There’s nothing quite like knowing you’re getting ripped off, and my blood boiled after reading the book “Flash Boys” by Michael Lewis. It’s another brilliant work of non-fiction covering a topic about which everyone should be informed: high-frequency trading (HFT). This topic is frequently in the news lately thanks to Lewis and his great work of […]
There’s a moment of truth in rock climbing and mountain biking where forward progress is the only option. Letting go of a solid climbing hold to make a move, fear swells in your throat until you reach a safer zone and breathe easier. Launching into a treacherous descent on the bike, you grip the handlebars […]
Looking back, I can’t believe we used our van for a year without a door stop for the sliding passenger door. It’s one of my favorite tweaks for the van! Most of the Sprinters or other camper vans don’t have this as a stock feature unless you ordered it new. Ours didn’t, and we decided […]
Surprise, let’s go pedal our bikes for a few days! Bike touring along the SoCal coast from the Los Angeles area to San Diego was a last-minute plan I threw together for Chelsea’s birthday. Some people whisk their wives away for a weekend in Vegas, but you know that’s not the way we roll. Planning […]
Solar power for our Sprinter camper van was a top priority from day one. After a few years of free energy charging our batteries and running our fridge and laptops, I can hands-down say it was one of our best additions to the van. I highly recommend it. There is something magical about solar power. […]
The angel of time continues to flit her fickle wings. California, has it really been four months since we crossed over the border from Oregon? Since the day before Thanksgiving, we’ve wandered pine-needled paths of the redwood forests and then puttered south from there along Highway 1, hugging the coastline all the way to San […]
In the middle of March, I spent four days immersed in an eye-opening conference near San Diego. This was the inaugural Permaculture Voices (PV1), a gathering of 600 teachers, leaders and business people passionately curious about making an impact through permaculture, and it totally blew away my preconceived notions about what permaculture is all about. […]
Remember my rant about Cadillac’s ad from a few weeks ago? Well, I wasn’t the only one who thought it was the worst thing ever, and the folks over at Team Detroit, Ford’s ad agency, have a spoof that is SO spot on. (Thanks for sending me the video James!) Yes, they’re still selling cars. […]
Writing is taking crumpled up pieces of paper with my brain’s content on them and smoothing them to tape to a wall to review. Some are shreds of thoughts, and other pages may be creased, unintelligible content and smeared ink, but at least some of it is discernible. If I skip this, I start the […]
This trip wouldn’t be the same without the friends we’ve met along the way. Indeed, one of the biggest surprises so far during our travels is the stunning generosity and friendliness we encounter. We aren’t asking for help and hanging out a shingle asking for gas money – pretty sure that doesn’t work with a […]
We almost skipped installing an Espar D2 heater in our Sprinter camper van. With 20/20 hindsight and many sub-freezing nights logged, it is officially one of our favorite things in the van, with the fridge (perhaps) beating it out by a sliver. Except that I’m writing this post during a rare rainstorm in Joshua Tree […]
Joshua Tree National Park is one of those timeless landscapes that hard-wires me to my inner core. Towering starry skies where the wisdom of light years rains down. Crisp silent mornings as the sun brightens dew drops on Cholla cacti barbs and sparks fires on giant weathered granite boulders scattered to the horizon. And don’t […]
PORTLAND, OR – After two and a half decades of living true to his values, Portland resident Blake “Jazzy” Richardson was stunned last Friday to realize he is a hipster. “It just hit me out of the blue while I was listening to an NPR special while smoking my fav foreign ciggie, a Viceroy, and […]
I never thought I’d write the words “Los Angeles” and “fun bike tour” in the same sentence without the phrase “cold day in hell” included. We are Portlanders, after all, and expect our cycling to be complemented by friendly drivers, great signage and green vistas. (In other words, we’re bike snobs.) L.A. is famous for […]
The other night, we were watching the Winter Olympics with Chelsea’s grandma and this commercial played. Check it out – it’s only one minute long, and then I can start ranting. Done? This commercial is the worst thing I have watched in as long as I can remember. Sure, it’s intended to polarize opinions. Mission accomplished: […]
You hear them first. Barking, roaring, a loud squawk from a newborn over the sound of Pacific Ocean waves hitting the beach. Then you see the big lumps of flesh scattered in piles on the beach, the California coast stretching out in the distance. Hunted to near- extinction at the end of the 19th century […]
Dusk in Malibu Creek State Park, just 20 miles north of LA, A year ago on February 1st, we boarded a Greyhound bus from Portland to Eugene to pick up our Sprinter. Three months ago, we packed up the van and hit the road on this trip. Zooooooom…amazing how time whips on by. We just […]
I wore sweatpants almost every day until the 9th grade. I considered stopping after Emily, a stylish girl in my speech class with bangle earrings, pointed it out. It ended when Darren ridiculed me in front of the basketball team on a game day when I wore sweats with a button-up shirt. I still have […]
California continues to amaze us. Variety around every turn, sweeping vistas, great food, plus fun and inspiring people everywhere. Counter to how we usually travel, this period of time (has it really been almost three months?) has us traveling like a couple of retirees, hanging out in beautiful locations until we’re ready to move on. […]
Time in nature is a focus during this trip, and Saturday was a perfect example of why living in a van is (usually) worth it. We woke up in Big Sur parked in our little house-on-wheels atop a cliff with the ocean waves rolling in far below, 180 degree view opening up to the south […]