The Big Yellow Van was my and River and Skye’s home for 7 years
Life happens! You’re moving along and then out of the blue, something unexpected happens that gets in the way, I actually had a feeling 8 days ago that “life” might be about to happen as I slowly and ever so carefully nudged the Big Yellow Van into the service bay at the Oxendale GMC dealer in Flagstaff.
Over the past year and a half the van had lost brakes twice (thankfully while I was on dirt roads) and the driveshaft had come loose causing differential damage. Now I was getting intermittent squealing sounds from the brakes, an occasional harsh shrieking sound from the right rear tire, and a clunking sound when I baked up. Things were not looking up and became less so when the service manager beckoned me into the service bay to “look at this”.
There standing next to the van was a tech with the same bemused smile that I remembered from a year ago at a guy at a different shop. “See this”, he said, as he gently pushed the driveshaft in and out. “It’s not supposed to do that”. All that was holding the driveshaft – and the right rear tire – was a thin piece of metal plus the brakes were trashed and the differential was almost certainly damaged. It was a replay of the same (apparently highly unusual) thing) that happened a year earlier in Vegas. The report said, “Not safe to drive”.
After 13 years, 224,000 miles, two cross-country trips, and thousands and thousands of miles exploring the forests and deserts of the West, the Big Yellow Van (GMC Savana Extended 1-ton). was finally done. It had been a great companion for the seven years that I’d lived out of it. I gingerly drove it to a hotel and started looking.
It was going to be either a truck or a van and my partner and I, to our surprise, ended up coming down firmly on a van for various reasons (it was complicated). Our main requirement was a bigger motor in case we buy a trailer. No extended vans were readily available so we opted for a normal-sized van (now known as “the little white van” :). The big yellow van is done – long live the little white van!
Then the real work began. Moving the solar panels, batteries, and roof racks, the hitch over, attempting to remove the Roadmaster Suspension over (fail), shelves, and stuff over to the new van. Securing a storage unit to hold the stuff the new smaller van could not hold.
Next comes driving to Las Vegas to throw away stuff from an already packed storage unit so I can move the stuff from the Flagstaff storage, then put the shelves in, get the solar fully connected, etc.
I’m surprised I’ve held up as well as I have but it’s been exhausting and that’s why Health Rising has been on a bit of a hiatus (1 blog in the last 9 days). The blogs will return soon – perhaps a bit more slowly but they will be back.
Thanks for your patience!
Yours truly,
Cort
If anyone has the background to understand the need for a hiatus here, it’s your readership. Please take as long as you need!!
(also, cute dogs)
Thanks!
Bless you, Cort, for all you have done – so well! – for our community. May all go unexpectedly smoothly for you as you work on the van and take whatever restorative rest you need. So grateful for you and your work! 😌
Thanks, Mar 🙂
Well said!
I totally agree. Thank you for all of your hard work, Cort, and please take all the time you need to take care of business and to recuperate.
You definitely need to chill for awhile. We’ll still be here looking forward to your outstanding blogs, keeping us informed and educated about ME/CFS/FM.
We need you Cort so we get it. Hugs
Glad you’re okay, Cort, and that you found a new van. Take your time, we’re not going anywhere! (no pun intended!) be well
Sorry to hear about your misadventure. Not fun. I feel such gratitude for all you do, and I am not alone. So, please take care of yourself. We need your great reporting.
So impressed with your dedication and your dogs. Please know you are appreciated and my thoughts are with you♥️
I wish it happened in Pensacola as I have friends that love to work on GM vehicles.
Vehicles can cause as much stress as any condition known to man and I feel your pain.
You are very much excused for the time being and keep up the great work.
Ha! It’s been a great van actually. It just had this weird problem over the past couple of years. The tech said it’s very rare – and it happened twice in one year! The van’s time had clearly come – so thanks for the many memories and on to the next one 🙂
What a legend and what an inspiration.
Perhaps I am not too old to go back to a van and again be free to choose clean air environments away from neighbours sickening chemicals.
Now please turn down the dial Cort and carefully pace yourself for a good while..we need u but only come back when u r fully recovered from such a drama
Take time out to recover and rest! Summer is a time to re-group and relax anyway. Hope you are feeling better soon. Sorry about the van.
Relieved that you are okay. “Stuff” can be replaced, but you can’t be. We all need you badly. So please take all the time that you need, and take extra time to take care of yourself, your partner, and your critters too.
I love that you live in a van. I’ve done the same at various times. Drop me a line if you’re ever in Missoula and want to connect. We’d have a lot of interesting stuff to talk about.
Thanks – will do. I was up in Montana a couple of years ago 🙂
Good luck with all of it, Cort, and please take the time you need to take care of yourself. That’s a huge amount of energy output, and a big adjustment. Ah, life. It does happen, ME/CFS or not.
It is a big adjustment and yes, life happens, whatever we want it to or not. It didn’t happen on my timeline but the van did hang in there just long enough so I could replace it with another van with the engine I needed. Those vans just became available. So, thanks, van for hanging in there just long enough. 🙂
💛💛💛Enjoy
224k miles! That is a solid effort. Good luck with the transition. Long live the little white van!
There is some sort of irony in the ready availability of a report that can definitively state “Not safe to drive” in contrast to the medical aspects of your life.
I was hoping for 250K but am very happy with 224K – not bad at all! Long live the “little white van”! 🙂
If only we had such clarity with ME/CFS. May that come as soon as possible.
This change must be very jarring! Sending you support as you acclimate to your new home and new normal.
Glad you are OK and found a new van quickly! It’s summer, and I just thought you were on vacation. 😉 Sorry it wasn’t but please take all the time you need because we need you safe and sound, physically and mentally! How you do all the writing you do do is beyond me. Blessings!
Wow, procuring a new home and then dialing it in is huge! Hope you take it slow and steady so you don’t overexert though not easy when you need it to live in. Thanks for all you do Cort… we’ll look forward to your excellent work when you’re back from hiatus.
So very sorry! But completely understand. Look forward to your next blog/update. Good vibes to you!
Goodness -you live in van and manage to do all that work! Not many people do that in the UK, but of course you have fabulous wide roads and can just follow the sun. I’m still impressed. Hope that it doesn’t set you back. Don’t rush. Good luck and take care of your kind self first.
Come out West sometime if you can Sally and gape at the big open spaces. Its amazing what’s out here 🙂
Echoing what we are all thinking and posted, Cort please take as much time as you need to and get settled in the new van, move stuff best as possible, and catch your breath. For sure YOUR health is more important than anything. While I haven’t posted in ages, just know I’ve read all your blogs and comments. We’ll all be here whenever you are ready! Good luck as your life journey continues 😎
Take good care of yourself Cort. You provide a tremendously helpful service and we can wait until you are settled and “rested”.
Awe…. That’s too bad. It must be like losing an old friend ! Take your time… we aren’t going anywhere !! Best of luck with everything !
Just adding to the rest: take care of yourself (and those cute doggos). We’ll be here when you’re ready to be back at it.
I fully understand as I live in a minivan and have for 4 years and almost 10 months.
Thanks for the update, Cort. Life is definitely sending you a “slow down” message, if only for a little while. Naturally, we all know that message!
Question: how do you and your partner stay cool inside the van? I hear the southwest is having some hellacious heat. So many of us are so heat sensitive now.
Safe travels!
We move upwards! Right now we’re at about 7000 ft. It’s in the upper 80’s. This weekend in something I haven’t seen before it’ll be up in the upper 90’s. I’m actually pretty good with heat and it will be nice when it goes down.
I hope things continue to go better than expected! Too bad you won’t have as much room, though. Are you two still wearing Oura rings? I got mine several years ago because of your review and I love it! Found I am much more active than I realized, and get much less sleep than I estimated!
I’m really sorry to hear about your saga, Cort! But also glad it wasn’t even worse… Just take care of yourself and we’ll “see you” when we see you. And congratulations on your new van; may it live long and be ever so dependable!
I’m really enjoying it – thanks! And yes, here’s to a long-lived, powerful, trail-crunching, and dependable van 🙂 The smaller size is a big asset out on the dirt roads actually. It feels like a little VW 🙂
Dear Court Johnson, you are an amazing man!! Thank you for your unwavering dedication to help all with ME. I didn’t know you lived in a van as a nomad. I have been trying to do the same for three years. I can not afford to live in an apartment on SSDI. My van ended up undrivable, too. I’m not giving up either. I’m always seeking a safe vehicle in which to live and wander.
Take all the time you need. Be kind to yourself. Thank you for sharing your challenges with us.
Respectfully, Katie
I wish that van could have stayed intact and I could have given it to you Katie! Darn. Good luck with your finances and finding a way to make it work. Van life certainly is a money-saver.
Sending encouragement and virtual hugs. Please take excellent care of yourselves while finishing this project. We’re grateful for your work. I have no doubt you’ll be back to reporting when able.
Cort, you have been one of my major sources of support, news and medical interpretations for many years. I am so grateful for all your hard work and am happy that nothing bad happened to you and your partner while driving the van. You have landed on your feet with the poise and equanimity we’ve come to expect from you. Please rest well before you hit the road again.
Ahh- so nice! Thanks 🙂
Thanks for all you do, Cort! Sound like she (the van) had a good run. Those pups are adorable 🙂
I am happy to hear that all went well. Rest up and watch out for any signs of PEM
Take your time in starting up again. I love your articles, but I want you to be healthy!
Following your blog is taxing for my fibro fogged brain. Everytime I see a post in my email, I think “gawd another one!” So I didn’t mind the hiatus, kind of enjoyed it. But sorry about what happened to you. Hope all is well with you!
My husband, David Maughan and I met you many years ago after a ME/CFS meeting. I’ve been sick almost 24 years now. I’m seen by Dr Kaufman who is now in Seattle. He’s helped me greatly but I am mostly housebound except for weekly craniosacral treatment. I admire your work greatly. You’ve helped me keep up with what’s happening in our world
Dear Cort,
Your information and the way it is presented is so well researched-
I imagined you in a high tech house built on the side of a cliff and maybe designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. My estimation of you has risen accordingly. Yes, take some time for Cort and know that you are most appreciated . Thank you, thank you and shalom.
:)….It used to be a little single-cab small pickup truck! That house sounds nice, though. Me and my partner are trying to figure out a way to build a small house. Hopefully, that is in the future. 🙂
If you set up a GoFundMe, I think you’d get a lot of support for a small house. And think of the blog possibilities!
Any of us can donate or subscribe to HealthRising— a GoFundMe is not required! Hope this saga inspires more of us to help support Cort’s important work.
Thank you Cort for writing back. For a bit I thought -“wow, this fibro fog really has gotten to me if already wrote about this. Phew-what a relief so merci for clearing it up for me. Also, I have tried to sign up for donations in the past but for sure my cloudiness short circuited me putting it together. I will try again. And, again, I am grateful for your website and all the information you pull together.
Thanks!
Take good care, Cort. Thanks so much for all that you do. And I agree with everyone who posted ‘cute dogs’. What would we do without them?
Great question. We have a pet blog coming up actually – which was spurred by my dogs. It took me so long to decide to get them. I let my fears that I couldn’t handle them with my ME/CFS get the best of me for the longest time. Then someone gave me a push and it actually worked out just fine.
Sorry to hear about your van Cort. Good luck with the new one and God Bless! Hope things work out well for you, your partner and your pets.
Thanks, Roy 🙂
I’m shocked to hear you live in a van. It’s bad enough having ME/CFS etc. Take a break Cort,
the message is clear to you (from the Universe!). Cuddle up with the doggies and REST ……
You do all this living in a van with ME and more? I am amazed! Take care of yourself!
Cort, you are such an amazing person, and the work that you do for our community is worthy of a peace prize. Take time off! Even when your new van is set up, take more time off. If anyone deserves it, it’s you. I love that you’re a traveler! I sold everything once, bought a tiny (old) RV, adopted a dog, and became a travel writer. I get it! Do take care.
Sounds like good times, Kristine and thanks for the good advice 🙂
It’s nice to take a breather! The old van, it’s like losing an old friend…makes me think of the old lang syne song for some reason. Life likes to send us in a different direction at time. Here’s to new beginnings with your new van! I vaguely remember that new car smell….LOL. Enjoy the time off.
Long live the little white van, indeed! And please take all the time you need for aggressive rest therapy and some fun. You come first!
Dear Cort, Please take it easy and put yourself first. You have what we all have and I can’t imagine how stressful and immediate your move is. Good luck with the solar and the white van. Thank you for always, always putting forward the best blog for me I could dream of. I really love you. Linda
Cort, so sorry to hear about Old Yellow Van. Sounds like she served you well and you took her on great adventures.
May you travel many miles and many new adventures with Little White Van.
You have taken all of us on the journey of the newest information regarding our illness.
I thank you.
Please take care of yourself
.
Thank you , Cort, for allowing us into your life a bit!
Ever want to stop in Williams or stay a night on our property ,let’s make it happen!
Nice! Thanks Jeanie!
The same offer goes if you are ever near Lula, GA. I’ve appreciated your emails for years. Turnabout is fair play. So if you need a place to park for a spell, let me know.
Echoing what others have said, Best of luck, Cort, with the change and be gentle and healing with yourself as much as possible.
Thank you for such an informative site, I really appreciate it as well as your very sharp mind, your dedication over many years and your ability to communicate and share much needed ME/CFS information.
Last but not least, I also appreciate the sense of community your efforts have brought about.
Good luck to all of us and may there be a breakthrough soon!
Thanks Thomas 🙂
Take care of yourself Cort ( + dogs of course ! ) , the most important thing currently, and we will wait patiently for your return , once the little white van is set up ! You are an inspiration to so many of us , and all out of a van , it’s amazing. Do hope the heat subsides as that will help as well .
Thank you again for all your wonderful work 👍
PS Just found interesting article out of Berlin , Carmen Scheibenbogen, title “ Fighting Post -Covid and ME/ CFS – development of curative therapies “ June 2023 . Sorry not to provide link ….
Cort, I am very grateful for the work that you do with this blog. I sometimes send your articles to family members, one in particular who is very fit, being a 6th Dan Black Belt, who has trouble getting it into their head the problems we have with excerising. I think it’s beginning to sink in!🤞Thank you!
Good luck! It’s hard for people to get for sure.
All the best Cort!
Thanks for all you do Cort, it is very appreciated. I didn’t realise you were living in your van. Must have been very stressful with big yellow breaking down. Vehicles can mean so much more than A to B when you’re not well. All the best with little white and future trucking.
P.S happy to hear about the dogs in future blog posts too!
The dogs have certainly enjoyed the van life. They’ve gone all over the country – seen so many things – all the while living in nature.
Good luck with the new van refit – impressive that you conduct such an excellent website and research investigations from your van-home. I lived in a tent half the year, renting out my home to pay the bills and found that was a very positive experience. I look forward to the blog about your lovely dogs: I have put off getting the dog companions I long for, because I worry my unpredictable health would put them at risk. So I can’t wait to learn from your wisdom and experience on this – but first, take good care of yourself, chill, refit and take it easy.
Thanks, Rosie – to get or not get a pet – it’s an good question! Thanks for your kind words 🙂
Prend tout ton temps Cort. c’est déjà énorme le temps que tu nous consacres . Pense à toi et profite de ton compagnon et de tes beaux chiens.
Sorry to hear about your big yellow van Cort. I hope the white van gives you many years of trouble free driving. Please take your time and make sure that you look after yourself. We will all be waiting here when you return. You help us all so much.
Very best wishes Cort. That sounds heroic. I couldn’t do it!
Take your time. Don’t damage your health getting back to blogging too quickly. You’re too valuable.
Ah, I didn’t realize you’re a “van life” traveler. Are you a YouTuber about that, too? I wish you well. Don’t worry about any delays in blogging. Your site and past posts have enough to keep us busy for a very long time. One step at a time…
Health Rising keeps me totally occupied so no Youtube van life stuff for me. I do learn a lot from the vanlife community, though. 🙂
Thanks, Cort, for the fuller picture of your recent days. Please add me to the list of folks who are wishing you well. And PLEASE DO take some time off. We’ll be here when you get back.
Hi Cort, Just sent you an email, check it out.
You’re bad*** dude. Keep on keepin on. I know it’s a grind sometimes living the van life. But remember there’s a lot regular home dwellers like me who sometimes wish they could live outside with nature and migrate with the seasons. Urban dwellers don’t get to hear the coyotes howl, the owls hoot, and see the fawns take their first steps. Cheers
I wish you and your human partner and your canine partner nothing but the best!
Hope your new vehicle/home has a long life and provides all the comfort and travels you need.
Regarding the energy expenditure…funny how adrenaline works, isn’t it?! Thank God for stress hormones when we need them. Hopefully there is no crash in your future.
Cort, I just watched your presentation to Lorrie Rivers on the Living from Inspiration Summit. You were still living in your yellow van, so this was recorded before the events described in this blog.
Good presentation! You summarized the recent research that you’ve reported to us here in a very accessible manner.
I’m wondering if you’ve ever tried methylene blue? There was a presentation just the day before you about it and I’m intrigued. I didn’t know it was used for malaria in the 1890’s and then dropped, but is now being used again. Interesting.
Hi Cort, sending you tons of positive energy for your van adventures. We live near San Diego and have a fully kitted out workshop. We hosted a van life couple during their build a couple of years ago. Happy to offer you the same if that would be helpful. Thank you for all you do in this space. Your site has been so very helpful during my long COVID => ME/CFS journey.
So the Hits Keep Coming!!! The Disease Is Not Enough and the Van God steps in front of you! You Are A Beast Cort Johnson! Thank You For Pushing Ahead! We Patients are Cash Poor including You ! But I’m Donating to You My CFS Friend, Because you do more with so Little that I know my offerings will Multiply!
We-I- support you to take the time to calmly? do all you need to do to take care of yourself- Just as you’ve been taking care of us for so long, Cort!
That’s a lot of work. Pace yourself. You can write more later.
Congrats on your new van, Cort. Hope the whole thing didn’t take too much out of you. Enjoy the journey and May it be a healthy one!
You are truly an inspiration to us all. There’s nothing more exhausting than moving one’s living space. I was down and out for about a month after the last move – and my husband did all the physical work. I’m glad that you have a partner to share the load. Please be good to yourself. You’re so important to us!
Thanks – quite a journey it is!
Is the person writing about his new white van living in it with a partner? I simply can’t believe it. Do they not have a home, mobile or not? The white van is so small, I cannot believe one person lives in it, let alone 2.
Do either/both of the people have ME/CFS. Sorry if this has all been explained before, I just feel so sorry for them.
It was actually a bit bigger van. My partner visits but does not live with me year round. The van is too small for me – when the weather requires it I set up a tent. Otherwise I bring a table, bedding and cook grill outside and set up camp. 🙂
Cort- I totally understand your hiatus and can viscerally imagine the challenges associated with your move and all the intricacies associated with moving. Your work is so appreciated and appreciated encouraging. Thank you for giving us hope and an organized and useful resource.
What a relief that you, your partner and those handsome dogs are all OK. You got to the mechanic just in time!
That yellow van brought this community so much knowledge as you were going through your illness journey. It did a good service for us all.
There are so many topics, studies, advocacy events I would’ve never known about without your blogs. A big thank you to you and your van. May your next van serve you just as well.
As for me, I had no idea. I’m just catching up on blogs, in between. Repairs so noisy and unfriendly to PWME just so happened to keep me up this week. My disease keeps me away for longer stretches these days. Also, probably like many reading who can’t comment when they’re here. Those readers probably want to say thank you, too. So, I’ll say it again for them.
Cort, I am amazed at all you do for those of us who need hope desperately. You are a beacon in the storm of ME/CFS and Long Covid. As a sufferer yourself, I have seen such compassion for all of us that it think is truly legendary.
When a lonely week of suffering goes by we know you are out there taking us along with you on a very difficult journey, especially for those of us who are alone without a support system of family or friends.
It has been 3 years and 8 months for me and I have yet to find a doctor in the South who will see me. I caught Covid-19 in January 2020. Long Covid is all I know since then.
It has been really great to see all the materials you bring together for us as a community. Thank you so very much. At the end of the day, there are some of us who have nothing but the info you publish.
Glad to hear. It keeps me going as well.
A doctor review program is coming up!