#12 | RELATIVE GIANTS: Feeling Small is a Big Deal

Recently, we pointed the nose of the #CariVan toward the venerable Pedernales Falls State Park deep in the famed Texas Hill Country. Growing up in Indiana, I thought that we Midwesterners had the corner on the unique pronunciation market, but my time in Texas has reminded me that every locality has it’s quirky versions. So, for the Texans listening in, that’s PERD’nales. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. It was the first crisp, sunny day off in a couple of weeks and we were looking forward to having our boots on a trail again.

#10 | From the Border, with Love

A couple of years ago, we were awarded the unique opportunity to spend the Christmas holiday along the US-Mexico border just in time for a government shutdown spurred, at least in part, by a political dispute over that very border. Feeling the gravity of that situation as we explored the ruggedly beautiful terrain and the river that runs between our countries offered a unique vantage point from which to contemplate the situation.

The following piece was written shortly after that trip. Much has changed since it was penned. But our current challenges seem only to have widened existing fissures and opened up fresh ones—between countries, states, neighbors, and even families. It is with a little melancholy that I entertain the idea that the upshot of this message might be evergreen.

#5 | YOU’RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER NET: Fly Fishing Oregon

Earlier today, guided by a cobbled-together plan consisting of basic knowledge, general guidance and personal perseverance, I ventured eastward from Portland, Oregon through the shadow of the Mt. Hood National Forest. After an hour or so winding through old-growth redwoods, I rather abruptly emerged onto the straw-colored expanse of high desert. Windows down, I caught the whiff of woodsmoke even before catching sight of the mounting haze that had visited often on this trip. Though I hadn’t encountered a live burn at this point, distant wildfires have a persistent way of making their presence known.

#4 | MINI VAN LIFE: Your Tiny Ticket to “Nomadland”?

When I heard that an old friend was having her MINIvan professionally outfitted for camping, I was intrigued—about the mechanics and the motivation. So when fate found me both 2000 miles from my home and 20 miles from hers within weeks of her taking delivery of her shiny new coach, I was determined to find a time to camp together. She was equally excited. So as the sun began to descend on a warm September evening, we headed out of the city and into the forest.