We left mesa verde and took the hot and dusty hwy 491 into the Canyonlands of Utah. After spending so much time in Colorado it felt good to be moving on to a new state. The first formations to shimmer into view were rock pedestals, jutting out of the landscape like great mushrooms. Newspaper Rock … More Rocks, Boulders, and Stones
Sitting here at Lake Tahoe, we decided we better let everyone know how we got through the rest of Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. We clearly got sidetracked by adventure (and procrastination) these last few weeks. July 2nd we were still in Buena Vista mustering up the courage to hop into a raft and plunge down … More History Lessons and Solitude
Nestled between Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs sits a little park called Garden of the Gods. Fantastic rock formations jut irregularly from the ground surrounded by little walkways and benches; A larger than life version of landscaping you might find in front of one of Santa Fe’s more modern buildings. Erik looked on enviously as … More Snowy Peaks and Good Peeps
The beautiful highway 518 brought us straight into Taos, NM. These little artsy, historic towns hold a lot to see for the average tourist, we opted however to skip the tourist trap and head towards something that interested us much more. Just outside of Taos is the first Earthship community; Each home is built to … More New Mexico Mountains and Colorado Sands
We drove away from White Sands National Monument, dirty, exhausted, and overwhelmed. We saw some of the most incredible sights of our lives but nothing sounded better than a hot shower and a full day without traveling. Luckily after a quick drive through Bosque Del Apache, we were headed straight to Oshà’s grandmother’s house in … More Family, Friends and Forest
The first morning of our adventure, kicked off with breakfast at Tiffany’s (hah), before heading off to Aunt Maddy’s in Coppell, TX to meet Budro, the new puppy. Saturday evening found us snuggled in a cozy water-bed, not Ferdinand. The reality of the trip we had just embarked on seemed to escape us. Due to … More Escaping Texas into The Land of Enchantment
Lets talk about our travel plans! This journey is all about taking our time and really enjoying the country at our own pace. We have a general guideline mapped out for ourselves but as we travel we will add a new layer so you can see the exact route we end up taking. We are … More Travel Plans
Building a bed platform inside the van was a huge step towards getting on the road. To us, this means Ferdinand is more than just the Transit Connect we drove away from CarMax; Ferdinand will soon be our home. If you are currently on the road (or considering it) I’m sure you can relate to the … More Building a Bed
This is our van Ferdinand before we made any modifications to him. Ferdinand is a low-key dude who is easily disguised as a soccer mom vehicle and comes with the incredible luxury of a 36,000 mile warranty. He is tall enough for a bed platform, has amazing visibility(skylight y’all!), and efficient gas mileage. We did … More Ferdinand’s first steps
Having a power source was another project that tested our boundaries between van-living and road-tripping. The number of van builds with fully operational electrical systems is incredible. We decided to keep our needs very basic. Our energy source must support 2 cell phones, a laptop, and a fan to move air while we sleep. With … More Goal Zero Yeti 400
Erik likes to do a lot of cooking so we knew quality food storage was a must. Looking around the web there are a few solutions for long-term travel. Looking back we might have gone with something a bit more efficient like a portable fridge/freezer, especially after seeing how well the Goal Zero and Solar … More Yeti Cooler
100W Renogy Solar Panel This solar panel is about 2’x4′ and 16 pounds. It pulls a maximum of 100W (the most we have seen so far is 85W). It is solid and weatherproof, although I would not leave it out in a hail storm. The goal zero is compatible with any solar panel so long as … More Renogy Solar Panel
