03.13.2018
03.12.2018
My First Belgian Waffle (in Haiku)
A series of haikus inspired by my first truly Belgian waffle . Starts like a pancake Batter pressed between two hot plates Oozing through the cracks . Crispy, grid-like, gold Distinctive large square pockets Mounted with goodness . I bite the corner Warm chocolate on my chin Every inch eaten . Unbutton my pants Discard […]
02.22.2018
Walking With The Ghosts of a World War
Last week Iza’s cousin, Maxime, took us deep into the Alsatian countryside for a short hike around a historic World War II stronghold. It was midweek, and the only other noticeable signs of life were a few courageous birds brazen enough to brave the freezing rain. To be sure, we were the only humans there, […]
02.20.2018
Wandering Around Aimlessly
Anyone who has travelled abroad has their own preference on how to best absorb, explore, or immerse themselves within a new foreign locale. Some see the sights. Some sample food and drink. Some lock themselves in their hotel room with a 12 pack of Budweiser, a sack of Big Macs, and a 12-hour line-up of […]
02.19.2018
We Miss You, George
This is George. He isn’t our dog, but for about a month’s worth of van-building, Hawaii-going, and surrogate family-having in Walnut Creek, California, he certainly felt like our dog. Every time we walked in the door he barked vigorously and licked ferociously as he nestled his way deep into our hearts — only so that […]
02.16.2018
A Semi-Transparent Reflection on 6 Months of Travel
Shortly after our trip began, the enthusiasm died. What we thought was going to be a profound shift in attitude, philosophy, and mental health proved to be something neither Iza or I could have ever predicted. Hardship and discontent. Something that started out as idealistic and pure quickly became a slog of exhaustion (physical and […]
10.27.2017
Short Tales from the Southern Rim
The following short (very short) stories are a collection of anecdotes from our two days at Grand Canyon National Park. They aren’t meant to be funny or interesting, but you might find them to be anyway. Enjoy! 1 We sat down at the Cocktail Lounge tucked away in a dusty corner of the storied El […]
10.23.2017
The Canyon With a Thousand Tongues
Today we spent the better part of our morning winding down and stomping up in utter amazement and awe in the natural spectacle that is Bryce Canyon National Park. The hoodoos – carved over millions of years by water, wind, and sexual innuendo – were amazing in their own right. However, I noticed something different […]
10.20.2017
Standing on the Corner of Bonanza and California
I’m standing on the corner of Bonanza and California a half block away from Walnut Creek’s quaint, suburban downtown. It’s hot, and the longest red light in the entire Bay Area keeps me locked in my boots trying to find protection in the thin shadow of the light pole. I’ve been here before. In fact, […]
10.18.2017
Life At Your Own ‘Pace’
Earlier this week we stayed in St. George, Utah with our friends Andy, Jolene, and their adorable baby, Natalie – the Pace family. Not only were they beyond hospitable, their life in motion reminded us of how easy it is to cultivate a life that is enjoyable as much as it is fruitful. Andy and […]
10.14.2017
From the Valley Floor
Few things in life these days are capable of living up to the heaps of expectation and hype we place on them. The Super Bowl is rarely worth watching, dessert is always a bad idea, and The Force Awakens was actually just a cheap rip-off of A New Hope with fancier explosions and worse acting. […]
09.20.2017
We Have No Idea What We’re Doing
This week we bought a van – a 2006 Ford Econoline with 56K miles, a tough looking roof rack, and enough space in the caboose to comfortable fit a couple of road-weary travelers and all their traveling shit. Yes, we’ve never done this before. Yes, we understand how big of a commitment this is. 100%, […]
09.12.2017
This Just In: We’re Buying A Van!
After many long and painful hours setting up camp, fending off swarms of bugs, sleeping in discomfort and the uneasy feeling that whatever is rustling in the bushes next to our tent might, in fact, be a pack of sabertooth tigers, we’ve decided car camping is best left for weekend warriors and savages. But it’s […]
09.02.2017
12 Crazy Hours in the City by the Bay
My friend Wes and I looked at each other sitting in the back of a black Toyota Camry with the same baffled and terrified look on our faces as our Colombian Lift driver was getting ready to either murder us for knowing too much or drop us safely at our destination in the Russian Hill […]
08.28.2017
Paul Bunion’s Beautiful Chest Hair
Winding through the meandering path of Redwood National Park, flanked by the world’s tallest trees and a fine, misty beachside fog, we come to a clearing of a grassy field, a jammed parking lot, and the biggest f*#$#% statue of Paul Bunion and his trusty blue ox, Babe, either of us had ever seen. This […]
08.22.2017
Photo Essay: McCall, Idaho and Something About an Eclipse
Some images from our temporary home in McCall, Idaho, our home base for hiking, eclipse viewing, and bat hunting (yes, bat hunting).
08.19.2017
Finding Our Footing As Homeless Travelers
I’m standing on an ice cold tile floor in a campsite bathroom, naked from the waste down (but not from the waste up) and trying to figure out how to balance my clean clothes on the handle of the door so they don’t topple to the floor to mingle with what I can only hope […]
08.17.2017
A Wide, Blank Stare Down The Open Road
It’s been 398 days since I wrote this in my journal: Today is July 14th, 2016. A year from now I will quit my job and start doing something more meaningful. This is my goal. This is my dream. This is how I make it happen. It was an elusive seed that had been fluttering […]
08.07.2017
7 Steps To Affording A Life On The Road
A step by step process of how we planned, saved, and sacrificed our way to an affordable and sustainable nomad life.
06.25.2017
Pulling Up Your Roots Is Hard Damn Work
P This past weekend Iza and I spent painstaking hours stripping our apartment of everything we’ve ever done to make it our own. Moving your stuff and leaving a place you’ve gotten so used to calling ‘home’ is never easy. Getting rid of 95% of your things while preparing to live out of your car […]
06.12.2017
Hatchets, Rivers, and Going Full Pyro
Steam rose from my enamelware coffee mug in front of the cold steel head of my Husqvarna hatchet and the warm fire crackled in the background. I looked over to see Iza shaving ribbons of hard maple from our small stockpile of wood, sitting next to her a giggling baby and a sweaty, cold can […]
06.05.2017
The Incredible, Collapsible, Endlessly Transportable Wander Küche
As a couple, cooking together is one of the things we do best. Even in our tiny shoe box of a kitchen (thanks, Seattle) we manage to operate like Sigfreid and Roy before one of them was mauled by a show tiger. Treating ourselves to the familiarity of a home-cooked meal is a comfort neither of […]
06.02.2017
This Is Why We Wander
One day we woke up and decided to quit our jobs, sell our stuff, and hit the road. Here’s why.
06.02.2017
We Love You, Jane Honda
Our special little home away from home. See why we have such an unnatural love affair for our mobile domicile.
05.30.2017
The Big Ass Gear Post
A way too big list of every piece of gear we’ve managed to stuff in our tiny, beloved Honda Fit.
05.29.2017
Dear Seattle
Dear Seattle, It’s over. This isn’t easy for either us to say as you’ve been so good to us over the years. Your thriving spirit and unparalleled natural beauty has provided us with some of the best times in our lives. It was because of you we were able to come together (via Tinder’s location-based […]