FIRST A NOTE: This blog was lots of fun. I’m now writing at Holly Starley’s Rolling Desk. I’d love to see you there. :)
In May 2019, I sublet my apartment in Southern California, took a train to Washington, and hopped on a bicycle. Schlepping my camping gear and laptop on the bike, I set out on what would become a three plus-year mostly solo journey, first on bike and then in a 1996 Ford Econoline van I picked up along the way and built out myself—with help from generous, talented friends and family.
From southern Arizona to northern Alaska, I’ve tested my skills and comfort zone, fallen back in love with my inner child and given myself permission to use my voice, met nomads and travelers who’ve become my road family, and bathed with copious abandon in the forest (deserts/glaciers/mountains/tundra/prairies). For me, this concept, borrowed from the Japanese shinrin-yoku, speaks to nature’s ability to cleanse the soul—aka reawaken the knowledge of our kinship with all.
From solitude to communion—“waiting out” the global pandemic with the coyotes, flycatchers, and ocotillo of the Sonoran Desert to protesting outside Denver’s capitol building the following year to “vanlife” gatherings—this off-grid journey has had much to teach.
This blog/vlog (more of the latter on Road Quill’s YouTube channel) captures just a smattering of the adventures and lessons from the road. I’ve paused to work on a manuscript that shares more. Thank you for visiting and engaging!
