After Leaving the Appalacian Trail

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A post shared by Desira Fuqua (@desirawanders)

What to do with myself after admitting I was through with my thru was a wide open question.  But since we had the car in Maine we decided, for starters to explore a bit as we slowly returned homeward. We visited parks and lighthouses and Steven King's home. From there we wandered home. We visited an art museum, rode a carousel and explored some gardens. Visited one place that had become a Wildlife Refuge with a place called Salt Meadow House two women lived in, and Eleanor Roosevelt visited. There is still an old stone picnic table there where she is photographed sitting. Of course the refuge is named after a man. We briefly stopped over in Baltimore to see the city park there, and then went home. 

By then we still hadn't figured out what we were doing with the rest of our lives. Not only was our house rented until the end of summer 2023, but we were also both FIRE retired now. We could go back to work, but we didn't have to. Not having anywhere to be and no plans, we bought tickets to Portutal for 2 months. We would go live and travel there, and try to stay on our "retirement" budget, with a small boost to monthly housing thanks to what we cleared from renting our house. But before leaving we made a list of the things we wanted to while at home. 

This involved driving by the house a million times to check on it, and wandering bookstores and world market. We saw a few friends, family. Got our hiking stuff packed away and realized we both felt like we needed next to nothing to travel now. after 6 months of depending on a single change of clothes and little else, We can fit all the necessities in a single schoolbag. and a smaller day hiking pack we threw kindles for reading and other nonessentials. 

We found out last minute it was the last days of a nearby county fair, so we went. We even rode rides which I haven't done in a long time. It was a real boon because we thought we'd miss our local county fair being on trail. Then when we went to Maine we thought we'd finish Katadhin in time to do to a fair up there. Then when we quit early and came home, we found ourself missing that one, and much to early for my old hometown fair. So stumbling upon one we could go to felt like such luck!

After all was said and done, I felt ready for our flight. Although I was definitely feeling the common post trail depression, I planned to get in lots of walking and exercise, in Europe, and we were going to get rooms with kitchens so we could get back to cooking for ourselves. I hadn't really lost weight on trail. Only about 5lbs in the end though plenty of muscle gained. So I had quickly gained that back plus a little. Not feeling the best. The exntended heat in the US and the costliness of hotels really drove us to Europe. There were better short term housing options for less money, much more walkable. So at the begining of August, off we went. First to Lisbon. 

It's been nearly two months now and it's near time to head home. It's been wonderful here and we've seen so much and rested a lot. I will share more about that soon. Probably once I am back stateside. 

Still, we only have a tenative plan to get us to New Years and then I still don't know what we are doing. I am open to suggestions from practical life goals to more irresponsible travel and decision making avoidance. Please send. 

 

#Vanlife Obsessed? See My City Destination Recommendations.

I've been spending a lot of time on the road recently, and did a little roundup of some cool cities to spend your #vanlife living and working, like Lake Havasu City, pictured below. Check it out, and let me know what you think!

The 7 Best Cities to Live That #Vanlife

Fun Fact: It was about 110° F when this picture was taken. 

Official Semi Nomads

Are we verbing Montgomery here?

I am excited to announce that a long time goal of mine is finally being realized. We are embarking on a semi nomadic style of life. I left traditional work nearly four years ago, and ever since my husband has been trying to move to a position where he can work remote more often.

So finally, we are going to be able to work and travel from the road about 50% of the time. We have already made a few trips to places in the south like Augusta,  Myrtle Beach and parts of Alabama.

In between weekends filled with exploring new places are evenings spent driving, and work days spent at libraries, coffee shops, and fast food places. We do what we have always done when traveling the US, as lucky white US citizens. We sleep in the car a lot. we camps some, and we occasionally spring for a cheap hotel room. It makes a huge difference in cost, and it has rarely presented a problem. For right now, we are keeping the "work remote life" strictly domestic. There is a lot of country to explore (and some favorite places I can't wait to get back to) but we do still plan to take some actual vacations internationally.

We also eat some cold meals, and have a portable butane stove to make some hot ones. We definitely are trying out the restaurants that make a place unique, and patronizing wherever we find good wifi and an electrical outlet.

So, this isn't quite the #vanlife you have heard of, at least not yet. We do aspire to get a Dodge Caravan, for the coveted in floor storage space that removing the Stow N Go seats will give us, while keeping MPG a lot more reasonable than most travel or camper vans popular with #vanlife, at the expense of not having a full in van kitchen with live edge counter tops and recycled pallet paneling. The Dodge will be a more stealthy camping option, but allow us a bit more room to organize, and a more comfortable sleeping arrangement than the Prius we drive today.

Another current limitation, and one we are still figuring out, is how to travel with our very aged puppy, who will soon be celebrating her sweet 16! She doesn't deal with heat too well, or cold, so we have to find places that are mild enough in climate for her to spend time outside with us. So if you have any recommendations for pet friendly locations, we would love to hear about them. She's too old to walk, so she get's her own little carry bag that we take her around in. We have found some places have very accepting beaches, parks, gardens and restaurants, and some... don't

Thanks for reading! I plan to talk about specifics more eventually, but if you have burning questions, let me know! 

10 Days in Bali with a side of Taiwan

We spent a wonderful 10 days in Bali in early October, along with a 24 hour layover on the return flight in Taiwan. Bali has a familiar Southeast Asian Feel, combined with that more relaxed island vibe.

We rented a long term scooter delivered for the airport, and after an overnight and half day in the capital of Denpasar, we headed North to Candidasa for a day of temple exploration and a day in the water,  before heading inland to Mt. Batur. From there is was due north to see the coast,and back down to Ubud, with a few waterfalls mixed in.  After relaxing in Ubud, and accidentally almost going to a royal wedding,  we had our scooter picked up, and then were taken to a ferry for a few days on the small islands (Nusa) of Ceningan and Lembongan. After Snorkeling and exploring, we returned to the mainland for a final day to see one last temple and the local zoo, before flying to Taipei.

A quick 24 hours in Taipei involved a late night walk through one of the night markets, and  a full day of touring some national parks, before the long return flight(s) home.

Overall? Bali is vibrant and gorgeous, with everything you would expect from a tropical volcanic island paradise, and a culture that adores art, color, and dance. The worst thing I can say is I got a little bored with the local food, and found myself to resorting to more western meals, something I never do. That said, we didn't put a lot of effort into choosing meal locations, so it could be bad luck, or that my hopes were Thailand and Cambodia high.

Taipei is a well organized city, and feels immediately comfortable, The day we visited it was moody weather, and had that Coastal California feel. The food here was everything I wanted it to be.

As with everywhere I go, I wish I had more time in both places. Even 10 days in Bali is too short partly because it takes time to get around on the smaller roads, and partly because the beaches and bungalows are almost too good to ever leave and see other sites. 

A Week in the Canadian South: Thoughts

I've technically been to Canada a few times before, although not for long, and never to really get out of a given city. But this year we were able to take the first week of July in Ontario, venturing as far north as Agawa Canyon in the west, and Finlayson Point in the East, both of which are commonly refereed to as being part of northern Ontario.  This distinction I can understand, given the population center is around Toronto, but looking at a map, it's strange to see such a huge geographic area included in the north, while only a tiny part is considered southern.

But Ontario really is the southern province of Canada, and the weather was pleasant by our standards the week we visited, although a little hot to the locals. In the South, From Toronto down to to the U.S. border at Detroit, we were struck by how diverse, and seemingly integrated, the area is. This was apparent during musical celebrations downtown for Canada Day (July 1st)  and also in the myriad of dining options. In my two visits to the Toronto area I've had pretty authentic pub food, ethiopian, dim sum, lebanese, and even some Portuguese custard tarts. That's barely the tip of the iceberg. No other city comes to mind as having quite such a diverse populace.

Heading farther north, we visited the popular Georgia Bay Peninsula, Manitoulin Island, and Provincial parks across the rest of southern northern Ontario, before visiting Algonquin on our return to Toronto. We will have to return another time to see Ottawa, and other spots farther east. The northern areas are much more rural, fluctuating between the rolling farmland in the eastern half of the U.S. and the granite, pine, and moose terrain found in parts of the western US.

We spent most of our time camping in provincial parks, hiking, kayaking and swimming, combined with a fair amount of driving. It's a beautiful area, dominated by cottage lined lakes and more Canadian flags than people. The provincial parks only provide limited access to what is still a largely wild place. To explore farther, we would need more time and a boat. The provincial parks are geared towards stay in place vacations, the summer camping experience, rather than the Great American Roadtrip. Still, we found plenty to do, and were able to check off
a list of iconic wildlife, from geese, loons, and cranes, to beavers, porcupines, bear and moose. 

Norway is here

In between more current activities, I've been giving a photo tour of our trip to Morocco, Spain, Portugal, and Gibraltar on my Instagram, tracked by the not too creative or lyrical #MorSpaPorGib. I'm happy to announce that trip is officially done, so it's time to move on to something new, our February 2016 trip to Norway!

The main driver for this trip was seeing the northern lights, with a side of traditional Sami culture and viking history to boot. Over our 12 day trip we took in Oslo, Tromso, Bergen, Flam, and Trondheim.

We had a fantastic time. Norway has great walkable cities, even in winter. We bundled up as needed, and enjoyed seeing the old stone churches, exploring museums, and even dining outdoors thanks to sheepskin blankets and warmers. And yes, we did see the northern lights.

Follow me @desirafu on Instagram for more, at the no more creative but a little more lyrical #DesiraInNorway

We are about to enter the last portion of our fall 2015 trip, which ends in Gibraltar. so i thought it would be a great time to finally kick off our early 2016 trip to Norway. spoiler; there are northern lights ahead. Here we are flying into Bergen, at the same time a boat was arriving. #norway #travel #wanderlust #wonderlust #wanderwoman #letsgo #adventure #europe #travelgram #womenwhotravel #tourism #ilovetravel #visitnorway #traveltheworld #explore #seetheworld #theworldupclose #neverstopexploring #traveljunkie #wander #NorwayNotEU #snow #aerial #imonaplane #beginings #scandinavia #Bergen #DesiraInNorway

A post shared by Desira Fuqua (@desirafu) on Apr 26, 2017 at 3:40pm PDT

Oh the Places I've Gone

This year, in celebration of the National Parks 100th anniversary, I've been digging through photos from the past decade, and sharing some of my favorite shots of National Parks, and other National Park Services properties that I've visited on  my Instagram. My goal is to share 100 photos, one per day. This week, I will hit the halfway point, and I'm feeling a bit blown away. I didn't realize how many of these places I've been to. I thought I would be revisiting some of my favorites, from which I have lots of photos, and in the end I will, but at the moment, I still have perhaps a dozen sites to go through. Here's hoping I can find pictures for them all.

A few years ago I also did a 100 happy days challenge, where I shared daily pictures of all the random things that made me happy. I mostly tried to stick to the small stuff, and the results were similarly surprising and satisfying. Rather than being a challenge, the more I looked, the more I saw. I had to restrain myself to one thing each day. It's pretty high on the feel good scale just to focus attention on the good, because there can be so much of it. And the more you look for these types of things, the more you see.

So, that's my current warm and fuzzy. So whether you've got a favorite National Park property or this really cool mug that always makes you smile, I invite you to share some of your favorite things in the comments below. Really, it's for your own good.

I miss #Zion. Of all the desert parks spread across Utah and Arizona, this one spoke to me and said stay. The red rock, the tunnel entrance, the riparian habitat, it feels like a secret oasis. Day 43 #100daysfor100years #findyourpark. #usa #traipse #travel. #Wanderlust #photography #photooftheday #america #getoutside #NationalPark #nps #nps100 #adventure #neverstopexploring #glorious #wonderful #outdoors #nature #zionnationalpark #oasis #shangrila #homeofmyheart #nofilter

A photo posted by Desira Fuqua (@desirafu) on Aug 12, 2016 at 5:59am PDT

The Italian Art of Steel and Glass

The 1955 Chrysler Ghia Gilda

There's a new exhibit at the Frist in Nashville: Bellissima! The Italian Automotive Renaissance, 1945–1975. It features a lot of fantastic vehicles, some with notable names like Ducati, Ferrari and Maserati attached, but even people who aren't into automotive pedigrees will love this exhibit. Simply put, these cars are cool. They're colorful; they're weird. From the sleek burnt orange of the bat mobile turned Hot Wheels 1970 Lancia Stratos HF Zero, to the curling blue sting ray fins of the 1954 Alfa Romeo BAT 7 the cars are just fascinating to look at. The BATs in particular struck my fancy, concept cars with a zeal for aerodynamics that makes them look like they belong to some still distant future, rather than over 60 years in the past. I can guarantee you will find a car in this exhibit to make you grin. The show runs until October 9, so don't miss out.

P.S. Even fast and fancy Italian sports cars have their push, pull, or drag it in moments. Check out how they got these sleek rides into the exhibit here 

Cruising

One of my favorite things to do, and, as a not quite lunatic fringe environmentalist, one of my guilty pleasures, is taking a long drive. It's a part of why I love the American West, where there is so much road and great wide vistas. I also adore my home state, the rolling hills of Tennessee. Here's a little video of some things we saw one day last fall, on the hunt for some truly red leaves on a blue sky day. And they were beautiful.