Georgia To Maine

This past month of September my husband and I began our soft start to thru hiking the Appalachian Trail. We have long intended to hike the trail "eventually" and in 2016 we decided that 2021 would be our year. Jake's 40th birthday year, it just seemed like a great fit. Since then, he had toe surgery, and I had a very nasty ankle injury that led to arthritis, in my knee too. Recovery over 2019 had been slow, but we started out 2020 feeling pretty good about our goal, with a likely start mid March the next year. 

Then 2020 developed and those plans were looking very questionable. the Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) which protects and manages the national scenic trail, closed the trail, to the extent they are able (the trail land is owned by a variety of entities, and travels through multiple states after all) and stopped issuing the numbered thru hiker permits, an often coveted souvenir. Many hikers left the trail. Some did not. But what does that mean for 2021? Practically everyone across a variety of forums wanted to know. But whether it would lead to more crowding next year, or whether it too, might be canceled, is anyone's guess. 

All we really had were a lot of what if scenarios. Hiking a 2200 mile trail, over a course of 5 months, would require us to leave our jobs, hopefully rent our home, and maybe at some point, you know, shave my head. Not small decisions, nor easily reversible. Add to that complexity, Jake had just changed jobs, starting his new position in February, and on a contract basis. how long would it last? what would happen to the economy? Was it reckless to voluntarily leave a job next spring? 

So, after a lot of back and forth about potential ideas, including just putting it off until possibly 2022, we finally settled to move forward as flexibly as possible. Which leads me to a soft start in September. 

We are mainly able to work remote, except I do babysit dogs regularly. Did I want to abandon my clientele if this turned out to be a no go? Not really. So, instead, we resolved to start blocking weeks that were unbooked 4-6 weeks ahead, and getting on the trail in those downtime weekends. Jake could still work thanks to the magic of wifi and mobile hotspots during the week. 

So on September 19th we got on the Appalachian Trail and spent 2 weekends hiking, one at a section at the top of Pennsylvania, and one at the bottom. Spending most of the midweek car camping in a nearby state park with good cell signal. Technically, a thru hike is just doing the whole trail in 12 months, so, if we finish next year by September 18th, these could count towards a thru. It wouldn't be traditional, but the hiker communities favorite refrain is HYOH: Hike your own hike. And this is mine. 

Of course if everything goes swimmingly and we start full time, just when we want, in spring with the blessing of the ATC, then we might well just rehike these sections. but if that is delayed, hopefully these miles will help us reach our goals. And worse case: there is no better place to train than on the actual trail, and we'll gain the experience and muscle for a traditional go in a later year. 

There are lots of topics I want to share, and I will blog about them soon, Gear, social distancing logistics, Rocksylvania, food, cold season hiking plans and more. If you have any questions or ideas, let me know! I have spent far too much time reading about the Appalachian Trail over the years, so I'm ready to answer your questions. 

In the meantime, check my posts and highlights real over on Instagram for too many pictures. 

#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. 

Love Animals? Check out my newest piece!

Head over to Livability.com  to see my newest piece,


8 Cities With (Surprisingly) Easy Access to Wildlife

See if your home made the list, and learn about some fun new places to check out. You could be playing with penguins, petting a rhino, or watching wolves this summer! While you're at it, check out their list of the Top 100 best places to live. 

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. 

Australia and New Zealand sites and sounds

If you have been hoping for a fun travel video about a few spots around New Zealand and Sydney Aus, featuring fun musical selections, here it is!

Come for the whales and platypus, stay for the sad penguin

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.