In late 2014 having finally joined the ranks of the retired, it was time to embark on an exploration of this vast and ever amazing North American continent with my favorite travel partner, my husband. I act as chief travel planner, responsible for our general itinerary, lodging such as it may be, food supplies, and reservations when necessary. O, my husband, is the chief of systems and engineering, responsible for packing necessary travel and camp equipment such as camp stoves, tarps, tools, propane or other stove fuel. He is also a master of repair when things (inevitably) go wrong and of van remodeling when enhancements are necessary. And over the past two or three years he has become our resident geology expert as well. 

Our first summer’s travel destinations were mostly spur of the moment decisions, except for three pre-planned adventures: a backpacking trip along the Minong Ridge in Isle Royal National Park, another backpacking trip with our son and daughter-in-law on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula, and a rim-to-rim guided backpack trip at Grand Canyon National Park. In between, we camped at national park and forest campgrounds, state parks, and also tried our hand at boondocking. It was quite an adventure and we learned a great deal along the way. 

In the following summers, we crossed the continent three more times. Our first two trips were made in our Subaru Forester with additional luggage space provided by a Thule sky box. By the end of year two, we had determined the type of vehicle we really wanted for our travels. We knew we did not want an RV. We had looked at a few of the smaller options and there were so many add-ons inside that there was no room for gear we considered essential. Besides, we actually like sleeping in a tent. Our dream vehicle had to be big enough for all of our car camping and backpacking equipment, yet small enough to avoid exceeding length limits on some national park roads. Ideally it would have room inside to stand up, and last, but not least, four wheel drive could be quite useful. We ordered a Sprinter cargo van in the spring of 2016. It finally arrived in late winter of 2017, in time to get it ready for our summer 2017 trip.

During all of our travels, I have kept a written log of our day to day adventures and posted an online version on Tumblr. I have decided to re-post now with the thought that this travel blog might be more accessible and assist others who wish to undertake similar journeys. The road goes ever on and we will follow as long as we can! (apologies to JRR Tolkien)