Van Life in Cal-Euphoria

We coined the word Cal-Euphoria after spending two weeks meandering our way down the California coast in search of lonely driftwood beaches inviting us to keep them company, even if just for an afternoon. We vanned our way from the Northern Redwood Coast through Mendocino County, pit-stopping in Arcata and the Bay Area to see friends.There were countless funky thrift stores, wi-fi cafes, bead shops, surf shops, roadside places to pee, sunsets and rises, fern canyons, beach runs, steamy rounds of coffee. We ate a lot of curry. Bedtime came just after dark, usually around 7:30. The demands of parenthood never escaped us. There were no fewer poop disasters, fuss-fests, teething jags, sibling rivalries, time-out's. However; every drama is easier to forget when you are waking up to a new tide.





Something happens to a family when you take away the trappings of home and replace them with wide open spaces. There is more time, more space. Condensing a living space for four people into the size of a van is a constant 'stuff' battle. I am a stuff monkey. At one point I had to send three giant boxes of clothes home because I over-packed (as I often do.) Rather than enjoy the extra space I earned by weeding out my stuff, I chose to fill it right up again with more stuff that I found along the way. But how could I resist the pile of driftwood for my collages? And the meditation pillow? And the rainbow knit blanket? These things happily filled my empty spaces. My empty spaces happily allowed themselves to be filled. I struggle with empty spaces. Perhaps the biggest empty space I keep trying to fill is the great big one inside of me. Is that just the loneliness of being human?

We followed a spontaneous photo lead and found ourselves at a Treesort called Out 'n' About in southwestern Oregon. We arrived at dusk to a fully equipped resort of, yes; tree houses. We wandered around the compound in a state of confusion looking for someone who might help us nestle our way into one of the cozy tree houses in time for night-night. But nobody was around. Not a soul. Just as we started to contemplate 'what-are-we-going-to-do-now' strategies (and about the time when I was beginning to get red-line hungry) we heard a strange sound emitting from the forest. It sounded like a golf cart. Before we could piece things together, out of the woods emerged three wild, bearded, screaming tree-loving humans. They were doing a little twilight zip lining. We found our way into 'The Peacock' (at left) and became indoctrinated into a whole new way of sleeping and "treesorting."


The next morning after a couple rounds of coffee and some good solid end-of-the-world conversation, we went for our own zip-line session through the old growth forest surrounding the complex.

I've Arrived

I am huddled next to the fire in the sanctuary oasis of Amy’s yurt. For my birthday wish, I’ve been granted the opportunity to catch up on my blog. I have so much to tell you (my small yet devoted tribe) about my experience out here on the road. If you’ve found yourself this far into the story of my life, then you probably already know that I’ve been in the process of a huge transformation ever since ‘The Spring’. This trip is a testament to the process of going forward in life, forgiveness, letting go, and being present.

When I returned from The Mountain Experience I wasn’t ready to leave the safety of Sandpoint, my home, my friends, and family. I thought I needed more strength to pull off a three-month road trip with the family. But somewhere in the miles between here and there, something in me melted away. Kyle (from the Garden Company) helped me understand that it isn’t STRENGTH that I need to hold onto. It is strength that I need to let go of. Beneath my need to ‘hold everything together’ is the part of me that just wants to live and breath and love and be the wind. Free Spirit Mama. I tend to get so caught up in trying to be the GLUE that my energy gets diverted away from just being who I am. Authentic me, take it or leave it! Somehow I was able to overcome my fears and step into the process. I think I was trying to wrap up all of the loose ends in my life before I left so that I could set out unencumbered by my ‘stuff’. And I don’t just mean my material stuff. I learned that sometimes I have to set myself aside in order to allow the experiences in life to unfold. There will always be ‘stuff’.


We’ve spent the past four nights here; venturing to the sea, dipping into earthy hot springs, running by twilight to early evening stars and thumbnail moon. I am finding my groove. As to be expected, the culinary experience has been a multi-sensory delight. Thai basil chicken curry, Steamed clams dripping in butter wine sauce, jerk salmon, apple chronic cake dripping in fresh whipped cream. You get the picture.

We’ve now started referring to ‘Home School’ as ‘Road School’. Della begs for Road School several times a day. I’m learning how to teach her as we go. We’ve been drawing letters in the sand, making the alphabet out of sticks, learning the colors of the rainbow in our tree drawings. We hiked in a mossy old growth forest that took us behind a waterfall. As we walked, we made up fairy tales that Della later retold as I faithfully wrote. It became a beautiful storybook complete with drawings.


Now we set off onto another chapter of our trip. We leave the safety of Amy’s sanctuary in search of more havens. They will appear. We’ve already begun to meet our road tribe. They are out here too, seekers of inspiration, truth, sunshine, and surf. I will keep you posted.