It was March 2017 and I was reviewing my taxes with my accountant. Quite the catchy hook I know. Bend, Oregon had become my new basecamp the October prior following a solid 18-year stint living in Alaska and the Philippine Islands.
My accountant warned should I spend more than 180 days in Oregon in the year good ol' Uncle Sugar would be inclined to jack up my taxes an unpalatable amount. So I did what any adventure seeking, single 29-year old with a remote job would do, bought a trailer, slammed a rooftop tent on top and hit the road.
The winter hitherto I rented a cozy one-bedroom apartment on the side of a barn abutting 500 acres of ranch lands. I was delighted more than shocked to learn my little barn apartment had no internet access.
The nature of my work requires me to be online daily so after a quick check confirming my iPhone had LTE I promptly upgraded my data plan to the tune of $135 a month, ouch. Fortunately, my 1GB daily data cap was sufficient for emails and the occasional Skype call.
Fast forward to May 2017. Driving through Bend one afternoon I happened to see a rooftop tent on a Jeep and was intrigued. Both the trailer and rooftop tent were stellar quality and made locally in Bend by Free Spirit Recreation. A month later I drove off the lot in my Subaru Outback, trailer and rooftop tent in tow.
The timing of it all couldn't have been better. My accountant was telling me to jump state, my apartment lease was up in May (it is an AirB&B rental in the summer) and now I confidently knew I could work remotely from my iPhone LTE.
My landlords being good country folk invited me to camp on their land as long as I pleased. I promptly accepted their offer and spent the first three weeks of June behind the barn I previously rented learning everything I didn't know about living in a tent.
Quickly it became clear I would need a warmer sleeping bag. Then came a real need for a mobile solar system for charging my laptop, phone, lights and my electric shaver (yeah, I know, rough life).
Next came the challenge of a mobile kitchen. I needed a stove, cookware, water jugs and a specialized travel refrigerator. I even went so far as to buy a shower tent and a solar powered heated shower (not quite as cool as it sounds but it works well enough).
Countless Amazon orders later I felt amply prepared to hit the road and on June 24th I did just that.
This blog is dedicated to telling the story of my initial summer journey as I venture from Oregon across America, but also to the adventures that are to come there after.
I'll be taking photos regularly along the way and look forward to sharing with you the good, bad and ugly (but mostly good) of life on the road and in a tent.