Wandering With Purpose

Mar 12

Getting Our Groove Back

DSCF4104

Ahh … back to the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It’s been a long time coming.

Having returned her long term rental car after work, Kelly arrived to the trailer Friday night signifying that our visit to Half Moon Bay was over. Seven weeks after we arrived, we were finally free to resume what has become to us a ‘normal’ way of life. With urgency that cannot be explained, later that evening we finally got the hell out of the Bay Area, and in the process began what will be a realignment to our previously planned 2017 travel route.

We didn’t get too far that night – 90 minutes of driving was all. But symbolically we made huge strides. Once again we were mobile. All that mattered as we pulled into a Camping World parking lot for the night was that we were moving towards greener pastures – no more RV park, no more daily commutes into the office, no anchor keeping us stationary.

Our destination was the town of Lone Pine, a sleepy little community nestled into the bosom of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains. As we awoke Saturday morning 400 miles lie between where we were and where we wanted to be. Covering that amount of distance in a single day has become nearly unfathomable for us, however in this case, the push seemed like a fair trade off considering the raw beauty that awaited us.

As you can see in the picture above, we’ve done just fine for ourselves. Our BLM boondocking spot provides us with all we could ask for, especially when considering the cost is free. We’ll sit here for a week, then hopefully sync up with a few friends further east. Until then, this is location will be a fantastic place to call home.

Mar 10

One Last Hurrah

Nevermind all the dirt she brings home or the 24 hours of sand in her poop, Lilly loves the ocean. For nearly two months, our daily walk passes by steps descending to the beach. Lilly know that once her paws reach the sand, only 50 yards separate her from the Pacific – the place she can chase sticks and dig. A mad dash to pure joy.

Every time we approach those steps, Lilly looks back at Kelly and me with hope that we will grant her wish – a chance to frolic on the beach. Far too often for her preference, and with no shortage of guilt on our part, we walk past the steps, continuing along an asphalt path.

As I begun preparing the trailer for travel mode earlier today, I could not help but find it disappointing on my part to deny Lilly one final visit to the beach. Today we are leaving the coast and I have no idea when we will be back, no real guess when Lilly will again taste the salt water. I do not know when I will have another opportunity to watch the sunset glitter over the water as she and I play fetch. Realistically it could a year, perhaps longer.

Of course I had to take her. It’s possible I had more fun that she did today.

Mar 4

Plans Change

Who knew living simply requires so much work.

Since launching into a full-time lifestyle two years ago, Kelly and I have done our best juggling the logistics of work travel and campsite planning. My job in particular has been difficult, often introducing stress into our lives – so much so that these days we no longer think beyond a four week period without first considering the intersecting of proximity to the nearest airport, campground reservations, and how much we stand to loose if plans change and we need to cancel a reservation.

Previously I never put any thought into such a thing and in 2016 I tried my best to standardize my time away from Kelly, Lilly, and the trailer to the first week of each month, but that cadence has often been interrupted, shifting forwards or backwards on many occasion. Most recently this reality impacted us more so then ever before.

Two months ago we thought we would be spending the back-half of January and all of February in southern Arizona. However, I found myself in the midst of a few work projects requiring that I embark on a bit of business travel, resulting in our travel route taking an unexpected detour. A reminder that mobile friendly jobs dictate our lives more than preferred.

Last night I arrived home (but not without first experiencing a two hour delay), concluding a whirlwind of business travel:

28 of 39 nights in a series of hotels
15 flights criss-crossing the country from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Colorado Springs, Dallas, Charlotte, & Washington DC

Now, I’m back in the Airstream for a while. Having been ‘based’ outside of San Francisco for the past six weeks, we’ll stay one more week … then finally hit the road towards southwest Utah.

Along the way, if all goes to plan, I’ll successfully avoid an airport and hotel room for the next four weeks.

Feb 20

14 Comments

8 Months Later – the Grand Lounge Remodel

New and improved set-up

4.5 years ago Kelly and I moved into the Aristream and have been living inside our comfy tincan on a full-time basis ever since. Over the years we have made a lot of changes designed to increase comfort or efficiency.

Two years ago when Kelly and I left California – and our traditional corporate office gigs, the trailer began serving as both our home and primary worksite. Pretty quickly it became apparent that our (otherwise very popular) 27FB floorplan was not adequately meeting our needs or preferences. We wanted a more flexible seating/lounging setup and more counter top surface space. Another round of changes was desperately needed.

The Factory Floorplan

About this same time I stumbled upon Ultimate Airstream, a small Portland, OR based company specializing in customizing Airstream trailers. Immediately Kelly and I became intrigued with their remodeling ideas and capabilities, in particular a redesign solution dubbed ‘the grand lounge’.

Over the 2015 holidays we had an opportunity to see a grand lounge retrofit firsthand. Impressed with Ultimate’s workmanship, Kelly and I quickly made arrangements for them to remodel our trailer a few months later.

In June of last year we arrived to Portland and handed over our trailer for it’s makeover. The process took just over three weeks, so we moved into a rental house situated a hipster NE neighborhood. As we made final decisions relating to upholstery, flooring, laminate surfaces, etc., we enjoyed visits from friends and family while enjoying fabulous dining, craft beers, and delicious espresso.

dscf3847

To our delight, the conversion process went smoothly. After a final walk through inspection we signed closing paperwork, paid the bill, and again took to the open road giddy with optimism that our new layout would be a huge improvement for our living comfort.

So how are we enjoying the changes? In a few words – we love it. In hindsight, I would have done a couple things slightly differently, but at this point cannot imagine going back to the original layout.