momentary locals

March 28, 2025

Two weeks ago, we moved out of our house and crammed all the things we thought we would need into our new rig, and set off for our 6-ish week shake out trip.

But let’s rewind and let me share how we got here.

We got our first truck camper in 2019 and learned about overlanding. It opened up a whole new world I didn’t know existed—people live and travel in their vehicles?!? Why didn’t anyone tell me about this before? And so, the obsession began. We discovered Kara and Nate’s YouTube channel as they showcased vanlife, obsessively watched Bound for Nowhere’s truck camper adventures, followed The Traveling Together Journal as they traveled through Central America, and many others—we just could not get enough. We started having countless conversations during our weekend strolls through the majestic redwood forests; we envisioned the adventures of full-time travel, allowed our minds to dream, and had serious discussions about the ideal camper for our hypothetical journey.

Then, in early 2022, Chris experienced the sudden loss of a dear friend. Just a week prior, they had an hour-long conversation on the phone, and now, tragically, he was gone. This devastating event underscored the harsh reality that life is unpredictable and fleeting, igniting an urgency within us to pursue our long-held dream of hitting the road full-time.

We immediately booked our tickets to Overland Expo West and I began devouring every blog, vlog, book, video, and resource I could find about full-time overlanding. I created a two-year plan and timeline outlining what we needed to do to make this happen. At the expo, we connected with people we had followed on social media and others who inspired us, cheering us on as we prepared for this adventure. We left feeling utterly overwhelmed by the choices of rigs, yet we were on cloud nine, excited to begin. But the responsibilities of everyday life lured us back and we slowly put this dream back into daydream status.

Then once again in early 2023, the shocking reminder that life is fleeting came knocking, this time with the sudden passing of one of my co-workers. Just two weeks after his retirement, following over 20 years at our agency, he was gone. All the plans he had shared with me about traveling after retiring… vanished. This time I was shaken to my core and turned to Chris, telling him that enough was enough—we were doing this, and we were doing it now. As Peloton instructor Jess Sims often reminds us, being ready is a decision, not a feeling. We were finally ready to embrace this truth and make the commitment that we were truly taking action. The time was now.

Being ready is a decision, not a feeling. – Jess Sims, Peloton Instructor extraordinaire

We scheduled appointments with dealers to test drive trucks, attended shows, and traveled around California to explore various camper builders. Finally, in the summer of 2023, after meeting Leif from Enduro Campers, viewing his build, camping alongside him, and having the opportunity to stay in his rig, we knew we had found the right fit. We promptly ordered our Ford F250 and placed a deposit with Enduro Campers.

In early 2024, we finally received our truck from Ford and took it to Enduro Campers. By November 2024, we got our rig back, but it still wasn’t quite ready. After several appointments for modifications to the truck—such as new wheels, tires, and suspension work by CJC—our rig and home were finally completed in early 2025.

Fast forward to now, March 2025. I have ‘retired’ from my job of almost 14 years—a job I loved, with people I care deeply about, and a cause I was passionate about. I say ‘retired’ because I have no plans to return to work. The future is unknown, but as of today, I have no intentions for my future self to re-enter the workforce.

We spend a lot of time trying to make plans for our future selves, that is the version of ourselves that will exist tomorrow, next week, or a year from now. We make these plans based on the assumption that we are going to be the same person tomorrow, next week, or a year from now. But what if this is not the case? What if our future self is a stranger to us?” – Hidden Brain Podcast, ‘The Moment That Changes Us’, 3/24/2025. 

So here I am, three weeks after my last day of work and two weeks into hitting the road full-time, and it feels like I’m on summer break or a long vacation. It’s surreal yet exhilarating. What will my future self want or need from life? I don’t know, but I’m eagerly anticipating who I will become after all the adventures that await.