Meet Hank!

Meet Hank the tank Von Matterhorn the newest member of our travelling team.

We met this great Canadian couple that was moving on and was selling Hank. The design inside was not what we were looking for, but Hank was heading for the junk yard if they didn’t sell him, so we had to save him. Outwardly he is a magnet for meeting people. We have people coming up to us on the street to say hi, people yelling as we drive by, people taking pictures beside him – he is a regular celebrity. Why you might ask? What draws people to Hank? Take a look.

With the Canadian flag proudly painted in one window, “eh” etched below, “Hello my name is Hank tt vm” on the back and the piece de resistance along the other side in huge letter “Livin the Dream”. Now after a two day makeover we have transformed Hank on the inside. There was a seat in the back and a bed setup that we just couldn’t handle. The bed was a 3 piece combo with a platform mounted at the back about a foot from the ceiling, you then slid a second slab of wood forward and propped a leg below it. The second slab was only ¾ the size of the first, so we would have to crawl up, more like slither in, lay on an angle and look at the roof a couple inches away. This may not have been so bad, but the tight spaces coupled with the intense humidity and 35 degree heat of the east coast made it impossible.



Our first night in Hank we tried the bunk bed, but just setting it up left us dripping with sweat, so we opted for sleeping under the bed, which was tricky in its own right as I had to sleep with my feet under the seat, while Greg wedged himself between the beams. Our campsite was a lookout off the side of the road with the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore. Laying in a pool of sweat we finally managed to fall asleep with the windows open ot allow at least a small amount of airflow, unfortunately this is not the only thing that flew through the window. I awoke to Greg’s yells as a bat flew in through the open window and hit him in the face. We jumped out as quickly as our awkward setup would allow. Thankfully the bat had flown right back out although it took much searching to convince us of this before we decided to jump back into the van. The second night we decided to lay across the van, so we lay the board sideways, propped up the end with our backpacks and raised our legs to rest on the door. This unfortunately only worked for a couple hours before our legs cramped up and we twisted all night to get comfortable in our 5 foot bed. Finally on the 3rd night we discovered a much more agreeable setting, with the front seats tilted forward and stretched into the front seats, we finally managed to get a decent nights sleep.



So now the makeover is complete and we have a great little set up. Hank attracts attention everywhere we go from young and old yelling “Livin the Dream” with thumbs up as we drive by, constant waves, random hi’s from passerbys and the Canadian connection, causing most Canadians to come over and say. Not sure what the count is at today but as we have walked away or approached Hank, we have noticed at least a dozen people getting their picture taken next to him.

This was the bed setup - you sleep on top of the board you see at the top!

The construction!!

Yup it really is hardwood floor!

The Finished Product!