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Our Goals

Let’s be honest, we’re not doing this to “go off-grid” or live the perfect vanlife fantasy. We’re doing this to live life boldly, take time to explore, and see this country with fresh eyes.

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Here’s what we’re chasing:

  • All 48 contiguous states

  • As many national parks as we can wander through

  • 70-degree weather, because sweat and frostbite are for younger versions of us

  • Simple living in our solar-powered, sloth-paced short bus

  • Meaningful connection with people, places, and each other. We plan to visit friends and family along the way

  • A slower rhythm

  • Stories worth telling (even when they’re messy, hilarious, or downright weird)

 

We want to prove to ourselves, our kids, and perhaps others that in their 50s, one can still pause life, leave the rat race for a while, and return to be productive members of society with a fresh perspective and a new appreciation for free time. To put it simply, we want to choose the unfamiliar path for a while.

The Challenges We Expect (and a Few We Don’t)

We’re heading into this with wide eyes and open minds, but we know there will be bumps along the way and not just on the road. There will be many things we can't predict, but some of the worries on our minds include:

  • Mechanical mysteries. We’re still learning what every squeak, puff, and drip on Skuhlie means. We'll be doing repairs on the fly if we need to, with the help of YouTube, duct tape, and crossed fingers.

  • Power juggling. We’ve got solar, a compostable toilet, and a minimalist water system. But we’ll still seek electric hookups so our laptops (and sanity) stay charged.

  • Alligator anxiety. I love kayaking but only in places where we're not the prey. Sorry, southern swamps, my kayaks will stay safely strapped in place while in Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, ...

  • Life balance. Don will be visiting Camvio clients. I’ll be managing our route, budget, and blog while looking for contract work to keep me from going crazy. This is a trip and real life.

  • Budget fears. Finances? They make me nervous. But we’re taking it one day, one tank of gas, and one peanut butter sandwich at a time.

  • Health. Both ours and Lucky (our cocker spaniel). Lucky is 12 years old, and as much as she loves walks and kayak rides, we'll be making sure she takes it easy and we'll keep an eye for human and pet emergency services along our route. 

  • Things will go wrong. They just will. But we’ve agreed: when it hits the fan (or the fan belt hits the road), we’ll figure it out.

Why we're doing it anyway

Sure, bus life will bring challenges. But here’s the thing: we’ve already lived a life where unpredictability was the norm, and we loved it.

We spent over ten years living in Nicaragua, where things didn’t always work the way we expected them to. Power outages were common. Earthquakes shook us awake. Hurricanes, mud slides, and floods rerouted plans. Trying to get anything done, from buying a computer or renewing visas, required standing in multiple lines, sometimes across multiple days. And yet, we stayed. We thrived. We laughed. We learned to let go of control and lean into the experience.

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There’s a saying we often heard: “Nicaragua ain’t for sissys.”


And you know what? That became a badge of honor. Because we weren’t there for ease—we were there for depth, resilience, and family.

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So when people ask us, “Why a school bus? Why now?” Our answer is simple:
If we could live in Nicaragua for 10 years and embrace every dusty road and detour, we can absolutely live in Skuhlie for one.

We’re doing it for the same reasons:

  • To see life through a different lens

  • To practice patience, presence, and perspective

  • To chase the kind of joy that doesn’t come from convenience, but from curiosity

  • To remind ourselves that discomfort often leads to discovery

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A few truths to keep in mind if you follow us

  • We’re not influencers. We’re just two humans in our 50s who decided “now” was better than “someday.”

  • This trip isn’t about escaping life. It’s about fully living it, one 70-degree day at a time.

  • You won’t find daily glamour shots here. But you will find truth, heart, and probably a lot of duct tape.

  • Makeup-free. Wifi-hungry. Slightly sunburned. Completely ready to face the road and what it might teach us next.

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