What I've learned thus far.

It's almost three weeks since I departed on this crazy journey of mine and there's no shortage of things to learn and adapt to when living in a van full time.

My transition from tiny bachelor apartment to van dwelling wasn't such a big deal. My daily routine stays the same; get up, make coffee and while it perks clean house. Living in such a small space, and being slightly OCD when it comes to organization, makes me have have to keep a tidy abode. There really is no way around that. Plus, if I am ever to be stopped by the police it just looks better.

My toilet is in both my kitchen and my bedroom and that takes some getting used to. I didn't think I would use it that much but I do enjoy not having to go outside in the dark scariness to relieve myself. I have also discovered it's important to remember to empty the campa potti every few days or there's a strange smell of cured meats in my house. (most of you are wincing right now and I don't blame you, but these are the gritty facts)

Without power my fridge is an ice box so I need to buy a bag of ice every day. If I forget the water melts and severe turns cause the water to come pouring out all over the place. This goes for everything else too. Every single item has to be tied down or wedged in or things go flying. Just this morning I took a quick turn and my fridge opened, sending cheese, sandwich meat and potatoes flying. It's a bit of a distraction when you're driving.

Obviously showering, or not showering, is a constant concern. I'm ok with a few days of bird bathing in gas stations or fast food joints but after a while a hot shower is definitely needed. I have been lucky in the last week to have the luxury of staying with people and showering on a regular basis. Back on the road and one day later I'm already missing that which we all take for granted.

Lastly, where to sleep for the night is a concern every time I see the sun disappearing on the horizon. I have pulled over in front of a little cemetery, in broad view in parking lots and sometimes right on the side of the road. Last night was the only time I had a problem. In West Virginia I was feeling rather crappy due to a cold and felt I shouldn't drive any further. I pulled over on the side of the secondary highway I was on and crawled into bed. It was only 8:30pm so I knew I would be up early and back on the road, hopefully feeling less coldish. After about 10 minutes a car pulled over behind me, stayed for a minute then left. A few minutes later a truck pulled over in front of me, then turned around and pulled in back, stayed there for a minute, and left.

It was the first time this kind of thing happened and I got spooked so I drove to the next town. I parked on the road between a lawyers office and the police station thinking it would be safe. Two seconds later another car pulls in behind me and there is a flashlight in my face. You know the saying, "they are as afraid of you as you are of them"? Turns out that's the case here. People were checking me out because I'm a stranger here and called the police. The kind policeman told me people are suspicious because with the way the economy is they want to hang on to whatever they have left. Apparently there is a big problem with stealing in the little town of Ritchie County. He allowed me to park in the police station's lot for the night. When I left in the morning I swear I was followed by a black truck until I was out of town.

Now, I head out towards Ohio with a golf ball sized hole in my exhaust. Hopefully I can find a mechanic who is willing to let me trade for the fix. Let the learning and exploring continue!

Generosity and inspiration in Ardmore, PA

Sometimes you meet people and just their aura is inspiring. Todd and Kristin Kimmell invited me to their beautiful 1895 house in Ardmore, PA. They have to be two of the kindest people I have ever had the pleasure to meet. I mean, just LOOK at them! I showed up in their town with very short notice and they still welcomed me. The family had plans that evening so off they went leaving me, a relative stranger, alone in their house for hours. If this isn't trust I don't know what is. I set myself up with my laptop in the corner of their kitchen and didn't move for fear of lighting the place on fire.

In the morning I was called in for coffee and breakfast and given the abbreviated history of Philadelphia. I always enjoy listening to charismatic, smart people and Todd is definitely one of them. In return for their kindness I left them with a piece I made on copper which they seemed to genuinely like. I am flattered to have it in their home amongst all the amazing work they have surrounded themselves with.

Todd has a studio in the basement of a Masonic hall which includes a 100 year old bowling alley. And yes, I did get to throw a ball down the lane...I scored 8.

Todd is the creator of The Grand Review, which he describes as "a remarkable collection of delightful yet obscure historic imagery from private and public collections....Rediscovered, then rethought and reworked, we present these carefully chosen images back to the public as handsomely crafted large format prints." His studio is enough too make a person drool. I wanted to walk away with many of the prints and regret I didn't, however, I know where to find them when I'm settled again.

I am only two weeks into my adventure and can honestly say I am delighted with the people I am meeting. It is giving me lots to think about when it comes to what I want to do in the grand scheme of things. For now, onward ho!

Trust in strangers

Chris and Paul

Before I left on my journey I was advised by everyone to be careful of people, especially in the big, bad 'ol US.  I do realize there are some out there who do not have the best intentions but if you ever want restore your faith in people travel alone.

As you may already know I had a fainting spell last week. I stopped at All Computer Services in Highland Park, NY to get a virus on my laptop fixed. As they were working on it we chatted and I told Paul, the owner, all about my adventure and where I'm from. When my computer was fixed he refused to charge me, telling me I needed the money for my trip. In return I offered to buy him dinner. I was famished and would enjoy the company. On our way to eat we stopped at a friends place to invite them and stayed for a beer. I asked to use the washroom and just steps later I was down for the count. The rest of the story is through Paul's experience told to me.

When I came to about 15 seconds later I had no idea what happened or where I was. I was screaming my name and where I'm from, over and over. Everyone from inside the house came out to see what was going on. All strangers to me. No one there knows anything about me except for what I told Paul during our small talk. They put me on my side with a sweater under my head while they tried to calm me down and find out what had happened. They find all the pieces of my broken glasses, get me into a car and Paul's friend drives us to the emergency. There I am asked questions he has to answer. I don't have my purse, no identification, no money.  I signed a form with the nurses help, agreeing to let them do whatever they needed to do to make sure I'm okay. Released with a concussion and a broken nose, I am taken to Paul's place. My memory picks up here.

Thanks to Paul my memory was restore by him answering my repeating questions over and over. If it wasn't for him knowing the answers I'm not sure what would have happened. For the next 4 days he waited on me hand and foot at his place and when at the shop Chris kept me company. These two people are amazing and I owe them a lot. The accident was scary but it could have been so much worse had I been with other people. They deserve to have a post dedicated to them, so here it is.

I had posted earlier that I need to learn to slow down but this isn't what I meant. I'm not a spiritual person but if I was to get anything from this I would say the universe told me to take it easy. I would have understood a more gentle message though. Next time you can be more subtle Mr./Mrs Universe.

Unprepared and out of shape in New Hampshire

*(note. My photoshop has stopped working...please don't judge the quality of theses photos. UGH!)

Yesterday I thought it would be a good idea to go for a hike. You know, get out of the van, get some exercise and be in the nature. I chose a trail in Crawford Notch based on the description of the waterfall there. The trail was called Frankenstein Cliff Trail but apparently I was the only one who was expecting to see a dark and looming cliff in the shape of Frankenstein's head. After hiking straight up for what seemed like days I came to a outlook which was truly breathtaking (but no Frankenstein). I could see all the surrounding mountains and my van was a small white rectangle in the parking lot below. I felt like I accomplished something as I rested at the top of the climb.

I set off to finish the loop back anxiously anticipating the waterfall which was described to me by passers by as 'spectacular'. Every hiker I passed said the next point of interest was 20 minutes away. It would seem that no matter where you were everything was 20 minutes down the path. I adopted this answer when fellow hikers asked about something I had passed. The truth is I had no idea how long I had been walking or how far back things were. The waterfall was short of spectacular but I sat and watched it anyway.

On the way back down I started to wonder if some backwoods murderer/cannibal also had a can of blue spray paint and was marking the trees for a new trail leading to their cabin of death. The path became almost unnavigable and I got slightly lost a couple of times. I must have destroyed hundreds of spiders homes with my face. Finally, out of the woods, I found myself in a parking lot but not the one I parked in. Luckily it was just down the road a ways.

I was an ill prepared city girl wearing jeans and converse with one small bottle of water and an apple. I was tired, hungry and thirsty by the time I was done and felt quite naive about the whole thing. I'll be more prepared for the next hike.

Today my body aches, but it's the good kind of ache where you know you've earned it. I gained a new layer of sweat and dirt on top of my already gross body and this morning the first thing I did was look for a shower. It's the best $2 I've ever spent. I am reminded in the short period of time I've been on the road how pampered we really are. No one thinks about how lucky they are when they stumble into the shower half asleep in the morning and turn on their hot water. Or how in the flick of a switch they have light and power is always available to them. We take these things for granted. Whenever this journey is over I'm sure I will look at these luxuries with more appreciation.