Zamia Ventures
39 FOLLOWERS
Hi! We are Shannon and Ken, a couple of average white collar workers who spent years trying to make the most of our weekends. In February 2018, we made adventure the centerpiece of our lives, embarking on an ambitious plan to travel the country for several years in our Airstream travel trailer to visit as many national park units and other points of interest as possible.
Zamia Ventures
1M ago
Despite having been planned as an eastern version of the great western national parks, and sitting within a day’s drive of millions of East Coast dwellers, somehow Shenandoah National Park was one that we had not managed to add to our list of national parks visited. Until now, making it #33. After completing our northbound ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
1M ago
After our last airplane/train/city adventure in Chicago, we decided it was time to take the edge off the summer heat with a mountain hiking trip. We also wanted to do a “big” trip to celebrate our 20th anniversary, but without the hassle of plane travel. Thus was born the idea of a leisurely road trip ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
4M ago
Between our daily visits to the Art Institute and the Chicago Architecture Center boat tour, you might think we didn’t have much time to take in other sights during our recent trip to Chicago. But thanks to the compactness of the downtown area, we were able to see quite a bit while relying exclusively on ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
4M ago
A big part of our motivation for selling the Airstream and truck was to switch to a different style of travel: trips by air and trips to large cities, which we tried to avoid at all costs when towing our house behind us. Our first post-Airstream foray was a brief-but-busy trip to Chicago. I hadn’t ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
7M ago
After settling into our home base, our RV usage dropped dramatically. Our trips have been much shorter — our final camping trip to St. Augustine was just 5 days long — and the 25′ of cleverly-designed trailer space we appreciated for full-time RV travel is far more than we need for short trips. Plus, the ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
1y ago
The last time we visited Ken’s brother and his family in Silicon Valley was way back in 2018, when we stayed in the area the week of Thanksgiving during our time on the road. A return visit was way overdue, plus we were in no particular rush to get back to the heat, humidity, and ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
1y ago
When we planned our two-month summer sojourn in North Carolina, one of the main objectives of the Winston-Salem leg was to get our fill of urban amenities that are lacking in our very beautiful but very rural home community. I think I can say without reservation that we achieved that goal. After suffering through my ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
1y ago
The heyday of cigarette and underwear companies as employers in Winston-Salem was during the middle years of the 20th century. Eventually automation, the lower cost of overseas labor, and general market changes led to much of the manufacturing exiting the area, leaving Winston-Salem relatively bereft of major employers. The 1980s were not a great time ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
1y ago
Judging by today’s numbers, Winston-Salem doesn’t seem like a powerhouse in North Carolina. With a population of about 250,000, it ranks as the fifth-largest city in the state and isn’t even the largest in its immediate region, with Greensboro taking top honors in the Piedmont Triad. But today’s population figures obscure the significance of Winston-Salem ... Read more ..read more
Zamia Ventures
1y ago
After our scenic relocation from the Asheville area, we immediately dove into the activities available in the Winston-Salem area. The city is probably best known as the home of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, particularly thanks to the Winston and Salem cigarette brands, and there’s no question that RJR had a defining influence on the ... Read more ..read more