Click to view slideshow.   I had the opportunity to chat with Aniko of Anikona Coffee last week about what it’s like living in the van and always finding an excuse for coffee on the road (I’d say my social life often revolves around coffee and beer). Find the recording here. Some background on Anikona Coffee Farm — based in Holualoa, Hawaii, Anikona farms produces 100% Kona Coffee. Led by Aniko and Chris Somogyi (previous Seattle natives) Anikona farms prides itself on locally grown and processed coffee beans. Grown in the sun and shade of the Kona countryside, their h ..read more

It’s October in Kentucky. The heat is finally starting to subside but the bugs have not. It’s also peak climbing season at the Red. The crowds seem to be growing daily. Every day the parking lot is a little tighter, the lines for the bathroom a little longer, the pavilion a little more crowded. As a result, I pull my van into the newly mowed, highly potholed back “van-land” lot. “Ugh, this spot isn’t as nice as the other one. The other one was closer to the pavilion, there was more gravel and less bugs. My van tires didn’t sink in as much.” “Yeah, but you’re here and it’s nice here.” Says ..read more

I met Vivian while camping at Miguel’s Pizza at the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. A single lady traveling alone tends to stand out amongst a bunch of dudes living in their vans in the parking lot. We hit it off as soon as she asked about my dog — “Chalupa, that wouldn’t happen to be short for Chalupa Batman would it?” Holy shit….I thought to myself. This lady watches The League?! “Sure is!” I responded. From there, we were fast friends. Vivian, or “Mama Grass” as she first introduced herself is I would guess, about my parent’s age. From the way she talks about him, I think her son is about my a ..read more

Usually, when people find out that I’m traveling with just my dog, I get a range of reactions. In summary, they can be grouped into the following categories, coupled with my answers below: Whoa! that’s super cool and badass, good for you! Hey thanks man! It’s been a blast and I’m loving it and I can’t believe I waited this long to live like this — because I am LIVIN (said in Matthew McConaughey Dazed and Confused voice). Are you crazy? You’re a woman traveling solo, do you have a concealed weapons permit. Yes, I’m probably a little crazy. And no. I already accidentally pepper sprayed ..read more

I was lucky enough to grow up in an astronomy-friendly family. By that I mean, my dad regularly took out the telescope and looked at the stars, taught my sister an I how to find things with our naked eye, took us on Astro-camping trips and took a lot of photos through the telescope. This past week, we broke out one of the scopes and took some photos of the moon. It takes some fidgeting with the ISO and F ratings as well as exposure times but the good news with taking photos of the moon is that it's easy to find and pretty obvious when your image is in focus. Here's the set up we used: Meade E ..read more

I made it to Canada! And more importantly, Banff! The park here is gorgeous and the north has lived up to its reputation of hospitality. I’ve met tons of people in Canada but one in particular stands out. I met Kelsey while camping at a free spot, Peaches Point recreation area on Lake Abraham. I saw him riding his bike early on Tuesday morning. We said hello and he continued riding around camp. Later I went on a hike and walked by his campsite. Again we said hello. That afternoon, while I was sitting under the awning reading, he came by again on his bike. Kelsey is probably 65 years old. Tanne ..read more

For the 3rd time since building the van, I’ve reconstructed the bed. But this time it’s for keeps! What I was trying to accomplish: I wanted a stationary bed. I got really tired having to set up and break down the bed every day.  I wanted better access to storage. Sliding things under the platform was ok, but it meant that I could only access certain items from outside — which is not good for stealth camping. I made a hinged bench that allows for access from the inside of the van as well. I wanted to be able to sit up in bed. The previous platform was level with the fridge, which meant t ..read more

I thought I’d take some time to document a few of the awesome highlights of this trip so far. This is by no means a complete list. It seems like every day I see something that causes me to pull over and take a picture, or stop and stare in awe. This country is so crazy beautiful and I still can’t believe that I’m spending the summer touring it. *pardon the brevity and any typos in this post as I’m writing from the Groveland, CA. library balcony with a quickly deteriorating laptop battery! TLDR: So far I’ve visited: Glacier National Park, MT. Big Sky, MT. Yellowstone, MT./WY. Grand Tetons, WY ..read more

I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people so far during my trip. And while I will gladly continue posting pictures of scenic campsites and mountain tops, I thought that sharing my experience of intersecting human experiences would be fun. 6/15/17: Phil. Choteau MT I met Phil after I had spontaneously stopped at one of the (several) dinosaur museums in Choteau, MT. I learned while I was there that Choteau is the proud home of “Egg Mountain” — the highest concentration of dinosaur eggs ever found in the world. Specifically, Troodon dinosaurs made this their nesting ground but ..read more

After a week and a half on the road, here’s answers to a few FAQ’s that I’ve gotten over the past few days: Where do you shower? Well, to be honest, sometimes I just don’t. The beauty of camping in the summer is that you can shower in the lake/river/stream near by! Alternatively, I’ve filled up my solar shower at local RV Parks, campgrounds and day use areas. Knowing that I have a limited supply of water ( 1, 5 gallon container, and 1 1 gallon jug = 6 gallons ), I can’t justify using drinking water for showers. So somedays a baby-wipe shower does the job. Where do you use the bathroom? It ..read more