Behind the duct-taped steering wheel of his 22-year-old Chevy van, its dashboard largely dismantled, revealing wires and switches, Jason Pyle ponders life’s many challenges. And its opportunities.
The 53-year-old has boundless ideas and skills, all while living off the grid. The van is his ride, his home, his workshop and, on these lazy summer afternoons, his sanctuary, spent ruminating under a shade tree with friends.
Pyle has been without a home since the beginning of the year. But he doesn’t consider himself homeless. Instead, he views his mobility as a blessing.
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“I have friends, like, all over town,” Pyle said. “If somebody needs something, I go help them. There’s a lot of people worse off than me.”
At the van’s rear are hitches and frames holding several bikes, spare wheels and gears. At the top is his go-to Trek.
Beneath the bike seat seat, Pyle casually shows how he attached the motor of a leaf blower — for which, of course, he has no need — so that the fan blades press against the rear tire, powering the bike efficiently, he said.