NORTH AMERICA

Since 2015 I’ve been traveling around the North America living in vehicles, working from coffee shops, and having adventures along the way. In 2014 I spent 11 weeks on the road working full-time for a tech startup and caught the #VanLife bug. In 2015 I transitioned from an employee to a freelancer, got rid of anything that didn’t fit in the van, and left for the open road. Over the next 6 months I drove 20,000 miles, visited 22 states, 3 countries, and 11 National Parks. In 2016 I drove across Canada on the Trans-Canada Highway, taking several months and adding another 25,000 miles to the odometer. In 2018 I sold the van and replaced it with a Toyota Tacoma for more off road adventures and eventually drove that rig to the top of Alaska and the start of the PanAmerican Highway at the Arctic Ocean.

North America Map

North America Videos

Running Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim in the Grand Canyon

DIY Packraft Maiden Voyage

Hiking The Wave


North America Highlights

Camping in Alaska

Summer In Alaska

Published: October 30, 2019

Hiking The Wave in Arizona

Hiking The Wave

Published: March 6, 2017

Van Stuck In Slab City

Getting Stuck In Slab City

Published: June 9, 2016

Driving The White Rim Road

Driving The White Rim Road

Published: March 1, 2019


All North America Posts

Paddling In Santa Barbara.

Spring In The States

Published:
Driving into Santa Barbara always feels like coming home, even though I haven’t lived there full-time since 2015. There’s definitely something about the sun, sand, ocean, and mountains that I…
Read More Spring In The States

Holiday Rambling

Published:
After a few months in Asia I headed home to spend the holidays with family. My flights took me from Tokyo to Indianapolis via San Francisco and it just so…
Read More Holiday Rambling
A Year Domestic - 2022

A Year Domestic

Published:
After getting “stuck” on Koh Lanta during the pandemic and spending more than a year and a half abroad it felt good to be finally home in the United States….
Read More A Year Domestic
Western Ramblin'

Western Ramblin’

Published:
The summer kicked off with Born To Run and was quickly followed by Race Across America. I enjoyed both, but was looking forward to hitting the open road with less…
Read More Western Ramblin’
The Plain 100

The Plain 100

Published:
Several years ago Luis Escobar said “Hey Tarzan, you should check out the Plain 100, a self supported 100 mile race up in Washington.” I thought that was crazy and…
Read More The Plain 100
Born To Run 2017

Born To Run 2017

Published:
There few certainties in this vagabond life that I’ve built. Taxes, oil changes, weekly showers, and Born To Run. #KeepItSimple I returned to North America from El Grande Sur in…
Read More Born To Run 2017
Colorado Trail Fail

Colorado Trail Fail

Published:
My goal was to hike the 485 mile Colorado Trial in less than 14 days.Mother Nature had other plans. While contemplating an upcoming 100 mile running race I remembered how…
Read More Colorado Trail Fail
Sedona VanLife

Winter Ramblings

Published:
The best way to ring in the New Year is to run a beer mile with your closest friends at midnight! Well, I’m not sure if that’s actually the best…
Read More Winter Ramblings
Westward Westy

Westward Westy

Published:
I thoroughly enjoyed exploring Canada and driving through New England, but my heart, and Tantor’s motor, were both yearning for the place we feel most at home, the Southwest. Before…
Read More Westward Westy
Nuevo England

Nuevo England

Published:
I approached a federal border crossing one last time to bring an end to my Great Canadian Road Trip. I’d enjoyed bouncing between the United States and Canada all summer,…
Read More Nuevo England
RAAM 2016

Crewing RAAM 2016

Published:
Crewing RAAM 2016 was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Period. Writing a blog post about crewing RAAM was the second hardest thing I’ve ever done, which explains why this…
Read More Crewing RAAM 2016
Born To Run 2016

Born To…Run?

Published:
My training regimen for Born To Run 2016 was simple. Eat lots of burritos, shower less, drink cheap beer, and oh yeah, run a little. Each year the Born To…
Read More Born To…Run?
2015 Around America

20,000 Miles

Published:
24,901 Miles – The distance around the earth 20,000 Miles – The distance I traveled in my van around the United States in 2015 In March of 2015 I bought…
Read More 20,000 Miles
Arizona Vans

Arizona

Published:
I could almost hear a sigh of relief from Tantor as we slowed to a park in front of Grandpa’s townhouse. 20,000 miles in 5 months was a lot to…
Read More Arizona
Go Westy Young Man

Go Westy Young Man

Published:
Leaving Florida I had 10 days until I needed to be in Arizona for Thanksgiving. It wasn’t a lot of time, considering that I wanted to see new cities, visit…
Read More Go Westy Young Man
Florida

Florida

Published:
I woke up sweating in a truck stop gas station just a mile north of the state line. The overnight temperatures hovered near 80, meaning I had a warm balmy…
Read More Florida
Georgia

Georgia

Published:
My first stop in Georgia was Hiawassee to see Jim and Maggie, our first “Trail Angels” on the Appalachian Trail in 2012. They had met us the day that we…
Read More Georgia
Appalachia

Appalachia

Published:
The day that I left Indiana I woke up on a couch in my buddy’s basement, which was good because it was below freezing inside my van in his driveway….
Read More Appalachia
The Great Plains

The Great Plains

Published:
With Tantor back in running condition we were ready to cover some miles. I had a few more places I wanted to see in Wyoming and South Dakota, but then…
Read More The Great Plains
Broken in Bighorn

Broken in Bighorn

Published:
Sunday morning I woke up at 3:00 AM in a Walmart parking lot in Cody, Wyoming. “Am I moving too fast?” I pondered. “Should I slow down and enjoy this…
Read More Broken in Bighorn
Yellowstone Take 2

Yellowstone Take 2

Published:
On a crisp autumn morning I drove toward Yellowstone National Park through patchy clouds below snow capped peaks. My first visit to Yellowstone had been just one month ago, but…
Read More Yellowstone Take 2
Washington

Washington

Published:
I was looking forward to my visit to Seattle, partly because I had never been to the city, but mostly because my cousin Brad had just arrived in town for…
Read More Washington
Oregon Coast

Oregon Coast

Published:
It was late August and I’d been FunEmployed and living on the road for just over 2 months. Most of that time I’d been staying with family, sleeping indoors, with…
Read More Oregon Coast
Ashland Oregon

Ashland, Oregon

Published:
I drove east along the Oregon Trail and got lost in the nostalgia of sitting in the middle school computer lab, shooting pixilated deer, and praying that I wouldn’t drown…
Read More Ashland, Oregon
Yellowstone

Yellowstone

Published:
I left Breckenridge and drove north through Colorado and into Wyoming, covering 500 miles in a single day. It was more driving than I like to do in one stretch,…
Read More Yellowstone
Colorado

Colorado

Published:
My first month of FunEmployment was spent based in Arizona, as well as traveling to Michigan and the Appalachian Trail in New England. I had not slept in the van…
Read More Colorado
Back to Backpacking

Back to Backpacking

Published:
There we were. Three novice backpackers (rookie may be a better term), standing at the check in counter of LAX with one way tickets booked to some backwoods shelter in…
Read More Back to Backpacking
Big Sur

Re-Creating in Big Sur

Published:
Recreation. Re-Creation. To create anew, restore, refresh. As 2015 began, we knew that we not only needed adventure and recreation for the fun, but to also continually “re-create” ourselves, to…
Read More Re-Creating in Big Sur
Summer Vagabonding

Summer Vagabonding

Published:
Vag·a·bond (ˈva-gə-ˌbänd) 1: moving from place to place without a fixed home: wandering 2: of, relating to, or characteristic of a wanderer My life changed a lot in 2014. I…
Read More Summer Vagabonding