Ready...Set...GO!!!

Although in its infancy, this blog has already opened up some really cool conversations. In some way, shape, or form lots of folks have a similar dream and we all learn from watching how it has been done by others. A number of people have asked where we are in the process and what we are working on. To answer that, let me begin by explaining that I believe there are three phases in this process: the "Ready", the "Set", and the "GO". That may seem overly simplified, but why make things any more complicated than they already are.

Phase 1, or the "Ready" phase, is the process of making the decision to go. That alone, took a year. Oh sure, we knew we WANTED to go, but there is a huge difference between wanting to go and deciding to go. Deciding to go includes weighing desire, school, work, family responsibilities, finances, and then coming to an actual conclusion: Go, don't go, or not right now. Pro tip, if the answer is "not right now", determine what temporary obstacles exist and write them down. If those obstacles move or are overcome and you come up with a new excuse, it may just be fear that is stopping you. Ponder this, there are two things lots of people don't like. The first is the way things are. The second is change. Don't let fear stop you from living out your dreams. Making this decision takes time. For us, it was about a year.

Right now, the Lewis family is launching into the next step of this adventure, the getting "Set" phase. This period is all about planning and preparation. As we are early in the planning and prep stage, our areas of focus include our communication platforms, modifying the Grand Cherokee for overlanding, researching what trailer best meets our needs, and figuring out what to do with the house.

The communication platforms have required a steep learning curve. Facebook has changed A TON since I last did anything but post a picture of my cat. Instagram is no different. YouTube I am more familiar with, but content requires way more investment in time. Also, I have not built a website in five years and I'm using Wix instead of Weebly which has required me to learn a new set of processes (but I am LOVING Wix). To top it off, all of these platforms have to be linked. That sounds simple and probably is, unless you have never done it before. Why are we going to all this trouble? Two reasons, the biggest is that we see this journey as an opportunity to inspire others to chase their dreams. The second is to stay connected with the friends and family we love. Aaannnnd, I've got a bit of a geek streak in me and I actually think this kind of thing is fun.

Modifying GC, our Grand Cherokee, is also my idea of fun. Skid plates, winches, lights, racks, I love this stuff. The last bit of armor for GC is the rear skid plate to protect the back of the vehicle from rocks and ledges. Lights and a rack will be next. I love off-road lights. In fact, I love LOTS of off-road lights. I even like wiring lights and can spend an hour staring at the engine bay and sorting out the best way to run them. I confess that I once got pulled over at about midnight in deep West Texas because of lights. In my defense, I turned them all off before I crested the hill in front of me, however the state trooper who was about to come over the top of that same hill, albeit from the other side, stated that he thought either an alien spaceship or a locomotive was coming straight for him. We also have to consider inside storage, a place for Piper to ride, and communications for both road and trail. We will be way off grid during significant portions of our journey, so satellite communication will be critical in the event of an emergency. Also, there will be times when we need to communicate with each other without cellular connectivity, so GMRS radios will be necessary.

Terri has put in a ton of work researching trailers. Our needs are crazy specific. We need a rig that is built for the trail, hard sided, sleeps four in beds that do not have to be folded up every day, and yet is still small enough to navigate the trails we want to be on. That means an overall length around 22 feet (with tongue) and a width of six and a half feet. Finally, after fifteen years of overlanding, this trailer MUST have an indoor bathroom. It has been explained to me that when answering nature's call, the spontaneous and urgent necessity to retreat from the sudden suspicion of a bear/cougar/chupacabra in the vicinity involves significantly more waddling and much less grace for the females in our family than it does for James and me. I can respect that, as I did once have to waddle at high speed in Tanzania when I found myself in a vulnerable position and heard what I believed was a lion coming directly towards me through the grass. Turns out it was just a huge iguana. That poor critter was undoubtedly scarred for life as it witnessed me scurrying away at a wobbly, but very peppy, gate.

There are LOTS of trailers built to look "off-roadish", but very few that actually are. Pro tip #2, if you look underneath a trailer and see pipes, storage tanks, or structural pieces like jacks hanging down below the frame, that trailer is not the real thing. See, there's these things called rocks. And, they are not just any rocks. They are "wild" rocks, not "city" rocks. "City" rocks are pretty, line gardens, provide kids a place to play and climb in parks, and are generally domesticated. Some are even made of plastic. "Wild" rocks are their distant cousin. "Wild" rocks have a wicked sense of humor and absolutely live for tearing things off any vehicle that dares to pass over them.

We feel like we are leaning towards having a trailer built. Terri and I designed a floorplan that provides for our needs in the space we require. We are working with a fabricator out of California and are currently finalizing the design. It will be built using fiberglass reinforced composite panels that are structural and will, therefore, negate the need for framing and will provide a very high level of insulation for both the hotter climes (Death Valley) and the chillier destinations (Arctic Ocean) that we have planned. We will fully document the build as it unfolds so stay tuned for that.

Lastly for now, we are exploring the best plan for our house. We have considered selling, but with interest rates on the climb, our concern is that we will be challenged to find a new home when we are off the road. We discussed leaving the house vacant, but this seems like a terrible waste of resources. Renting is a third option, but although there are tons of great renters out there, the fear is that whoever is living here will not care for our home the way we believe it should be cared for. A hybrid option, then, is to find someone we know (or know through friends) that could be blessed by living in our house at a significantly lower rate. The hope, then, is that whoever is staying here feels more like they are "caring" for our home while we are gone. That is the route we hope to go and are excited about the idea of using this amazing asset God has blessed us with to help out a family who needs a place to roost for a year.

There are so many details and so many lists. Heck, I could easily make a list of the lists: clothing, equipment, travel itinerary, budget, and on and on and on. I feel my mind begin to spool up with minutia, running in circles, never completing an idea, and I have to consciously stop myself. I clear my mind, pick a single area to focus on, and begin writing things down. God bless Terri, she is SO MUCH better at this part of the process.

Finally, the third and final phase will be the "Go" phase. That will be when we pack up, head out, and the adventure begins and new challenges start. There will be mechanical issues, gear will break, border crossings are always anyone's best guess, and we will be a family of four living in very tight quarters. Honestly, I figure if three out of the four of us make it home, that's 75% and that ain't bad.

As we move forward, we will continue to talk about what's worked, what didn't, what we are working on, and what new issues have popped up. Learn from our victories and our mistakes, think hard about how to make your dream happen (whether that is buying a new house, starting a new job, or hitting the road), and start living your Life in the Dash today. You will never regret it.