9 Year Nomadiversary!
Off-grid in Alaska - at home on the road!
9 years. Wow, almost a decade. Most of most of our kids’ lives. They really have grown up on the road. And, we’ve now explored almost all of the country + parts of Canada. There is still so much to see, but it never really has been about the places, more so the journey we have taken, the growth revealed, the expansion of ourselves in so many ways. Can’t believe 9 years ago we were just learning the ropes. Grey water capacity, how to dump the sewer, how long we could go off grid before we had to fill our freshwater, all about solar and batteries, and waste veggie oil. Oh the messes, oh the learning curve, never easy, but always worth it. That time we went 11 days without having to dump our tanks, with seven people that was a record for us! Staying on a farm and hauling sewer in buckets up hill, goodness Daddyman you are amazing. Parking in the wrong spots and then losing solar and losing battery capacity and freezing in the shade on cold winter days. Going off-grid for months at a time and saving so much money and enjoying weeks of sunshine and the abundance and freedom that provides. Parking in the desert, on a mountainside in the snow, with ocean waves at our front doorstep, under a canopy of redwood trees, at farms, at festivals, getting stuck in the mud, and parking on the side of the road or in parking lots. No matter where we parked, always being able to retreat into our tiny house on wheels, close the curtains, and be home.
It has been our goal to reach all 50 states, and after 9 years we have made it to 49! All of the lower 48 + Alaska + all through Canada along the Alaska Highway. Many spots we have frequented a bunch, have community, love the feel, many more places we could spent countless more months there just to see and do it all. But, really it isn’t about the going and doing, it is about all the in betweens. Breathing in the Pacific Ocean sea salt air for the very first time, hand to heart with a redwood, feeling the cold desert sand at night, the warm beaches of the Keys, the magic of the Northern Lights in the Yukon, and oh so much more. We explore to connect with Mama Earth, to remind ourselves of why we need to protect her, to understand the oneness of our planet, how we are all interconnected, and the diversity of not just habitat and animals and landscapes, but of the rich cultural diversity of the people. We have gained culture from art museums in big cities to island towns in the far north. We spent two and a half months at Standing Rock standing up for sacred water and indigenous rights, and we have protested and marched and educated across the country on all aspects of water rights, safe food, renewable energy and fuel, and equality for all. Some years we have really struggled, to stay afloat, to keep our rig running, to make ends meet. And, some years we have made enough to provide and give back and live simply and with gratitude. All of it has been worth it!
Day to day, we just live where we are, soaking up where we are, giving back to where we are and connecting the threads of community across the miles. SO much more to say on all of this, so much more to share on the journey, but this past year in particular was such an incredible part of it all. We made it to ALASKA!!! Our 49th state, and our last state that we can actually drive to ;)
ALASKA!!! Our 49th State!!!
We also ventured through Canada and fell in love with the Far North, the people, the places, the distance from American politics and divisiveness, the kindness of Canadians, so refreshing and heartwarming. We often get “wow, love what you all are doing,” or the opposite with being profiled and weird looks, honestly. But, in Canada, everywhere we went felt welcoming. So nice. And, such a reminder when you meet up with someone and then you see them again and they remember you and you are in another country, well, it really is such a small world after all. We are all so interconnected for sure. Loved marching to support Climate Action in Whitehorse, YT. Loved the campfire circle and First Nations storytelling, as well as live music under the stars at the Northern Nights Festival in Kluane National Park, YT. Loved the feel of the Yukon in general, so remote and beautiful and it’s where we got to see the Northern Lights for the first time, so so so so so magical!!!!!! Also, loved Waterton Lakes National Park and getting to experience the first International Peace Park in the world, as well as, Kluane Lake, Liard Hot Springs, Muncho Lake and driving the remote and beautiful Alaska Highway through the mountains. Loved meeting people at Lemonade Day in Okoteks, AB, downtown Calgary by the river, and nature parks with new friends. And, because we saved Jasper and Banff National Parks for our way back down through Canada, instead of a busy summer tourist season, we got to experience a slower pace, and a beautiful blanket of snow in the Canadian Rockies!!! The Icefields Parkway was magical, Jasper was amazing, and I seriously think I could live in Banff year-round. Mountain towns have my heart for sure. The hiking, the people from all over the world that make them so diverse, the wildlife, the good food, the coffee, and the mountain views every time you go anywhere.
The Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Banff National Parks - so so so so beautiful! A winter wonderland in October!
As for Alaska, oh my goodness, it stole our hearts, too. The mountains, the coast, the waterside towns, the hiking! So much to cover, that you really should check out our Travel Blog for 2019 to get all the details (thanks so much to our son for documenting it all!!!), but I will highlight some of our absolute favorites... Girdwood, AK was so fun! We parked at the base of the resort there and could literally hike up the mountain right from our front door. One hike in particular, Mama took the kids while Daddy was working and we hiked up 2200 ft and took the tram ride down, picking salmonberries along the way. Also loved hiking to Crystal Lake and a sweet tiny cabin at the top of Crow Pass, 3500ft up and 7 miles round trip, such a good one, hard for the littles, but so good! Plus, the awesome playground and skatepark in town, our bike to hike to a waterfall, meeting up with a close friend who just happened to be in this small mountain town the same day we were for a delicious salmon dinner, and enjoying the Girdwood Forest Fair.
Hiking summits with toddlers to teens in Girdwood, AK - one of our favorite spots to camp all summer!
Seward and Homer were also favorites. Seward, AK being maybe the most fun because we camped with our door opening to the waves crashing right in front of us. And, we could bike all over town, to the playground, to the fishing dock, to the library, to the organic co-op for groceries, to two different awesome coffee shops. Spent all our time either enjoying the rocky beaches or biking through town. Also, hiked to Lowell Point and got to see an eagle up close catching a fish, so amazing! And, hiked Kenai Fjords National Park, the boys making it all the way to the Icefields, hands on learning all about glaciers and how they have retreated over time and how important it is to save them!
Homer, AK was awesome, too. We camped on the spit, so right on the shore, as well, and could bike to the little shops and coffee, and a super cool swing under the boardwalk with the ocean waves feet away. We visited the Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center and hiked along the marshes to Bishops Beach. But, the biggest surprise was taking a boat ride to Seldovia, a small island town only accessible by boat or plane. We got to see Gull Island full of shorebirds (including puffins!!!), and hiked to Outside Beach, a cool hike to a private beach on the other side of the island.
Homer Spit, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska - Summer 2019
Salmonfest was a highlight in between Seward and Homer and it is now one of our all-time favorite festivals. Good music, good people, good food, and salmon!!! Had great open-minded conversations about veggie oil, sustainable food sourcing, water and indigenous rights, and conscious parenting. Plus, all the money raised went to help Defend Bristol Bay and protect the waters for the salmon and the locals who depend on the salmon to nourish their families.
Grateful to Spelman and Barbara, our new friends from Canada, for their hospitality and our amazing time on the Kenai River in Cooper Landing, AK. Met these dear friends in Whitehorse, YT, Canada on the way to Alaska and they invited us to stay with them once we got there. Of all the awesome things about full-time travel is the people we meet and the friendships we have made simply by being open and connecting with like-minded souls along the way. Spent a lot of time in Anchorage, too, and grew to really love it. The Pride Festival was awesome, biking around town was fun, and having sweet bear cubs walk through our campsite, like right out our front door, was a memory we will all never forget. The Alaska State Fair was great until our baby boy fell and ended up in the emergency room with five stitches, also a memory we will never forget. Anchorage was also where we celebrated two different family birthdays, hiking right outside the many mountains surrounding the city, where we discovered sand dunes and secret sand beaches, and also where we met up with our veggie guy there, filling up on waste veggie oil in the land of oil pipelines just proving that there are good people trying to do the alternative thing everywhere, you just have to search hard enough.
The Alaska Railroad! One of our best memories of the summer, jumping on and off one of the only flagstop service trains in North America.
Next up was Talkeetna, a groovy little mountain town with amazing views of Denali, campground right next to the Alaska Railroad train station, an awesome organic bakery, and bike paths all through town. We had a magical ride on one of the country’s only flagstop trains, got off at author and illustrator Shannon Cartwright's studio, and ended up hiking to her homestead for a full tour and amazing connection before flagging down the train to jump back on. Seriously one of our coolest adventures yet. Then, Denali National Park in all it’s glory. We camped right in the park, got to see Denali, the magical mountain herself, a few different times on clear days, when some people never get to see it due to clouds or weather, and we enjoyed hiking the tundra. Fairbanks was our last Alaska stop, and it was getting cold by mid-September with all campgrounds closed up that far north, so we stayed only a week to get work done and stock up on groceries before heading back down the Alaska Highway.
When people ask us that inevitable question after learning that we travel full-time, “Where is your most favorite place?” We now most often say ALASKA. The last frontier truly stole our hearts, and even though the trek up and back is long, I can totally see us going again and again. After nine years on the road full-time, we have seen and done so very much, but there is still so much more to explore. We are determined to make it to Hawaii, to see more of beautiful Canada and to go to Mexico together soon. And then, who knows? International travel? Mixing in travel with homesteading somewhere? We will have to see. What we do know is that we will keep doing what we can to protect Mama Earth and all that she provides for us in so many ways. We will keep educating and marching and protesting and connecting with people along the way. We will keep standing up for people and planet, and we will likely keep circling back to our village that is now spread across the country and beyond.
Global Climate Strike - Whitehorse, YT, Canada #fridaysforfuture
This year is about to bring about some big changes for our family, we are excited and nervous all at the same time, but honestly trust that the universe will lead the way like it always has. We will have some big things to share soon, but for now taking this winter nesting period to rest after a long year and lots of travel. Tuning into our family and what five different souls need right now all at the same time is enough for this Mama, and letting go of some things so we can make room for other things to flourish. Last year started off hard, like really hard, but then turned around in the most amazing way when we leaned into trust that it would. We took leaps of faith like we have done in the past that led us to beautiful people and places and ended up better for it. 2019 was a roller coaster of emotions and a wild ride of travel. We started off in Portland in January, made our way down the west coast to San Diego, then off to Las Vegas, Southwestern Utah, and Zion National Park by April. We then worked our way back north toward Montana, Glacier National Park, and crossed the border into Canada in June. By the end of June we were in Alaska and spent three beautiful months for a full summer experience there. We left to head back through Canada in September, then Montana again and onto Colorado then Texas. Quite an adventure for sure. But it isn’t the miles worn that determines our flow, it is the journey of all that we’ve done and seen and most importantly the connections we make along the way. So, we will see what 2020 brings and how we move into our 10th year full-time on the road. There are way more people now doing this unconventional thing called life on the road than when we started, and we are so glad more and more people are taking that leap. From a seasoned family, it’s all worth it. The ups, the downs, the hard, and the beautiful. Here’s to more of the journey and more love to share!