Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

Tag: driving

Overwhelmed by Life (as Nomads)– A Personal Note from Oregon

May was an insanely busy month for Mark and me. I usually post blogs about experiences we had or things we did/saw, so this one is a bit different; more personal, emotional, and recent.

Since I am so far behind with just about everything – diary entries, emails, blog posts, social media, reading, articles, administrative tasks, chores, promises, projects… – I figured I would write a “quick” update to let everyone know how we are doing and what’s been going on. And, most importantly, how nothing ever works according to plan, how life throws its punches, and how priorities shift. Several of the following events will probably turn into a longer post one of these weeks or months.

Before we left our peaceful life on the Baja peninsula in Mexico (which seems like a lifetime ago), the end of April, we had a truck camper purchase lined up. We never intended to keep the “fancy” Cirrus 820 we took across the border, hence its name Temp (T&TThirsty & Temp), but you never know with us. I’ll get into that train of thought; the reasons and the differences, another time. The truck – which is awesome – we’d keep.

Over the months, we narrowed our preferred camper down to a Lance 830. We searched for it online for about three months, and even spotted this model in Mexico for a closer look, before we made a deal on one in British Columbia, Canada, and set a route and plan in motion. Our base for the transition would become Boise, Idaho. A deposit had been sent to BC by check and a pick-up date arranged, once we crossed the border into the US.

The Lance 830 we spotted – and visited – in Cabo Pulmo, Baja, Mexico

Our first stop for a few days was a friend’s property in Julian, California, where we cleaned the Baja dust off our truck and camper, finished a couple of projects, wiped the interior down, and took indoor and outdoor photo shoots to list the Cirrus for sale.

That’s where we learned the deal in Canada was not going to happen, due to unexpected circumstances on the seller’s part…

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Driving across the USA – East to West via I-80

View near Big Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

Utah

After four days of attending the Annapolis Boat Show as vendors, Mark and I left the East Coast on Columbus Day (Monday, October 10th) in an attempt to cross the country at a fast pace. We were pretty exhausted when we started our trip at 7am, but were assured that sitting on our bum would be the main activity for the week to come. Fortunately, the owners of our new house sit in Northern California managed to postpone their departure with a day, which gave us five days to cover 2800 miles/4500 km. Google Maps predicted that that would take about 40 hours in perfect conditions, but with road work, accidents and some traffic congestion, it took much longer. By the time the Annapolis Sailboat Show came to an end that Monday, we had already reached Chicago! We were very happy with our bonus day on the road, which made it possible to reach Rocklin, CA late afternoon on Friday.

Day 1: Annapolis, MD – Joliet, IL (730 miles/1175 km) Continue reading

Five Day Vacation in Acadia National Park, Maine

The clouds are lifting in Frenchman Bay

“Thank you for calling The Wirie. The customer support department is on a short vacation right now. We will resume our timely and personal support service again on Wednesday, September 14th. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause you and thank you for your patience. Have a nice day.” I hear Mark change the message on the answering machine of our Wirie business. Then, he creates an automatic email reply for customers who contact us via the ticket system: ”The Wirie Customer Support team is on a short break right now. Please, allow us to get back to you after Tuesday, September 14th. Thank you for your understanding and your patience. Have a nice day.” It is the very first time we “close down” this part of the business, and these are the last preparations we make before our long anticipated trip, three years in the making. It is finally happening, after keeping a close eye on the weather predictions and postponing our departure a few days… Continue reading

G is for Getting Around

Day 7 of the A to Z Blogging Challenge – Thoughts on Being a Nomad

Nomads can get around in as many different ways as there are kinds of transportation. You can travel as fast as a plane or as slow as your own walking pace. My favorite way of getting around depends on the situation and the location, and I usually end up picking the most practical (and affordable) choice available.

Arriving in Tahiti by plane from New Zealand

Arriving in Tahiti by plane from New Zealand

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Border Hopping from State to State

On our recent road trip to Florida I thought it was a brilliant idea to take photos of the signs welcoming us into each new state, through the car window. This notion occurred to me when we approached the “Welcome to Pennsylvania” sign. I was too late to grab my camera out of my backpack on the back seat by the time we crossed the state border. Connecticut and New York had been old news as well, so I prepared for Maryland, camera in hand and turned on… There was no welcome sign! Maybe Virginia would work out?

“Maryland Veterans Memorial Highway”, instead of “Welcome to Maryland” sign

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