Marcel’s incontinence (leaking fuel) was a concern. I hadn’t figured out the exact cause and thought it was a one-time issue from overfilling the second tank. So we switched over to that tank to burn some off while sitting in the driveway. No leakage showed itself during the 30 minutes...
Upon our return to the States we’d planned to jump right into the van and go exploring for a month before my mom-sitting commitment started in late October. My sister and brother-in-law were finally getting a well-earned vacation, and I was on duty. But, as they do, plans changed. Instead...
After our first major roadside repair job of 2026, we didn’t want to take huge risks driving far from a parts store. I still had a bad feeling another seal needed replacing, which would’ve meant completely redoing what I’d just finished. Miller Bar came to the rescue—an overnight spot not...
After a week packed with family time, hot chicken, and van repairs, it was time to retreat back into the mountains for some much-needed decompression. We didn’t have a destination in mind — we rarely do — but we know the Rockies well enough to trust that something would turn...
One of our “sort-of-planned” goals in Canada was to hit a few more national parks, and Mount Revelstoke just happened to be next up. We pointed Marcel toward the one and only campground at the base of the mountain. It was, of course, fully booked — but after enough nights...
Crossing the border into Canada was less dramatic than I imagined. A couple of pointed questions from the agent — mostly about whether we planned on sneaking into the maple-syrup utopia forever — and a raised eyebrow at our “yes, we really will go home eventually” story. Once convinced we...
We spent two blissful days tickling Mt. Rainier’s toes — cool mountain air, towering evergreens, and a view so good it felt like Mother Nature herself was showing off. But with a heat wave barreling toward us, we packed up camp and started rumbling down the long, winding gravel road...
It took nearly 20 more miles of bone-rattling, pothole-pocked gravel to even get to the side road we were aiming for. We were deep in it now—way out there—but also way closer to Mt. Rainier than we’d ever been. If I had Luke’s directions right, we’d be within a thousand...
With Marcel riding a couple hundred pounds leaner over the rear axle—thanks to the strategic shedding of the genset—we made yet another dramatic exit from my family’s property. If no one kicks the bucket in the next 48 hours, Kerri and I just might finally break free from the gravitational pull...
With all our commitments done, we ventured into new territory; unscheduled travel. With nothing on the calendar but to get to Colorado before winter we waved goodbye to our Washington family and pointed Marcel further North West in hopes of making it to un-civilization before the sun set. Kerri had...
