Table of contents for Fifty: August/September 2025 in ROVA

Contrary to what the internet would have us believe, overland travel does not require a million-dollar castle on wheels. My first overlanding rig was a 2001 Toyota Tacoma. It was brand new and bone stock; no modifications, no camper in the bed, and it certainly didn’t have an espresso machine and a custom set of expensive Japanese knives as standard equipment. I threw my camping gear in the bed, bungeed a cheap tarp over it all, and drove off into the wilderness for days at a time. I slept in a tent—on the ground, not the roof—or in the open truck bed. It was simple. It was effective. Eventually, I covered the bed with a shell and built a plywood platform with two egg-crate mattress toppers and room for gear…

Getting to fish in some of America’s best lakes and streams is one of the true joys of traveling by RV. And they don’t have to be iconic, legendary bodies of water to be worth a few casts. That pond next to the truck-stop parking lot? Could be fish in there. You won’t know until you try. The point is, you never know when an opportunity to go fishing will present itself. From desert trout streams to the Great Lakes, and the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf Coast, these are five interesting and fruitful places to try as you fish your way across the United States by RV. Sedona, Arizona There’s something about the vibe in Sedona that hits you as soon as you roll into town. Maybe it’s the…

Growing up, we used to sit in the rear of my mum’s Volkswagen Passat. It didn’t matter if we were going grocery shopping or driving to Italy, I’d sit behind her, my sister was on the right and my little brother between us. We could fight on a two-minute drive and yet be the best-behaved kids during a two-day haul with my mum towing a trailer to a beach in the south of Europe. The three of us and my mum would go on a vacation in the summer. I’d get excited for gelato in Italy or playtime in France, sure, but nowhere close to the excitement I had for the trip I want to tell you about now—the first one with my siblings in years. The first one with…

Walmart’s yellow sun doesn’t set like the sun in Australia. The flickering fluorescents flood the parking lot—and permeate bedsheet car curtains draped with double-sided Velcro tape. But if you squint your sleepy eyes, the logo looks a little like a star, and you can pretend you’re passing the night beneath a boundless, star-swathed sky somewhere in Australia’s Sunny Coast. In the morning, cars will kick up loose gravel and shopping carts will clatter across the pavement like kookaburra chatter—kind of. Windshield shade: recommended. Imagination: required. Posting up in Walmart parking lots beside busy intersections in the suburban depths of New Jersey—or curbside camping in New York City’s swarming streets—is a little different from free camping across Australia’s barren, bucolic bush; however, cane toads can certainly be as commanding as the…

Tailgating is a uniquely American tradition held in the giant parking lots of sports arenas around the country. If you’ve never been to a tailgate before, it’s absolutely an experience you should seek out. Even if it doesn’t seem like your cup of tea, I promise you can find your crowd at a tailgate with an open mind (and a case of beer). What is Tailgating? In short, tailgating is a pregame social in the parking lot where fans get together to grill, drink, and generally have a raucously good time. While it’s synonymous with football, you can tailgate other sports as well, both professional and college—I had a great time tailgating a Colorado Rapids MLS game a few years back. With the right mindset, you can tailgate anything. There…

For a subset of road-trippers, beer plays a big part in the adventure of being on the road. Post-hike cans from the cooler, visits to breweries that are destinations in their own right, time spent in taprooms getting to know the locals—beer is the non-automotive lubricant for a lot of road-trippers’ adventures. This year’s ROVA brewery round-up explores a variety of places where you can find a decent ale (or whatever beer variation is your drop of choice). Think cosy taprooms, cavernous barns, islands, wide-open fields, and desert landscapes—anywhere, really, where beer is the order of the day. Each of these spots offers something special, whether it’s the architecture of the space, the beauty of the surrounds, the friendliness of the staff or, of course, the quality of the beer.…

As someone who grew up on the East Coast, California always exuded an allure of mystery from afar, thanks to its influence on popular culture and its ubiquitous depictions in film, television, and music. Ever since even my first visit, the Golden State’s awe-inspiring scenery has always had a way of burrowing deep into my subconscious, never failing to leave behind an insatiable craving for returning to the West Coast and getting lost. Therefore, I was excited to return to one of the best places for doing just that: California’s Highway 1, better known as the Pacific Coast Highway. Few storied American roads capture the imagination quite like this one, and you can never go wrong racking up the miles here. Any lengthy route offering such sensory overload comes with…

There’s something magical about stumbling upon nature’s edible treasures while exploring the wild. Whether it’s the sweet burst of a wild berry or the aroma of freshpicked mushrooms, foraging transforms an ordinary hike into an adventure. As a full-time RVing family, we’ve discovered that the best flavors often aren’t found in a grocery store—they’re hidden along trails, tucked beneath tree canopies, and lining riverbanks. Our most memorable foraging adventures have unfolded across California’s diverse landscapes. In the lush forests of Northern California, my two toddlers, Theodore and Emerson, spotted bright orange and pink-red salmonberries peeking through the dense greenery. Their excitement was contagious as they plucked the delicate berries with sticky little fingers, their giggles echoing through the trees as they tasted the sweet, tart fruit. As we ventured further…

My partner, Caroline, visited the Blue Ridge Mountains when she was 13 years old. Western North Carolina was a home away from home, some 700 miles from where she grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and a place where she could experience the freedom that a good summer camp offers. Caroline returned several years in a row, the experience and the landscape etching themselves into her head and heart, both of which would call her back years later as she bounced from one job to another; first to culinary school, then to bake bread, then to run her hands through the earth and grow food, and then on to massage therapy school. Something about the mountains and their people anchored her to place, and she stayed put for just shy…

Imagine a road that’s basically Colorado’s highlight reel: jagged peaks, whispery aspens, gold-rush towns, and just enough weirdness to make you question whether you accidentally drove into a Coen Brothers film. That’s the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway, a roughly 55-mile stretch of glorious, high-elevation wanderlust running from Estes Park down to Black Hawk. If you’re rolling in an RV or camper van, this route is built for you. It was Colorado’s first scenic byway, dating back to 1918, and it feels like it was made for modern nomads who think home should come with wheels, solar panels, and the faint smell of a campfire. Let’s drive it. Let’s live it. Let’s try not to get lost in a ghost town. Start Strong: Estes Park You’ll kick off the journey…

There are road trips, and then there are road trips with character—the kind where your GPS occasionally shrugs and wild ponies are your “neigh”bors (get it?). If you’re looking for winding back roads, seafood you can’t pronounce, and beach sunrises that feel like personal epiphanies, steer your rolling home toward the Delmarva Peninsula. That’s Delaware + Maryland + Virginia, stitched together by brackish water, sleepy towns, and a love affair with blue crabs. The good news? It’s small enough to explore in a week. The better news? You’re going to want to linger longer. Colonial Vibes in New Castle, Delaware Every journey needs a gentle start, and New Castle, Delaware, offers a kind of colonial spa treatment for the road-weary mind. Downtown New Castle feels like a movie set for…