Two Geologists, One Campervan, Zero Deadlines >>> Many Vistas
Our version of 24, albeit missing Jack Bauer, or a recap of 24 hours of vanlife during a travel day crossing the southern US: 10 PM – Arrive at our overnight parking spot, a Cracker Barrel in Baton Rouge, LA. The restaurant is closed, but a few other RVs are…
Random notes from our five weeks in Florida, as we wait for Texas to thaw out so we can safely travel west to Arizona: The weather in Florida has been spectacular, but confirmed to us that we should always seek 75 degrees. The humid days in the upper 80s, while…
After leaving Sanibel Island, we headed further south to the Big Cypress National Preserve and the Everglades National Park. Departing Sanibel was bittersweet. On the one hand, we looked forward to the wide-open spaces and new adventures at Big Cypress and Everglades. On the other hand, we had grown comfortable…
We’re fortunate that my sister and brother-in-law began an annual sojourn to Sanibel Island over a decade ago. It has become an annual ritual for us as well the last three years, but this year was different for two reasons. On the positive side, we were finally able to obtain…
For the third consecutive year, we departed New England in January for a trip south to Florida. Here are a few highlights/lowlights of the drive south: Highlight: After leaving Vermont, our first stop was Landry’s Bicycles in Norwood, MA, our local bike shop, for bike tune-ups. We’ve purchased our gravel…
Our decision to downsize from a 2,800+ square foot single family house to a 21-foot long campervan was conceptually easy. But, the downsizing was complicated by the fact we owned a lot of furniture, clothes, books, and “toys.” Our toys included 6 bikes, 2 kayaks, 2 digital pianos, 2 pair…
Climate change is obviously the most pressing environmental issue we currently face. It’s an issue I’ve discussed with colleagues since the late 1980’s when I was in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Today, the changes we need to make to slow the change seem overwhelming. But, our society…
On a sunny day in August, we left our campsite at Grand Isle State Park and drove further north within the Lake Champlain Islands to Alburgh Dunes State Park, one of nine state parks in this small section of Vermont. We intended to use Alburgh Dunes as a starting point…
I’ve lived in New England for the majority of my life, so historical sites like Walden Pond, Boston Common, and Old North Church (“one if by land, two if by sea”) are commonplace. These sites may be locations for an afternoon walk, or simply on the route between a parking…
We’ve bicycled many miles on the road over the years. There are loops we rode countless times near our former home where we could divert around a pothole or prepare for a blind driveway with our eyes closed because of our familiarity with the route. But it can be difficult…