If you are like me and new to "Van Life" or small RV living you probably have so many questions…read morethat you don't even know where to start, well, now you do. You start with reaching out to Dan and Sam and you make plans to visit Van Life Sanctuary. I didn't find them by looking for "Van Guru" or "Van God" or even "That dude that knows everything about van life and can make your problems go away" Although all of these should bring up Van Life Sanctuary as the #1 hit on any Google search - are you listening Google, make it happen! I am fairly new to Harvest Host but have loved the previous stays so I just looked for a new place to try near me, which led me to clicking on the little icon just south of Greenwood on Hwy 25. That click though...man..that click. Have you ever felt fate reach out and gently guide you? How about slapping you across the head and saying "Whooooweee! This is it!" because that's what it felt like. Reading about Dan's dream and the services he offered caused a weight that I didn't even realize I was carrying to lift from my shoulders. You see, MY dream has been to upgrade my 22 year old Class B Dynamax Starflyte to a LiFePo4 off grid shuttle craft to destinations unknown. I ordered all the stuff to make this happen but learned that what you can't order is experience, know how, and ingenuity. I'm pretty handy, I was an aviation maintenance technician in both the USMC and the Army National Guard, I can read and interpret instructions, I'm capable at troubleshooting. What I couldn't do was figure out what those gosh durned extra things in my electrical bay next to the battery and power panel were. I looked at every schematic I could find, I watched every YouTube video available on upgrading to lithium and an inverter charger but no one showed those two solenoids and what they did. I called and tried to get help from several installers but they were only willing to help me if I bought the parts from them and it was already too late for me to return the several thousands of dollars worth of inverter, batteries, charge controllers, monitors and etc. They wanted to squeeze every nickle they could out of me. Dan isn't that guy. I reached out and he just said "Sure, bring it on over." and the cool thing is, Dan offers multiple levels of assistance from being your Jedi master to letting you drop it off and come back when it's ready. I chose a hybrid of learning from Yoda and helping with what I could while picking Dan's considerably vast wealth of knowledge. It was so incredibly cool when we worked together to solve issues and then test them with a successful conclusion that those of you who don't enjoy sudoku and 10,000 piece puzzles may not be able to appreciate. Let's just say it lead to cheers and fist bumps and immense happiness. So, other than solving all the worlds problems what more does the sanctuary offer you ask? Plenty! If you got into Harvest Host because you love to just throw a dart at a map and go where it lands then you will be very pleased with the cool small town vibe and great local cuisine that Greenwood has to offer. From burgers to BBQ there are too many great places to list, however, very close to the VL Sanctuary is the Cheeseburger House, your cardiologist would say it was to die for! Travel with you dog like I do? You probably are always having to find new places that will engage him and places he can get out some energy. My pup, Harley, who is THE goodest boy that ever wagged a tail was enthralled by animals all around us, chickens, ducks, kitties and a goat, who may actually be the Devil according to Harley. Very close to the VL Sanctuary is Stockman Park. It's small but has a large grassy field and possibly the cleanest and least offensive porta-john I've ever used. A short drive away is the historic Star Fort, a revolutionary war site with some cool remnants of earthen battlements and a couple miles of walking trails. There's also a rails to trails where you can walk that pup more miles than you really would ever want to. So with all that walking and sweating over the work you're doing on your van or RV you may find the need to get a shower. With my electrical system disabled for a few days I had no electric pump and I'm not a member of any of the local gyms so I had to search for a place. Turns out that within walking distance or a short ride is a service station called "Hot Spot" that offers pay showers, problem solved. In this day and age we all need to be connected and the WiFi signal that is provided is VERY good. I was able to watch YouTube, stream video from Netflix, and get in some gaming, yep I'm a bit addicted to Diablo III and Disc Golf Valley, don't be a hater. The last thing I can think of that a weary traveler needs is to unwind and just relax. The hospitality that Dan and Sam offer is amazing, they treat you from day 1 like an old friend and so pleasant to be around that you will feel same about them. There's a cool firepit but I'm out of room!

Dan at Vanlife Sanctuary is the best!  I recently retired…read moreand plan to travel to visit with family/friends, see new places and go camping for as long as I want.  I bought a used Ford E-350 van with a hightop and am going pretty minimalist with my build, but knew I must have some basic comforts/conveniences like a roof fan & a 12v frig.  I originally contacted Dan via Vanlife Sanctuary's website.  After exchanging a couple of emails where Dan answered my initial questions, I met with him for a consultation and went forward with getting a roof fan & house battery installed.  Dan made great recommendations, did very skillful work and was friendly & professional.  I know very little about the electrical aspects and Dan was patient with all my questions & really helped me understand the final setup. I definitely recommend Dan & Vanlife Sanctuary for help making your vanlife dreams come true!