What a wicked time it has been in California! I cannot believe everything Porter and I were able to see. Plus get a new home and upgrade the truck!
Original plan: visit the National Parks in California from south to north. Sounds nice. In reality I drove over 3,000 miles east, west, up down, around from desert to mountain, city and sea. Not the worst, but many miles.
PS. gas in California has been ranging 4.90-6.30 per gallon. woof
Made it back into the states just in time to visit Joshua Tree National Park for the last two nights of no moon. Even cooler with the silhouettes of Joshua Trees.
One great part of Joshua Tree is that the park is open 24/7. Despite the night sky having more light pollution than I prefer it is always magical to see the Milky Way with the naked eye.
Sequoia National Forest is pretty neat in the way that it is geographically split. On the same road you can visit two National Parks and still camp for free in SNF.
If there is one area I would like to return to, this is it. Actually, I would love to spend at least six months exploring the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountains. There are endless mind blowing spots to camp for free.
All the views and limited cell signal. After being in the city for one week, Porter and I were relieved to return to nature.
We spent each morning waking up slowly, sipping coffee, watching the chipmunks and birds run on fallen logs and fly from tree to tree.
Each afternoon Porter lead me up the short and partially snow covered trail to the 360 degree lookout spot to watch jaw dropping sunsets.
All these years of visiting California, this is the spot that made me realize I have been doing it all wrong. I will never forget the beauty of the Tahoe National forest. YouTube video coming soon.
aAAAhhh Porter and I have a home on wheels! I am so lucky to have found this 2011 Four Wheel Camper Fleet. This camper was originally a shell model, which means it was empty.
Mat, the previous owner (and wealth of overland knowledge) custom built this camper with one focus: comfort.
Being that Porter and I will be living in this camper full time, livability and comfort were non-negotiable. Full transparency, FWC offered me a discount on a brand new model. Simply put, they feel like you are living in a hallway. I respectfully declined the offer and would do so again.
Stellar Built should be called suspension heroes !! If you have a Toyota, overland build, or even a rock crawler 10/10 recommend Stellar Built.
B I G thank you to Rob, master of suspension knowledge and the patience of a saint for answering my 123758493 questions. Thank you to Alex who installed my snorkel in record speed! Last but not least, thank you to the #1 tech for installing my suspension, bump stops, and custom leaf springs.
Speaking of #1, it’s Josh. Not only is he a suspension wiz, he can also tune your Toyota. To be honest, I was hesitant, but Facebook members of Taco Nation relentlessly advocated for the tune.
The cost was reasonable and I figured what the heck, I have spent more money on worse things.
Worth it? 100% night and day difference. The best way to describe it is, when I get on the freeway I feel like I am back in my 6 speed Audi. Meaning, when I hit the gas, it goessss.
Send Josh a message for your tune
Can you believe I have never seen the Golden Gate Bridge? Day one, fog. Day two, fog. After driving the bridge several times over two days I feel like it is fair to say I still have not seen the bridge.
Made for lots of laughs and a new level of respect for photographers who have successfully captured beautiful photos of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Porter and I left the Bay area and headed towards LA to stay with a family friend. In between, I had no plan. For decades, the PCH 1 has been flooded with car campers, boondockers, RVs, and with the recent covid boom of #vanlife. Nowadays, the above sign is what you will find along the majority of the coast.
Travelers looking to camp on the coast you will need to do it the old fashioned way, my favorite way:
Talk to locals.
After finding a few honey holes along the coast Porter and I arrived in LA to stay with a family friend. It is a little funny because I had never met her in person. She was from Wisconsin and also a traveler so we had things in common.
It was heartwarming to discover how we were connected. It was a special connection I needed but one I did not know I needed.
Tamara, her boyfriend Nick, myself, and Porter spent my birthday with wine, conversation, pizza and pasta delivery. It was perfect.
oh, and she had a WI cheese drawer 🧀
-home sweet home-
These trees… I cannot even put it into words. They are massive and you must see them in person at least once in your life.
Pictured above: my Toyota Tacoma. The tree to the left is nearly double the width of the truck. These trees are the smaller ones.
Due to record amounts of snow last winter the majority of Kings Canyon NP is closed for all of 2023. However, I found a beautiful spot to camp on a forest service road facing Kings Canyon NP.
During our time here, I became consciously grateful I decided to fork out the cash for Starlink. Especially when there was a downpour from hurricane Hilary. With Starlink I could keep close tabs on the radar and make smart moves.
Thankfully nothing tragic happened in this area.
From couch potato to mountain trail leader! It is so cool to watch this 12 year old boy continue to learn and grow.
He is so brave.
End of August he had a puffy cheek.
Off to an animal hospital we went. That very day he went into surgery to have another tooth removed plus a piece of root from his previous extraction.
The recovery process for him was smooth! The day after he was full of energy. We went for a nice walk and swim. He is so happy every single day.
Fills my heart.
She is tired + excited. What a month!
August always feels like a crazy busy month and right in the middle I celebrated 35 years of life on this beautiful planet.
The month has been full of excitement, challenges, endless projects, organizing, organizing, organizing, navigating, constantly searching for free places to camp.
It comes with great rewards and when I am moving too fast, decision making fatigue sets in. Hard.
Every day, I feel a great sense of gratitude to the wonderful people who help others without any obligation to do so.
I am truly blessed to meet so many kind humans and I am committed to paying it forward. It’s amazing how a small act of kindness can make a big difference in someone’s life. I hope to continue spreading positivity and kindness wherever I go.
The entire crew of Stellar Built
Endless thank you’s to Rob for taking the time to learn about my exact build, my needs, and the weight I will be loaded with to provide the best suspension set up. Consistently going above and beyond to answer all my questions from recovery points to the best tools. And of course, being the keeper of my Amazon packages haha you da besttttt
Thank you Josh for the tune, suspension install, building my leaf springs, and answering more questions like a champ! Of course, your concern that my truck is safe and secure for Porter and I, even when I was not a Stellar Built customer. Appreciate you always.
Thank you Tamara + Nick for making space in your home for Porter and I to stay. So grateful for all the delicious food, wine, and conversation about our families and how we are connected. A special time for me and I hope one day I can repay the hospitality. I felt right at home with your Wisconsin cheese drawer 🧀
Thank you Mat for going above and beyond. Not only selling the camper to me, but sharing all your overland knowledge with me. Forever grateful and I hope one day to see you and your family off grid somewhere.
Thank you to the two volunteers at the John Muir National Monument who generously shared decades of experience and tips for beautiful places to visit.
Thank you to the kind folks from Harmony + Cambria who offered me a chair, s’mores, and endless love to Porter. It was so great to chat and watch the meteor shower together.
Hundreds of thank you’s to everyone who took a moment to wish me a Happy Birthday. I appreciate each and every one of you more than you know.
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