Dreaming Of The Open Road

A few weeks ago, I came home to find my wife Erin sitting on the couch, watching a short documentary on our Apple TV. I put my bag down, and joined her as she finished a short piece about a guy turning his empty backyard pool into an in-ground greenhouse. Erin has always had a thing for gardening, and I love watching her eyes light up when she sees people doing things like this.

“I found some cool documentaries today.” She started flipping back through the list, recounting the details of each one she had watched. She paused on one for a second, turned to me, and said, “Oh. You shouldn’t watch this one.” She smiled mischievously.

“Come on! You can’t do that to me!”, I said and smiled back.

“Ok, but you have to promise me you’re not going to do something crazy.” After almost 11 years of marriage, Erin knows my propensity for spontaneity quite well.

“Deal,” I said. I may have been crossing my fingers.

Tomorrow Somewhere New

She pressed play on a 6 minute video about a family that had become tired of their everyday routine. Long commutes, not spending the time they wanted with their kids, and spending all their money on house projects, insurance, and utility bills. They found themselves in an endless cycle — one they had been promised would bring them happiness, but was bringing them emptiness instead. So they sold it all, bought an Airstream trailer, and hit the road. Their adventurous spirit and desire to shake things up connected with me. The idea that they could pick up their home and find somewhere new seemed incredibly freeing to me.

The video ended and we sat in silence for a minute. “Crap,” I blurted out. Erin started laughing. “I knew it!”, she said with a grin. “You want to do that, don’t you?” She paused, then added, “Well, I think I do, too.”

We spent the rest of the night talking and dreaming about what life might be like on the open road. That one night became several weeks of talking and research. I now know of multiple families living this same way — full-time travel, living on the road, exploring the U.S., and showing their kids the world along the way. As an avid lover of the outdoors, the idea of waking up in a National Park every day (and not just for one week each year), was exhilarating.

We’re a long way away from any of this becoming reality, but I absolutely love dreaming about it all with Erin. I’ve managed to tell a handful of people about our dream. The usual response is shockingly consistent: “That sounds amazing! I wish I could do that…”

Well dangit, if we can make it happen, we’re going to make it happen!

My kids are young, my knees still work, and I don’t have any time to waste. Time to get serious and pay off that credit card. We’ve got a 150sqft camper to save up for!

More to come…

Tomorrow Somewhere New from Dark Rye on Vimeo.