Table of contents for Fifteen: October/November 2019 in ROVA

Kelsey and Nathan We chose a life on the road because we wanted to see new places and make memories before we settled into the next chapter of our life. We wanted a life with just the two of us before we brought tiny humans into the mix. We also wanted to have a few stories to tell our future kids. So far, so good. Instagram: @ourhomeontheroam Angie Success is often defined by others; your job title, income, the neighborhood you’re in, or square footage of your home. My husband and I decided to rewrite the rules of success for ourselves. We stopped chasing this dream of the “white picket fence” because it was never really our dream to begin with. Instagram: @bobodesignstudio Karla I’ve been drawn to the road…

The moist dirt feels spongy under my trail shoes as Amanda and I make our way through the shady understory of the subalpine forest. I feel a lightness of spirit as I breathe the cool mountain air, my lungs refreshed from months spent waiting out winter in the dry deserts of Arizona and Southern California. It is now summer in Colorado, and the temperatures at 10,000 feet are a comfortable 70 degrees. Endless summer. Rolled up inside our backpacks are two four-pound packrafts from Alpackarafts, a Colorado-based company that makes incredibly high-quality boats that are light enough to take practically anywhere. I’d received the boats from Mancos, Colorado, just a few days earlier, and without reading any instructions, we had packed the rafts, paddles, and our fly rods before hitting…

For the last two years, I have been in denial about my “collection” of classic Coleman lanterns and stoves. Not in denial that they exist, but in denial that I was actually “collecting” them. I had stopped counting how many I owned, and when Stephanie would ask me, I mumbled a single-digit number under my breath. I knew she would never count them. But I finally did. I own 11 classic Coleman camping stoves and 16 classic Coleman lanterns. It feels good to say it—even though I know I have bought too many of them. Twenty-seven pieces of classic Coleman camping gear might be right for some other guy, but I don’t think it’s right for me. Collections bring joy to some people, and chaos to others. I’m probably sitting…

Driving up to Mammoth (or anywhere in the Eastern Sierras, for that matter), is one of my favorite ways to exhale from city life. Buildings fade into trees, mountain bikes replace cars, and hustle-hungry, stressed-out people soften. As you gain elevation and lose cell phone signal, life just gets a little bit easier. As proud locals will tell you, Mammoth is famous for having one of the longest snow seasons around, oftentimes persisting into summer. But when the powder finally disappears, Mammoth doesn’t recede into warm-weather hibernation. Instead, this mountain town is an all-season, choose-your-own-adventure kind of place. My adventure happens in the dense forest, high above any hint of city lights, where I’m up close with nature. It’s in places like these that it’s easier to find humility and…

It all started with a jaunt to the Grand Canyon, like many other great family trips gone wrong. I hopped into my ’87 Dodge Roadtrek, ready to at last set foot in one of America’s most iconic, breathtaking parks. Going to the Grand Canyon marked a significant moment for me. I had never visited it before, and I was eager to experience its massive beauty. My partner and I had also just left our home in New York to search for a new place to put down roots. Change was in the air, for sure. This wasn’t the first big move I’d made in life. Prone to listening to that inside voice that knows me better than I know myself, I was into taking risks. Or risks were into taking…

Thank you, Ching Fu, for again addressing one of the big issues of road life [Boondocking Responsibly on Public Lands, ROVA Adventure 14]. Our public lands are so precious, and the more we all pitch in to keep them in their natural state, the longer we’ll all be able to enjoy them. Steve W I wanted to share with you how many people have complimented ROVA after I’ve introduced it to them recently. I’ve heard so many positive impressions about its aesthetic appeal and engaging sense of adventure. Love seeing the ripple effect and how it inspires people to get on the road :) Fleur W Local libraries are my favorite places to visit in any new town. I was so happy to learn when I read Brian Cooke’s article…

Morgan “Mo” Sjogren lives out of her Jeep, traveling the country to find new and inspiring places where she can feed her appetite for outdoor adventure—from canyoneering and hiking to her real passion: trail running. And while the landscape sustains her desire for wide-open spaces, there’s also the need for actual food. Mo can go weeks at a time without returning to civilization, so she has a pretty established routine for grocery shopping, food storage and meal preparation. ROVA caught up with Mo to find out more about her relationship with travel, nature and food. How do you manage a transient lifestyle, extreme exercise program and nutrition all at once? On really big driving days (think over 6–8 hours), I don’t push myself to run or work out. I might…

You know that kids’ song about the bear that goes over the mountain, just to see the other side? I believe this migratory instinct isn’t only ursine; it’s also a remarkably human impulse. Every year, as summer starts to downshift to fall, I feel an instinctual urge to go see the other side of the Cascade Range—to see what I can see. For me, fresh landscapes evoke new thoughts and inspirations. And, counterintuitively, new places feel strangely like home. Being comfortable in new environments is how I expand my mental, physical and artistic territory. This summer, I road-tripped most of the Cascade Loop in a manic two days, which took me from my home near Seattle to Eastern Washington and back. The complete route is 440 miles through shifting scenery…

A city space with heart If you’re a billionaire with a big heart and a desire to connect the people in your city, what do you do? Spend $200 million of your own money (plus some sizeable donations) to create a park of epic proportions, of course! Conceived by philanthropist and certified legend George Kaiser, Gathering Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a 100-acre oasis on the Arkansas River, boasting oodles of green space, a five-acre adventure playground for the little ones, and a large pond for water sports, among many other facilities. And because George is way cool and thinks people deserve nice things, it’s all free. gatheringplace.org. The outdoors, amplified Ecologist Chris Morgan is, in his own words, “Just a guy who is obsessed with nature” (same, buddy!). With…

I had fallen completely out of love with America; that’s what it all boiled down to. When I tried to remember the last time I had felt like I was in love with my country, I realized that it was after I had graduated, when I took a two-month road trip in my Kia Spectra, visiting national parks and forests, and talking to strangers along the way. And that’s when an idea formed. I started researching ways to live on the road, and came across #vanlife. Once I had entertained the idea of traveling to the national parks in a home van, making a podcast about strangers who I met along the way, it became an obsession. I bought a Ford Transit Connect, got it ready for the road, and…

Peruse some popular road trip–related social media accounts for a minute, and you’ll see why so many people are currently fascinated with quitting their jobs, renovating old vans and hitting the road. Since everyone with a smartphone now has the power to visually frame and curate their experiences traveling or living on the road, it’s easy to make road trips look like one euphoric, gorgeous, and easygoing day after another. But talk to anyone who travels seriously or has tried out the nomadic lifestyle, and it’s clear how little a sleekly edited video or Instagram post actually reflects road-trip culture. Social media influencers with vast followings on YouTube and Instagram are selling the idea of finding adventure, love and meaning out on the road, using carefully edited imagery with often…

Under the hot noonday sun, I make it over the last crest of the dusty trail and finally find myself at my destination: the picturesque Saddleback Lakes. The lowest of the Saddlebacks has all the hallmarks of an idyllic alpine lake: sparkling blue-green water stocked with trout, a rim of verdant evergreen trees, and a rocky cirque leading up to rugged granite peaks capped with snow. What sets this lake apart, however, is Elephant’s Perch—a nearly vertical cliff face dramatically towering 1,200 feet above the surrounding forest, which has become a mecca for rock climbers. The locals call this place “Shangri-La,” and for good reason; this view represents some of the very best of backcountry adventure. The route to these particular lakes isn’t an official Forest Service trail, so it’s…

Most rock climbers don’t necessarily view West Virginia as an “epic climbing destination.” The more likely image that comes to mind when picturing the state is one of rolling blue hills, winding country roads, and relics from coal mining towns. The state is rich in mountainous terrain and lush river valleys, and it’s easy to appreciate John Denver’s famous lyrical reference to the state as “almost heaven”—but this was attributed to its scenery rather than its cliffs. I’ve been living in North Carolina for the past five years, and rock climbing for about as long. My fiancé, Jed, and I spend most weekends romping up the generous quartzite cliffs and granite domes that speckle our home state. We share the Blue Ridge Mountains with our northwestern neighbor, but they don’t…

The lush oasis hugging the banks of the Orange River rapidly transformed into barren, rugged mountainscape as we drove. The sun’s scorching heat radiated off the large piles of rocks and bone-dry ravine beyond. To the left, a road sign announced: “Welcome to the Republic of Namibia”—however, considering our desolate yet completely awe-inspiring surroundings, it might as well have said: “Welcome to Mars.” Every time I visit my sister in her adoptive South Africa, her husband takes us off to explore a different part of his gorgeous homeland. When they suggested that we shake things up on this most recent visit with a road trip to Namibia, I jumped at the chance to see a bit more of this intriguing continent. Although it’s one of Africa’s safest and most beautiful…