On the Road to Nowhere
OR : : : A L W A Y S / G O I N G / S O M E W H E R E
I've spent quite a few years sharing time with the wide open road, and also just staying put and farming. The past few years have been more travel, and most of my travel is geared towards a personal research project of exploring ecologies and understanding their nuances, looking for specific plants out there, harvesting wild foods and putting them up to live off of during the year (like wild rice, seaweed, blueberries, persimmons, walnuts to name a few!)
My mini-slide in truck camper right after I got it! This is 35mm film.
I thought I'd post a handful photos from my travels over the years to give you a peek into my world. I have kept a pretty good diary through writing and photography mostly. I'll post some of my stories in time.
in Nevada, after harvesting Pine Nuts. You can see my solar panel on top! I drew up the system and did a lot of the planning and work, and installed it with some assistance from my partner. I"ll post a DIY on this at some point that will make it SUPER easy.
I hope to share tips about traveling and being off grid while traveling as well as craft skills.
I'm also a philosopher (I have a degree in it even!) so the work I do is certainly thought out. SO, on the road to nowhere is really not actually my reality. I am very intentioned and thrifty about it all, that is until I need to throw down $700 to fix something minor on my mobile beast of a home. This has happened way too many times. Heck, maybe I should share on here HOW I problem solved some things.
Today- I cleaned up a broken Gomasio (seaweed, salt, sesame spice blend) jar out of my ice box fridge (all the driving around moves things constantly) and discovered a handful of exploded elderberry syrups I had in the back seat of my truck. Having honey-based medicines in your truck without A/C or a fridge is summer, is a no-go.
I've had things fall from shelves and break, my mirror finally fell down and broke, I've had my camper attachments rip out. I've also been super safe and sound in this thing during storms, where I can batten down the hatches and ride it out.
the dusty dashboard in Nevada.
This is my rig.
inside my rig, where I spend time.
http://www.ofsedgeandsalt.com
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Gah Gomasio & elderberry syrup! That is a major pain and loss! I’d love to hear some of your troubleshooting stories and of course hear the stories of your travels unfold as you feel inspired to share them. Great photos! Life on the road isn’t always easy, but it brings its share of blessings too.
I love how you’re cyclically nomadic (harvesting where you go) and connected to the earth as you travel. So many times transiency can mean disconnection, but that’s not the case for you! 💙❤️
Thank-you for the resteem ❤🦋❤
i know, it was a mess. but i feel so much better after cleaning it up. There's always stuff like that. I'm slowly figuring out the best way to store and deal with things.
On the road is definitely a double edged sword of fun and stress. Gomasio breaking everywhere is nothing compared to getting stuck somewhere or a flat tire in the desert... a story for another time. <3
I'd love to travel with a camper van, it must be such a free spirited experience that you don't need to care about looking for a room every single day.
yes, its nice to have your own space everywhere. it gets tricky in some places finding a good place to park, but when you do, it is bliss.
Welcome to Steemit! It looks like you have wonderful traveling stories to share with us. Please do! We too have a travel van and are familiar with those crazy unexpected breakdowns and breakage...oh well it keeps us on our toes right? Looking forward to more...
yes! it definitely requires some patience and ingenuity. I got a flat tire once and of course I didn't know how to change it on this big diesel truck that has kind of rusty everywhere from living most of its life in the south where I am from as my dad's work truck. But, I managed to get through that one and many other things. Its for sure like keeping up a house, except that its your car too. I'm looking forward to sharing on here some stories and fixes I've done.
It looks like quite the adventure! Excited to be following along. Thanks for sharing and welcome to Steemit 🙋♀️
it sure is! It's been years of one big adventure! I had no idea I would be doing this 1o years ago.. I don't even remember what it was like to stay put in be in one place for a year. It almost seems dreamy nice now... thanks for following along!
Sometimes life leads us down unexpected paths. It's also becoming easier these days to work and see the world at the same time, which I think is fantastic. I've been travelling for almost 3 years now. It doesn't come without its challenges but it sure has been an incredible experience. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Looks like you have a lifestyle abd interests I'd love to follow! Great post. Welcome to Steem ❤🦋
aw thanks! A pretty quirky life indeed!
Welcome to a place where we are all eager to read all about your travels. There is freedom on the road 💚
aw thank you! I have so many stories of things that have already happened... and more to come. Definitely freedom on the road, and sometimes I have to step back and be reminded how much I appreciate having that freedom when I miss other conveinences in life.
Great stuff. I too travel full time, not in an RV like you but can relate to some of the hassles of traveling long term. I'm excited to keep reading your story and seeing some of the DIY hacks you have. I love a good craft project. Best of luck.
thanks! what do you travel in? or rather how do you travel? I'll check out your page. Sometimes I think it would be better without the camper, but in the U.S., with the wide open expanses, and seasonal jobs, its so nice to have my own space. It's totally worth the upkeep and variables. I save money on where I sleep too.
Yeah I totally agree, the money saving I'm sure is nice. And experiences over things I always say. I do month to month airbnbs and travel in planes, traines, automobiles lol.
sweet. i have taken a train a few times! I love it. a month to month airbnb situation- i can see would be really nice for settling into a space for a bit.
Hey @ofsedgeanasalt, one of my awesome curators @yogajill has left your post for curation in our Read me ASAP, I would love to curate some of your work but a requirement for curation is that you follow the @asapers account. If you are keen to get curated please consider following the @asapers and I will see you soon.
HI @insideoutlet! I followed, and would love to be curated. Thank you so much!
Awesome, thanks for following. You should see yourself featured soon. 😁
thank you! I appreciate it!
I'm told the journey is of more value than the destination... looks like you're experiencing that first-hand!
Thanks to @viking-ventures, this post was resteemed and highlighted in today's edition of The Daily Sneak.
Thank you for your efforts to create quality content!
sweet! thanks! the journey is indeed the destination itself. i have to remind myself of that everyday.
thanks for the resteem!
NICE! Really looking forward to follow your blog! We also live in a camper van at the moment, me, my partner and our 3 year old.
I love foraging, that is 100% what makes it up for not having a garden on the road! So I am super excited to hear some of your tips! I also share mine from time to time (I was planning to make a post about homesteading on the road very soon)
-What is wild rice? :D
i am a farmer, and it is hard not being able to garden. i feel like living this way in Europe must be pretty different. Is it hard? In the U.S., there is a lot of public land, mostly in the West, you can camp easily. But, it is not very socially acceptable.
Wild Rice is just that. Rice that grows wild. It grows mostly in New England (Maine, Vermont, etc.) and the upper midwest (Minnesota, Wisconsin) and Canada. I know a lake with it in Idaho. You harvest from a canoe, collect the rice, and then have to go through a winnowing process to remove the chaff hull from the grain by toasting it and 'dancing' on it. The native americans in the north lands still harvest. Many other folks harvest too. You can work for a few days and get 5 gallons worth of rice. It's pretty amazing.
Wow, I didn't know about that, amazing! I don't think we have wild rice in Europe.. I wonder..
I tried to "live" on the road in my friends' schoolbus in the states a few years back (but just for 3 months) and was amazed with the open spaces compared to here! You would have a hard time finding parking spaces with a big bus in most places in Europe (though possible, I have friends who lives in big trucks here), but it's still fairly easy.. We didn't have so much problems parking, though you see many signs with camping forbidden..
Maybe we don't have as many great foraging options.. Mostly walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, all sorts of greens, blackberries, cherries, apples.. Also super easy to get oranges in the south - not so much wild though, but from people who has too many!
Foraging cultivated things people don't want works too! I have harvested Olives too from abandoned groves in California and processed them. And I've also harvested Persimmons and Citrus that was planted. It's more like 'gleaning' then!
The only thing about the open spaces is that everything is such a far drive. I'm alone a lot, or never alone. It takes awhile (and gas $) to get places.