Hello everyone! As you’ve probably guessed, I’m pretty much done with IO. There’s a chance I’ll want to come back and blog again someday, but as it’s been almost a year since my last post and that hasn’t happened yet, that chance grows slim. For everyone who’s wondered about me, I’ve been fine. I hope I haven’t worried you. November 2020, Montana I always said I’d keep traveling full-time and sharing my experiences until I found something I wanted to do more, and, well, I’ve found something I want to do more. Change can be sad, but it’s an important part of life. Thank you all for an amazin ..read more

Oh look, an update! Yes, I’m alive. Yes, I’m fine. No, I’m not quitting IO. Yes, that was a long break without posting. Why? Short answer: I feel it would be irresponsible to travel the way I like to travel right now due to the ongoing pandemic situation. And when I’m not traveling, inspiration to write about it is in short supply. Long answer: It’s more complicated than just that, and maybe I’ll write about it one day when inspiration strikes. But that’s the gist of it. As for a timeline, planes started flying out of Costa Rica in mid May. A journey that took 18 hours pre-COVID took four days ..read more

After a fantastic New Years spent with RVing friends in Quartzsite, AZ, I turned Bertha’s wheels east along I10 towards Tonopah, and possibly the most beautiful desert… Hi. It’s me. I believe I wrote that first sentence about a month ago, but that’s as far as I got with that post. And then the world was turned upside-down. Part 1: What I’ve Been Up To and Pandemic Plans For starters, I’m fine. In fact, I’m doing better than a lot of full-time nomads out there right now. Several of you have e-mailed or sent messages in the past couple weeks inquiring about my well-being, and I’m very touched th ..read more

On occasion, people e-mail me about things I think a lot of my audience would enjoy hearing the answers to, and this is one such topic. So I’d like to thank Quinn for her patience, as she asked me these questions over a month ago and this answer has been a long time coming. Here’s the relevant part of her original e-mail: “How has your camping style changed (or not changed) since you first started? I have been reading your blog over again from the beginning (such an amazing resource!) and I have noticed a shift in your work style away from seasonal workamping-type of jobs as the years go on. A ..read more

People are always keen to hear about how life in my Hiker Trailer is going and now another milestone has come and gone. The end of December marked one year of living in my 5′ x 8′ teardrop trailer (or squaredrop, really), so it feels time for another update. In case you missed it, my six month review of tiny trailer living came out last summer, and it goes into the pluses and minuses of this particular setup and why I chose it. I won’t be going back over those points, so read that article if you want the full scoop. This article is reserved for one rather big realization I’ve had about why I e ..read more

The free camping area along American Girl Mine Road in Winterhaven, CA (usually just called AGM by boondockers), doesn’t seem to have a lot going for it at first glance. It’s pretty far from the closest town (Yuma, just across the border in Arizona), it’s flat and has little vegetation… even for a desert, and it’s down a rather rough road that floods in heavy rains. But it’s one of my favorite spots for winter camping. Those flat, wide open spaces means there’s plenty of room for everyone and crowding isn’t an issue. The extreme southern location means it’s one of the warmest boondocking spot ..read more

A long-time reader reached out to me recently to ask what I do to keep full-time RVing ‘exciting’. They’ve been on the road for almost two years now, and while they still enjoy the lifestyle, they miss the intense enthusiasm and joy they experienced their first year on the road. The unwritten question was: is this normal, and what can be done about it. I started e-mailing back, then realized it would be a good topic for a blog post. So with their permission, here we are. First off, yes, this is a very common phenomenon. Going full-time RVing requires a lot of time and effort for most people, i ..read more

After getting Tribble’s window replaced in Denver, I head north on I25… right out of the state. It’s time to visit a new-to-me boondocking area. September 18, Wednesday Hellooo Turtle Rock! I’ve driven through this chunk of Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest along I80 in southern Wyoming a few times now. And every time I do, I wish I could camp here. Turtle Rock is an impressive boulder mass rising above the surrounding grassland, dotted with pine and aspen trees. It’s visible from quite a distance away, the most obvious landmark in the area. It’s high elevation and remotely located, Laramie i ..read more

I feel it very important, in an internet filled with artistic pictures of smiling people in beautiful places, prose about the wonders of traveling where and when you want, and video clips of idyllic drives and expansive views, to keep it real on my blog by also talking about the bad days on the road. These posts aren’t as popular, they don’t receive as much attention on social media, and internet algorithms don’t favor them… which is probably why many travel bloggers, vloggers, and other creators avoid such content. But bad days still happen, and that’s crucial for new, and soon-to-be nomads t ..read more