The Traveling Trio

rystjohn

Observer
Beautiful writing.... It feels as if I'm right there with you and Beth as you travel.... I know you guys are with me in spirit as I travel as I have your logo on my trailer.... Please continue to write as much as you can, you guys are living the dream

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Kyle

KYLE!

Thanks so much for responding! Beth says hi and we both miss you!!!

Once we get better service we need to catch up and see if we can plan on meeting up again soon! Shoot us an email and/or subscribe to our website if you aren't already!
 

High Center

Adventurer
Your honest words are welcome. We spent about a month out that way following no plan other than what the day presented. I still count it as the most relaxing time in my life.

You clearly don't need to be reminded of this but: Enjoy. Everything.
 

NoDinero

Adventurer
Nicaragua after sugar beet harvest? Check out Panama 2015 in expedition planning-central america. Looking to leave after November 1st.
 

rystjohn

Observer
Another update, originally published 22 August 2015 at http://traveling-trio.com/overland-amateurs/

OVERLAND AMATEURS

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THIS POST IS INCREDIBLY PAST DUE – IT WAS SLATED TO BE PUBLISHED IN A MAGAZINE (YAY!) BUT WAS CUT BECAUSE BY THE TIME THE ARTICLE RAN, IT WOULD BE TOO OUT OF DATE (BOO!) SO I'VE BEEN HOLDING ONTO IT UNTIL I WAS CLEAR TO POST IT. THIS POST FITS IN BEFORE WE ARRIVED IN COCONINO NATIONAL FOREST AND WROTE SLOWING DOWN. ENJOY!

The hustle and bustle of our prior life is a fading memory, our only planned destination reached. The journey to arrive at our muddied Mecca took far more than a few tanks of fuel and a weekend off. Rather a complete change in lifestyle is what allowed us to make this a possibility. Beth, myself and our dog Alfredo stand damp, cold, and exhausted in the high desert of Arizona at Overland Expo West. We've made it. We are The Traveling Trio; we're happy, but as overland amateurs, we're unsure how we fit in.

In the beginning of our pilgrimage, we had no sense of direction. We cared not where our land yacht made port, we only wished for a richer life, thick with experience. Working long hours as over-educated and under-paid service industry employees was no longer justified; we craved more from our lives than barely staying afloat, seemingly existing only to pay bills. Surely no one lies dying groaning out with their last breath, “ I wish I had worked more.”

The Trio attended the first incarnation of Overland Expo East in our hometown of Asheville, North Carolina. We had no idea what overlanding was, but figured we should see what this whole craze was about. Only months prior we had purchased the truck and camper we now affectionately call home and figured this expo would be a great opportunity to glean insight and inspiration in preparing ourselves for the open road. Friday and Saturday events were missed due to a wedding, but we were able to attend Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately we had no idea that by this point most of the vendors would be packing up, exhausted from constant human contact, something we too would feel many months and miles later at Overland Expo West.

While we generally enjoyed Overland Expo East, we left with feelings of ambivalence in regards to if it had helped us. We had attended in high hopes of promoting ourselves and networking with fellow travelers but neither seemed accomplished. We wanted to be taken seriously but it's hard when you show up on the last day and don't have much to say or show – it was our own fault for placing high expectations on the event and not on ourselves. So on the eve of our departure in March of 2015 when Four Wheel Campers invited us to attend the Western expo, we were at first hesitant.

But hey, what was there to lose?

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Arriving at Mormon Lake anxious for the begging to Overland Expo West, we pop the top alone in a field – we are some of the first to arrive. The wind carries dust from the dry lakebed and blankets everything with a fine layer, bringing with it a cold that chills us to the bone for the next two days until we wake to grey skies threatening precipitation of some sort. We agree it was a great idea to keep our muck boots as we head out into the festivities.

“What does that do?” Beth asks me.

“I have no idea, but we probably need it, don't we?”

The first day of the actual event we are unsure of our footing among the half-million dollar vehicles and accessories carrying hefty price tags, many of which we have no inkling of their purpose. We question ourselves with doubt: should we have come, are we too poor, will people take us seriously? As a young couple in their late twenties on a shoestring budget and only a few months on the road under our belt, we are overwhelmed by all the fun toys and folks who had proven themselves capable of extended travel. Surely others must think we're chasing a pipe dream, incapable of this lifestyle. Maybe we aren't ready for this. Maybe we should have saved more, chosen a different route.

Thick dark mud clings to our boots, serving as metaphorical anchors to our mental worries as we shuffle down the wet aisles of the Expo. Our white dog has turned brown from his belly down and we stand in awe at all around us. We shake the muck from our boots and minds and trudge on, determined to learn, connect and stay positive.

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The rain turns to snow, back to rain and eventually sleet as we network with fellow travelers, attentively listening to the stories of others, eager to learn. We spend a large portion of the event damp and cold, but are warmed by joy as our original feelings of uncertainty and self-doubt dissipate. Intending to be students only, we attend courses and surprisingly find ourselves encouraged to impart our own knowledge to our classmates and lecturers alike. We have been accepted here; this community desires new growth, something we unknowingly represent. Folks who have traveled the country and planet for seasons at a time listen intently with passion to our story of selling nearly all our possessions to follow our dreams of a nomadic lifestyle. We see the fire of inspiration spark in the eyes of folks as we give tours of our home on wheels, emphatically encouraging them, “Nothing is out of reach, you too can accomplish what you desire. Follow your dreams!”

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Faces are placed to the social media accounts we have followed since before we owned our truck, Darlene and our camper, Grandpy. Handshakes and hugs are given to those who inspired our journey, who unknowingly made our story possible by believing in us and helped shape our path: Bryon of Explore Elements; Cris of American Adventurist; Frank of OutdoorX4; Ginamarie of TwoWheelsTwoFeet.com; Stan, Tom, Terry and Denny of Four Wheel Campers; and several members of TW200 Forum, Wander the West, and Expedition Portal. New friends are made who, unknown at the time, will continue to check in with us, desiring to see us succeed: Kyle, Terry, Lynn, Bill, Mike, Scot and Katy.

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Interacting with those around us, we learn that even with only a few months of experience on the road, we are on similar levels and can easily relate to the adventurers who have been doing this for years. There is no “Selling All You Own and Living in Your Vehicle for Dummies” on sale at the local bookstore to get ahead with; we all have arrived at this point through hard work, experience, and by helping one another. I come to realize this is exactly what Overland Expo is about – not the flashy Earthroamers or seemingly bottomless-budgeted expeditions, but about the people behind the vehicles, behind the ideas. We are all in this together to help each other succeed. This is about community.

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If we had perused the vendors as removed guests instead of becoming part of the conversation and event, we would have left feeling defeated, in need of a deeper budget. We would have felt inadequate for the type of adventures we wished to pursue and allowed fear to put our dreams off for another day telling ourselves, “let's wait to go until we're ready.”

Without genuine human interaction, Overland Expo would be a locker-room muscle flexing contest, each group attempting to usurp another, expedition vehicles growing larger and flashier until it would seemingly be cheaper to transport a brick-and-mortar house across national boundaries than fuel one of the behemoths for a week.

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Instead we found Overland Expo West to be a very personable event with just the right amount of humanity and humility mixed with gadgets and gear. Attendants and attendees following their dreams, simultaneously supporting each other's. No dirty sideways glances or laughs, no question too small or silly, curiosity encouraged. We are in this together. We are glad we chose to not only attend, but be a vital part.

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Darlene's diesel engine roars to life, the camper top is dropped and we are ready to hit the road. Reaching to shift into drive, my phone buzzes. Perkymog, a couple and their massive orange Unimog that's larger than the apartment we left behind, is now following us on Instagram. This may seem trivial but it gives us a sense of validation – we have met some truly amazing and inspiring people and it seems we have left an impact on others as well. Happily we rumble South, destination unknown, adventures awaiting. Maybe we aren't as amateur as we thought.

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rystjohn

Observer
This article originally posted on 27 August 2015 at http://traveling-trio.com/monsoon-season/

Monsoon Season

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The rain pitter patters on our aluminum skinned roof, lulling our minds into a limbo somewhere between waking and sleep. Droplets collect on our louvered windows, looking into them reveals reversed images of the misty forest and overcast sky. It's monsoon season here in the American Southwest.

The days begin warm and clear, not a single cloud marring the turquoise sky. By mid day puffy clouds pile ever higher in the sky like whipped cream, their stark flat bottoms growing ever darker promising the coming storms. The Southwestern monsoon can be compared to the regularity of a Georgia Summer thunderstorm, with the ferocity of a Nor'easter.

The sound of distant thunder, like some kind of cloud-to-cloud artillery strike, is heard above and around with no distinct point of origin. Like the sound of war drums we know all to well what approaches. The smell of rain and ozone is thick enough to chew.

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A rumble of thunder felt as much as heard signals the approach of the storm. The temperature instantaneously plummets along with the rain drops, the sky darkens to a sooty gray. Inside the camper the rain sounds like a drum line furiously pounding away on our roof-turned-snare, fat drops splatter on the dusty ground outside our windows. The thirsty earth drinks.

A bright flash freezes the raindrops in place like a strobe light, the long crack of thunder sounds as though the sky itself has ripped apart as the air around us trembles. Every five seconds it takes to hear the report after the flash is a mile.

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Beth watches a tree burn that was struck by lightning near our camp

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The drumming on the roof is so loud we can not hear each other unless we yell. No longer is there a distinction between the pitter or patter, there is only white noise – a mis-tuned radio at max volume intermittently interrupted by white-hot flashes and earth-shaking explosive reports. Time is no longer measurable, the moment becomes our everything, an eternal static twilight.

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Suddenly and at once the rain dies down to a gentle sprinkle, breaks in the clouds show either blue sky or twinkling stars, depending on how long it has been. A soothing scent of fresh rain blankets all – the very fragrance companies have been trying, and failing miserably, to copy for years.

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The world around us feels anew, quenched. We breathe in deeply and smile.
 

rystjohn

Observer
Haven't had a chance in a while to sit down and copy text and images over from our website, so instead I'll have to tease everyone with a few photos. Obviously you can head to Traveling-trio.com to read the full stories and see what we've been up to, but for now this is all I have time for - I get yelled at for spending too long on the computer by the missus :(

We've been all over the California coastal area for a while now, had a few hiccups since we last updated here, got pulled over for the first time in my life, got woken up and asked to leave a roadside camp spot by local LEOs, thought about selling our rig and moving to something else, nearly called it quits a time or two, finally found decent work, decided to keep the rig and upgraded quite a few things to make it more "liveable" and make 2016 a better year on the road!

Hope you enjoy!
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