The morning storm.

Chaos struck with the storm's fury. At 6am, I woke to find water dripping into my van, soaking a quarter of my bed and dampening the redwood bed frame with rainwater. I rolled my eyes, too sleepy to deal with it, and turned back over. But by 7am, reality hit harder as the soaked area expanded. The violent rain pelted my van, urging me to act. I jumped into the front seat, whipped off the window covers, and started the engine. The van's engine purred to life, and I sped off to Home Depot.

I knew exactly what I needed: an 8x10 heavy-duty tarp. It was my last and quickest solution to stop the water from invading my home-on-wheels. After buying the tarp, I dashed back, pulled out a 50-foot rope, and began tying the tarp's corners to my van's top, battling the relentless rain and wind. It felt like a warzone: me versus Mother Nature, defending my territory—my van.

With the tarp secured, I drove away, but the tarp flapped violently against my window, visibly struggling against the wind. It looked as if it might blow away at any moment, this big brown "cape" I had donned on my van.