Category: Trailer Life

2019 Retrospective

Posted on by Annie

It’s a new year (and a new decade, whee!) so time to look back at my Vagabond Life in 2019 and celebrate the stats! States Visited Only two new states this year: Montana (three nights in Missoula) and Ohio (a one-nighter at a KOA in transit from PA to CO, but it still counts). So my count is now up to 40 out of 48 states (because I’m never driving to Alaska and the Alto can’t swim to Hawaii). This year’s map includes Canada, since I hit up British Columbia (mostly Vancouver Island). Let’s be honest, though, and admit that…

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Vagabond Life: Having a Plan B

Posted on by Annie

I read somewhere that pilots of small planes are always on the lookout for where they could land in an emergency: a country road, an open field, or similar spots. The last few weeks, I’ve felt a bit like that, changing plans as the weather has changed (from bad to worse…) as I travel down the west coast. I thought it might make an interesting post to talk about changing things when Plan A doesn’t quite work out, so I’ll cover two situations here. Situation 1: Campsite Woes The spot looked great on the website when I was making the…

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Fighting the Heat

Posted on by Annie

Note: This is one of those posts that probably only interest Alto owners or owners of small trailers that heat up in the sun like a tin can. On the other hand, if you are sweltering through a fiery hot summer, you might enjoy the machinations of a fellow sufferer, especially one who insists on living in a tin can.  Most of the year in the US, excluding the sweltering months of July and August, my trailer looks like this: door and windows open, fan going to keep things cool inside.  If I’m stopped for more than a few days,…

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Back Roads: Cross-Country from PA to CO

Posted on by Annie

Let’s just finish out July by updating my road trips, shall we? It was a busy travel month as far as mileage goes, and the gas pump receipts bear that out (don’t even ask how much it costs to tow a trailer 2/3 of the way across the country!).  The road is sometimes mythical and romantic, as in all those road movies and novels. And sometimes, it’s all about the trucks. And the “Welcome to…” signs that indicate another state. The road remains the same, the trees aren’t any taller or thicker when you cross from Ohio to Indiana. But…

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Update: Jul 10, 2019

Posted on by Annie

Wow, what a week that was! My friend decided last year to host a gathering of runners and ex-runners who have been part of an internet-based group for over 20 years (so, yeah, we’re all older now and that kind of explains the ex-runners…). We met up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and had a wonderful weekend of it. My head is still kind of reeling from all the people, stories, and photos! One of the things I love about Lancaster (and this is my third visit since 2017!) is how very photogenic everything is! One of the group activities was a…

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