Life on the RoadZanetaComment

The Adventure Begins

Life on the RoadZanetaComment
The Adventure Begins
the-openroad.com-Road-Trip-Life-Adirondacks
 
“...we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens a certain number of times, and a very small number, really... How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless.”
— Paul Bowles
 

How many sunrises missed because we're busy getting ready for work; how many beautiful days missed behind an office desk; how many quiet moments sitting beside a stream that we could have had but didn't because we had to squeeze all our recreation into a short time?  Certainly too many.  How many landscapes and places on our 'hope to see' list will end up on our 'wish we had seen' list if we don't mindfully make an effort to see them?  So ...we've decided to try to live in a different way, because after all, we only have a finite amount of time and we want to fill ours with experiences that are meaningful to us.  We left our full-time jobs, put our stuff in storage and are saying goodby to our current lives to embrace adventure and live full-time on the road- just us, a roof-top tent that will be our new home,  our side-kick Koda and the open road.  

We have a rough plan (more a collection of places we have always wanted to see) but part of the adventure will be spontaneity.  Our wish list will take us from the rugged coast of eastern Maine, through the western US and Canada all the way to Alaska and back to the deserts of the southwest. We're not sure where the open road will take us, but hope you will follow along as we share our journey.  Check out our About page to get to know more about us.

Hiking, Life on the RoadNickNorth Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Little Missouri National Grasslands, Maah Daah Hey Trail2 Comments

Where the Buffalo Roam

We hit the North Dakota State line at mile marker 352 with 310 miles left to go. We passed through Fargo; yes the same Fargo from the 1996 movie; where curious folks can have their picture taken with some of the more notable movie memorabilia. We, however,  did not have time for such frivolities as we were on our way to the open road country. The miles clicked by at a pretty good pace, but then again, how could they not when the speed limit is 75 and there is no traffic. Town after town rolled by out the window, the space wide open, the sky perpetually blue, but the scenery never changing. We were beginning to wonder what we had gotten ourselves into; where were these painted hills and the mighty bison that roam them?  Then all of a sudden somebody flipped the switch-we were there. Without warning- the scenery abruptly changed from rolling rangeland to rugged badlands....

Hiking, Life on the RoadNickNorth Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Little Missouri National Grasslands, Maah Daah Hey Trail2 Comments
Where the Buffalo Roam
HikingZanetaSawtooth National Forest, Idaho4 Comments

Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho

Roadtrip serindipity. Sometimes you find what you didn’t even know you were looking for.  When rising temperatures pushed us out of Wyoming we decided to head towards the Oregon coast where temperatures looked nice and cool.  By chance we decided to stop over in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho; after all, it was on the way and why not.  What we found were spectacular mountain ranges, deep gem-colored alpine lakes, some of the best free dispersed camping we had found yet (and a place to hide out from the crowds over the 4th of July holiday) and a ton of hikes to add to our ‘need to do’ list.  I think we will definitely be coming back to this area. 

HikingZanetaSawtooth National Forest, Idaho4 Comments
Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho
HikingZanetaWashington, Cascade MountainsComment

Northbound- Cascade Mountains Washington

Mark another one down on our want to re-visit list.  As many other travelers have found, the more places we visit the longer our to-do list gets.  With just a little time for a stop-over in the Cascade Mountains on our way north we got a taste of area but there’sso much exploring to do here- so on the return list it goes...

HikingZanetaWashington, Cascade MountainsComment
Northbound- Cascade Mountains Washington
Life on the Road, HikingNickCanada, Cassiar Highway, Alaska Highway, Altin, British Columbia, Yukon2 Comments

Northbound- The Long Road to Alaska

The road to Alaska is a long one, we never thought it would be a short trip by any stretch of the imagination but it still ended up taking longer than anticipated.  Plans on this trip seem to change daily and our route to Alaska was not immune to our ‘whichever way the wind blows’ travel planning technique. Originally we planned to travel through the Canadian Rockies to the Alaskan Highway and northward, however somehow we found ourselves in the Washington Cascades and needed to do some alternative route finding...

Life on the Road, HikingNickCanada, Cassiar Highway, Alaska Highway, Altin, British Columbia, Yukon2 Comments
Northbound- The Long Road to Alaska
Hiking, Life on the RoadNickAntelope Island, Utah, California, Lake Tahoe, Eastern SierrasComment

California- Desert Days

California is big, I don’t think anyone will dispute that, but it truly takes spending some time there to actually put the word big into context. Back in 2009 and 2010 we called California home for a short time, southern California to be exact. During that time we spent every free moment exploring, from the southern deserts of Anza Borrego and Joshua Tree to the coastal towns along the pacific coast highway and the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles. We pushed the limits of what we could see during the weekend and well, we fell woefully short of exploring the state.

Hiking, Life on the RoadNickAntelope Island, Utah, California, Lake Tahoe, Eastern SierrasComment
California- Desert Days