Nomad Spring 24 - Week 1

Part 2 of blogs from my 7 week road trip!

The trip started out with a simple drive from Bellingham to Renton where my wife, Whitney, and my mom, Liz, live.  Quick backstory: Whitney went back to school during Covid, earned her teaching certificate, and started a rewarding career as an elementary educator in the Kent School District.  She now lives with my mom in Renton in the house I grew up in.  

As you might imagine, this living situation is a little unconventional (being 2 hours apart and all).  It certainly has its challenges, but it also presents some benefits.  One of those is the autonomy to independently pursue our passions.  Whitney was supportive of my plan to road trip solo, and was even excited because it meant she would have our two (Bellingham) kittens in Renton while I was gone.

The first weekend away was highlighted by my good friend Toby’s annual birthday ride, the King County Classic.  He’s been organizing this ride for years and although we are now older and don’t ride as far as we used to, it’s always a rowdy fun good time.

Following the KCC group up "Hazy" trail, named after Toby's daughter, Hazel.

The birthday boy!

Classic conditions for King County Classic

Dick's burgers - thanks to Jess for generously providing!

After the ride, the Brown Loaf carried me through the rain over the Cascades, not to return to the lush green PNW for many weeks.  The next 5 days were spent in beautiful sunny Wenatchee, where Whitney’s parents, Rick and Laura, now live after recently moving from Palm Springs, CA.  We are very glad to have them nearby again.

The beautiful Wenatchee Valley

The week in Wenatchee was great.  Whitney was on her spring break, so it was a treat to be together everyday.  I did a couple excellent rides with my buddy Mike, who also lives in Wenatchee.  He showed me around Sage Hills and Ancient Lakes-two perfect places to mountain bike in the Spring.

Sage Hills with Mike

Ancient Lakes with Mike

Very nostalgic seeing this bike that Mike owns!  It won the pro Chuckanut Enduro in 2013 :)

Come Thursday, Whitney, her parents, and I departed Wenatchee for the Columbia River near Oregon for a weekend of wine tasting.  Whitney and I camped Thursday night in the Brown Loaf at Crow Butte State Park, which was a last minute idea and a real treat to be camping together.  

Whitney, "queen of cheese boards"

Rick, Laura, and friends Brenda and Troy were staying at the Alexandria Nicole tiny homes just up the hill from the campground and we would be joining them Friday and Saturday nights.  

Proper breakfast while working solo from the Brown Loaf

Whiley Whitney and them went off to enjoy the local wine tasting, I worked from the van.  That reminds me that I should probably provide some context…  After 9 rapid growth years as an engineer in aircraft cabin interiors at Heath Tecna/Zodiac/Safran, I spent 2 memorable years at Wood Stone in pizza ovens and gas appliances, and now work as an engineer-for-hire at LMI/Sonaca.  A key part of leaving Wood Stone and returning to aerospace is that I could work remotely and spend more time in Renton with Whitney.  A side benefit of working remotely is that I can travel while continuing to work.  Call it digital nomad, vanlife, or whatever.  It’s an interesting idea and a real possibility, thanks to having the key components of job and van.

View of the Columbia River from Crow Butte

Back to the campground story.  After working the morning from the Brown Loaf, then going for a lovely trail run up Crow Butte, I moved the van up the hill to the tiny homes in the vineyard where I finished the remainder of my workday.

Alexandria Nicole vineyard and our two tiny homes

Friday night, Saturday, and Saturday night were spent with family and friends.  A few different wineries (Alexandria Nicole, Fidélitas, and Frichette), great food, and even better company made it a perfect last weekend with Whitney and family (for the foreseeable future).

Whitney in the vineyard

Come early Sunday morning and Brown Loaf and I were on the road to adventure, heading south for Utah!  To be continued…

Nomad Spring 24 - Intro

Hello! It’s been a while and the world is a much different place now versus my previous blog posts a decade ago. Social media and instant gratification now dominate. The urge to write and document in a more lasting way has pulled me back in. So, here I am writing about what I’ve been up to recently.

Whitney and me at our family wedding reception

A lot has happened in my life. I’ve gotten married to my hard working wife, Whitney; enjoyed a challenging career as an engineer, stepped back from bike racing after making years of enduro memories, gotten passionate about restoring my old VW Vanagon, acquired another old VW Vanagon, survived the life doldrum that was the Covid pandemic, and gone on the biggest road trip of my life-literally, and maybe metaphorically too.

Not much racing but still passionate about riding.  PC: Oliver Parish

The event that changed me more than anything was the sudden loss of my father, Craig, in 2019. My dad was the quiet hero type. He raised my sister and me to become hard working, successful members of society who are loved and appreciated. In true Craig fashion, he worked selflessly for his family, saving for his family and retirement with my mom. Tragically, it was during his final year of work that he passed away at age 61. The retirement he had spent decades waiting and saving for was suddenly stolen from him.

Proud of my dad for the life he lived.

The loss to our family was monumental, and the message profound. Life is precious and is never guaranteed. It can end for any of us at any time. Reminded of this daily since that tragic day, I’ve been on a mission to make subtle but significant changes to my goals in life. The takeaway: make the most of life in the present moment.

One of the last things we did together-Boeing Everett tour.

Following 2019 were the Covid years and we all know how those went. Not a lot of memories were made during those years. The most significant thing for me personally was a couple months furloughed from work where I could make big strides on my “covid project” of restoring my 1983.5 VW Vanagon.

Brown Loaf in my high school yearbook!

Many will remember this van, the same one I’ve owned since high school. After driving it up through the first few years of college, it was simply too impractical for daily duty and was parked for storage on the side of my parent’s house. 7 years later, Whitney and I were finally in a place where we could address the old yard ornament. Decision: sell it or keep it (and restore it). Well, you know what we decided, and it was thanks to Whitney who reminisced of the days when we first dated in the van. Restoring “The Brown Loaf” was not going to happen overnight, and that was okay. Covid was the biggest opportunity to make great gains on the project, and improve my personal skills along the way.

Uncovering the Loaf from its long slumber.

Frozen brakes needed a bigger hammer.

After sitting in the woods for 7 years, Brown Loaf was infested.

Fast forward to 2024 and life has returned to normal-and it’s a different world post-covid. For the last 7 years, The Brown Loaf has been a work-in-progress and a book could be written about all the things that have been done to this van. Pretty much every system and component has been touched, inspected, rebuilt, or replaced. And, I am a different person now with a better understanding of my passion for problem solving.

Engine out of the van (for rebuild)!

But, here I was, having spent years restoring and building an adventure vehicle while simultaneously craving adventure in my post-2019 life. You know where this is going. In Spring 2024, I planned and executed the most grand road trip yet! 7 weeks away from home, living on the road, enjoying the fruits of my labor, and feeling alive and present again.

Nomad Spring '24 road trip!