The Open Road is an iconic image.
Watery waves of heat rising off the blacktop, wheels purring as they rush over asphalt. The ever-changing picture show rolling by outside: the motley greens of a forest, the pastel brushstrokes of a desert, the sharp lines of a mountain, the open blue sky over a canyon. The windows rolled down, the radio turned up, and all the world before you, accessible from the endless miles of connecting roadways that weave and curve and loop their way across the land.
The road has always called to me. After graduating college, I decided to answer it. I packed up, built a tiny home into the back of a cargo van, and took off. Every step of the way was an adventure, from buying the van to saying goodbye to it.
You can read about it all here, starting with buying the van and converting it into a tiny home, a process which took 2 years. I took two major trips in the van: the first through Canada and around Alaska, and the second in a loop around the United States. Ultimately, Danica and I visited 25 American states and 4 Canadian states together, including national parks, capital cities, historic sites, and more.
Unfortunately, I realized that as great an experience traveling with Danica was, van life wasn’t really for me. In 2020 I decided to sell Danica and use the money to embark on new adventures, which you can read about on Pushpins and Passports.
The First Night Alone
It’s midnight when I finally stop, so wrung out that I stumble a bit as I drop down on the steps.
Stepping Back in Time in Seattle
Basically, it’s educational, fun, affordable dining with great theming and a better view. If you’ve only got a few hours in Seattle, Smith Tower is the way to make the most of them.
Everything's Turning Up Roses
Arriving at Dave and Nancy’s house presented a slightly-terrifying challenge. And by “slightly-terrifying,” I mean I was fairly sure it was going to put a swift end to the trip.
The Problem with Jumping in the Deep End
I’m not writing this post to complain. I realized that this — everything being a total mess — is part of the whole experience.
I’m not failing at it, I’m doing it.
Spontaneous Side-Trips in Ashland, OR
The road took us past a large lake, then sloped up into the mountains, winding tightly along the cliff’s edge, bouncing up and down as the terrain demanded, tilting in places.
The Final Days Before The Pacific Northwest
Everything that I’ve been thinking about just to keep myself going for the last year and a half. The life I’ve been dreaming about is eight hours away.
I've Named the Van, and I'm Nearly Set to Go
The last week before I left was just as insane, because all of that was still going on, but I also had a lot of goodbyes to get through.
Cabinet Planning
No promises how long this will last. I think it’s both one of my biggest assets and greatest faults that I’m easily distracted and go through regular phases of serious over-achieving.
Progress Easing into Summer
Despite the distractions, I’m trying to stay on top of the build and figuring out how to work with some of the delays.
Construction 101: My Journey From Clueless to Clued-In
I don’t think I’d ever so much as touched a saw of any kind, I had no idea that 2x4 really meant 1.5 inches by 3.5 inches, and the descriptions of some of these screws sounded like gibberish to me (how can a screw be both a Phillip’s and flat? Why is it a #8 but it’s 2 inches long?).