Trav (was) In A Van.
This is an archive of my time traveling around the United States in a van. I still have the van, I’m just not in it very much. Maybe someday I’ll head out again.
Latest from the Blog
Decisions, decisions
It’s practically a requirement for living the hashtag-van-life that at some point you have to say “Not All Who Wander Are Lost” (I hope this counts for satisfying my contractual obligation). Well, I haven’t been wandering for the last three weeks, but I’ve been really lost. I started worrying about money before I landed in…
Syzygy
Before I took off on this trip, I really only had two things that I absolutely planned on doing: take the best photo of the Milky Way I’ve ever taken, and see the total solar eclipse. Done and done. Forgive the subtle-as-a-sledgehammer symbolism, but everything lined up just perfectly for me to see the eclipse.…
Stopping Time in Montana
I wish I could say more about Utah, but I was pretty much done when I left Bryce Canyon. I drove over to Zion National Park, arriving around sunset. Once I got to Zion, I made a half-hearted attempted to drive around and get the lay of the land before trying to find a place…
Two Days in Vegas
Day 1 I don’t like Las Vegas. It’s a monstrosity of glitz that defiantly refuses to be interesting. Two days ago, I was in Bryce Canyon, literally staring at rocks that were infinitely more captivating. Two nights ago, I was under a sky so dark that Jupiter could cast a shadow. Vegas pales in comparison,…
It’s Good to be Back
Holy crap. It’s been a while. I’ve been kind of busy with not being busy. And also being busy, mostly in places with limited internet. I think this is gonna be a long post. Buckle in! After South Dakota, I headed to Fort Collins in Colorado, and I finally felt like I could slow down.…
Finding My Limits
Since the last post, I’ve gone through a bit of Canada, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and South Dakota. WHEW! No wonder I’m almost due for another oil change after less than two weeks. This whole trip, I’ve been taking much shorter stops than I anticipated. Once I got to the U.P., I…
A Series of Conversations with Strangers, in Vignettes (Part 1)
Lamajiah, the Lyft driver who picked me up from O’Hare. He’s a rapper, and he’s creating his own genre: PanAfrican Trap Solution Rap and his second album drops later this month (I think on the 21st). He said he could tell I was a comedian as soon as I got in the car, and that…
Finding My Way
I’ve been struggling with writing this latest post. So far, it’s been pretty obvious what to blog about. Either something amazing happens, or an idea bounces around in my head for a bit, and then I write about that. The past week hasn’t been entirely uneventful, it just doesn’t feel like there’s anything cohesive that…
Maine, in photos
Another tired day, I think I tried to pack in too much yesterday (Note to self: shoot photos of the Milky Way or wake up to see the sunrise, not both). BUT! I have some great photos, so I think I’ll let them speak for themselves again. Random photos around Acadia National Park: Photos from…
I’m Doing It!
Last night, just shy of midnight, I was fumbling around in dim starlight by a creek in Acadia National Park. Every rustle, splash, and snapped twig had me on alert. Most of the noise was coming from two deer foraging about a hundred feet to my right, and I think there was a beaver across…
Cats, Queens, and Mermaids, Oh My!
Whew! What a busy few days. We hit up the Brooklyn Cat Cafe, Lips Drag Queen Show Palace, the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, and finished off with an exhibition Pride Game at Gotham Girls Roller Derby. I think I’m going to let the pictures speak for most of this one. (Caution: some of the photos…
Dumb Luck, NY
This is only the second time I’ve been to New York City, but both times are punctuated by amazingly good luck. The first trip I took to New York, I was visiting my friend Heidi, who had moved to Connecticut (but we both decided it would be more fun to meet up in NYC). Heidi…
Done with Roadtripping
Soooooo grumpy today. Fair warning. I’ve been thinking about how it’s nice to start this adventure with a road trip that leads into a “vacation”, because long term, I don’t think I want this to be a road trip or a vacation. It’s easy to fall into that mindset when you’re driving around in a…
Trav In A Van 