Much has happened this last year.
March 2021: The Nissan service manager was the one who told me that the van was beyond repair (not the mechanic). So I signed over the van to him and rented an SUV to get all my stuff home and started the search for a replacement vehicle. One month later I got a call from the mechanic saying that he had taken the van home and worked on it. He said it was roadworthy again and that I could have it for just what he had put into it IF I wanted it back (parts and labor) if not, he would keep it. Needless to say, I was shocked and pleasantly surprised. So I grabbed a flight to Sacramento and an Uber to Davis. The mechanic told me the electrical was just a burned-out module caused by a defective fuel injector. He worked the whole van over and did several other repairs too. I paid him and drove back home. The van drove so well and I was singing all the way back.
June 2021: I took a 6,000-mile road trip and the van drove well, still getting 25 mpg. I went down through Salt Lake then east through Moab and through Aspen then down to Texas for some camping. I continued up through Iowa and then northwest through South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and the loop around the Olympic Peninsula.
Aug 2021: I had been trying to find a place of my own for the winter while we all waited for some good news on the Coronavirus. Long story short - my darling daughter, through the work she was doing, had met a VA adviser and introduced me to him. He helped me to find a tiny house to rent and I had found a part-time job doing food demonstrations at a Costco that is just 15 minutes away.
March 2022: Now I am feeling settled. Life on the road is not all it's cracked up to be. It was fun for a while but I really think I'm done with that. The van is still running well but with gas prices up over $4 per gallon, well it's just not reasonable.
UPDATE Feb 2021: Remembering Bernie Nofziger who lived a full life, passed away at the beautiful age of 93. He was loved by and will be missed by many people.
