Oct 12 min read
Travels in my van. Louisiana, September 2024. The People I Meet: Stacy and Jeff.
Stacy and Jeff—in their container home. Air and Opportunity!, a Harvest Host stopover on the Louisiana Gulf Coast, looked intriguing–a...
Sep 277 min read
Where Adventure Meets Retro. Kanab, July 2024
My cellphone alarm goes off at 5:00 am. I have spent the night close to The Wave trailhead at the BLM camp, surrounded by rugged beauty...
May 104 min read
Courage
"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." ― Anais Nin. What does the word courage mean? Bravery? Heroism? Guts? Grit? To...
May 106 min read
Ten steps to plan a Van Life road trip. April 2024
Van life is becoming increasingly popular for the more adventurous road trippers. It is not quite camping, but more rustic than a hotel...
Mar 185 min read
Shutting down the house!
Leaving home to travel for a few months or so? This easy checklist will guide you through a few essentials of what to do before you hit...
Mar 82 min read
Travels in my van. Meet Kevin
Kevin walks into Melvin Brewing in Alpine, mountain air clinging to his clothes, energized by a 24-hour running or biking event in the...
Jan 297 min read
Travels in my van. Utah, October, 2023. The People I Meet - Brandy and Merritt.
Photo: Meritt and Brandy. In the middle of the summer of 2023, I travel from Alpine, Wyoming, to Tremonton, Utah. I have just come from a...
Jan 174 min read
Dettol and daffodils
“If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water.” Loren Eisley, anthropologist and natural science writer. It is January, and...
Dec 24, 20235 min read
We travel, initially, to lose ourselves, and we travel, next to find ourselves
Photo: A frosty morning greeting by Majestic Mt. Baker, Washington, USA. “We travel, initially, to lose ourselves, and we travel, next to...
Aug 4, 20232 min read
The People I Meet—Dan and Fitz.
Left to right: Dan and Fitz Yesterday, Donald Trump Jnr, the 45th president of the United States, was indicted on four counts in federal...
Aug 1, 20233 min read
The People I Meet. The kindness of strangers, Mountain View, Alberta
Luana and Kendall Payne. I’m parked on Kendall’s land—miles of rolling green grasslands with grazing cattle in Mountain View, Alberta....
Aug 1, 20233 min read
The People I Meet - CLassy Conch
Photo: Cathy Spencer with her horses Diesel and Diamond. “Do you speak English in South Africa?” asks Jaime. “Yes!” comes the chorus from...
Jul 23, 20235 min read
Leaving home, July 2023
I watered my garden—a deep soak for a hot day. I refreshed the birdbath, checked the hummingbird feeder and smiled at the roses. A...
Jul 15, 20233 min read
Just pull yourself together, Julie.
“Just pull yourself together, Julie.” I hear my mother's voice in my head. I’m doing a lot of pulling myself together. I share my...
Jul 14, 20234 min read
The People I Meet—Jennifer Handley, Mayor of Nanton, July 2023
Feeling a little insecure after four days of being loved up and spoilt by my friend Sul-ra in Calgary, I’m on the road to nowhere again...
Jan 16, 20217 min read
A moment of grace.
The hired car bounced over potholes, past piles of squalid garbage, stray dogs, tattered children and shabby homes. A south-easterly wind...