Gentle Trails journal

Headed out early this morning from Green Cove Springs, coffee at the marina still warm, chasing a ’82 VW Vanagon in Ocala for my hiking and waterway adventures. Ninety minutes up the back roads, I pulled up to this air-cooled beauty—rust-free Florida body, manual trans shifting smooth, . Loved it for quick camps by Juniper Springs or St. Johns floats, room for packs, kayak, and poetry scribbles without the van-life flash.Why It Tempted Me? ,Felt that boxy connection to ’80s road poetry—350-mile range potential after fuel tank and line fixes (5/16″ hose kits we eyed). Simple, unique soul spoke my reflective style, ditching bougie solar bars for raw nature bonds. But brakes soft, fuel system brittle—more wrenching than my current bandwidth allows.Keeping It Real everyone’s chasing decked-out vans; I crave basics: bunk, cooler spot, trailhead shuttle that hums with the environment, not Instagram. Vanagon nailed personality—quirky, unpretentious—but needs align better. Short bus peeked too, massive but less nimble.The Hunt Continues its out there: unique rig for waterway hikes, family overnights, no frills. Ocala forest views fueled the fire—back to Marketplace, local ads. Patience turns epic into trail. Nature waits for no van, but the right one’s calling.