I am sitting here in Ballard in our rental that my aunt very graciously covered for us during our stay and listening to the owner Jill, my aunt’s friend, and some of her girlfriends play guitar outside. They are sitting on the patio between Jill’s house and the small rental they built in their backyard….
Amongst the Titans
Our Pacific Northwest Tour, PNWT (or as I like to call it, the P-Newt) has begun! We are currently in Crescent City and it is raining and 53 degrees. Our hike amongst a grove of old-growth coast redwoods in Redwood National Park today was an experience hard to put to words, but I’m going to…
Lighting Out & the Homestretch
Nick Woodland April 16, 2023 We all handle the stresses and anxieties of this trip differently. I’ve had shingles rashes popping up in different places for the last two months. Ava picked up a severe case of strep and could barely swallow for two days (we were 120 miles away from the nearest Urgent Care…
Ups and Downs
By Wendy Wow! I have to say this has been a wild ride, both physically and mentally for sure. We have been on the road for almost 9 months and on some days the end seems too close and on others too far! I think I can speak for my whole family in that we…
Looking Back on North Carolina
October 1, 2023 We drove west to Jordan Lake outside Raleigh (‘rah-leigh’, not ‘rally’) and pulled into a beautiful forest setting with tall pines and a clear pine-needle clad forest floor. The state park was quiet, private and had sites well spaced from each other. It was dry, 65 degrees, and the skies were clear…
Slowing Down
By Wendy Woodland One of the most profound experiences I have had is noticing and experiencing the beauty and joy in slowing down. Prior to this trip, I always felt like time was in such small supply. Now, I feel I have time to “stop and smell the flowers”. Usually. I still get this urge…
An End And A Beginning
One year ends and another begins. 2023 was a great dichotomy. A juxtaposition. A schism right down the middle. One half at home, one half on the road. 2024 begins on the road and who really knows where it will end (certainly my mother will hope that I do. That I know exactly where this…
Wild about Wildlife
In six months on the road we have seen an unfair amount of wildlife. The expression ‘we’ve seen our fair share’ is a dumb expression. Who wants things to be fair!? We have been utterly spoiled in the abundance of animals we have seen. Recently, we started a running list and we now have 67…
Retrospective: Kiptopeke Evacuation
Nick Woodland 9/20/2023 (our 100th day) 5-minute read ‘Huh, looks like everyone is packing up,’ I said naively (foolishly), glancing around the campground. We had passed places with odd names earlier in the day in our long drive down the dagger-shaped piece of land – an isolated enclave of Virginia – that separates Chesapeake Bay…
The Ins and Outs
Nick Woodland 12/2/2023 I hadn’t thought about the humidity. Towels are constantly wet. There is moisture seeping down the windows. The vinyl seats at our dinette are clingy and sandy since we can’t seem to ever wipe them fully clean. Skin is clammy. Sheets are sticky. We have A/C of course, but we can’t hear…