Table of contents for Forty-Six: December 2024/January 2025 in ROVA

Chris and Morgan What started as a dream became a necessity when we realized how much we could gain from life on the road. Leaving the dock was hard, but the experience has been worth it. We’ve become grounded in what matters most—strengthening our relationship and embracing a life less planned, where “making plans in butter” allows us to fully savor the freedom and joy of this incredible adventure. Instagram: @chorgantravels Jess I hit the road in my converted minivan in June 2024 after developing an infatuation with van life during college. My desire to pursue van life is simple: I’m not interested in waiting to get old to travel. It can be challenging traveling the Western United States solo, but this freedom is what I’ve always craved. Vicariously travel…

I’m teetering on the precipice of a gaping triangular chasm hundreds of feet off the ground. My climbing partner, Rob, is below me, tucked into the belly of the chasm, belaying me. As I lead upwards, I feel my forearms getting tired. I’m over-gripping because I feel scared. Suddenly, my foot slips off the tiny credit-card-sized granite edge I had placed it on. I’m off the wall instantly and I fall onto a spring-loaded camming device I had placed in a nearby crack. Before long, the rope comes taut, and Rob arrests my fall. I let out an exasperated sigh of relief. Rob and I laugh. After I rest briefly, dangling from the rope like prey caught in a spider’s web, Rob roots me on to try again. I pull…

Have you ever noticed that the most popular things aren’t always the best? Sold-out arena shows aren’t as intimate and inspiring as gigs at small venues. The most attractive person is sometimes not as lovely or funny as the average human. The movie is NEVER better than the book. National parks get a lot of airtime in the outdoor adventure and road-tripping space, and rightly so. They’re stacked with gorgeous rock formations, flabbergasting vistas and bounteous bodies of water. But waiting in the wings, like the overlooked younger sibling of national parks, are some equally amazing places to visit: state parks. Sure, they might not get the most visitors or appear on many scenic calendars—but I would argue that, in both instances, they should. Quirky, charming, beautiful and low-key, state…

If offbeat, mind-bending adventure is what you seek, New Mexico might be the world leader. On a road trip in search of the weirdest the state has to offer, there’s one obvious starting point: Roswell. The UFO Capital of the World In 1947, a mysterious object crashed on a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Ranch owner Mac Brazel described strange debris scattered across his property. These were materials unlike anything he’d seen before-sticks resembling balsa wood that wouldn’t burn, and pieces that behaved strangely, such as a foil-like substance that could be crumpled but would return to its original shape. Initially, the U.S. military stated that it had recovered a “flying disc,” but quickly retracted its statement, instead declaring that the debris had come from a weather balloon. This ambiguity…

Early in October 2019, my husband and I drive our 30-foot RV from Quebec City to Skowhegan, Maine, our two dogs patiently waiting for the next stop-and-sniff opportunity. The road flows and winds gently as we head south through Maine from the Canada–United States border on US-201, also known as Old Canada Way. All around us is a sea of color: soft yellow, brilliant gold, burnt orange, bright red—fall in the Northeast in its full glory. I roll down a window and take in the fresh air, the quiet. We drive slower, enchanted, smiles across our faces and eyes wide open: this is SO beautiful! We are privileged to have the scenery almost all to ourselves, feeling transported into another world, soft, luminous, and gentle. The 78-mile-long scenic road runs…

Romance Is in The Air Irish indie-rock band Fontaines D.C. have recently released their fourth LP, Romance, and it’s a force to be reckoned with. Fans of The Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure, Deftones, and any Brit-pop alumni will be sonically delighted with the post-punk, often gothic, but always rock ‘n’ roll sounds from the Dublin-based quintet. Listen to “Bug” and “Here’s The Thing” while road-tripping, “Starburster” if you feel like participating in some passenger-seat groovin’, and “Favourite” while frolicking outdoors. fontainesdc.com Telepathy Gamified Get ready for a brain-bending good time with Wavelength, the party game that challenges your telepathic skills! Perfect for RV trips or game nights, this two-player (or team) game from CMYK has you and your friends guessing how closely you can align your thoughts. One player gives…

You know what you don’t often see in fantasy novels? Vehicles designed for sleeping. Sure, medieval equivalency and all that, but to retort: fantasy. The travelers on their journey are always bedding down by the fire, or in a handy cave, or in their tents. If they have a wagon, sometimes they’ll sleep under it or sprawl out across the sacks of grain or whatever, but I can only think of a couple of books where characters had a wagon specifically outfitted for living in. Fortunately*, we live in the real world, and there’s no shortage of awesome campers to choose from when we’re ready to undertake our own epic quests. Let’s take a look at what’s new for 2025! *Your opinion may differ. Class Bs: For the Knight Errant…

Staying fit on the road can be challenging, especially in the cold winter months. The days get shorter, 5 p.m. feels like 10 p.m., and the chill can create the urge to make like a bear and hibernate until spring. Luckily, there are ways to combat this. When you think “fitness,” you may picture muscle men and women swinging kettlebells over their heads, jumping, pushing sleds, pouring sweat—but the truth is, although that kind of dedication to fitness is admirable, we don’t need to spend hours in a gym to see results. Just 20 to 30 minutes of exercise a day can keep you lean and healthy, even when working in tight spaces. I’ve been on the road full time for four years, cruising the country in an RV with…

What if I told you that some of America’s most thrillseeking outdoor adventurers are flocking to… Iowa? Yes, you read that right! As a longtime van-lifer and avid hiker who has covered trails across more than 35 states, even I did a double take when I heard that experienced climbers gush over Iowa’s underrated terrain. Little did I know that pockets of this Midwest state offer rugged cliffsides and winding trout streams worthy of a return trip or two! Intrigued, I made my way to Decorah, expecting flat farmlands and instead finding myself awestruck, gazing up at striking 200-foot limestone bluffs hugging the Upper Iowa River. From mountain bikers and adrenaline junkies to kayakers and campers, this Nordic-rooted town is fast becoming a Midwest mecca for backroad wanderers of all…

Stagnation can be a powerful thing. It can suck you in to its deep, dark hole, or… it will piss you off and cause impetuous behavior. Like driving cross-country entirely inexperienced and somewhat unprepared. After the humdrum of a certain pandemic, getting on a plane and booking a hotel just seemed too easy. I found myself craving a new style of exploration. More excitement. More adventure. More unknowns. Despite having some miles under my belt, I hadn’t logged many hours sleeping under the stars with no phone signal. After years of playing city slicker, I’d had just about enough of civilization. So I decided to embark on a mother–daughter road trip. My mom and I crammed our sedan with everything we thought we needed to survive a month on the…

New Jersey Road Trip Wows: Liberty State Park Be wowed by Liberty State Park, one of New Jersey’s most iconic and symbolic state parks. Known as the “Historic Gateway to America,” this scenic oasis is nestled in Jersey City along the majestic Hudson River. Enjoy ferry rides to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Visit the Empty Sky 9/11 Memorial and stroll the lively waterfront with spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline. Also nearby is the Liberty Science Center. www.visitnj.org Lakeside Fun in Sullivan County, New York: Lake Superior State Park Lake Superior State Park in Bethel comprises 1,410 acres and has a beach open daily from the end of June through to Labor Day. Perfect for families, the park also has boat launches for rowboats and paddleboats, picnic…

In the fall of 2023, my partner, Nicole, and I had just finished a wonderful and adventure-filled season as park rangers in Yellowstone National Park. We were following the migrating birds south for the winter to Sedona, Arizona; we had accepted a position with the Coconino National Forest and were extremely excited for it. Arriving in our new red-rock paradise, we set up our travel trailer at the cozy little RV park Nicole had found for the winter. But we had 10 days to kill before starting our new winter adventure, and adventurers like us tend to get antsy when there is time to kill and we’re not actively experiencing this beautiful world—so we quickly made sure we didn’t get stuck in that trap! We headed north, destination: Nevada. I’ll…

I was already sunburnt when I went back into the ocean, although I did not know it at the time, and I doubt that the knowledge would have kept me on shore. I braced my shoulders against a few small breakers and wiped the water from my face. Soon, I was 100 yards from our family’s encampment of tents, which were tethered to the shore by string and miscellaneous bags of sand. I bobbed in the chest-deep water and watched a pelican soar above. He was hunting. He turned nonchalant circles in the air, like someone trying to appear calm when talking to a pretty girl, and then—suddenly—he slanted up and broke his orbit. As he plummeted toward the silver bellies of fish he’d spotted, his wings bent in sharp…