It’s been over three years since Abbey and I set off on a cross-country trip in Evelyn, our beloved 1983 Volkswagen Vanagon. A lot has changed since then. We moved out West. We both have jobs we love. We have a cat. And a daughter. And a house. Evelyn is still around, and we still take her camping. I replaced the air-cooled engine with a Subaru 2.2L, which has double the horsepower and way better reliability.

I enjoy reminiscing on our travels. It was a wonderful time in our lives, and I think a large part of where we are now can be attributed to our trip. We learned to slow down and appreciate the simple things. Before the trip I thought I knew how to do that, but when you have the time to spend hours, or days, watching one animal, or taking in one particular view, you notice details that would otherwise be missed. Owls eat crawdads. Squirrels eat mushrooms. Most species of birds wipe their beaks after eating.

I think the trip also helped to break us out of our “bubble” and build confidence. Had we not taken the leap, I suspect we’d still be in Ohio (not that we don’t love Ohio), working at jobs that weren’t so great and living in a depressed area. The trip broke us of this, but more importantly, it enabled us to see the value in ourselves. Further, we were reminded that we have control over our own destiny.

I don’t plan to regularly update this blog, so until next time, safe travels!

Cheers!