Two Letters From Al Fry
(Page 3 of 5)
March/April 1971
By the Mother Earth News editors
Remember, no other nation in the world has thousands of used transportation cars for so little or refrigerators, ranges and appliances available used and second hand so cheap. It's incredible. You can enjoy life no matter what the brain washers say . . . And everything enjoyed is greater when shared. My greatest moments were usually spent in modest surroundings with good company . . . good conversation . . . guitar picking . . . philosophical feasts . . .
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Some people are born with itchy feet and are generally discontented. For such people, being tied to the normal routine is a prison. What amazes me is that so many of these folks resign themselves to it. After knocking around this country and a few of the World's "last frontier/paradise" spots for some years I am convinced that almost anyone—regardless of education or burdens—can live a satisfying, reasonably comfortable life the "Gypsy Way".
I've tried a number of approaches but, in a nutshell, I think the most comfortable way to live on the road is by investing in a mobile, self-propelled home built from a converted bus or van. At this moment I could pick up a number of such vehicles within a 20-mile radius for less than a thousand dollars apiece. If you hoard a little away and wait for the right deal, you'll find there are some fantastic bargains available.
I personally favor the converted step-vans but, if I had more than my one son, 1 suspect I would try to get a small Greyhound-type bus which has so much more room at the expense of conspicuousness and gas economy. I have met a number of New Gypsys with these big rigs and some have put in a workshop in which they do leather, jewelry, paintings and whatnot to help pay for their gas along the road. Some hit the national parks and tourist spots. Others work the more bohemian centers or just sell their wares the itinerant way.
Once you've made the initial investment, whether for a banged up van (with decent engine) at a couple of hundred dollars or for a ten thousand dollar commercially-manufactured motor home, the rest is easy. Adjustment is mainly mental and this can be helped by absorbing the information in MOTHER or any of the other back-to-the-land material now around for the looking. If money is scarce, sit tight until you get a little nest egg ahead for emergencies. While you're waiting you can outfit your home on wheels.
Conversion is easy and you'll find lots of room under the floor of your particular rig. As an example, I have a small, stripped down water heater mounted to the frame of my van and it provides outdoor hot showers when I'm plugged in to service outlets. It also holds spare water when I'm on the road. I .have a lot of tools and paint under my camper's floorboards too and they make me extra dollars when I spy a painting or sign job to be done.
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