Be like the bird
who, pausing in her flight
awhile on boughs too slight,
feels them give way
beneath her and sings,
knowing that she hath wings.
– Victor Hugo
SHARON
I grew up in Cleveland,
studied graphic design at Boston University, and ended up in Portland,
Maine. I am not on vacation. I am location-independent, which means
my work can travel with me - I am maintaining the same professional life
I had when I was stationary in Portland, Maine. Working independently
as a graphic designer since 1999,
I wanted to carve more opportunities for travel and photography into my life , so in September 2007 I
decided to take my life on the road to see some of the places I always
wanted to visit and invite more of the world in. My work had frequently
come with me on vacations, so I knew it was portable. The question
was how long I (and my animal pals) would enjoy the small-ish living
quarters and the regular unfamiliar. So I considered The
First Trip an experimental immersion course in the modern
nomadic lifestyle with the intention of returning
back to Maine to see it
with new eyes. It was exciting and challenging, fun and heart-breaking...
and the wanderlust was unshakable.
After hibernating for the winter, I am back on the
road with a slightly different attitude for The
Latest Trip. I'm familiar with the ropes now and don't have
an agenda or must-see list and I do not necessarily feel a need
to return to Maine. The
Latest Trip, which started on June 1, 2010, is completely
open-ended and a little more casual in approach. It's a lifestyle
now.
HARLEY
Young
Harley is a relatively new addition to the family. I
picked him up in Cleveland, Ohio in August,
2009,
four months after my pal Riley died in Eugene. Having
Riley as a sidekick for 12 years taught me to enjoy life more and
showed me that life is just better with a good dog. Now young Harley
is continuing Riley's legacy and creating his own with bounce and
verve...and I cannot believe how lucky I am to have found another
most-awesome dog. He is half golden-lab,
half husky and when we met, he was a year and a half old and already
well-acquainted with living with cats. He is the most goofy and exuberant
70-pound dog you will ever meet. A super-soft snuggle-bunny to those
who love him, he is still awkwardly learning about the world-at-large
and loves more than anything to run and chase other living things.
Except birds. He's figured the flying thing out and knows it ain't
worth it. He's young and reckless and traveling with him is a much
different thing than traveling with an older dog who has settled
into a calm existence. He's a very quick learner and while the
squirrel-chasing might take some time to control, he digs this traveling
deal and is all eyes, ears, and nose to the world. His favorite spot
in the trailer is on the bed with the panoramic windows where he
can obsess about all the squirrels, dogs, bunnies and questionable
strangers to determine which are bark-and-growl-worthy, which are
ricochet-off-the-wall-let-me-out-to-play worthy, and which are just
fun to look at. Good boy, Harley.
Remembering
PEYOTE
Peyote grew up with me. I got her when I was in college, so she was my little
shadow for half of my life. She liked to remind me it was time to get up and
watch the birds by pawing at the blinds at the crack of dawn. Not my favorite
thing. She became very skilled at opening the bathroom door to go to her bathroom,
and at maneuvering acrobatically around the interior of the trailer. Whenever
I poured myself a glass of fresh cold water, she immediately had to get her face
in it and if she couldn't reach the water, she'd quickly get her paw in it to
knock it over. In her twilight years, I got her a heated bed which was next
to the window where I could watch her sleeping 99% of the day. She was a little
cat, as far as cats go, but she was like a steamroller when she needed or wanted
something. Occassionally she insisted on lounging outside and I put a harness
on her so she didn't get lost. Her hearing was not so good anymore. She loved
eating grass and lazily taking in a new landscape. When we drove, she preferred
to spend most of her time on my lap. I preferred that too, because she would
meow her head off when we first started moving if she wasn't where I could reach
to pet her. After a few minutes, she always settled down and did a fair amount
of moving around in the truck, often walking all over the dog to get to where
she needed to be. Peyote was a quiet, gentle soul who usually managed to find
her way onto my lap, whether I was driving, reading, or watching tv. I miss her
dearly, my beautiful black girl.
Remembering
RILEY
Riley was
my first dog. He set the bar for awesome dogs. Always
smiley and ready to share the joy, he loved to carry his own leash
around camp, say hi to neighbors and never failed to find our home,
even though the neighborhood changed frequently. He was my constant
fun companion for hiking new trails, walking around new cities, eating
lunch at outdoor cafes, or hunting for photo opps. As one person said
to me, upon seeing us on a trail: "A
dog and a camera...what else do you need?" Yeah - exactly my sentiments.
Riley came to live with me when he was 10 weeks old and he was about
10 years old when we left Maine. We had both settled into a solid
trust and understanding of the other's behaviors and communication
style. I knew I could trust him to stay near me so he was
often off-leash. Whenever
I'd look at him or talk to him, he'd always smile back at me. He was
gentle, patient and easy-going, but if he saw a body of water, there
was no way I could keep him away from it. He was a strong swimmer,
talented snorkeler and expert ball-catcher. I often thought the ball
and his mouth were magnetized - he never missed a toss. Sometimes he
would go into a zen-swim at the beach, or along a breakwall and he'd
forget I was even there, just completely engrossed in the
meditative act of swimming.
With all his 90 pounds, he did take up a bit of room in the trailer,
but he got used to my careful steps around him. In the car, he
INSISTED on resting his head in my lap, and it could be difficult to
peel him off. He loved to laze around outside, but if I was inside
working, he'd rather come in. After all, that's where his most favorite
thing was - his BED! That was my pal Riley. A wonderful, beautiful
soul and loyal best friend. I miss
him everyday, and he will always live in my heart.
THE RIG
We live in a 2012 20-foot Airstream Flying Cloud. On The
First Trip,
I towed a 2007 version with a 2002 Toyota 4Runner and it was maxed out at its towing
capacity (5000 lbs.). Even with the Equalizer hitch, I knew this was
not the best-case scenario, and so avoided mountains and any steep grades.
There were a couple of times when avoidance wasn't possible though,
and I wondered if my little 4Runner would make it. It did and it did
just fine, but I wanted to feel like I could go anywhere and feel safe
doing it, so for The
Latest Trip, I upgraded
to a Nissan Titan King Cab 4x4 with a towing capacity of 7400 lbs. It
also has a bench seat so that Harley can be more comfortable in the front
seat when we drive. That's my favorite part - the bench seat. That, and
the fact that it feels like it's going to take flight when I accelerate.
And the tow mirrors! Real tow mirrors are stupendously wonderful things.
With an extra-tall cap on the bed of the truck, I've created a luxurious
extra living area when I'm away from the trailer.
This added "room" is
lined with a BedRug and the original Airstream mattress. It is a really awesome place to hang out, watch the
sunset, sleep and even work when the truck is parked someplace beautiful.
The cap has a Thule rack on top which holds a cargo box. Known as
The Attic, it stores things that I don't use everyday - like
scuba gear and trailer-washing stuff.
Another addition to the Silver Snail's living quarters is a screen
room. Zip-Dee makes a custom screen room that attaches to its awnings,
but it's expensive, difficult to
setup/ take down, and will get destroyed in breezy conditions. So
instead, I spent $100 on a 10'x10' standalone screen room with detachable
walls, which is a great way to be outside, not get munched on
by mosquitos and no-see-ums, and also have some extra floor space to
stretch out. UPDATE: After giving the standalone screen room a try,
I got rid of it. You still need to worry about it in strong winds,
and it's a pain in the neck to put up and take down by myself. So I
am still in search of the perfect screen room solution.
For more info on the trailer specs, see Trailer
Specs.
Here's an early photo (flattened 360-degree pano) of the interior
of the trailer, with Riley:

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