1st Road Trip

April 2025

With the thrill of a new journey, we set out on our first road trip in the van. Not just to see new places, but to remember what it feels like when days are shaped by light, distance, and curiosity instead of schedules. The van was packed "lightly", expectations even were of fun and adventure.

Man crouching beside a desert shrub with rocky hills under a clear blue sky — We stopped here to admire the silence. It didn’t say much, but it was convincing.

Early miles are always tentative. Did we turn off the stove? We listen more closely to sounds, notice small changes, wonder if you forgot something important. (No wait, all is good... George is here!) But with each mile, confidence grows quietly, not because everything is perfect, but because you realize you can adapt.

Travel has a way of stripping life down to essentials. Water, fuel, food, and time. Everything else becomes optional. The reward is a kind of mental spaciousness that’s hard to find when life is over-optimized.

Three stuffed animals sitting on a van dashboard, facing the road ahead — The travel mates. They don’t navigate, don’t pay for gas, and never complain — which somehow makes them the most reliable part of the crew.

Somewhere along the way, the journey stopped feeling like movement and started feeling like presence. Conversations slowed. Thoughts stretched out. The road stopped asking where we were going and simply invited us to keep going.

Empty two-lane road stretching through desert hills at sunset — Seeking the solitude of the desert, we found ourselves in a quiet place where time moved differently.

By the end, it was clear this trip wasn’t about distance covered or places checked off. It was about learning how little is actually required to feel grounded — a shared direction, a sense of motion, and the freedom to stop when something quietly asks for your attention. Still lots to learn, but a good start.

White camper van parked in a vast desert landscape with red rock formations — Our entire world, temporarily reduced to four wheels, a horizon, and no fixed plans.