing down and possibly sharing those memories is a good way to ensure we never forget the adventures we find along the way.

Today, I (Gene) am working on our website with limited internet connectivity in Craggy Wash just outside of Lake Havasu City. We are gathered up here with several of our friends from the road that are supporting Nelson as he builds out his new bus in the middle of the desert.

The weather has been amazing most days, but there have been two days now that have kept us locked in our van avoiding the wind and occasional rain.

Full Moon Circle

When we arrived at this location, we learned of a planned Full Moon Circle. Having never heard of or experienced anything like this, we knew we needed to go.
We arrived for the evening festivities after dark, with just a blanket and rocks to sit on. We found our spot in the circle and got comfortable-ish.
To open the circle, one of the members of the group shared with us a native ritual inviting the spirits. She sang while we all looked west/north/east/south, then up to the sky and down connecting with the ground.
We then took turns around the circle stating our intention for the night. Kaitlyn and I both stated the same intention: open-mindedness.
Next, we were guided through a meditation that took us out of the desert and to the bottom of the ocean to see what our subconscious needed to tell us, all while reiki was performed and a singing bowl was used.
After we returned from the bottom of the ocean, we did another meditation to find our spirit animal/totem.
The evening was completed with sound therapy provided by a gong. Did you know there are so many different sounds produced by a single gong? We didn’t. It was a very peaceful experience for both of us.
Nights in the desert are cold, so once the circle was closed, we hurried back to Kevan, cranked the heater on, and drifted off to a very rested sleep.

We love that we get to explore and participate in things that we never would have been able to living a typical life. Living in a van has absolutely opened a window into a world we never could have dreamed existed.

Taking our van on the ferry to Alaska

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0000

The goal for our first summer in the van was always Alaska, however when the pandemic caused the border between Canada and the United States to close for all non-essential travel, we assumed our plan was dead in the water. The thought of taking a ferry never crossed our minds until we visited Bellingham, WA in early spring and saw all of the Alaska ferry traffic signs and we decided to look into it. Even though it would cost a pretty penny, we knew taking the ferry would allow us to see more of the state than we would have gotten to otherwise and having less tourists around definitely excited us. We discovered that information on what to expect with the ferry was difficult to come by, and in sharing our journey, we hope to help others that are looking into this option of travel.

Booking tickets

The hardest part of the booking process was deciding which route to take. Our original plan was to take the ferry directly from Bellingham to Whittier. After looking at the route map and deciding what our priorities and top “must sees” were, we decided to take the ferry from Bellingham to Ketchikan, Ketchikan to Sitka, Sitka to Juneau, and Juneau to Whittier, spending a week or two at each port depending on the next ferry’s availability. We learned that being flexible on port “layovers” and departure dates allowed us to leave much earlier than taking a ferry directly to Whittier.

To book boarding passes for both of us and the van, they needed to know how many people were coming, the length of our vehicle, and if we would be traveling with any pets. And just like that, our trip to the 49th state was booked.

Photo Credit Alaska Marine Highway System

Check in

Check in was a bit scary because Alaska Marine Highway does not provide any information on what to expect other than a time that you need to arrive at the terminal. We arrived at the Bellingham ferry terminal at 3:00 pm for our 6:00 pm departure. At the check in counter, they asked for our government-issued IDs, clarified our vehicle and state room requirements, and printed off our boarding passes. There were boarding passes for the 2 of us and 1 for the van that needed to be put on the inside of our windshield. The entire process took a total of 3 minutes. We were then instructed where we needed to drive to get in line to board.

At the vehicle staging entrance booth, they asked if we had propane or firearms with us and put a piece of tape on the windshield based on our answers, and then told us which lane to wait in.

Boarding

They board the ferry based on port and vehicle size. The entire process took about an hour and a half and we were one of the last few cars to board. When it is your turn, they check your boarding pass and ID at the loading ramp and then direct you where to park. You have a few minutes to gather your belongings and then head up the stairs.

We were a bit concerned that we didn’t have any information about our stateroom at this point, but when you board the ship, there is an office on the cabin deck where you get your room assignment and keys.

Sleeping options

Unfortunately, you cannot sleep in your vehicle on the ferry. If you do not want to spend money on a stateroom, you can either pitch a small tent and camp on the back deck (space is first come, first serve), or you can sleep in any of the lounge areas around the ship. Lockers are available to store your luggage.

Photo Credit Alaska Ferry Camping

If you’ve never been on a ship before, know that the rooms are small. As far as staterooms go, there are 4-berth rooms (4 beds) or 2-berth rooms (2 beds) that come with private bathroom facilities, or 2-berth roomettes that do not offer any private bathroom amenities. You can also choose between an inside room (no window) or an outside room (window). The 4-berth and 2-berth rooms come with linens (towels, sheets, pillows, etc.), but the roomettes do not. Linens are available for an extra fee, or you can bring your own.

A word of warning

It is pretty loud in the staterooms. There are lots of creaks and rattles, and you can hear everything that happens in the hallways, so don’t expect a great night of sleep.

Food options

On our ferry, the Matanuska, there are vending machines available with snacks and soda, as well as a cafeteria. The cafeteria provides both hot and cold options that change throughout the day. In non-COVID times, we are sure this functions more like a buffet, but for the time being, they have pre-portioned servings available for you to take as you move down the line, and a grill for made-to-order hot food items. Plan to be in line for a significant amount of time. We tried to arrive to meals early, and still usually ended up waiting 30-45 minutes.

Food prices were surprisingly reasonable and we found ourselves spending $15-30 per meal for the both of us. They sell soda, coffee, tea, juice, and milk, and water fountains were available in different parts of the ship. We did not see any alcohol on our ship. While refrigerators are not available, you can buy ice for $0.25 from a vending machine. Consider bringing a cheap cooler and picking up a 6-pack or two of your beverage(s) of choice to keep with you in the room to save some money.

If you are looking to go as cheaply as possible, there are microwaves available. Lots of people brought ramen, backpacking meals, and other shelf-stable foods to heat up. Condiments are also free of charge, things like saltine crackers, peanut butter, jelly, hot sauce, ketchup, mayo, creamer, sugar, etc.

Bathrooms/showers

Staterooms with full facilities come with their own shower, sink, and toilet. If you book a roomette or choose to tent camp/sleep in the lounges, there are plenty of public restrooms around the ship and shower stalls for all passengers to use that look similar to what you’d find in a gym.

Car deck openings/pets

You only have access to your vehicle while the ship is in port or during the limited car deck calls. If you are traveling with a pet (pets are required to stay on the car deck at all times) or need to retrieve something from your vehicle, there are four 15-minute car deck calls per day. On our ship, the car deck calls were at 8:30 am, 2:30 pm, 8:30 pm, and 12:30 am. During this time, you can walk/feed/potty your pet and grab anything you need from your vehicle. They will make an announcement over the speaker to let you know when the car deck is open and when it is closed.

For the sailing and car deck schedule for your particular trip, be sure to check out the posted times located behind the purser counter on the cabin deck. They will be able to answer any questions you may have.

Entertainment

They call this a “poor man’s cruise” for a reason, there is not much to do. There is no cell service and no WiFi, so make sure to download any books, podcasts, or movies beforehand. There are a few games, puzzles, and decks of cards provided for passengers to help pass the time, and even a small play place for kids, however the majority of entertainment will be found outside looking at the views.

We recommend bringing some binoculars because we saw lots of whales and other sea life along the way.

Check out/Debarkation

On Alaskan Marine Highway ferries, they will announce your arrival to each port 30 minutes before the ship arrives. If you are in a stateroom and getting off the ferry at that port, they will knock on your door 30 minutes prior as well. All you have to do to check out is drop your room keys off in the key box at the purser counter and wait for the announcement that it is okay to go down to the car deck.

Overall experience

Our overall experience was positive. This is a once-in-a-lifetime trip, but we don’t intend to do it again. The views are indescribably beautiful, and we got to see so much wildlife (is there such a thing as too many whales?). The ferry also allows you to visit places you can’t necessarily drive to and saves your vehicle from the wear and tear of those long miles through Canada.

The downsides would be overall price and the toll the journey took on our bodies. Neither of us slept well, if at all, and while the ship does travel through relatively well-protected water, it was very clear when we were in the open ocean and we both had a hard time with sea sickness. Definitely bring Dramamine with you if you struggle with motion sickness.

Price

Now, the part you have all been waiting for: how much did this all cost? We are going to be honest with you, this trip was expensive. There are ways to save money by doing things like booking further in advance or traveling in the off season. You can also save by not reserving a stateroom. But here is the price breakdown for each leg of our trip:

Bellingham to Ketchikan (36 hours)

Boarding passes for 2 adults: $718
Short RV (<=25 feet): $1,326
2-berth inside stateroom: $380
Total: $2,424

Ketchikan to Sitka (48 hours)

Boarding passes for 2 adults: $270
Short RV (<=25 feet): $369
2-berth outside stateroom: $240
Total: $879

Sitka to Juneau (10 hours)

Boarding passes for 2 adults: $178
Short RV (<=25 feet): $212
Total: $390

Juneau to Whittier (36 hours)

Boarding passes for 2 adults: $532
Short RV (<=25 feet): $1,108
4-berth outside stateroom: $633
Total: $2,273

Grand total

$5,966
Hours sailing: 130 (5 days 10 hours)

If you have any other questions about our experience on the Alaska ferry, reach out to us on Instagram @travelswithkevan. We would love to chat with you.