SKIING

Also known as RVing.

For professional skier Andy Mahre and
photographer-entrepreneur Shannon Mahre,
no adventure was ever too big. Since
the addition of their son Ryder, they’ve
discovered brand new ways to keep their
sense of adventure alive while on the road.

See Shannon and Andy’s full story

at T H O R I N D U S T R I E S . C O M
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 FROM
THE EDITOR
T
his won’t come as a about minimalism and how to spectacular photographic journey
surprise to anyone reprogram his worldview. Anna from fall to winter in Quebec.
who knows me: I’m a Elliott shares how a year-long trip Take a journey through the
gigantic nerd. I love to around the country taught her that US and beyond with our Places
learn about everything there really is no place like home; feature, which is packed with
I can squash into some of our regular contributors fun stories from Palm Springs
my brain. Whether it’s practical school us on how not to be a to Massachussets, with a special
knowledge, like how to tone down jackass on the road; Amanda cameo appearance by Germany.
the five habanero chilies you Capritto gives a comprehensive Astute readers might have
accidentally put in your pasta sauce overview of the differences noticed something rather exciting
(sugar), to more philosophical between public land designations; happening on the cover. We’ve
conundrums (is it possible that and Micah Ling interviews long- given ROVA a new look, which
we’re all brains in vats?), I want to haul trucker Kasper Kavalaris to continues subtly throughout the
know it all. learn about a nomadic life played mag. It’s the same ROVA you
Most of what we do as travelers out in the cab of a truck. know and love, but with some
is about learning. It’s not possible We speak with RV rental folks miniature tweaks that we think
to go someplace new and not learn about the benefits of hiring an make it even more lovable. Let
anything. From the most basic adventuremobile; our new editorial me know what you think—about
knowledge, like the route to the assistant, Sam Brown, divulges the design or anything else
campground or where to find a why his generation is drawn to the in the mag—and email me at
great burger, to more existential outdoors, and Kate Field gives us [email protected].
learning along the lines of who we the lowdown on overlanding, van Once you’re done reading,
really are and what we want from life and boondocking. head for the highway and find
life, travel is always teaching us. Also in this edition of ROVA, yourself some fun. As you’ll learn
In this edition of ROVA, our regular contributor Reggie in these pages, there’s plenty of it
mega-knowledgeable contributors Grey takes us on a series of out there! R
tell us their stories of learning. misadventures; we both embrace
Mohit Kaura, a self-described and escape the cold in our winter Gemma Peckham
van-dwellling yogi, tells us how he destinations feature; and Nicholas Editor
moved his life into a van, learning Spooner-Rodie takes us on a ROVA

ROVA 1
CONTENTS

2 ROVA
1 From the editor

6 ROVA in your words

8 ROVA recommends

12 Gear up!

14 Why the road?

The healing power of minimalism
16 Life asks a lot of us. It’s up to us to figure out
PLACES
how to respond .
Home is where you left it PACIFIC
20 Sometimes the journey can teach an Wandering into/out of the desert
unexpected lesson about the place left behind. 68 Palm Springs is an escape from society—and
How to not be a jackass on the road getting there is in itself an act of escaping.
24 ROVA regulars share what really yanks their ROCKY MOUNTAINS
chain when it comes to travel etiquette. Wyoming winters and the myth
America’s public lands, explained 72 of the frozen west
28 National parks, monuments, recreation areas: Stuck in a snow-covered van, Alex Andrews
how do protected lands get their designations? reminisces about a similar winter predicament.
Long-haul nomad SOUTHWEST
34 One creative trucker has turned his career
76
Wine and wilderness
into a nomadic lifestyle. In America’s history, wine and wilderness
A hire purpose areas both originated in beautiful New Mexico.

38 We can’t all be full-time van lifers and RVers. MIDWEST

An ode to North Dakota’s
If you don’t own a van or RV, rent one.
A new generation 80 roadside attractions
Our civilization once built statues for the
42 Millennials are proving naysayers wrong when
Gods. Now, we build them for the road.
it comes to their relationship with the outdoors.
Overlanders, van lifers and SOUTHEAST
Swimming with sea cows
46 boondockers
Exploring the subcultures within the subculture. 84 in the real Florida
What weighs 1,000 pounds, lives in Florida,
Sun or snow and is gray all over? The iconic Florida manatee.
It turns out that birds aren’t the only species
50 that migrate during the winter; humans do
NORTHEAST
Finding Thoreau at Walden Pond
that, too!
88 What do we gain by traveling to the old
Many wrongs and one big right stomping grounds of our favorite writers?
54 Sometimes life on the road will try to derail
INTERNATIONAL
your plans. Just ask, “Is that all you got?
Take the High Road in
Familiar places: A photo essay the Black Forest
58 Quebec City transitions from fall to winter. 93 Castles, cake, and a lake full of mermaids: the
Black Forest High Road in Germany lives up
96 Picture this… to its fairy-tale reputation.

ROVA 3
 ROVA /rovamagazine @rovamagazine @rovamagazine

www.rovamag.com
Editor and Publisher:
Gemma Peckham
[email protected]

Advertising Sales Director:

Richard Kirby
[email protected]

Advertising Sales Executive:

Karym Miros
[email protected]

Advertising Consultant:
Madelyn Roberts
[email protected]

Designer:
Abby Schmidt

Editorial Assistant:
Sam Brown

Contributors:
Mohit Kaura, Anna Elliott, Amanda Capritto, Micah Ling, Reggie Grey, Monica Woller, Sam Brown, Kate Field,
Nicholas Spooner-Rodie, Tony Werner, Alex Andrews, Melinda Wright, Carla Francis, Erin McGann.

ROVA is a trademark of Executive Media Pty Ltd and is used under license by Executive Media Global, LP.

Published by

EXECUTIVE
me d i a
G LO BA L
N E W YO RK | SY DN EY | MELBOUR N E | A DEL A ID E

www.executivemediaglobal.com

646-582-2033
303 5th Avenue, #1908
New York, NY 10016

EMG President:
David Haratsis
[email protected]

4 ROVA
SISTER BONDING

Chanel Tate is no stranger to the outdoors—in fact,

she’s probably planning her next national park visit
right now—but her first time RV camping was filled
with surprises she couldn’t have expected. Watch
what happened when she and her sister ditched
skyscrapers and endless cell service for a weekend
of RV camping.

Watch Chanel’s story at

THORINDUSTRIES.COM
ROVA
IN YOUR WORDS
How am I only just discovering I read outdoor magazines a lot, I, too, suffer from an overload
ROVA now? You have FIFTEEN but I don’t think many of them of camping gear, and because of
editions? I’d better get to reading. make me cry. Skyler Kerouac’s you I feel less alone when I’m
Love your work! article about her mother [ROVA hopelessly staring at the shelves in
Adventure Fifteen] was a my garage.
Christie L beautiful tribute to both a strong
woman and the power of nature— Donnie Y
Don’t get me wrong—I love the and it definitely brought a tear to
articles in ROVA. But I really, really my eye. Some visitors to my home recently
love the photos in each edition. I saw my collection of ROVAs, and
feel like I get to travel a little, even Hollie P asked to borrow them. I’m feeling
if I rarely have enough time to hit separation anxiety—I might have
the road. Thank you, Jeremy Puglisi, for to order a whole new set!
your article about your Coleman
Shannon D addiction [ROVA Adventure 15]. George I

Tell us what you think about ROVA—did a particular story speak to you? Email [email protected].

6 ROVA
SIT BACK, RELAX, AND TAKE CONTROL
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 ROVA
RECOMMENDS
Essays for the Hike smart.
environmentalist Hike safe.
Terry Tempest Williams Hiking is rad, but
has made a name for let’s face it: some
herself as a fervent trails can be a
environmentalist and little dangerous.
a defender of public Luckily, there are
land, and her fi fth apps like Cairn that
book, Erosion: Essays of make it their mission
Undoing, gives readers to make sure that
full insight into her our outdoor excursions
conservationist activism. are safe and carefree. The
The essays revolve app sends out a GPS tracker to
around the current preselected contacts and allows you to send
state of American status updates while on the go. You can also
politics in relation download maps that are specifically designed
to the environment. for outdoor pursuits while letting you know
These clear and to-the- where others have found cell phone coverage.
point essays should be Even if you’re not the type to worry about your
required reading for any safety on a hike, you’re sure to have friends and
environmental activist. relatives who do!
coyoteclan.com www.cairnme.com

Nog with a twist

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take 6 oz of eggnog,
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me: “If you like eggnog
colada… and getting
caught in the rain…”

8 ROVA
Unforgettable Adventures.

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 ROVA
RECOMMENDS
Wild podcast,
radical ideas
For the Wild is a podcast
that tackles all things
climate change. Every
week, this show invites the
world’s foremost scientists,
psychologists, and thinkers
to discuss matters of
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environment. These hour-
long conversations explore
humanity’s relationship to nature, our effect on climate,
and a gamut of possible solutions.
forthewild.world

Out of this world

In all honesty, the towering hoodoos of Fairyland Loop are
beautiful to look at no matter what the season is; however,
if you happen to go there in the winter with fresh snow
on the ground, you’ll encounter a landscape that is out of
this world. The bright-red rock formations and spires that
shoot out of the ground stand in marvelous contrast to a
blanket of white snow.
visitutah.com

An RV Paradise
Thinking of buying an RV? Looking
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fields. Welcome to RV heaven. you’ll never be the same.
bostonrvexpo.com bigthief.net

10 ROVA
 your feet up Warmth for your insides
down It’s no secret that we at RO
you’ve been feeling like a dram or two. There
empted to cut up are different whiskies
your old sleeping for different occasions,
bags and whack and Tincup American
hem on your feet Whiskey is the perfect
or warmth, put accompaniment to a
own the scissors! campfireside chinwag
ra Designs has with your friends,
eleased the perfect family, significant other
ve—durable, down- or your new road-trip
p g bags for your feet, amigos. It’s a great whiske
but with the added bonus of a rubber sole so you can for winter, with notes of
parade around camp without worrying about slipping spice and maple, and it is
or getting your booties grubby. With men’s and drinkable (too drinkable?). On top of
women’s options in a heap of colors, they should be that, the bottle is super-rad, topped with a little tin
on everyone’s wish list. camping cup for your tipple.
sierradesigns.com, $89 tincupwhiskey.com, $25

GEAR UP!
carry it all Cozy in the clouds
gs can get real If you’re the off-roading, overlanding, rough-and-
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se cold winter navigating a huge motorhome is not your thing. But
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prisingly large, and keep out icy gusts, and
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definition of a carryall. going in winter? Have at it.
yeti.com, $149.99 ikamper.com, $3,899

12 ROVA
WHEREVER
YOU GO

BRING THE HEAT

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 WHY
THE
ROAD?

ROVA catches up with road travelers to get the scoop

on why they choose to live the nomadic life.

Thomas, Jonathan, Grace and Charlotte

It wasn’t our intention to have more than one child—let alone
two newborns a mere five weeks apart in age—but it was one of
the best decisions we’ve ever made. We are living our dreams,
Grace traveling America as a family in our Airstream, and showing
Two words: public lands. Millions of acres in the west, owned our girls all that our country has to offer. We hope to give them
collectively by every citizen. Prime real estate spread over the a different perspective of the world that they live in. We also
American west that’s flanked by red rocks, and ranges of slate plan to promote our motto of “Acceptance Through Visibility”
and sand canyons. We wanted a home but didn’t know where. on this journey, having conversations with strangers and
This way, we didn’t have to choose. showing everyone that love is what makes a family.
Instagram: @agracekuhn Instagram: @daddyandpapa

14 ROVA
Daniel and Cory
We started our voyage in the RV world to chase our present joy.
We had been working and flipping houses and living the “good Krista
life,” and finally one day realized that we were always grinding Van life let me dump my creativity into building a dream. My
away for a future moment. We decided to sell everything and hit build was a project I got to do with my dad, learning everything
the road, and truly live and explore this beautiful country. We I could from him and creating memories I’ll hold onto forever. I
thrived on the road, living in that present joy and creating the choose the road-trip lifestyle so I can hop into my home, escape,
memories now rather than “one day.” and see a new place every day. 
Instagram: @joyousvoyagers Instagram: @krittabish

Brooke and Daniel

We chose to renovate our 1999 International school bus
into our very own 250-square-foot home on wheels for many
reasons: for affordable housing, to have the freedom to travel
North America, to escape our soul-sucking commutes to Stephanie and Braden
our jobs in Nashville, and to prioritize time together and in We love being outdoors and camping, and a little 13-foot trailer
nature. We have been living in our bus for about three months, allowed us to do that more. We wanted to take life on the road
and recently drove it from Nashville to the Arizona desert. So for a couple of months to reset and see what’s most important
far, it has met all of our expectations and more! to us. Home to us is wherever you are and whoever you’re with.
Instagram: @evergreen.bus Instagram: @mceggee

ROVA 15
 THE HEALING
POWER OF
MINIMALISM
By Mohit Kaura

16 ROVA
Mohit practices
yoga at Capitol
Reef National Park.

Life asks a lot of us.

It’s up to us to figure out how to respond.

I
remember living in a small, crowded town in of life. I would go away from the crowded city to
India, watching my parents struggle for money meditate in the jungles of Florida. They say that once
and being told every day that life is easy only for you go down the spiritual path, there is no turning
the rich. It was sad to see the people of such a back. My transformation was reflected not just in my
beautiful country, graced by the mighty Himalayas idea of peace, but also in my lifestyle.
to the north and the ferocious Indian Ocean to the I started observing consumerist behavior in the
south, competing with their own for resources every United States (of which I was very much a part). I
day. Just like in any other place in the world, everyone noticed my friends buying a bunch of BS that they
always talked about having a big car and a big house. didn’t even need. Seeing my college friends use five
This social programming reeled me in as well, and the plastic bottles a day started giving me nightmares.
goal of my life was to end up rich and “successful.” I couldn’t believe how much we were unconsciously
Putting all of their faith in me (God knows why), consuming and wasting. Where I was born, we had
my parents spent most of their life savings on sending one hour of freshwater supply per day and five hours
me to the United States for education with the hope of power outages daily. I remember being reminded
that I could fulfill their dream—and society’s—of to not waste food, water or electricity, since only the
becoming something (I know—fucked up, yeah?). I lucky ones had such abundance. Comparatively, a lot
would work 12 hours every day on top of four hours of people in the first world were taking resources for
of classes, leaving just enough time to have a decent granted. What struck me the most was that, regardless
sleep. I had no social life, and the stress and pressure of money and comfort, all people lived the same life
of fitting into society’s idea of success was eating me inside their head. People in both worlds suffered from
alive. I would wake up every day anxious and agitated, stress, anxiety and greed. So, clearly, money wasn’t
hating everyone and everything. the key to happiness—despite what we’re conditioned
This went on for three years until I went to to believe. I donated most of my belongings and
Yosemite National Park in California and watched a downsized to a suitcase and a backpack. Letting go of
sunset on top of Glacier Point. It was the first major physical belongings that I didn’t need healed me from
hike of my life. I was quiet the entire way up, just my programmed attachment to the materialistic world.
observing trees and lost in a world of my own thoughts. As school ended, I wanted to continue my minimalist
I remember sitting at the top, watching the walls of lifestyle, and I couldn’t think of a better way than to get
granite glow golden with the rays of the setting sun. a van, equip it with solar, and hit the road. I bought a
The valley was mostly quiet; the only sound was the beautiful Ford E-150, named her Shanti (it means peace
echo of birds calling it a day. The clouds slowly turned in Sanskrit), converted her and headed for the west.
from white to yellow and then to bloodred. For almost I still remember the early challenges of living in
an hour, I watched this magnificent phenomenon a van. Staying overnight alone in isolated places was
occur, but it felt like a lifetime. I don’t remember what pretty scary in the beginning. Motivating myself to
triggered it, but I burst into tears and could only think drive, hike, practice yoga, cook and clean up all in the
of all the peace I had been missing out on in life. All the same day felt too hectic on some days, and I would lie
stress I felt every day about “making it”—the desires down on the floor and contemplate my life choices.
of owning big cars, a big house, a luxurious life—felt The biggest nightmare was when the van would break
so small while I sat in that peaceful state of mind, down and I’d spend hours trying to fix it myself,
watching the valley take on a thousand different colors. since I was on a very tight budget. These challenges,
That day was a spiritual transformation for me. however, only made me stronger; they made me
The next few months took me to Zion National street-smart. Looking back, I still can’t believe I made
Park in Utah and Mount Rainier National Park in it through so many obstacles by myself.
Washington. For once in my life, I wasn’t worried It has been a year since the day I left on my
about anything material or financial. I chased peace nomadic adventure, and I couldn’t have asked for
through meditating on sunsets atop mountains. I anything better. My journey has taken me to 20
started practicing yoga and mindfulness as a way National Parks, from Big Bend and Guadalupe

ROVA 17
 Taking time for
reflection at Utah
Lake State Park.

Mountains in Texas; to Arches, Capitol Reef, Bryce

Canyon and Canyonlands In Utah; Saguaro and Grand
Canyon in Arizona; Joshua Tree, Kings Canyon and
Sequoia in California; Crater Lake in Oregon; Olympic
in Washington; and Banff and Jasper in Canada.
The more time I spent in the woods, the more
unnecessary emotional baggage I shed. During my
meditation sessions, I would think of childhood
and teenage traumas that I’d gone through, analyze
and address them, bring them back into my heart,
and release the pain they had caused me. I realized
that I was suppressing a lot of emotions and that,
subconsciously, this internal suppression was shaping
my external reality. I realized I had nothing to prove
to anyone, and the goal of my life did not have to be
hoarding stuff that I didn’t need; I could discover and
heal myself, and through that maybe help to heal others.
We are programmed from our first day on earth
to follow the rules and regulations that society has
set for our lives, but we don’t need to follow this
template. Most people can’t see any bigger picture,
and they end up getting stuck in the pattern—
confused and anxious about what choices they should
make. Others are engulfed by the idea of luxury and
consumerism, not realizing that no amount of money
has ever been able to buy a single second of time. As
clichéd as it sounds, life does happen only once, and
it is too short and unpredictable to wake up every day
and not do what you absolutely love.
I remember being stressed all the time, trying
so hard to manifest an idea of life that I didn’t even
choose. This human experience is our playground,
and we have the power to create our own reality. The
thoughts we value the most are the ones that become
reality. Healing happens when we feed the soul and
not the ego. If I can come out of a heavily programmed,
money-seeking life that gave me only stress and
anxiety, to a peaceful, minimalist state of everyday
bliss, anyone can. And perhaps they should. R

Mohit is a full-time van-dwelling yogi from India

on a mission to heal his spiritual self through
forest bathing and rock climbing. He is a die-hard
environmentalist and an advocate of a plant-based
diet, and is working towards building an all-electric
campervan charged only through solar power, then
driving it across the continents of the Americas,
Asia and Europe to spread awareness about climate
change and minimalism.

18 ROVA
 HOME IS WHERE
YOU LEFT IT
By Anna Elliott

The purpose of a road trip is to expand the mind and be present in the moment, taking
in roadside attractions and national treasures. Sometimes, though, the journey can teach
an unexpected lesson about the place left behind.

D
uring a year of full-time travel, one of the
phrases I found myself repeating to folks
was: “The hardest part is breaking away.”
Living in a postage stamp–sized RV
without a physically present social circle
for a solid year, my wife and I met plenty
of new people. We like craft beer and we have two
tiny, loud dogs that get more attention than they
deserve. So, we arrived, we fraternized, we barked,
and we chatted. The “Where are you from?” question
always came up, and was often met with the new
local acquaintance expressing some version of, “Wow,
I wish I could do that!” when they learned what we
were up to. And I’d always say: “The hardest part is
breaking away.”
It was always meant as advice for those who want
to travel long term: the hard part is the disconnection.
Ending a lease, selling a car, quitting a job—
discarding that collection of bullet points on your
adulting resume. Once you’ve told them all to piss off
(professionally, of course), you’re golden, and it feels
like freedom is stretched out ahead of you.
Unexpectedly for me, a few months after
solidifying the breakup, I found myself feeling a
strong pull towards home.
Home for me is the Blue Ridge Mountains of
The Blue Ridge
Mountains in
Western North Carolina. Specifically, the little city
Western North of Asheville, which has been getting a lot of love
Carolina are lately—and deservedly so. It’s damn cute, and full
pretty tough to of deeply forested trails, humid summer air and
leave behind. Appalachian accents.

20 ROVA
ROVA 21
 Anna and her During our encounters with new acquaintances, remember the feeling of being somewhere I knew
wife spent a once there was an appropriate break in conversation, better than anywhere else in the world; somewhere
year on the road,
I’d morph into a self-appointed Asheville I’d spent hours rock-hopping up and down mountain
which showed
Anna how Ambassador and start running down my list of why streams as a kiddo; a place I moved to permanently
fervently she my town is worthy of a visit. I’d sell the crap out of as an adult, in disbelief that I got to see those hazy,
loved her home. Asheville to every person we’d meet. I’d swoon and layered, blue ridges every time I drove to work, and
gush and fall over myself trying to convince this smell that special rotting-earth scent every time I
stranger that my town is an incredible place. I think went for a run in the woods. Imagine moving to the
that my wife, although she was kind about it, got place that has brought you comfort and peace your
a bit annoyed. She and I had set out to see North whole life—your ultimate vacation spot. That’s how
America, not to obsess over the city we’d chosen to I felt when I finally settled for good in Asheville. But,
leave. What gives, here? of course, the boring life stuff can take over, and you
As we continued west, a deep love of place became end up taking your relationship with your home for
apparent. I came to realize that my most poignant granted. The honeymoon phase wears off. The initial
moments of calm in nature would occur when I’d spark fades away.
encounter something that reminded me of home. I Relationships take work, and I’m here to say that
grew up hiking and spending time in cabins nestled if you, too, are feeling a bit blasė about your city,
deep within old-growth forests. We’d roll up to the leave for a year. I promise it will help renew the magic
century-old family home and my mom would demand that it once held for you. Hiking on the soft beds of
that we roll down the windows and deeply inhale. sequoia needles in the California redwoods and along
“Smell it!” she’d command. the craggy peaks of the North Cascades, I’d feel that
As an adult traveling the country, a rush of old butterfly-in-my-stomach feeling for a moment or
nostalgia would overcome me whenever that delicious, two. Certain places seemed to remind me of home,
dank moldy-leaf aroma entered my schnoz. I’d and it stirred something in me.

22 ROVA
 It was a hard feeling to wrangle, really. I would be of ours from their cushy 3/2 with a fenced-in yard. Mozey and
in brand-new, envy-inducing cities, and I’d be missing (Oh wait, that was me, too.) Gertie also
left their cushy
Asheville. Only once or twice was this feeling so What had made it difficult to disconnect also
lives behind,
strong that I was unhappy to be where I was at the gave me the security I needed to leave and explore. becoming
time. They call this homesickness, and it’s an odd Moving into a tiny travel trailer for a year and intrepid canine
feeling to have as an adult and not a 10-year-old at crashing in the occasional guest room was easier adventurers.
summer camp, but I came to terms with it. The feeling for me because of the strong foundation I’d built
of absence roused something in me that I didn’t know in Asheville. I had confidence in my sense of
was there before embarking on our trip. Many folks home—that I had something to which I could
leave on a long road trip in search of a new place to return. At first, it felt like a crazy pipe dream to
land. This was not me, I realized. I already knew the dip out of my “responsible,” “professional” life for
place I wanted to call home. 365 days. But it wasn’t. It was truly incredible.
The decision to leave on a year-long road trip From Canada to Texas, Utah to Delaware, we
sounds easy. Hell, who wouldn’t want to do that? collected memories and snippets of beauty. I
But the breaking away meant giving up so many appreciated every moment of it, good and bad,
things. The obvious aforementioned required list even when I’d look at my wife and repeat what
of grown-human baggage, but also the more subtle came to be my most annoying phrase: “You know
luxuries that are associated with your personal little what this reminds me of? Home.” R
nook in the world: the ability to host family from
out of town; waving to that one neighbor whose Anna Elliott (@everywhereplace) is a
name you’ll never know because it’s way too late to sailor-mouthed Yankee living in the south with her
ask; and being able to make a bed without belly- wife and two small but mighty pups, Mozey and
flopping to reach the back wall of the RV. We also Gertie. She just finished a year-long RV road trip
uprooted those two tiny, loud, four-legged children and writes at TheEverywherePlace.com.

ROVA23
 HOW TO NOT
BE A JACKASS
ON THE ROAD
The reality of a nomadic life is that, while most of us are paragons of virtue
when it comes to our campground and general traveling behavior, there are
always a few bad apples spoiling things for everyone else.

We asked some ROVA regulars about the things that really yank their
chain when it comes to travel etiquette.

Mariela and Santi

@lejoyride
One man’s trash is everyone’s trash
One thing that we hate is people leaving trash out in nature. Ugh! Nowadays, it doesn’t
matter if you’re at the beach, desert, a National Park or in BLM land, you will see trash
that some (beeeeep) decided to leave behind. It’s upsetting knowing that there are people
out there who don’t care for the planet and its animals. Whenever we find ourselves out in
nature picking up other people’s trash, we say to ourselves, “You left trash, you are trash!”
Thinking about putting those words on a T-shirt.

Don’t generate a nuisance

Okay, so you’re out camping, it’s nice and peaceful, then all of a sudden a
huge rig pulls up inches away from you, and then they run their generator all day and
all night long. That constant, low rattle-hum is plain irritating. You don’t want to
sound petty, so you deal with it or move. We often say, “Common sense isn’t very
common.”

24 ROVA
Ching
@livesmallridefree
Boondocking doesn’t mean breaking rules
Popular BLM areas are starting to implement designated campsites to help crowd
control and minimize boondocking/camping impact on our public lands. It’s a
real jackass move when, despite bulletin boards with plainly stated rules and
clearly marked campsites, people stay in non-legit sites. Follow the rules, or
else there’s a very strong chance that these areas will be permanently closed
to boondocking. Don’t be part of the problem.

A campfire is not a trash can

The other thing people do that really upsets me is throwing
trash into campfires. The “pack it in, pack it out” Leave
No Trace principles apply whether you’re on a trail, in the
backcountry, or boondocking/camping. Seeing glass bottles and aluminum
cans is the worst; both of those materials can be recycled and reused
over and over. Even if a campfire gets hot enough to start melting these
materials (which it doesn’t most of the time), they still don’t completely
burn away; they remain in the fire ring. Throwing any garbage in a
campfire is the same as littering.

Jeremy
@jeremy_and_stephanie
Move it or lose it
One of the biggest jackass moves in the world is pulling up to get
gas, filling your tank, and then leaving your car/truck/RV next
to the gas pumps instead of moving it into a parking space.
This forces other exhausted and road-weary travelers to
wait to get gas until you finish peeing, getting coffee, and
choosing your favorite candy bar before waiting in line to
pay for all of it!

ROVA 25
 Bionca
@offthegridwithakid
Don’t be a bad presence
Be discreet when stealth camping, and be friendly with the locals and security or police
officers. Someone once called the cops on us for camping in a neighborhood, and when
the police showed up, after having a friendly and fun conversation with the officer about
how we started doing van life, he thought our story was cool, let us stay and suggested that
we just move around the area and don’t stay in the same spot for too long.

Keep it clean
Clean up and keep your area clean where you camp regardless of whether it is your
mess or not. When we camp, we are setting an example for how to live this lifestyle
responsibly. The message matters more than the mess. If you are camping somewhere
trashy, people will think you are the problem. Picking up trash also sets a good
example of being a good van lifer—which can be part of the solution for problems we
face in the van life community.

Reggie
@reggiefromtheroad
Don’t show me the door
Most of the time, us drivers of big, awkward vehicles look for
simply the easiest place to land, but it’s also important to take
others’ rig orientation into account. To make everyone’s life a little
less awkward, park your rig with your door facing the backside of
your neighbor’s. It’s such a minor detail, but on grouchy mornings
when the park is packed like sardines, having that little bit of privacy
can make all of the difference for everyone’s sanity. I’m someone
who suffers from social anxiety, and I’ve been in the dreaded door-to-
door situation; sometimes I’ve had to strategize all day to avoid awkward
moments when leaving my own home.

Be like a vampire—wait to be invited in

Trailers and RVs are cool and fun ways to live, so there is a level of novelty that seems to
make the average folk forget that these rigs are homes. All too often, people will assume
they can just come aboard and poke around, not realizing that I leave unwashed dishes and
dirty underwear on my floor—just like they do in their home. If someone wants to take a
look at the outside, have at it—it’s in the public eye—but please, for the love of God, wait
for the rig owner to invite you in, because there is a good chance that their cat just passed a
hairball on their bed.

Stay off my property

I am officially becoming an old man. It’s not too much of a stretch to imagine
myself coming out my trailer door in a robe that keeps flying open, waving my
grizzled old fist in the air and saying, “Get off my lawn!” Just because we live
in a campground doesn’t mean that our property isn’t our property. There are
set public laneways to navigate the parks, so use them—it is not cool to cut
through people’s campsites. And that’s what Ol’ Man Reggie says. R

26 ROVA
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28 ROVA
AMERICA’S PUBLIC
LANDS, EXPLAINED
Words and images by Amanda Capritto
National parks, monuments, recreation areas: how do protected lands get their designations?

I
conic destinations like Yosemite and Horseshoe National monuments
Bend draw millions of visitors each year, all of National monuments might be the second most
whom travel with the sole intent of experiencing, popular type of public land in the United States. These
in one way or another, a natural spectacle. protected areas are also managed by the NPS, but the
Any road-tripper is bound to come across reason for protecting the land differs: national parks
protected lands like these—most lie not too far protect scenic, inspirational lands of recreational value,
from any of the States’ four million miles of public while national monuments protect lands of historical,
roads—but some travelers might not be aware of cultural, or scientific interest. National monuments
the significance of the land they’re standing on. also tend to be smaller than national parks.
The Department of the Interior manages more than You may know of Ford’s Theatre in Washington,
300 million acres of land with titles ranging from D.C. (where President Abraham Lincoln was
national monument to battlefield to wildlife refuge, assassinated); Cedar Breaks in Utah (known for its
and knowing the difference between all of them is natural amphitheater shape); and the Virgin Islands
something that most of us probably can’t claim. Coral Reef—all national monuments. Some national
Some designations are obvious (like national monuments reside within the bounds of national
seashores or national historic trails: they’re parks or other designations.
seashores and trails), but others aren’t so clear.
These designations are granted based on what needs National historic sites and parks
protection and at what level, as well as what the site National historic sites and national historical parks tell
tells us about the country. the story of America. These sites, managed by the NPS,
commemorate people, places, events, and cultures that
National parks have shaped the United States into what it is today.
Perhaps the most storied and most photographed National historic sites comprise just one location
of all, the big 61 national parks include the integral to the country’s history, such as the Lincoln
crown jewels of American public lands: Yosemite, Home or Fort Union Trading Post. National historic
Shenandoah, Rocky Mountain, Acadia, Yellowstone, parks, on the other hand, comprise an entire area or
Great Smoky Mountains, Sequoia… the list goes on. collection of places that influenced history. Examples
These parks, totaling more than 50 million acres include Cane River Creole National Historical Park
across the country, protect a variety of resources (Louisiana) and Independence National Historical
(like rivers, geological formations and historic sites), Park (Pennsylvania). There’s also one international
whereas other designated lands may only protect one historic site under the NPS’s jurisdiction: Saint Croix
specific resource. Island off of Maine.
Within a national park, it is illegal to engage
in any activity that is a threat to the natural National heritage areas
environment. This includes climbing or walking Across the United States, there are 55 national
on certain terrain; gathering wood, nuts, rocks or heritage areas, which protect regions inhabited by
bones; feeding animals; and building fires outside of people. So, unlike national parks, national heritage
designated areas. areas involve communities in preservation efforts by
The sign for Buck
The first national park was Yellowstone, designated actually connecting local citizens with administration.
Rock Lookout in
Sequoia National
in 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant, and all 61 sites These areas are designated by Congress, and to even
Park, just below are managed by the National Park Service. The NPS be considered for designation, they must contain
the 172 stairs to strives to maintain natural and historic sites while historical, cultural, and natural resources that tell an
the top. offering recreation opportunities and sightseeing. important story about the United States.

ROVA 29
 National preserves and reserves
Also managed by the NPS, a national preserve is
a type of national park that still allows certain
activities like hunting, trapping, and oil or gas
extraction. National preserves often lie near national
parks and, without the opportunity for those extra
activities, would qualify as a national park. There
are 19 national preserves in the United States,
including Mojave National Preserve (California),
Katmai National Park and Preserve (Alaska), and
Big Cypress National Preserve (Florida).
National reserves are similar to national preserves,
with one major distinction: management may be
transferred to state or local authorities.

National recreation areas

Have you ever pulled off of U.S. Highway 89 in
Page, Arizona, and peered down at the sandstone
escarpment poking out of the Colorado River? That’s
Horseshoe Bend, an incredibly popular photo op along example, water and timber—while ensuring that the
a heavily traversed route. What many travelers don’t land’s biodiversity is protected, and that it retains the
know is that Horseshoe Bend is part of Glen Canyon opportunity for recreation activities.
National Recreation Area. Many other national
recreation areas—there are 18, to be exact—are also Wilderness areas
well-traveled but not well-known. Similar to national forests, wilderness areas cover
National recreation areas, according to the NPS, impressive acreage. But, unlike protected forests,
“combine scarce open spaces with the preservation of wildernesses are not inhabited or even tamed by
Above: A sign significant historic resources and important natural humans. They’re entirely wild—hence the name—and
notifying drivers areas in locations that can provide outdoor recreation are protected with the intent of preserving as much
of the start of for large numbers of people.” of the country’s wild land as possible. These areas
Kings Canyon are managed by the Bureau of Land Management,
National Park National forests and they remain unspoiled by developments and
on Generals National forests are massive swaths of land that infrastructure, though parts of them may lie within
Highway.
typically border national parks or encompass the national parks or other developed designations.
Center: The lands in between national parks. Think of them as a America’s near-700 wilderness sites cover more than
lowest place in sort of buffer around national parks, extending the 106 million acres across 44 states.
the United States,
protected areas. National forests are managed by the
Badwater Basin
in Death Valley
U.S. Forest Service, which is part of the Department National wildlife refuges
National Park, of Agriculture. There are 154 national forests, all of Established in 1903 by Teddy Roosevelt, the National
sits 282 feet which fall under “multiple use” management; this Wildlife Refuge System now includes more than 560
below sea level. allows the removal of the forests’ resources—for sites dedicated to safeguarding flora and fauna while

30 ROVA
 Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Thomas Jefferson
Memorial), but others do exist across the country.
Some of the most famous include the Mount Rushmore
National Memorial (South Dakota) and the National
September 11 Memorial & Museum (New York City).

National battlefields
Protecting historical war sites ensures that
Americans—and others—continue to learn about
the country’s past. These sites preserve the military
history of the United States and include important
still offering ample recreation opportunities. Think of locations like Tupelo National Battlefield (Mississippi)
these refuges as the less popular (but just as wildly and Moores Creek National Battlefield (North
awesome) sibling to national parks, but managed by Carolina).
the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service rather than the NPS. The NPS has also designated a few lands as
national battlefield parks and national battlefield
National conservation areas sites, as well as national military parks. Altogether,
Administered by the Bureau of Land Management, and mostly consolidated to the southeast, the NPS
national conservation areas meet many of the same manages 25 sites that protect military history.
criteria as national parks. Popular conservation areas
include California’s Lost Coast and Utah’s Red Cliffs. National seashores and lakeshores
Scattered primarily across the western states, these Fantastic locations for water recreation, national
protected lands encompass some of the country’s seashores and lakeshores protect shorelines and some
most jaw-dropping landscapes, and they’re mainly islands. There are currently 10 national seashores
undeveloped and uninhabited. National conservation along the Pacific, Atlantic, and Gulf Coasts; there are
areas may include other protected lands within them, only four national lakeshores, all of which lie along
such as wild and scenic rivers, national monuments, the Great Lakes.
and national historic trails. Above: Mule
deer cross a
National wild and scenic rivers
small creek
National memorials Wild and scenic rivers are similar to national along Tuolumne
These are NPS-managed sites that commemorate wildernesses in that the focus is maintaining the area Meadows Trail
a person or tragic historical event. Many National as is, completely unaltered. Wild rivers are free of in Yosemite
memorials are found in Washington, D.C. (Washington dams and are typically only accessible by trail, while National Park.

ROVA 31
 National parkway
Road trip along the Natchez
Trace, anyone? National parkways
preserve American history via
roadways and the land flanking
them. These protected corridors
often connect important cultural
sites, as well as including pullouts
where road-trippers can enjoy
scenic views. These aren’t the same
as “scenic byways,” of which there
are hundreds, referring to any
scenic road with cultural, historical,
or geographical significance.
There are currently six
protected national parkways: the
The Mesquite scenic rivers are free of dams but are accessible by car Natchez Trace Parkway, Foothills Parkway, Baltimore-
Sand Dunes at
in some locations. The Bureau of Land Management Washington Parkway, Blue Ridge Parkway, Colonial
Death Valley
National Park.
manages wild and scenic rivers, and the program Parkway, and George Washington Memorial Parkway.
accounts for 81 rivers.
National cemeteries
National recreational rivers Perhaps not the most mood-boosting public land to
In addition to the 81 wild and scenic rivers, the visit, but often some of the most fascinating, national
Bureau of Land Management also oversees more than cemeteries offer a wealth of educational opportunity
120 recreational rivers, which are easily accessible for road-trippers. These are protected mainly in
by car and railways, and may have developments and historical interest, often representing times of war,
dams along their routes. famine, or other hardship. Examples include the
famous Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington,
National rivers Virginia, and the Chalmette National Cemetery in
There are also national rivers, which are managed by the Louisiana, which commemorates veterans of the
NPS. Most of them, including Big South Fork National Spanish-American War.
River (Kentucky and Tennessee) and Mississippi
National River (park site in Minnesota) have multiple Other designations
dams and ports, as well as recreation opportunities and Sitting below the national level of public space
even residential areas along the shore. designations are state and local designations that vary
depending on the state—but this list of national titles
National trails is probably enough to digest for now.
The National Trails System encompasses four types It should go without saying, but regardless of the
of trails: national historic trails, national scenic trails, designation of any piece of public land, we should do
national recreational trails, and side and connecting our part to protect it. Visit often, enjoy everything that
trails. Their names give away the reasoning behind our country has to offer, and leave it as you found it. R
their protection. Historic trails, such as the Lewis and
Clark Trail, preserve history; scenic trails, such as Amanda is a writer, traveler, and fitness enthusiast—
the Appalachian and Pacific Crest, preserve inspiring and one of those strange folks who’s always known
scenery; and recreational trails preserve opportunities what she wanted to be as an adult. She loves
for recreation across the country. Side and connecting adventure travel, open roads, and the never-ending
trails, as you may have guessed, connect larger trails quest of learning to integrate health and travel into
to one another. one awesome lifestyle.

32 ROVA
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The result? An experience that is second to none, with all the quality
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 LONG-HAUL
NOMAD
By Micah Ling

34 ROVA
Forget the unhealthy lifestyle and lack of
inspiration in a long-haul trucking job—
one creative trucker has turned his career
into a nomadic lifestyle.

W
hatever you think of when you
think of long-haul trucking, it’s not
Kasper Kavalaris.
Kasper grew up in the Midwest
and earned an Associate Degree
in Illustration from the American
Academy of Art in Chicago. He went on to study
classical painting and drawing under a master in
Florence, Italy for three years.
As a freelance illustrator, Kasper worked with
several prestigious clients, but ultimately couldn’t
make enough money to survive. Back in the States,
he knew he wanted to pursue filmmaking, but he
also needed to make some money. He looked up the
highest-paying entry-level jobs, and, despite knowing
nothing about the work, decided to give trucking a
go—because it sounded like an adventure.
I spoke with Kasper about his job, the road, and
what he’s learned on his travels.

Micah: When you started trucking, you

didn’t know anything about it—just that it
was a high-paying gig and would allow you
to work on films. How did you manage to get
the job?
Kasper: Because it’s an entry-level job, trucking
companies will pay for schooling, which is only six
weeks, then it’s on-the-job training for another few
weeks, and that’s it—you’re a trucker.
It took me about six months to get up to speed.
It was a pretty rough road there—pun intended—
for a little while. People imagine that the job is
just driving—and it’s a lot of that, but it’s also very
physical. That’s one of the reasons I love it. I’m
constantly climbing on the cargo and all over the
truck. I’m strapping things down, getting dirty,
crawling under the truck, loading and unloading.
I was thousands of dollars in debt when I started
this job, and all of that debt was paid off within six
months. Since then, I’ve saved a lot and bought a lot of
tools that I need for filmmaking.
I’m actually somewhat unique as a trucker,
because I live in the truck. I know there are others
who do this, but we’re in the minority. Most people
have a life outside of trucking, but I have no home

ROVA 35
 done working for the day, to sort
of mark the transition into a living
space. It also just makes the place
a little more comfortable.
Really, the thing that makes
this all work is my drive toward
becoming a filmmaker. I dedicate
most of my free time to that effort,
so the fact that my living space is
smaller than the average jail cell
doesn’t bother me. One big tradeoff
is that I am saving more than
$12,000 a year in rent.
I also love waking up in the
morning and looking out my
bedroom window, and seeing a
new scene every time.

What are some of the scenes

you’ve woken to? What’s the
variety like?
Sometimes it’s a standard truck
Kasper and base, so I’m more flexible. The road is my home, and stop, and not very pretty. Other
his flat-bed I love that I get paid to be a vagabond and travel. It’s times it’s the gorgeous desert, or the misty Allegheny
truck, where he
not something I’ll do forever, but I’m enjoying it now. mountains. I’ve seen a phenomenal collection of
works, lives, and
creates. sunrises and sunsets.
You’ve been living out of your truck for I love driving in the desert because of the wide-
almost two years now; how big is your open spaces and the razor-straight roads. It allows me
living space, and what are some things to relax and think. Also, desert states are friendlier to
that you have in your truck that you can’t trucking—it’s a lot easier just to pull over to the side
live without? of the road when you want to.
My living space is about six and a half by five feet, not I like the hills of Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
including the driver and passenger seat area. One nice They’re beautiful, but not as easy to drive.
thing is that I can completely stand up inside, which
you might not guess by looking at a truck cab from You have a flatbed, which allows you to do
the outside. more and see more. You say it makes your
Some of the things I rely on regularly are my trips more adventurous; why is that?
iPhone, and various dictation programs that I use to Hauling a flatbed means I can transport a huge
write while driving. I have a trucker GPS unit that variety of cargo. It takes me to some very interesting
is crucial to let me know bridge heights and weight places. I’ve been in the middle of nowhere at a
restrictions, but it’s actually pretty horrible in all construction site where there are no roads, and they
other respects, so I also use Google Maps or Apple have to lay down massive steel and wood mats as
Maps as a supplement. temporary roads. Other times, I end up in places like
My iPad Pro is also worth a lot to me. I use it to downtown San Francisco or at a military port in San
work on my art, I watch movies on it, and I also use Diego. If I were driving a dry van, it’s more likely I
the spreadsheet function to keep track of my cargo would be going from one depot to the next. Not as
information and delivery data. exciting by far.
There are little things that I do to make the truck I’ve transported jet engines, solid blocks of steel
feel like a home. I have a rug that I put down when I’m heavier than a car, trees, underwater diamond-bit

36 ROVA
saws, and everything in between. I love the variety.
I enjoy mysterious, dark warehouses; steel mills;
massive machines moving insanely heavy objects.

What’s your diet like? What are your

staples? How do you stay healthy?
My diet has changed a few times since the beginning.
It has gotten simpler and simpler. I thought about
getting a refrigerator, but the electrical system in my
truck isn’t great. So, I eat a lot of canned food, smoked
meat and other things that don’t need refrigeration.
I eat a lot of avocados. I buy them in a spectrum of
ripeness from just barely ripe to hard as a rock, and
they ripen over the week.
I eat a strict Paleo diet throughout the week,
because that gives me the best energy. I don’t drink with. During the time when Alabama was under Top: Truck
stops are not
coffee or use any sort of stimulants because my body fire for their abortion laws, many of my friends on
the best source
adapts to them too quickly, and then I just need to social media were railing against the state, with many of nutritious
keep upping the ante until it stops working altogether. even saying that the state should be boycotted—I food, but Kasper
Truckers are one of the unhealthiest demographics in don’t even know what that means, but I understood manages to stay
the United States, by job. I’m lucky that I’ve found a their sentiment. Then, by chance, I got a delivery in healthy on the
diet that works for me, and that has actually made me Alabama that same week and found the people to be road.
healthier. I wish there were more options out there for some of the nicest I’ve ever encountered. It just showed Bottom: The view
truckers, because truck stops are full of nasty stuff. me that there’s a big difference between social media from Kasper’s
I also have a daily yoga and exercise routine that I and reality. It showed me how easily we can alienate living quarters in
do in the cab. people instead of taking the time to get to know them. the truck.
Trucking has given me that lesson over and over. R
What have you learned about people while
trucking? Follow Kasper, who is about to embark on
I love being exposed to all different types of people a new adventure, on Instagram @kasperkavalaris,
that I never would have otherwise come into contact and at his website: www.therakefilm.com.

ROVA 37
 A HIRE PURPOSE

You can hire an

overland vehicle
like this, fully
equipped, to get
away from your
routine.

38 ROVA
Nature isn’t reserved for die-hard, full-
time van lifers and RVers. Many of us
can only spare a few days to visit the
outdoors—but the value that comes from
that is long-lasting. If you don’t own a
van or RV, rent one.

T
he movement towards digital detoxing and Mason Schreck is CEO and Founder of Pacific
communing with nature is not a fad; as Overlander, which kits out overland vehicles for
technology gobbles up every spare moment people to rent for long or short vacations. “Ownership
of our day-to-day lives, we find ourselves is a wonderful feeling, with the thrill of knowing
dreaming of time and space outside of it. that you possess freedom at the turn of a key,’ he
This is something that’s driving folks out says. “But when you factor in the constraints of our
of cities and into nature—many of them for a quick over-scheduled work life, the considerable cost of
breather from the daily grind. these vehicles, the relative impracticality of their daily
Jennifer Young, who is the cofounder and GMO use, and the barriers of owning and maintaining all
of industry game-changer Outdoorsy—an RV rental the needed camping equipment, renting becomes an
service that connects RV owners with renters—says increasingly appealing option.”
that this need to switch off is pushing more people to And wherever you live, there’s bound to be a
find ways to reach the outdoors. campground within a couple of hours’ drive—making
“We live in a time where technology is at the core it incredibly easy to throw off the routine and be in
of our daily lives—it’s how we order our coffee, how nature in time for Friday night drinks by the campfire,
we buy clothes, how we schedule our grocery pickup then wake up with the wilderness at your fingertips.
and how we work,” Jennifer says. “More than ever, It’s a true recipe for a brain reset.
people are craving disconnection and distance from “We see the act of renting an RV and hitting
the modern world and a reconnection to the natural the road as a step—and an investment—in mental
world, the fresh air, and starry night skies. People are wellness,” Jennifer says. “And RV rentals makes that
starting to see the value of having experiences rather investment more accessible to a broader group of
than things.” travelers. From the [moment that you get the keys]
Because of this, across the United States, young to that first night sitting around the campfire at your
couples and their pets, families toting six kids in a campsite, you are having an experience that pulls you
bus, retirees looking to max out their savings, and out of your comfort zone and separates you from your
single adventurers conquering America one 14er normal daily routine.”
at a time are living in homes atop chassis. Vans, Unlike air travel, RVs offer immediacy when it
motorhomes, buses, and fifth-wheels—all packed with comes to escape (the adventure starts the minute
residents—are scattered so lavishly across the map you pull away from the curb), as well as an up-close
that you’ll encounter them wherever you go. experience with the landscape.
And while owning an RV or full-time life on the “By seeing everything that can’t be seen [from
road is a bucket-list goal for many, for others it’s an airplane] at 30,000 feet, hearing every bird chirp,
not possible—or even desirable. Some full-time jobs and breathing in the fresh mountain air, you are
require office time; some travelers, while loving life recalibrating how you think about yourself and the
on the road, equally love cooking a full Thanksgiving world around you,” Jennifer says. “Your perspective
meal, using a toilet that’s not in the shower, or just, and outlook on even the most minute, daily things
you know, moving from room to room. For these starts to become more positive. We’ve heard
folks, renting an RV is a convenient, cost-effective, about the benefits of the 3-day effect and doctors
and super-enjoyable way to access the outdoors. prescribing nature as medicine. We see the act of
There’s no worry about storage, maintenance, or renting an RV as a way to get closer to making that
ongoing costs—it’s a get-up-and-go solution for a few three-day weekend or that much-needed time in
days out of the city. nature a reality.”

ROVA 39
 Time in nature, Renting can also be a lot more friendly to the wallet landscapes. Renting an RV and getting outdoors has
no matter how
than hiring a car and staying in motels (yes, even the never been easier.
short, can reset
your brain and is
flea-ridden ones). And if you’re adventurous enough If the idea of towing or driving an RV is still
great for mental to go off-grid, the costs can be even lower. But that’s daunting, there are even options that allow you to rent
health. a problem for some who are looking to get outdoors; an RV and have the company deliver it to where you’ll
they’re trepidatious about this lifestyle that they’re not be staying.
particularly familiar with. But it’s not as difficult as “For those that aren’t ready to completely dive
many might think. into the experience quite yet, many of our owners
“One of the biggest misconceptions about van life offer delivery,” says Jennifer. “They will deliver the
is that it’s only for the super outdoorsy, or that you RV to the camping spot of your choice and set up
have to know all the ins and outs before you hit the the vehicle, so you can try out the experience and
road,” Jennifer says. get comfortable with things without worrying about
These days, it’s a lot easier for new or infrequent driving the rig. So now there’s no excuse not to try a
travelers to get the lay of the land before even taste of van life for yourself!”
grabbing the steering wheel. Instagram is a There are those who, on the other hand, see van
quick and easy (and very inspirational) source life through the Instagram lens, and don’t quite
of information, and there are blogs, apps, and know what they’re up against when it comes to life
YouTube videos that cover every aspect of life on on the road.
the road; from finding amazing, fully equipped “Perhaps some still imagine van life or overland
RV campgrounds, to stealth camping in to-die-for travel as an escapist fantasy away from life’s hard work,

40 ROVA
 often enough to justify buying one, There are rental
vehicles all
there is a real benefit to having
over the United
experienced a few different set-ups States, ready for
to inform your ideal build.” your road trip.

Renting out your own RV

Many folks who love to road-trip
are happy to invest in an RV or
van, even if it won’t be in constant
use. The knowledge that the van is
sitting in the garage or driveway,
ready for escape at a moment’s
notice, can be intoxicating—as can
the subsequent adventures that
begin with the question, “Where
do you want to go this weekend?”
and therefore, may underestimate that living a life on If it seems like a big outlay,
the road can often be daunting and difficult,” Mason that’s because it is. But there are ways of earning back
says. “Van life can at times become #vanstrife. But the cash that you shell out on an RV—namely, renting
often these tough experiences are the ones we end up it out to someone else.
cherishing the most, and that’s not so escapist after all.” The majority of people who own RVs only use
There’s a strong possibility that even a taste of the them for a month out of the year, or less. That leaves
lifestyle will ignite a desire to purchase a piece of it for 11 months during which the RV is sitting idle.
yourself, and renting can help you with that, as well. Registering with a site like Outdoorsy allows you to
Jennifer says that, for those who are contemplating offer your RV to people looking for rentals. Not only
heading out full-time, renting an RV is a great way to will you make money this way, but the vehicle will
shop around. also be in fairly constant use, meaning that you don’t
“The beauty of renting an RV is that you can try have to worry about the battery going dead, tires
on all shapes and sizes of vehicles before making a squaring off or breaking down, or other issues that
commitment to the cost of owning one,” she says. arise from a long stationary period.
“Whether you choose to take a solo trip to Big Bend Your suitability for the road and the outdoors
National Park in an Airstream or take your family lifestyle isn’t measured in how many miles you cover,
to the beach in a fifth wheeler, [there are] options to or how many hours you log sleeping in a glorified
match your personal style.” bunk bed on wheels. All you need is a fervent desire
Mason backs this up, saying, “If your life affords the to get into nature; if you have that, you’re instantly
opportunity and resources to use an adventure vehicle qualified for adventure—even if you have to rent it. R

ROVA41
 A NEW

Millennials are
finding it easier
to get outdoors,
and enjoying the
mental space
that nature
gives them.

42 ROVA
GENERATION
AND A NEW OUTLOOK
ON THE OUTDOORS
By Sam Brown
We’ve all heard the criticisms of millennials and Gen Z:
they’re lazy, and always glued to their phones. It’s a laughable
stereotype, and as these generations continue to
mature, they’re proving naysayers wrong; especially when it
comes to their relationship with nature and the outdoors.

Y
ounger generations are exploring the of leaving all of that behind, if even for a week,
outdoors at increasing rates, according is an exciting one. In a fast-paced, digitally
to the 2019 North American Camping oriented society, spending time in the woods
Report. Millennials (ages 23 to 38 in can be revelatory to those who are used to 24/7
2019) make up the largest segment connection to everything, all the time.
of campers, at 41 percent, and now “Being in nature helps us to disconnect
that they’re starting to grow up and have families, from the constant communication we are used
they’re bringing their Gen Z children (ages 7 to 22 to, whether that’s with our work or social
in 2019) along with them. Out of all the millennial groups,” 23-year-old Olivia Sproviero tells me.
campers, 54 percent camp with their children. “Many places that people visit to spend time
So, what’s driving this love for the outdoors, outdoors have minimal cell phone service. This
which seems counter to what people think of the helps us to [spend time without that barrage of
“tech-obsessed” youth? communication], and experience time slower,
It seems that younger folks value time outside which I believe decreases stress.”
because it’s providing sanctuary to them in a Ironically, it also becomes easier to unplug as
time of information overload. The media-crazed, technology improves. “There is less pressure to
screen-oriented world of the 21st century provides stay close to home, since we know we can get back
little breathing room. Those of us who grew up in touch with our friends and families whenever
during or after the digital revolution are unified we want,” Olivia says. “Going camping or RVing
by technology’s power over us, and the prospect further from [more populated areas] allows us

ROVA 4 3
 empathy, no matter our age or
background. For a young person
whose world view is still developing,
having a diverse perspective on
society and the natural world is
invaluable for personal growth.
“Traveling as a teen shaped me
into the person I am today, and has
freed my mind from some more
conventional things,” Julie says.
“Learning about other walks of life
has given me a sense of appreciation
[for what I have], and a desire to
More teens and to disconnect from our technology without the fear help those who are not in the same boat as I am.”
young adults are of being in danger, missing out on opportunities, or The benefits that millennials are getting from
camping with falling behind on news and information.” nature-time seem to have in part strengthened their
their families—
Technology makes camping, as well as life on desire to protect our environment. We’ve recently
and loving it.
the road, safer and more practical. It’s easier to find seen an upsurge of climate change activism that
campsites, get directions, and find destinations worth is largely driven by younger generations. It makes
traveling to. Barriers that have long stood in the way sense; they’re the ones who are inheriting the
of people exploring the great outdoors—like lack of planet. Millennials and Gen Z have made it clear
knowledge, inexperience and fear of the unknown— that this issue is a priority for them, and, despite
are being swiftly removed by things like camping their much-criticized obsession with technology,
apps, social networks for travelers, and geotagging. we’re learning that there is a strong relationship
As well as an escape from daily stressors, camping between our planet’s youth and its environment.
and RVing offer additional, significant psychological You don’t have to be the outdoorsy type
benefits. A quick Google search will return innumerable to be a climate activist—in fact, most climate
results on the positive side effects of exploring the demonstrations happen in urban areas. However, it
woods and traveling outdoors in relation to the ability can’t be a coincidence that the rise in environmental
to think broadly and creatively, and these benefits seem activism among young people parallels the fact that
doubly important for children and young adults. millennials and Gen Z are exploring the outdoors
Julie Kay, an avid road-tripper and Gen Zer, says, at increasing rates. They want to protect what has
“What does being a teenager really mean? Yes, you become a place of sanctuary and personal growth.
start changing physically, but also mentally. Looking As a 25-year-old hovering between millennial and
for an identity means stepping out of your comfort Gen Z myself, I’ve always been grateful for my early
zone and exploring the world that surrounds you. experiences of hiking and traveling; nature walks
Being able to travel in an RV gives millennials the with my parents, camping trips with my college
chance to see various walks of life. One day you might buddies, solitary walks through the woods to clear
be driving through the noisy streets of Manhattan, my head. Sure, I have a love–hate relationship with
and the next, you’ll be gazing around at the greenery the overabundance of media in my life—I often find
of the countryside. An airplane only takes you to one myself yearning for the simplicity of the pre-digital
destination, while an RV can take you to many, which age (whatever that looked like!)—but accessibility
makes exploring and trying new things easier.” to the internet has helped form my worldview, and
Road-tripping across the country, or just finding it’s refreshing to see the young adults of my era
some space in nature, offers the chance to look at the embracing the best of both worlds. R
world from a new point of view. This kind of experience
provides a clearer picture of our environment, yes, Sam is the editorial assistant at ROVA. You can
but also of our society, and improves our capacity for follow him on Instagram @sambrown.jpeg

44 ROVA
 OVERLANDERS,
VAN LIFERS AND
BOONDOCKERS
By Kate Field
Exploring the subcultures within the subculture.
46 ROVA
 A
s modern jobs allow camp, which is to camp without amenities. All types
us more freedom to of vehicles boondock, and the term is very common
work remotely, many among RVers. Boondockers often set up camp in their
people are following chosen location with supplies for multiple days. They
their wanderlust and believe in the ‘pack it in, pack it out’ mentality, and (if
finding their homes they’ve done right by the land) you often won’t even
on the road. A new subculture know a boondocker has been there.
of nomads is emerging, evolving
and flourishing. The rigs are as Overlanding
unique as their owners; buses, Overlanders can be van lifers or boondockers as well,
ambulances, vans, expedition but the key difference is that for overlanders, the
trucks, RVs, Airstreams, journey is the principal goal. An overland traveler
motorcycles and more are setting follows a more adventurous path, usually needing
off to explore the globe. off-road capabilities. Their vehicles are self-reliant,
As these nomadic road warriors and they typically explore more remote locations and
grow in number, we can see them avoid staying in populated areas. Overlanders travel
forming smaller niche groups great distances, and they stay overnight or for shorter
within the subculture. While periods of time before continuing their journey.
you’ll find for the most part that Overlanders can live this lifestyle full-time; otherwise,
all of the groups are welcoming— people often overland as an extended vacation.
the road provides a camaraderie The term overland originally comes from
between all adventure-seekers— Australian cattle drovers, who used it to describe
there are some subtle differences moving their herds long distances.
to be found in their lifestyles.
So, what are we?
Van life We’re a little van life, a little boondocking and a little
Van life most simply refers to people overlanding. We live full-time in our van and have done
living in a van. While technically so for just over a year now. We bought a 2018 Mercedes
the “life” part of the name lends Sprinter 3500 after considering all types of vehicles;
itself to the full-time van dwellers, we wanted 4x4, something [my partner] Levi could
you will find increasing numbers of stand up in, something with long-term reliability, and
people now using the term for their something that would hold its value. We built out our
road-trip vacations. Commonly, the home on wheels on the streets of Brooklyn, New York.
van life name (and corresponding We knew we wanted to be as self-sufficient as
#vanlife hashtag) represents people possible, and we considered this when choosing all of
who have sufficient financial means the components that we used in our build. We have
and have chosen this lifestyle, as opposed to those who 40 gallons of wash water on board, and we keep our
may live it as a necessity. drinking water separate. Our van has 510 watts of
Van lifers convert all types of vans into tiny solar with two battery banks: one in the rear, which
houses, each choosing different custom components powers all of our interior household items; and one
based on their needs and likes. The vans can range under the hood, which powers our external lights,
in their levels of self-sustainability, from those that winch and other accessories.
can support their dwellers completely off the grid, to We wanted a rugged look to our vehicle, so we
those that are required to stay close to the amenities fitted it with a complete exterior kit. We have double
of towns. The vans can be off-road or two-wheel drive, side steps to match our dual slider doors, front
old or new, self-built or bought—but so long as person and rear bumpers, tire carrier and roof rack with a
is living inside, you’ve got yourself a van lifer. signature look of five off-road lights up top. We do a lot
of 4x4 trails, so we painted our entire van with truck
Boondocking bed–liner spray, making us completely scratchproof!
The word boondock is an American expression Inside, we wanted a modern, warm, homey feel.
that came from the Tagalog word bundók, meaning After six months on the road we actually stripped
mountain. It originally referred to a rural or remote the interior and rebuilt it, using components and
location; however, it is now used more widely to soft goods from various suppliers, along with our
mean any location that allows free camping, including own custom designs. One thing we were sure about
certain retail parking lots. To boondock means to dry when designing our home on the road was that we

ROVA 47
 seats that are made in Germany Top left: Kate and
Levi live full-time
and come from a combined
in their Mercedes
background in car racing and Sprinter 3500,
articulated medical seating. It’s an which has
odd combo indeed, but by far our favorite upgrade in been totally
the van! We also love our music, and Sprinter vans overhauled for
notoriously have terrible sound systems. We replaced overlanding.
our stock sound with a multi-zone sound system, Top right: The
which allows us to play audio throughout the space— sound system
great for driving and great for movie nights. gives the couple
After we completed our build, we were a little on great audio
the heavy side—11,500 pounds, to be exact. We were throughout
the van.
a big girl, so we needed to upgrade our suspension to
match our new load size. With our new suspension Bottom left:
and new tires, we got an extra four inches of height The van is fully
and no more bob and sway as we tackled our favorite equipped for life
off-road.
4x4 trails.
I’m from Australia and Levi is from Alaska. We
met in New York and chose this nomadic lifestyle
so we could enjoy more of what we both love: seeing
new places, meeting new friends, enjoying adventure
sports and living off the grid. We restructured our
content-creation business for a life on the road, sold
didn’t want any propane on board. Instead, our everything we had and took a chance on a van, and we
cabin heat, hot water and cooktop all run on diesel haven’t looked back! R
connected to our main fuel tank, making life easy
and safe. You can find Kate, Levi and Jits at events
We drive A LOT. Our 2019 tour has already nationwide, or even join them on their
covered more than 20,000 miles, and we have made guided 4x4 van tours. Find out more
stops at around 20 different events to show our at www.werollwithit.com. If you’d like information
vehicle. With all this driving, we noticed two things on any of the equipment that they used to fit out
that needed upgrading in the van. First, we added their van, get in touch at [email protected].

48 ROVA
 Mountain bike and street trial professional and
Eberspächer brand ambassador Danny MacAskill:
Danny MacAskill known from the YouTube hit “Wee Day Out”

Take the chill out of winter with an Eberspächer heater!

Even an extreme athlete like Danny MacAskill looks forward to pleasant temperatures in his motor home after
a strenuous day of biking. With an Eberspächer heater he does not have to let the weather dictate his routes,
which means that he can remain active all year round. His diesel-powered heater also allows him to enjoy the
benefits of total independence. He can park wherever he chooses and save gas, space and weight, because
he no longer needs any additional propane tanks for heating.

A WORLD OF COMFORT

www.eberspaecher-na.com
 SUN OR

The Golden
Isles run along
the 100-mile
Georgia
coastline, and
give nature-
lovers a beautiful
respite from the
winter chill.

50 ROVA
 SNOW
A short list of winter
destinations
It turns out that birds aren’t the only species that
migrate during the winter; humans do that, too!

If there's one
thing that's
worth braving
the cold for, it's
the Northern
Lights—which
you can see
in Fairbanks,
Alaska.

ROVA 51
 during the winter. One of our
favorites is Capitol Reef National
Park. The snow-speckled trails
light up in contrast to the red
rocks, and it is truly amazing to
see. Many of the campgrounds in

S
the area close during the winter
ome people love the cold, and some people (probably because they’re literally
hate it. Luckily for those of us living in buried beneath snow), but you can find some space
America, this land has the best of both with hookups in nearby Fruita (book well in advance),
worlds, regardless of the season: whether or take your chances boondocking. Just make sure you
you’re a sweater-weather fanatic or a have plenty of blankets!
sunshine-seeker, there’s plenty to keep you
happy. In case you’re wondering where to go, we’ve Lake Placid, New York
compiled a range of destinations for you to check out Whether you’re the type of person who enjoys
this season! adrenaline-pumping downhill skiing or wandering
under the twinkle lights of picturesque winter
villages, Lake Placid has it all. Spend the day cruising
Cold down the legendary Whiteface Mountain at its peak
elevation of 4,865 feet, then explore the fairyland
Lake Tahoe, California village of Lake Placid, which has hosted two Winter
For those of you on the west coast looking to carve Olympics Games. There’s definitely at least one big-
some powder, there are few better places to do that name RV park that’s open during winter, but do some
than Lake Tahoe. While it’s not a hidden gem by local research for more options.
Top: Even when any means, there is plenty of mountain to explore
temperatures are around the largest alpine lake in North America, Fairbanks, Alaska
below freezing, and the massive body of water contrasts majestically Okay, this one may be hard to get to, but the payoff
the red rocks with the snow. Tent campers won’t have much is well worth it. There is an excess of winter actives
at Capitol Reef luck finding managed sites during the winter, in Fairbanks, but the coveted experience is to see
National Park give
so the region is an RVer’s domain. A handful of the northern lights. Aurora season stretches from
off the illusion of
warmth. campgrounds are open to RVs year-round—plus, August 21st to April 21st, making winter the perfect
prices shrink when it’s cold. season to catch this phenomenon—and Fairbanks
Center: Lake
is considered the best place in the world to see
Tahoe’s deep
blue is even more
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah the majesty of the northern lights. Chena Lake
resplendent Outdoor winter activities don’t have to be restricted Recreation area nearby has two campgrounds that
when contrasted to skiing and snowboarding. In fact, some of North stay open to intrepid and self-contained RVers during
against the snow. America’s coolest hiking spots take on a new life winter—but don’t expect hookups.

52 ROVA
Warm
Yuma, Arizona
Seasonal affective disorder (appropriately known as
SAD) got you down? Not getting enough sunlight?
Well, maybe you ought to visit the place that the
World Meteorological Organization dubbed the
sunniest place on earth: Yuma, Arizona. During the
winter, Yuma boasts 11 hours of sunlight every day,
which lights up the beautiful desert landscape. Let’s
be honest; some of us prefer cacti to snowmen.

New Orleans, Louisiana

Winter’s technically over at the end of February, but
the cold weather often disagrees. To tell winter to
take a hike, hit New Orleans, which happens to throw
the biggest party of the year on February 25th. That’s
right; we’re talking about Mardi Gras. The Nawlins
weather is nice and warm—but not too warm—during
the winter, and the pleasant climate gives visitors the
perfect chance to explore this festive city.

Golden Isles, Georgia

The Golden Isles are a group of four barrier islands
that run along the 100-mile coast of Georgia,
resplendent with natural beaches, large stretches of Top: Cacti:
marshland, and bountiful wildlife. The mild winters to feel the sun on your shoulders? You want a slice Yuma's prickly
make the Isles a great destination for travelers who of summer when it’s freezing everywhere else? Go version of a
snowman.
want to escape head south but don’t fancy the crowds to Florida. More specifically, go to Clearwater. Not
in Florida; it’s the perfect opportunity to see what only is the beach there legendary, the town’s vibrant Bottom: There's
Georgia’s coast has to offer. community also hosts a wide range of fun events in nothing like the
the winter. Spend the day sunbathing, then soothe biggest street
party in the
Clearwater, Florida your hot skin in the Salvador Dali museum’s air
country—New
Let’s address the elephant in the room. Yes, it conditioning. Feeling whimsical? Check out the Orleans' Mardi
sometimes seems like every RVer in the world ends world’s largest Christmas light maze. There’s so much Gras—to warm
up in Florida during the winter. But hey, you want to do! R you up.

ROVA 53
 MANY WRONGS
AND ONE BIG RIGHT
Words and images by Reggie Grey in collaboration with Monica Woller
Sometimes life on the road will throw mice, inflated feet and busted radiators in your path, trying to
derail your plans. Just ask, “Is that all you got?”

54 ROVA
I
just flew home after meeting my girlfriend’s
mother. Kind of a big deal—made even bigger by
the fact that my girlfriend and I are both nomadic,
and in order to meet said mother we had to road-
trip 1,300 miles over the span of two weeks. On
top of that, it’s the longest period of time that the
two of us have spent together at once. Being in an
international long-distance relationship can be a pain in
the butt.
Those challenges alone were plenty to deal with,
but we were blissfully unaware of what else we would
face. Everything—and I mean everything—that could
have gone wrong went wrong. This is not a story
about a bad hair day, a hot coffee burning your tongue,
or the package you ordered not arriving on time. The
series of unfortunate events within those 1,300 miles
put our new relationship to the test over and over
again—and that’s an understatement.
I’ve lived on the road for more than three years was now moving and had jumped ship. We pulled into a When all else
now. The fairer half of this road warrior romance is rest area not long into our drive, tired as all hell, but we fails, at least you
can look cool
my lady, Monica, who has a year as a career-driven, couldn’t sleep in the mouse-shit-covered bed. Cuddling
hanging out with
creative nomad under her belt. We met through our up on the couch, we were inspired to make our own your RV.
choice of living this unique lifestyle, and through our little nest out of the clean clothes we had brought with
insatiable drive to explore and create. us, saving the disinfecting for the morning.
Our meeting-the-mom plunge began in Rapid The next day was a big driving day, so we were
City, South Dakota, where Monica’s RV was parked in eager to get off to the races! As the sun climbed,
storage because she had been on a work trip. My flight the temperature gauge on the dash got a little too
from my home base, Toronto, arrived eight hours enthusiastic. We made it past Denver and were closing
earlier than hers from Ohio, so I curled up and slept in on Colorado Springs when the gauge decided to
on the floor of the airport, thus beginning our string max out, forcing us to pull over on the side of uber-
of “this is not going to be easy” events. busy Highway 25. Getting coolant out of the highway-
After paying $20 for a $10, five-minute shuttle (we facing compartment was a thrill-a-second practice in
only had a $20 bill, so the lucky shuttle driver got avoiding death.
a 100% tip), we arrived at the RV. Let the road trip We sat in the back, sun beating down and semi-
begin! Key in ignition: dead battery. trucks shaking the rig as they barreled past, and
While waiting for the AAA to arrive, Monica had started contemplating our approach if the engine kept
to take a pee. Sitting in the darkened bathroom of the up this way. Giving in to the ordeal, Monica put her
unresponsive RV, she reached for the toilet paper only feet up, but they didn’t look like her feet. She was on
to discover that the roll was completely shredded. In antibiotics, and it seemed that an adverse reaction to
the cupboard next to the toilet, a nest had been created the drugs had caused her dainty hooves to swell to
out of all of the butt-wiping goods. We surveyed the double their usual size. Investigating her clogs caused
rest of the RV. There were mouse shits everywhere. us to lose track of time, and once we’d figured that her
Food was gnawed through. We’re talking full dosage was done and her feet should return to human
infestation over the course of just two weeks in storage. proportions soon, the engine had thankfully cooled off
Timed nicely to distract us from our crawling skin, enough for us to limp into Raton, New Mexico—our
the AAA rep showed up and jumped our battery, and first planned stop.
we were off! Calling on our optimism reserves, we We stayed with friends at the Raton Pass Motor
hoped that the mice were scared that their new home Inn while the RV went to the doctor. The diagnosis

ROVA 55
 Our only constant over the next six days was
our little rental car. Everything else was liquid.
Things moved and changed depending on the day—
sometimes the hour. Between a few cheap hotel
rooms, a constant hunt for good Wi-Fi, and finding
out that one of Monica’s close friends happened to
be in Santa Fe (with a buddy who let us sleep on his
floor), we found ourselves accepting what was thrown
our way and finding the smoothest approaches to
handling the situation.
During the weekend of our Santa Fe stay we
spread our wings big and wide, truly giving into the
nomad vibe. We had a tent and two sleeping bags,
so we thought, “Hey, let’s go and live in the woods
without the RV.” I had never backpacked before,
but it was one of Monica’s favorite pastimes, so
she led me. She held my hand as we traversed the
Santa Fe National Forest and used it as our home.
She showed me how to pick a spot to live, and how
A sight that many was that the radiator was completely shot, and we to hide our food and even our poop. At night, we
owners of older were far enough into the middle of nowhere that the watched the wind whip through the trees on the
RVs will know all mechanic would have to order one in from Santa Fe. ridge while we sat in a quiet and calm basin, as safe
too well.
He suggested, instead, that we head down there to as can be. It was one of the most peaceful moments
keep costs down. Well, so much for the romantic, of my life. Despite all of the strife and uncertainty, I
picturesque RV park we had booked near Elk felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be at
Mountain. But, you know, road life. that moment.
We had to drive in the middle of the night to Finally, the day came to pick up the RV—and pay
ensure that the temperature would stay down, but it the bill. It turns out that our bank accounts won’t
was still touch and go as we climbed to Santa Fe— forget Santa Fe, either. The mechanics were sweet
the city is at 8,000 miles above sea level, and an old enough to come in on the Sunday to make sure we got
motorhome won’t let you forget it. out of there, meaning we could try to salvage the back
We made it—barely—and discovered that, while it’s end of our trip. We got the RV humming, and to the
easy to find people who will work on RVs, they usually mechanics’ credit the temperature stayed right around
work on the living areas. They’ll fix your fridge or AC, the sweet spot, so we chewed up road that evening
no problem. We, however, were in need of someone as the sun set over the southwest. We live-streamed
who does chassis work. For that type of stuff, you’re some of our drive, we called Monica’s mom, and we
actually better off going to someone who fixes big rigs, had one of the most intense conversations about our
which we learned after many frustrating phone calls. relationship that we’ve maybe ever had. It felt like
Finally, we found a family business that had been at it road life. Maybe not what we had expected thus far,
for three generations and would listen to our plight. but we were now both in our element, and the energy
Good ol’ Ernest took a look around and decided between us echoed that. This is what the trip was
that it would take until after the weekend to get supposed to be. Better late than never.
things together, which meant six unexpected days in We pulled into our camp in Cottonwood, Arizona
Santa Fe with nowhere to go and nothing to do. This damn late, and set up shop. The next morning,
was a defining moment. Our plans had truly gone to I was met by a park ranger who lost his cool on
shit; here we were, stuck in the dark, in a city that me because we’d arrived so late (these folks take
Monica had never been to… so we just shrugged our disturbing the peace quite seriously), and we had
shoulders and dove in. our awning hanging out like a tongue (they take RV

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hygiene seriously, too). Being the rule-follower that I last bag of ice providing our only link to sanity. The Mission
am, I apologized profusely for arriving late and took owner finally showed, and we tucked the RV into its accomplished:
a pair of shears to the awning. There just wasn’t spot, crossing our fingers that the mice and vagrants a successful
meeting—and
time to fret, as I needed to ready myself for a day would stay away. Our fingers were so crossed they
wonderful day—
with Monica’s mama! were breaking. with mom.
The big moment came. The big, huge relationship With only hours left together, we rented a car—
moment. After our comedy of errors so far, we which took way longer than it should have—and
expected at least a little hiccup or two… but it headed into the desert, arriving just in time to catch
couldn’t have gone any better. We hiked, we dined, the sunset. As that old ball of fire dipped behind
we looked at old family photos of Monica’s kin. the slightly less old red rocks, Monica and I started
It’s boring, story-wise, but honestly, it was perfect. to laugh about our two-week, so-called ‘romantic’
Finally, something rolled our way. Fist pump! getaway. We realized that while everything was falling
After the high of meet-the-mom, it was time to apart, there was one thing that consistently stayed
shuttle the RV to a new, more expensive storage strong—perhaps even grew stronger. Us. As the sky
facility in Phoenix. Our time together had run out, spun into cotton candy, we realized that through it all,
and each of us had to hop on another plane; Monica there hadn’t been a single second when either of us
destined for another work trip, and Canada calling had taken our frustration out on each other—instead,
my name. Driving from Cottonwood to Phoenix, we we had had each other’s backs and were somehow
chatted about how two weeks had seemingly expired able to find moments of love—and even romance—as
in what felt like two days. It wasn’t fair. We felt like we gripped onto each other through the tailspin that
we’d been ripped off! was our trip.
As we pulled up to the storage place I had found So, did we get ripped off on our two weeks
online, the feeling of our time being ripped off in together? Nope. We fell deeper in love. I’d say
the past disappeared, and was replaced with a solid everything went according to plan. R
understanding that we were being ripped off in the
present. This facility was straight-up terrifying. It He can’t spell and he failed English class, but
was not in a good part of town and looked less than somehow Reggie Grey gets articles published about
secure, and there was junk strewn about. Our poor his three years of living life on the road. Anything
luck had returned. The contact there took an hour to is possible, kids! Follow Reggie’s adventures on
meet us, and we waited it out in the AC-less RV, the Instagram @reggiefromtheroad.

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FAMILIAR
PLACES
a photo essay
By Nicholas Spooner-Rodie

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 granted. It wasn’t until later in life
that I realized how unique it was—
to live in a place that experienced
such powerful seasonal shifts. This
year, I decided to take a different
approach. Rather than look
outwards, I set my sights on the
wild places I’d grown up exploring
to document my home province of
Quebec as it transitioned through
the fall.
From paddling the great rivers
of the Laurentians, to camping
in the foothills of the Eastern
Townships, to taking our time
wandering down every quiet back
road we came upon—no one photo
could sum up this fall. And, to be
honest, that’s not something that
I ever really set out to do. What’s
more important to me are the
memories that these photos evoke.
The little places in time that they
take me back to. Cold mornings
shivering with excitement as we

I
slip out of our sleeping bags. The
think we’re all guilty of it nowadays: the allure sound of the river as our paddles break the glassy
of the road, of far-off places on an ever-changing surface. The feeling of the season’s first snows melting
horizon. With the constant whirlwind of on our warm skin. It’s funny—you never remember
incredible images and stories at our fingertips, it’s how tired you felt, or how dirty you’d been.
far too easy to get caught up in looking toward the As many photographers might agree, the best work
next destination—so much so that we often don’t comes from a place of familiarity—something I’m
take the time to look back. I’m guilty of it myself. This learning to embrace one leaf at a time. R
year, I’d spent more time away from home than ever
before. And as great of an experience as travel can be, Nicholas Spooner-Rodie is a Canadian adventure
I couldn’t help but feel that I hadn’t had a moment to and landscape photographer based in Montreal.
catch my breath, and process these memories. His passion for the outdoors and appreciation for
Fall is a time of reflection for me. A figurative wild places has led him on adventures throughout
bookend that marks the end of each year. A time when Eastern and Western Canada, Europe and all over
the busy summer season has come to an end, when New England. His work accentuates the natural
crowds have dwindled and when most are settling features of the landscape through strong emphasis
in for the long winter. Growing up in Canada, the on light, composition and authentic storytelling.
changing of the seasons was something I took for Find Nicholas on Instagram @navigateourlives.

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ROVA 67
 WANDERING INTO/
OUT OF THE DESERT
By Tony Werner
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 P
alm Springs sits like a can make when driving to Palm
jewel in the desert—a Springs: we headed out on a Friday.
boozy oasis, a time Gone are the days when someone
capsule of antique, can hop in a car and cruise on
mid-century idealism. out to the desert on a Friday
To get there from Los afternoon. Our speedometer—
Angeles requires nothing more well, it got over 25 miles per hour
than getting on I-10 and breaking maybe three or four times. We
free of civilization. didn’t take bathroom breaks or
Some vacations begin the stop for food, because we knew
minute you start packing the car. such stops would only add more
Others don’t start until you hit the time. We held it and went hungry
road. Personally, I find that a Palm until, with a stroke of luck, my
Springs vacation doesn’t start until wife found some Goldfish crackers
you’re sitting by the pool with a in the car.
drink in your hand. We didn’t even stop to see
The drive on the 10 is a trip the dinosaur statues in Cabazon.
through the sprawl—a trip that my These dinosaur statues are famous;
wife and I recently made. Along they were in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.
the way, you pass San Bernardino That’s what you do on the way to
and Riverside. These places blend Palm Springs: you see the dinosaur
together as a mega-city of outlet statues. Especially if you’re on
malls and industrial parks. There Instagram. This time, we watched
Palm Springs, like so many are exits. Many, many exits. Exits the exit go by across the lanes of
vacation spots, is an escape for gas, exits for shopping, exits gridlock. We steeled ourselves and Opposite: Palm
for food, exits for varicose-vein kept crawling along, because we Springs is a place
from society—and getting removal. Driving through this knew that somewhere out there, you want to be so
there is itself an act of landscape of fast food and fast- glittering in the dark, Palm Springs
badly that you’ll
endure the drive to
escaping society. According food ads, you feel like you’re being was waiting. get there.
asked, over and over, if you really Truly, Palm Springs is a refuge.
to the map, the drive from want Carl’s Jr. It has restorative power. Like
Top: Be warned:
Los Angeles takes two There is traffic. Miles of a walled garden, the city feels
when traffic is bad,
you may have to
hours. We got there in it. Hours of it. For us, it was secluded and soothing. Maybe miss the vintage
especially brutal because we made it’s because of this that it feels
almost four. dinosaurs in
one of the worst mistakes you like the vacation can’t start until Cabazon.

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 Above: An oasis you’re really there. It’s where drinking. Having fun and living willing to wade deep into the
at the end of everyone goes to escape, and their private lives away from filth of Friday-night gridlock to
the road. you’ve only really escaped once Hollywood. There are plaques on get it. So you murder that part
Top right: The you hit the city limits. the walls detailing who ate where, of yourself that is impatient, and
San Gorgonio The mystique of the city is and when. You can even tour you grit your teeth and drive. And
Pass and its wind rooted in a strange mix of privacy the house where Elvis spent his soon, something incredible starts
farm, signaling and celebrity. For Angelinos, honeymoon. to happen. The network of mini-
your exit onto
Palm Springs has long been Still, on Friday, watching malls and gas stations starts to
Highway 111.
the ultimate weekend getaway. the three lanes of brake lights thin out. You can feel that the city
Bottom right: Since the 1920s, Hollywood has stretching out to the horizon, it is getting close. The traffic flow
When you hit used the place as a sanctuary. was hard to picture Elvis or Sinatra picks up. Before long, it’s dark.
Palm Springs,
Current celebs have residences sitting in such traffic—or Lucy, for Completely dark. Desert dark. You
find a way to
wash off the there, and all over town there that matter. God help any person see the Morongo Casino glittering
drive—preferably are photographs of the other who slowed that woman down. on the horizon, a mirage, its
a pool and a celebs who have come and gone. But you endure the delays. As massive rooftop LED sign
cocktail. Frank, Marilyn, Humphrey and I said, you know Palm Springs is promising slots, prime rib, and
Lucy—all of them unwinding, coming. You know there’s that Wayne Brady. As the terrain goes
sitting poolside, playing golf and serenity waiting, and you are on, it gets weirder. You hit the

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San Gorgonio pass, where there’s is like wandering out of the desert
a wind farm. In the dark, the and into an oasis. And that is the
turbines blink in unison as a red, magic of the location, I think.
two-count pulse spread out over No matter the traffic, no matter
the hills. You get excited because the distance, there’s a sense that
the wind farm means you’re close. you’ve discovered a hidden spot
Before long, you’ll be exiting onto in the world, even though all the
California State Route 111. other tourists feel the same way.
The drive on the 111 finally As my wife said, it’s like we’re all
feels like what the drive must in on the same secret.
have been for Elvis, Sinatra, and Still, I find that when you
Lucy all those years ago. It’s finally arrive and check-in at your
open. You’re really, really in the hotel or Airbnb or whatever, you
desert, and you soon realize that need an immediate cleansing. You
the desert is eerily empty. We need a shower or a dip in the pool
drove in with the high beams on, or a change of clothes. Something
and under a full moon. Yet still, to wash the drive off of you.
somehow visibility was low, maybe Something to shed your old self.
only about 50 feet. It was that It’s your final act of transformation
dark. Turns and inclines crept up from traveler to tourist. As for us,
out of nowhere. This is in keeping we opened a bottle of wine we’d
with much of the drive, though. been saving and drank in quiet
Even here, you’re not just driving contemplation by the still pool
to something—you’re driving glowing in the hotel courtyard.
through something: a bone-dry At last, we had arrived. R
liminal zone. I think of this final
stretch like it’s the spiritual moat Tony Werner is a writer based
of the city. It’s the border you have in Los Angeles. He’s a former
to cross to fully travel back in time contributing writer for The
and arrive at a place as unique as Onion. He loves road trips and
Palm Springs. When you finally seeing all that this continent has
see the city lights and the palm to offer. You can follow him on
trees and the stoplights, it really Instagram @tony_scumbag.

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 WYOMING WINTERS
AND THE MYTH OF
THE FROZEN WEST
By Alex Andrews

W
inter in winter, it’s impossible to forget bumper, and a spray of frost as
Wyoming is where you are, and what’s outside. the diesel-fueled shovel pushes
cold—especially Stuck in a parking lot during a past my van, digging for the
in a van snowstorm, I recall another chill in buried asphalt.
conversion as the Wyoming wilderness, and I am It dumped last night. The
primitive as reminded why I sometimes don’t plows woke up early and I didn’t,
mine. But with a lack of insulation mind being frozen in place. and now I’m packed in by a dense
comes a greater immediacy of the The plow makes its third lap wall of debris. Sleeping ski bums
snowbound lifestyle I’m happy to across the back of the parking earn no sympathy—if I want to
be living—when you’re holed up lot. Again, the muted thwump of leave, I’ll have to shovel. It’s a
in any unheated structure in the displaced snow hitting my rear powder day in Jackson, and a deep

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 For no reason in particular,
I’ve always known Wyoming as
the Frozen West—Western winter
as Wyoming Winter. And as the
several feet of snow on my hood
might now attest, the place has,
for whatever reason, lived up to
that expectation. I once drove
from the east coast to Wyoming
something like four times in the
span of a year, never managing to
strike a course that steered clear
of snowy peaks and icy weather.
Even on a springtime journey,
winter found me—forced me into
a similar predicament to the one at
present; in a tent and with friends,
but snowed into a standstill much
the same.
That was a haphazard trip, but
a good one. Me, Jay, and Zack:
college sophomores. We planned
to hit the road for a two-week
camping excursion in the Cloud
Peak Wilderness as soon as
we finished our finals. It must
have been May—a time when,
as far as we were concerned,
13,000-foot peaks in the middle
of the Bighorn National Forest
should have been baking in
the same springtime sunshine
that was currently obstructing
our academic success. Through
some kind of sloppy arithmetic
(involving Zack’s many-years-old
photos of our destination, a quick
one, but I’m nursing a bone- observer, mine would not seem a Google Images search, and the
bruised knee and have been told pleasant situation. casual warmth of our immediate
not to use it for another few weeks So why, in the name of the environment), we must have
if I value my cartilage. cold, half-eaten oatmeal and warm determined elevation gain to be
The wind is picking up. The pee jug that adorn the inside of my unworthy of consideration.
snow keeps falling. doorstep, do I love it so much? Not so.
Today, I have no aspiration A fair question. Of course, I’d We left promptly, bathing
The Bighorn
to emerge from my shelter. My rather be skiing. But with that off suits packed. We discussed blue Mountain Range,
world is frozen. If I could touch my the table, there isn’t much I would skies, cliffside lakes, sunset Wyoming—note
tongue to my nose, it would likely change—I’m living out a familiar peaks, rolling grasses. Drove to travelers: still
get stuck there. To any reasonable story, and I know it well. 30-something hours to a steep dirt snowy in May.

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 Venturing out access road where we encountered The weather did clear up a bit, uninsulated space in the winter,
of the tent was muddy snowmelt, and then its eventually, and the snow on the be it tent or vehicle or improvised
a short-lived source. Got Zack’s sedan stuck hillside melted. We fly-fished for bivy. Things like clutching a pee
adventure until
in the snow for over an hour. tiny brook trout, scrambled up bottle to warm your fingertips, for
the weather
cleared.
Finally got it out. Retreated. boulders, and watched a porcupine instance, don’t naturally evoke the
Drove another nine hours around sunbathing on a tree branch. Even song and celebration of the Muses.
the border of the national forest, then, winter wasn’t far—it was only What they can arouse, though,
searching for a more accessible a short hike up to deep snow, frozen is a sense of participation in an
access point. Soon enough, it lakes, and imposing cliffs locked in archetypical exodus—embark on
started snowing. We found the icy contours. And a shorter walk a pilgrimage; endure the wastes;
trailhead. Parked. Shouldered our for a plunge in the stream, swollen arrive at last in the land of plenty.
backpacks and hiked off in what with runoff carrying the cold blood Of course, the wastes and
could only be called a full-on of the mountains. We followed the promised land can be one and
blizzard. Finally pitched our tent the stream one day, post-holing the same.
at the first viable campsite with an up through the blanketed alpine, For most people, the instinct
iota of shelter: a flat spot under a plastic bags wrapped around our to follow the sun westward might
tree on the hillside. socks as makeshift waterproofing. come from a fear of the dark, or an
We were holed up there for Even with its color muted, this was attraction to the pretty colors in
the better part of a week. The grand and beautiful country. Lakes the sky, or a primal curiosity about
storm itself was short-lived—we spread among the high hills, coves where the light goes at the end
weren’t drowning in drifts or ringed in pine, sheer faces of rock of the day. Skiers from the east,
digging tunnels to keep from announcing far-off summits, peaks though, have a more definite sense
suffocating—but the packed- joined seamlessly with the gray of of manifest destiny: westward, the
in cold was brutal enough and the sky. mountains are bigger and the snow
the ground was buried deep That place is imprinted in is deeper. But this straightforward
enough that none of us had any my memory as a paradigm of thinking is corrupted by the
inclination to abandon our third the proud western mountains. legacy of western legend: grit and
of the two-person tent. We read But so are the preceding days of hardship on the plains, a vein
books and played cards, and besiegement—with an equal, if of gold in an outlaw’s hideout,
every so often bickered for sport. different, glow of nostalgia—and bluebirds in a gunfight at the
Our only view was of fluorescent this parking-lot limbo will live in lemonade springs. The Big Rock
orange nylon. If we unzipped the my mind alongside them. Candy Mountain covered in five
door, all was grey. So we left it There’s no inherent romance feet of fresh, untracked powder.
closed, huddled up, and waited. to being stuck in a confined and Forget the candy at the bottom—

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no sweets but snow and whiskey
in the great western winter. Expect
to be hunkered down in a storm,
pissing in bottles—it comes with
the territory. It’s a sign you haven’t
gotten lost on the way.
In this frozen wasteland/
wonderland, all such stints of
miniature hardship—water jugs
frozen, laid up with crushed
joints, hands too cold to eat
a meal in one go—are known
consequences of a mythic
pursuit: upshots of a lifestyle
that prioritizes, above all
else, communion with snow-
smothered mountains. It’s all
the same story. Love a single
part of it enough and you’ll end the west—the kind of tale in which Alex Andrews is the type of When the
weather cleared,
up loving the whole, growing the blows dealt by nature serve as person who enjoys describing
nearby streams
to relish each one of its bits confirmation that a dream is being himself as “Korporate,” whatever were swollen
and pieces, including those wrangled into reality. that means. He writes for with runoff.
that might look coarse—even It’s the same kind of tale I fun and sometimes for hire,
vulgar—on their own. inhabit now: removed from the and can be contacted about
This is why I remember kindly world and largely immobile, anything and everything at
that unexpected ambush of but still here, undoubtedly and www.FUCKITFreelance.com
winter. It stole me into a story of undeniably in it—the center of the or via email at
unforced endurance, common to blizzard; the heart of the myth. R [email protected].

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 WINE AND
WILDERNESS
By Melinda Wright

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Though not a common pairing, wine
and wilderness have one similarity: in
America’s history, they both originated in
New Mexico.

I
t’s probably not common
knowledge, but New Mexico
was the first state in the
country to kick off a couple of
things that comprise at least 50
percent of my interests in life:
wilderness areas and wine.
For decades, Napa and Sonoma
have worn matching crowns of
America’s best wine regions, but
they don’t have the history that
New Mexico does. Legend (well,
actually, legit history and facts)
has it that in the 1620s, a friar and
a monk named García de Zúñiga
and Antonio de Arteaga smuggled
grapes out of their home country
of Spain, and planted the first
wine grapes in New Mexico’s Rio
Grande Valley, thus creating the
oldest wine country in America.
Some 300 years later, a United
States Forest Service supervisor
and conservation hero named Aldo
Leopold insisted that the region
surrounding the headwaters of
the Gila River, in the Black Range
of New Mexico, be designated
protected, and the region became
the first wilderness area in the
National Forest System.
Since two of my favorite things
are wilderness and wine, and New
Mexico is the point of genesis
for both in the United States,
I decided to pair a few of New
The Sandia
Mexico’s wine varietals with its
Mountain
incredible natural landscapes for Wilderness has
a “wine and wilderness” tour of deep color and
the state. richness.

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 Viognier / Sandia
Mountain Wilderness
One of New Mexico’s most popular
wines, viognier, is a full-bodied
white with fruit notes, including
peach and tangerine. When oaked,
the wine becomes richer and
creamier, with a hint of vanilla
coming through. The flavor is often
described as deep and profound,
which sounds like something I can
get on board with.
In New Mexico’s central
region is Albuquerque, a hot
spot for New Mexican peaches.
Once you’ve grabbed a bag to
enjoy with your peachy viognier,
head into the Sandia Mountain
Wilderness—a gorgeous region
just east of Albuquerque, which is
part of the Cibola National Forest.
To match the depth of a good
viognier, this region heads high,
giving you a deep, sweeping view
across canyons and the Rio Grande
Valley. Head to the top of Sandia
Peak via the Sandia Crest National
Scenic Byway, surveying the scene
below, whose color and richness
are as enjoyable as those of a top-
shelf tipple.
Throughout the Sandia Range,
you’ll find tracks weaving in and
out of the foliage; the foothills’
hiking trails run alongside prickly
pear and cholla cactus, while fir
and pine trees stand over hikers as
the elevation rises. “Sandia” means
“watermelon” in Spanish, and
although it refers to the pinkish
hue of the region’s granite, it’s also
a handy nod to the fruit flavors of a
nice viognier.

White zinfandel / Bisti/

De-Na-Zin Wilderness
Across the world, white zinfandel
is quite unusual, but the United
States has cultivated a taste for
this sweet, blush-colored drink
since its inception in the 1970s.
And anything unique is sure to fit
right into the weirdness of New
Mexico, so it makes sense that
a number of the state’s vintners
create this drop.
On a list of weird states, you
wouldn’t be wrong for putting New
Mexico in the top five—there are
even weird landscapes here. The

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Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness (white that make up the mountain range complex, with its proximity to the
zin; De-Na-Zin—coincidence?), that is called “Sangre de Cristo”— border meaning that is has at times
like the wine, is not particularly Blood of Christ. Coincidentally, been part of Mexico. It’s estimated
well known, and is kind of when wine was first introduced that humans have lived in the
strange. Pushed right up into the into New Mexico, it was so the region for more than 10,000 years,
northwest corner of New Mexico, Catholics attending mass in the and ancient homes built by the
near the Four Corners, this region region could take communion. If people of the Mogollon culture can
of colorful badlands is covered there’s a better link between wine still be seen in the natural caves at
in odd-shaped hoodoos and rock and wilderness, I’d love to hear it. the Gila Cliff Dwellings sites.
formations, and, compared to many Lying within the Santa Fe The wild landscape in the
other areas of the state, it receives National Forest and Carson region is largely the same as
very few visitors. National Forest of northern New it was in the 1200s, when the
De-Na-Zin is a very small site, Mexico, the Pecos Wilderness is Mogollon people made their
and there are no paths for people popular with backpackers for its home here. The Gila Wilderness
who show up wanting to wander incredible network of hiking trails is a meeting point for nature’s
around. For five miles north and (there are 400 miles of paths). You celebrities; the Rocky Mountains
10 miles east–west of the parking can get deep into the forest here, end here, as do Mexico’s Sierra
lot, you can meander among the with a huge variety of tree species Madre Mountains, and the
stone spires, marveling not only at engulfing you in shady pockets as Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts
the rocks, but also at the petrified you move along the trails. also reach their sandy fingers into
Opposite top:
wood and dinosaur fossils that dot the region. Now that’s packing a
Oddness is part
the landscape. Syrah / Gila Wilderness scenic punch! of New Mexico’s
My favorite wine of all time is Traveling is all about finding landscape, like
Cabernet sauvignon / Pecos Syrah—the dry, incredibly full- the things you love, and if you the hoodoos
Wilderness bodied, so-dark-it’s-purple wine can find more than one in the at De-Na-Zin
One of the most noted wine variety that hits your taste buds same place, you’re onto a good Wilderness.
varietals from New Mexico, like a punch. It has high levels of thing. New Mexico, for me, is Opposite
cabernet sauvignon is a favorite the alcohol, and is characterized by the land of wine and wilderness, bottom: The Cliff
world over for its dry, medium- to smoke, bacon, pepper and violet and I think I’ll find it difficult Dwellings are
full-bodied profile. With plum, elements; what’s not to love? Syrah to find a better combination. I’ll just a small part
berry, warm spice and pepper is the biggest wine on our hot list report back once I’ve done my of the vast Gila
Wilderness.
notes, this wine surpasses the of New Mexican wines; expansive, thorough investigation of beer and
lighter pinot noir and zinfandel complex and intoxicating—much backpacking. R Above: In
for a deep dive into red wine like the state’s wilderness. the forested
mountains
territory—it’s stepping into the Gila is the largest wilderness On weekends, writer
of the Pecos
darker zones of viticulture. area in New Mexico, with almost Melinda Wright can either
Wilderness,
The Pecos Wilderness is known 560,000 acres of towering mesas, be found drinking wine or walking trails
for the deep canyons, rugged undulating hills and earth-splitting exploring the wilderness. take you deep
ridges and heavily forested peaks canyons. The history of Gila is If she’s lucky, she can do both. into the trees.

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 AN ODE TO NORTH
DAKOTA’S ROADSIDE
ATTRACTIONS
By Sam Brown
Our civilization once built statues for the Gods. Now, we build them for the road.

T
here is a statue—a and a demonic slit for a mouth. double-take if they saw something
monument, if Personally, I can’t decide if I find like The Mighty Og, a 36-foot
you will—tucked him cute or creepy. Regardless, albino gorilla statue towering
away deep in the he has become an icon of over the highway? How about
northernmost region Bottineau, North Dakota. In Salem Sue, the World’s Largest
of North Dakota. This fact, if you plug the search term Holstein Cow (38 feet high and
monument has baffled all those ‘Bottineau, North Dakota’ into 50 feet long)? The sheer size of
who have laid their eyes upon it. Google, Tommy is the first picture these monuments demands our
Worshippers of this shrine have you’ll see. He is the city’s de facto attention—and we happily give it
journeyed far and wide to see it mascot, and one of the state’s to them.
for themselves in order to marvel many roadside attractions with North Dakota’s roadside
at its gargantuan size. It is like the moniker ‘The World’s Largest’ attractions have turned their
standing before a mountain and attached to their names. highway system into a large-scale
feeling the smallness of your little North Dakota is adorned with sculpture gallery. You’ll see that
world. Our earthly concerns seem roadside attractions that break up this is quite literal if you ever
insignificant when faced with the the otherwise long stretches of find yourself driving along The
enormity—the sheer absurdity—of land. These totems have enamored Enchanted Highway in southwest
this particular structure. I am, road-trippers and sightseers for North Dakota. Conceived in
of course, referring to one of decades with their strangeness and 1989 by a local artist named Gary
Opposite: It’s North Dakota’s many roadside seemingly random locations. It’s Greff, The Enchanted Highway
impossible to attractions: Tommy the Turtle. downright surreal to be driving is a 32-mile stretch of road that
deny the feeling
Tommy, a 30-foot-tall turtle down the highway, letting the features seven of the world’s
of awe when
you clap eyes
riding a 34-foot-long snowmobile, endless road race by when, all of largest scrap-metal sculptures.
on Tommy the is hailed as the world’s largest a sudden, you notice one of these These behemoths are cherished
Turtle. © North turtle. He has blank eyes that giant structures looming in the not only for their quirkiness, but
Dakota Tourism look like misplaced commas distance. Who among us wouldn’t also for their artistic integrity. Take

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ROVA 81
 The Geese
in Flight
sculpture on
The Enchanted
Highway is a
unique head-
turner. © North
Dakota Tourism

range of subject matter makes The

Enchanted Highway exciting to
drive—a much more enthralling
way to pass time on the road than
the license-plate game.
Although all of these roadside
attractions have a certain sort of
artistry, some of them weren’t
originally conceived of as works of
art. Take the Cold War Pyramid
located on Highway 1 in Nekoma,
North Dakota. This strange
structure looks like an incomplete
Pyramid of Giza, and there is
something ominous about the
way it sits in the distance. It’s
almost as if some alien spaceship
dropped it off on Earth, much
like the monolith in 2001: A Space
Odyssey. If its appearance doesn’t
give you chills, its backstory will.
Apparently, it used to house 30
nuclear missiles during the Cold
War. The contents of the Cold
The Tin Family a sculpture like Geese in Flight, enough to see it as the sun sets War Pyramid could have ended
is a tall group
for example, near Gladstone on in the distance. Other sculptures the entire world, and now it’s
of very smiley
folks along
Interstate 94 (the first stop on on the highway are more playful, completely abandoned—a relic of
the Enchanted The Enchanted Highway). The like The Tin Family (the last stop America’s nuclear past.
Highway. Image abstract design that surrounds on The Enchanted Highway). Many of the roadside attractions
© North Dakota the silhouetted geese looks like Standing in front of this family is also pay homage to North Dakota’s
Tourism the combination of a rising sun like looking at a two-dimensional identity. One such sculpture that
and a human eye—made all the cartoon that has been converted celebrates one of ND’s largest
more intriguing if you’re lucky to 3D and exploded in size. This animals is The World’s Largest

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 Salem Sue, the
world's largest
Holstein cow,
stands on an
oddity in North
Dakota—a hill.

Buffalo, located in Jamestown.

Constructed in 1959 by Elmer
P. Peterson, an art teacher at
Jamestown College, this buffalo
stands 26 feet tall and weighs
60 tons, and is named “Dakota
Thunder.” Oddly enough, the
buffalo’s rear end, instead of its
head, faces the highway—perhaps
in an attempt to entice drivers out
of their vehicles to see the front. In
fact, one of the primary funders of
The World’s Largest Buffalo, Harold
Newman, said that he wanted
Jamestown “to create something so
big and magnificent that passersby
would have to stop in the city.”
Herein lies one of the major
reasons for these roadside
attractions: tourism. A giant
buffalo captures people’s
attention way more effectively
than a “Welcome to Jamestown!”
sign. In an age where we all Regardless of their meaning these statues worshipped by Dakota
carry cameras in our pockets, or purpose, these roadside the primitive people of the Thunder, the
world’s largest
these attractions are incredibly attractions are a staple of North 21st century as Gods?’ they will
buffalo, stands
Instagrammable. Like a driver Dakota. Maybe after a few centuries ask while looking up at the with his butt
racing down a highway, a person have passed—and human beings towering, decaying figure of facing the road.
scrolling down their Instagram have colonized the moon—future Tommy the Turtle. R
feed would stop dead in their archeologists will rediscover these
tracks if they saw their friend monuments from our ancient Sam is the editorial assistant
standing beneath the udder of a civilization. Perhaps they, too, will at ROVA. You can follow him on
38-foot cow. wonder at their significance. ‘Were Instagram @sambrown.jpeg.

ROVA 8 3
 SWIMMING
WITH SEA COWS
IN THE REAL FLORIDA
By Carla Francis

What weighs 1,000 pounds, lives in Florida, and is gray all

over? Not a mermaid, as Christopher Columbus first described
it, but the iconic Florida manatee. Follow this traveler as she
paddles the Sunshine State in search of an icon.

A
gray giant glides we’re base-camped at Hopkins
through the clear, Prairie Campground. One of
spring-fed river. We many campgrounds within ONF,
hold our breath; its this one is frequented by sandhill
whiskered nostrils cranes, black bears and, if you’re
break the surface willing to walk a bit on the
to inhale as we exhale silent adjacent Florida Trail, the federally
exclamations, gesturing to each threatened Florida scrub jay.
other to “Look at that manatee!” Itching to get out on the
Even though the adorable sea cow water despite the beautiful view
bypasses my kayak to surface next of Hopkins Prairie, we choose to
to my husband, Brian, my jealousy visit Salt Springs, named after
is tempered by the look on his its mineral-rich source. With
face: that of a kid opening a long- limited time, it was a tough choice,
wished-for present on Christmas considering the forest’s bounty
Day. of paddling opportunities. We
Since Florida manatees chose Salt Springs for two reasons:
(Trichechus manatus latirostris) are it’s less famous (read: less busy)
protected under the Endangered than ONF’s Juniper Springs, and
Species Act, interactions have to be because it was cheap to launch at
on their terms, requiring visitors Salt Springs Marina ($5).
like us to exercise patience and Downstream from the crystal
passive observance—a hard pill clear headwaters, the river
to swallow when one swims near becomes murky, the megafauna
you. However, if and when their degrading from manatees (please
curiosity leads them to visit your swim over to me!) to American
kayak, the excitement is amplified. alligators (please don’t!). I
It’s like when a cute puppy comes spot an American bittern—a
over to say hello, but better. notoriously camouflaged bird— The strangely
Brian and I have shared dozens skulking in the reeds, leading adorable
manatee is a
of manatee encounters during to more quiet exclamations
fi xture in Florida
wintertime trips to Florida, but for my husband to “Look!” We waters, like this
this is our first visit to Ocala paddle until the river meets Lake guy swimming
National Forest (ONF), located George, whose vast size reminds around in the
50 miles north of Orlando, where me of the Great Lakes. Crystal River.

8 4 ROVA
ROVA 85
 Coast,” Crystal River is 80 miles
north of Tampa and a galaxy
removed from theme parks and
high-rise-bedecked beaches. Often
passed over by road-trippers
bombing further south, it’s a place
for people who get their kicks
during the daylight hours and turn
in early to rest up for the next day’s
adventures. I was raised on Nature
Coast vacations; no trip around the
sun was complete without a visit.
Crystal River is the only
place in Florida where it’s legal
to enter the water and interact
with manatees. They’re migratory
animals, so you can never be
A shack along the The Nature Coast: Exploring the winter; hypothermia is an sure where you’ll see one, but to
Chassahowitzka the Real Florida ongoing threat to this migratory increase your chances there are
River, where
Our six-week stint in Florida species, despite their dumpling- two reasons to beeline for the
Brian and Carla
spotted plenty hadn’t begun as a “tour de like physique. springs: concentration is highest
of “chunky Manatee,” but that’s what it Our first two weeks were in the consistently 72-degree
torpedoes.” became. Our visit fell during spent in the town of Crystal water, and the water is crystal
© Brian Cooke inland migration season River, the “Manatee Capital of the clear. There are guiding and rental
(November to March), when World” and home to its namesake services galore, but I’ll give a few
manatees move from cooling waterway. Its headwaters in Kings pointers for self-guided trips:
coastal waters into Florida’s warm, Bay are fed by more than 70 locate a map of Crystal River
spring-fed estuaries and power- natural springs and flow just seven National Wildlife Refuge, circle
plant discharge areas. Access to miles to the Gulf of Mexico— a few springs you’d like to visit,
these life-saving springs is crucial, features that attract manatees en find a public launch (like Hunter
since the ocean’s temperature masse when the mercury drops. Springs Park), pack snorkel gear,
dips too low for survival during Situated on Florida’s “Nature and watch Crystal River Refuge’s

86 ROVA
“Manatee Manners for Swimmers” River Campground, which grants from their winter “resort” on Carla and Brian’s
(easily located on YouTube) to you access to underwater caves, the Nature Coast. We spent transportation
for the
learn how to be a respectful visitor. Beasts of the Southern Wild-esque three weeks in South Florida—
Everglades
On this trip’s first foray into the shacks and, if you’re up for a long including four nights paddling National Park.
river, it didn’t take long to discover paddle, saltwater marsh. And, of the backwaters of Everglades
whether it would be a year of course, manatees. National Park—where we saw
countless manatee spottings or a We spotted about 10 of the dolphins, what we suspect was a
year for counting on one hand. A chunky torpedoes open-water small shark, and dozens of bird
few minutes after launching, the lounging near the campground’s species… but no manatees.
telltale “pshhhhh” of a manatee dock, enjoying the relative warmth To round out our trip of
breaking the surface to breathe of the spring-fed river—a good 30 mainland Florida, we spent
foreshadowed the former. Though degrees warmer than the air. Dock two nights at the Park’s front-
we lost count as the weeks passed, access gave us a birds-eye view country Flamingo Campground,
each spotting warranted a report: of the Chaz manatees’ pastimes, where hardy souls wade through
“There’s a manatee with a tracker like barrel rolling, grazing for mosquitoes in search of once-
on it at the end of the dock,” underwater vegetation, and in-a-lifetime wildlife spottings.
or, “I thought I saw a manatee, surfacing on their backs, flippers Camping at the end of the earth in
but it turned out to be a pod of up. And if the icing on the cake search of a bird (American avocet,
dolphins.” It never gets old. was the mother and calf swimming check) and American crocodiles
To mix it up, we visited in tandem, the cherry on top (check), we were strolling the
another Nature Coast paddler’s was the blazing campfire, where marina’s docks when we heard
paradise about 30 minutes south visitors were encouraged to warm a telltale “pshhhhh”: our last
of Crystal River, the 30,000-acre their hands against the crisp air. manatee encounter of the year. R
Chassahowitzka National Wildlife
Refuge (aka “the Chaz”). It’s off Seeking Sea Cows in After road-tripping North
the beaten path compared to South Florida America for nine months, Carla
Crystal River, so if you’re seeking After a few weeks of adventuring and her husband recently
a wildlife experience, this is the around the Nature Coast, we parked their retrofitted Xterra
place. Birds, reptiles, mammals, headed to South Florida. We in Vermont and decided to stay.
Florida Man: they all call this place hoped to see another manatee, Follow @backcountrycookes
home. Pay a small launch fee or though we knew our chances for a collection of their lightly
rent a boat at the Chassahowitzka slimmed the further we drove photoshopped travels.

ROVA87
 FINDING THOREAU
AT WALDEN POND
By Sam Brown
It’s common for people to travel to the homes or gravesites of their favorite writers—
perhaps in an attempt to breach the gap between the page and the physical world—but
what do we gain by doing this?

M
y affiliation the other kids with a name like she was an undergrad. Her
with Thoreau’s that.” Thus, Emerson was demoted bookshelves are lined with the
transcendentalist to my middle name. I never did likes of Emerson, Thoreau, Alcott,
philosophy began get beat up in school—I guess I and Fuller. As a teenager who
before I was born. have my dad’s hasty decision to wanted to explore the meaning
My parents had thank for that—but Emerson, as behind my middle name, I began
settled on naming me Emerson— well as all the other American laboring through these texts.
after the transcendentalist transcendentalists, would come to To my inexperienced mind, the
philosopher, Ralph Waldo have a profound impact on the way essays were almost completely
Emerson—a few months before my I view the world. inaccessible. They had something
birth. However, when they were My mother has been a to do with nature, with self-
handed the certificate, my dad got reverential reader of the reliance, with civil disobedience,
cold feet: “He’ll get beat up by all transcendentalists ever since with… a transparent eyeball that

88 ROVA
sees the nature of reality? It was which was owned by Emerson (a give the reservation a visit, I took A view of Walden
clear to me that the writings of close friend of Thoreau’s). In it, he the trip. Pond through the
these men and women were deeply chronicles his thoughts on nature My mother and I were taking trees.
profound, yet way over my head. as he seeks to live as authentically my sister to her first semester
However, deterred as I was, I as possible. Sometimes I’ll find at Boston University. While my
would revisit these writings every Thoreau lucid and kindhearted; sister attended her orientation,
year or so with a new outlook. other times I’ll find him obnoxious my mom and I made our hajj to
Walden, by Henry David and arrogant. These days I mostly Walden Pond, which is located
Thoreau, is one book that always find him funny, and I can almost right outside of Boston in the
keeps me coming back. Originally hear a hint of sarcasm in his colonial town of Concord. We were
published in 1854, Walden is a words. Regardless, I had become waved to a parking spot by a flurry
vivid account of the time that well acquainted with Walden Pond of park rangers, and we made our
Henry D. Thoreau lived alone in through Thoreau’s writings, so way to the pond (actually a kettle-
a secluded cabin at Walden Pond, when the opportunity came to hole lake formed by retreating

ROVA89
 glaciers) where a crowd of people
was lounging on its faux beach.
A section of the water had been
buoyed off for children to go
swimming, and a lifeguard stand
stood above them like a guard-
tower. I tried to imagine the pond
as it had existed in Thoreau’s
day—secluded and cut off from
society. I couldn’t help but marvel
at the irony of the horde of people,
but, luckily, I am not a cynic. It
was nice to see a few families
enjoying the late-summer weather.
My mother and I walked along
the trail and away from the crowd
towards the site of Thoreau’s
cabin. A chain strung between
posts marked the parameters of
where the small home used to sit.
Next to it was a sign with Walden’s
most quoted passage:
“I went to the woods because
I wished to live deliberately, to
front only the essential facts of

90 ROVA
life, and see if I could not learn and this body of water that had water, which was much warmer Opposite top:
what it had to teach, and not, now come to life before my eyes. than I had expected. The sun was Where Thoreau’s
when I came to die, discover that I Everything was perfectly in place; beginning to set and glisten on the cabin once sat is
a sign displaying
had not lived.” the trees with their saturated surface. I looked back at my mom
his most quoted
My mother started pacing leaves, the clearing behind the who was watching me from dry passage.
around the perimeter of the brush, the way the sun reflected land. It was as though both of us
cabin while telling me about how off the water. I had been staring were staring at each other without Opposite bottom:
The beach at
Thoreau would collect spearheads at this view of Walden Pond for realizing that the other was
Walden Pond is
that he found around the woods. I my entire life without realizing it. looking back. She seemed unreal now a popular
listened while staring out towards I turned to my mom and she told standing there with all the trees at spot for summer
the pond. Such an idyllic spot to me she had come here with my her back. I imagine that when I am vacationers.
put a home, I thought. The pond- dad when she was about my age. an old man reflecting back on my
Above: Despite
loungers were completely out of I was standing in the same exact mother, I will see her in this same the passage of
sight, and I began to get more of a spot as my mother was when she exact setting. time, Walden
sense of what Thoreau would have took the photograph. Never before As the last of the sun retreated Pond remains the
seen. It was then that a profound had the passage of time seemed from the landscape, we walked magical place
feeling of recognition set in. My so arbitrary to me. Thoreau, my back down the trail to our car in that mesmerized
heart seemed to flutter, and my Thoreau.
mother, and myself—our six feet a silence that can only be shared
emotions felt touchable like some planted on the same patch of earth between two people who know
beautiful, living thing. I realized at different times, yet all marveling each other as deeply as they know
that I had seen this view before. It at the same body of water. themselves. R
was from a photograph that hung My mother asked if I wanted to
above the toilet in my parents’ take a dip in the pond. I didn’t feel Sam is the editorial assistant
home. Every time I went to take a like swimming, but I took off my at ROVA. You can follow him on
leak, I would stare at these trees shoes and stood knee-deep in the Instagram @sambrown.jpeg

ROVA 91
92 ROVA
 TAKE THE HIGH
ROAD IN THE
BLACK FOREST
By Erin McGann
Castles, half-timbered towns, cake, and a lake full of mermaids: the Black Forest High Road
in southern Germany lives up to its fairy-tale reputation.

F
og has rolled in, wrapping the Black Forest High Road, dries on a stack of black hawthorn
its fuzzy arms around Schwarzwaldhochstrasse, winds branches (that thermal water and
the hillsides. With the along a 40-mile, high-altitude route steam miraculously cleared up my
densely packed trees, from the spa town of Baden-Baden nagging congestion). It’s worth
it’s hard to see beyond to Freudenstadt. noting that the upstairs half of the
a few feet. No wonder baths is all textile-free, meaning
the Roman legions called this Sophistication in the forest that you have to go naked, but if
place the Silva Nigra—the Black Finding expensive boutiques and you stay downstairs, there’s still
Forest. At any moment, long-haired impressive art galleries in the plenty to do with your swimsuit on.
warriors could come charging out small town of Baden-Baden seems A fascinating 12th-century
of that deep darkness. Only, it’s an surprising, until you learn a bit castle ruin stands above the town;
older German couple in matching about its history. you can climb old towers and look
waterproof jackets that materializes The natural thermal springs out over the landscape, imagining
out of the fog. ‘Guten Tag,’ they have made the town an attractive yourself a knight watching for
nod. The Black Forest in southern spot for more than 2,000 years, enemy forces coming down the
Germany is no longer a remote and and while the Romans designated valley. Two-story walls with window
foreboding place, but one of the it an administrative center for the arches still stand, with a few
busiest and most popular regions region, it was really in the 19th modern walkways built in so you
for vacationing in Germany. century when Baden-Baden became can explore. In the Knights Hall, a
The whole forest area stretches popular. Everyone from the Queen large modern wind harp stands in
for 4,400 square miles along the of Prussia to Dostoyevsky came front of one of the empty windows,
southwest German border with to take the waters, or just enjoy providing an eerie accompaniment
France. The terrain is very hilly, the casinos. Now, tourists come to your wanderings.
with forested ridges rising above for the elegant thermal baths,
green valleys dotted with half- galleries, restaurants, and the The high and winding road
timbered villages. It makes for still-grand casino. If you only visit Leaving Baden-Baden, the Black
some incredible hiking, cycling, one place in Baden-Baden, make Forest High Road follows the
and exploring. Although the cute it the Caracalla Therme, a pool mountainous ridges south. In the
towns bring to mind the stories of complex that harnesses the famous summer it is gloriously warm, but
the Brothers Grimm, the writers natural thermal spring water. Swim it can also get quite busy—the
actually lived and worked almost back and forth from indoor and most magical time is early autumn.
250 miles to the north. outdoor pools, or perhaps visit the You do run the risk of getting
One of the very first driving hammam-like steam room or brine- socked in with clouds and fog,
routes advertised to tourists inhalation room, where you take in but that also lends a mysterious
holidaying in their cars in 1930, the salty mist as brine spring water quality to the whole adventure.

ROVA 93
 Above: Just off the main route, local ski forest climbing into the clouds full of half-timbered houses and
Freudenstadt’s hill Mehliskopf has built a bobsled is a moving sight. Beyond the quirky doorways, head to nearby
beautiful squares
on tracks that zips down a steep abbey there is a small museum, Schiltach. Don’t be fooled by the
are perfect for an
afternoon stroll. hill, swinging in and out of the and a wonderful little restaurant modern outer edges; head into
trees. At one of the highest points specializing in local dishes the medieval town center to step
Top right: At
of the route is the Mummelsee, a made from the produce that is into a setting that could easily be
the bottom of a
zigzag road in
nearly perfectly round lake formed found on the pastures and in the a children’s book illustration. Just
Allerheiligen is by a departing glacier. Local woods right outside. It is well walking the streets and along the
the dramatic ruin legend has it that a community worth planning your visit around river Kinzig is interesting, taking
of the Abbey of of mermaids lives at the bottom lunchtime, particularly if you’ve a close look at the houses built
All Saints. of the lake, and they come out to just done the hike to the series from the 16th century through to
© Erin McGann play in the moonlight. Although it of waterfalls. The Allerheiligen the 19th. The dark forest rises up
Far right: The can be mobbed by tourists these Wasserfälle, or All Saints around the town, and you get a
Allerheiligen days, the lake is a nice midway Waterfalls, are some of the highest sense of why those Roman legions
Waterfalls are opportunity to stretch your legs. in the Black Forest, and, although found it so foreboding.
a triple threat: they are admittedly not Niagara
beautiful,
Waterfalls, ruins and very Falls, they are quite beautiful— Explore historic farms
secluded and
free to visit. local food nicer than the more famous ones A short drive from Freudenstadt
There’s a lot to see on the at Triberg, with the added benefit is the Vogtsbauernhof, or Black
Black Forest High Road, but of being free to visit. Forest Open-Air Museum (not
the very best stopping point is a direct translation, obviously).
Allerheiligen, with its monastery City of delights In the 1960s, a group of
ruins and waterfalls. The town is Freudenstadt, which literally preservationists saw glorious
at the bottom of a zigzag route, translates to “city of delights,” historic Black Forest farmhouses
in a narrow valley where the is a good base from which being pulled down, and decided
little collection of buildings that to explore further into the to do something about it. Six
is Allerheiligen, or All Saints, Black Forest. The large market fully furnished houses stand on
huddles. Upon arrival, you turn a squares—indeed, some of the the site now, each painstakingly
corner and a dramatic church ruin largest in Germany—make for a disassembled, transported, and
is revealed. This is the remains pleasant afternoon strolling in reassembled. The towering dark-
of the 12th-century Abbey of All the warmer months, with plenty wood structures with their flower
Saints, or Kloster Allerheiligen. of fountains and outdoor patios. boxes spilling colorful begonias
Through the arched windows, the But for a truly fairy-tale town out the front are gorgeous, and

94 ROVA
despite having clocked up more
than five visits, I have yet to
explore the depths of every house
at Vogtsbauernhof. Often there
are artisans on site—some baking
bread in the outdoor wood-fired
oven, some shoeing horses, and
some tablet-weaving ribbons out
of tiny threads. Costumed staff
with improbable—yet historic—
local hats topped with pom-poms
stroll around, happy to answer
questions. And the large restaurant
on site provides an excellent slab
of Black Forest cake, named for the
region but not invented there, alas.
All through the Black Forest
there is a distinct sense of place—
from the architecture and the food
to the people and their stories. It
is a fairy-tale place—but one of
those old fairy tales, with a touch
of thrilling darkness to it. R

Erin McGann is a Canadian writer

living in southern Germany with
her family. Christmas market–
and castle-obsessed, she also
takes every opportunity to
sample the local cake. Follow
her adventures on Instagram
at @erinehm, or online at
erinatlarge.com.

ROVA 95
 PICTURE THIS...

YOU MAKE IT TO A CLEARING WHILE

hiking through Denali National Park in central
Alaska, and all of a sudden the world unfurls before
your eyes. The horizon is broken up into segments:
one layer consists of water, one of trees, one of
mountains, and one of sky. You marvel at the drastic
difference between the verdant greenery and the icy
mountaintops, and you wonder how these opposites
could coexist in such close proximity. R

96 ROVA
Visit GrandDesignRV.com/ROVA