"We have never encountered a couple who approached truck camper upgrades and modifications with more of a scientific mindset than Lexi and Chris. With that mindset comes a bit of madness, as in an eager willingness to think up, research, and deploy cutting-edge experiments no camper manufacturer would dare consider."
2019 closes our fifth year of wandering and third year traveling in our Avion truck camper. In the course of exploring California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky we have wracked up over 14 thousand miles on our truck, and so many new discoveries. We took on our biggest overlanding trip to date on the Rimrocker Trail, learned about the perils of low octane fuel, completely derailed our summer travels due to altitude sickness, and became a little more cautious of unattended dogs after Chris's rabies scare. It's been another year of amazing experiences and, while it's hard to pick highlights form a year so full of new discoveries, there are a few particular gems.
Everyone has different ways by which they plan a route. Frankly, for the most part, we don't. We know where we are. We often have a sense of where we want to go. But what happens in between is between the road and ourselves. That can mean camping in anything between a National Park Campground or a Walmart Parking Lot. More often than not, though, we hunt out some form of public land—the more remote the better.
Sometimes, someone may set their keys on the drivers seat while they put on a jacket. Sometimes, another someone may lock the car, ready to begin a hike.
Spanish guitar strummed in the background as we watched the sun set over South Padre Island one last time. Despite the soothing heat and the reviving air, our colds still linger. We decided we'd spend one more day in the heat to heal before continuing our travels. So, this evening we took a walk to enjoy the sunset and it did not disappoint.
Tonight, for lack of a better spot and disinterest in spending camp fare, we settled down in a Pilot Truck stop parking lot. We wound down the evening with the dinner of champions: cup of noodles, while watching what appears to be a van camper and a homeless man chatting.
As late in the fall as it may have been, leaves the color of sunshine clung to the trees. The less tenacious littered the ground. This portion of the Natchez Trace is so worn by centuries of use that it is now a deep gully. We climbed down into the ancient footpath and looked up at the walls. They rose above our heads to flatten out at the natural ground level. This is a path so tied to tradition that to walk it literally blinds you to all other directions.
We all have our own white whales. Captain Ahab first lost his leg to one and then his life. Mary may not have risked so much, but at 94 (well, almost) her tenacity was still remarkable. She did not shy away from an adversary such as Mr. J.
I have fallen so far behind in recording our travels. We still have yet to master working from the road. After a day of activities, we'll roll into our camping spot, full of ambition and drive. But as soon as I crawl into our DIY camper, sleep envelops me as surely and completely as the blankets, clothes, and any insulation I can pile on top of myself to combat the spiteful cold outside. It doesn't matter that I should have another three good hours of coherence ahead of me. I'm out.
Happy Holidays! 2016 has been an exciting year for us. We continued our nomadic adventure. We bought a new truck dubbed Dodgy II: The Truckening (our van was Dodgy I). We built the truck bed into our own cozy living quarters with…