My beloved Tacoma truck and camper rig ā Zorro ā is up for adoption to the right person. But before I say goodbye, I have to share the wild, wonderful journey of the past 2.5 years living the nomadic truck life.
From childhood dreams sparked by Kerouacās "On the Road" to the freedom of the open West, here's how Zorro became the embodiment of my lifelong quest for adventure and independence.
It all started when I was 10 or 11, and my "crazy Uncle" (you know, the eccentric one who encourages your wildest dreams and brings you gifts from around the world) gave me "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac.
Iāve always been an avid reader ā escaping my isolated upbringing through books prompting big dreams for my future. And dream I did.
We forget there was a time before the Internet when research meant diving deep into books. It was a slower process, yet in many ways more fulfilling than today's Google search. I devoured "Dances with Wolves," anything by Gary Paulsen (especially "Hatchet"), "Call of the Wild," and "Julie of the Wolves."
I dreamt of being isolated in a different wayā¦ one with nature, animals, and travel but also free emotionally and relationally. As an adult, Iāve come to understand why I felt this way as a child, but thatās a story for another time.
These books, dreams, and longings shaped who I am today. It's too late for me to be someone other than I am (nor would I want to be).
I was mildly obsessed. Like, āget in trouble for hiding my reading at the dinner table,ā or ācouldnāt get off the toilet because I was in the middle of an amazing chapter, so my feet went numbā obsessed.
And then there was "On the Road."
I honestly need to re-read it, but Iām worried it wonāt have the same visceral impact it did back then.
It was pure magic to meā¦
Reading about the freedom of truck life and creative ideas like washing clothes in a garbage can strapped to the back of the truck, cleaned by the truck's undulations while driving cross-country.
It opened my mind to various paths in life beyond what I was experiencing around meāeven if I'm not remembering the book correctly (it's funny how a kid's brain makes up the meaning they want!).
Van life is now ācool,ā but it wasnāt fancy back then. My Zorro certainly aligns more with the past than the fanciness of todayās vans.
Living in a truck isnāt easy, but itās gratifying if itās the right lifestyle for you.
Thereās no greater feeling for me than embarking on a road trip knowing all my earthly possessions are with me: no rent payments, no utilities, no kids to worry about.
This is the life I wanted. And so I created it for myself.
Zero judgment towards others who chose the white-picket fence, and also zero judgment for some of my choices, like getting my tubes tied, freeing me from pregnancy worries.
If there is nothing you get from this story, at least take this: We each have our own unique path in life, and itās essential to honor our journey rather than succumb to outside pressures. Period.
I've always considered myself "fringe," never fitting into the typical path of my Midwest upbringing. But I would have died a slow death had I not pursued my version of life: failures and all.
Donāt let those glorified Instagram pictures of van life fool you into thinking itās easy. Itās simpler in some ways but not always easier.
Earlier this year, I ate something that didnāt agree with me, and, well, I literally pooped my pants. Yep, I made it to 39 without that ever happening, but there it was. I pride myself on not needing a toilet (feel free to ask for the details on how I manage that), but that day, there wasnāt enough time to dig a hole or find a solution. It just happened.
It's gross, it sucks, and yet, it's fixable.
So, it takes a particular soul to engage with life this way.
And truck/van life isnāt always cheaper, either. I chose this life because itās what I wantedā¦ not because I was financially forced into it. On average, Iāve spent about $1,000/month on truck or camper maintenance.
Running off solar power? I love it. Itās a great feeling. Understanding my weekly water usage and how much propane I need allows me to live close to the ground, which empowers me. It keeps me aware of my resource consumption and prevents overindulgence because I'm manually refilling everything myself.
Awareness is the goal here. I say do, get, or be whatever you want, but be aware of your actions.
Zorro has given me a perspective into a slice of freedom I hadnāt known before.
Looking back at my childhood, all the hints were there. My favorite memory is of my dad carrying me to the van when I was about four years old and placing me on the floor to sleep while we drove west for vacation. The rhythm of the road beneath me made me feel safe, excited, and alive. To this day, there's nowhere I feel safer than in a moving vehicle. It might not be entirely logical, but itās how I feel.
The West has always meant freedom to me, whether I understood it or not.
As a kid, I did everything to prepare for a future of open doors. I got straight Aās, worked hard, didnāt date or drinkā¦ I saved it all for my future life in the West. I didnāt want anything getting in my way.
As soon as I could, I went West and never looked back.
The West feels utterly different from the Bible Belt buckle I was raised inā¦ and it offered a perspective I deeply craved. I wanted to experience it all. And so I did.
Last week, I listed my beloved Tacoma truck camper for sale. I've named her Zorro because Zorro is the best of heroes in my eyes ā a down-to-earth hero with a sword and a horse.
Itās bittersweet, as Iām upgrading to an F-250 with a bigger camper (complete with a closet), but Zorro has changed my lifeā¦ Sheās the embodiment of a lifelong dream planted over three decades ago.
Iāve always been who I amā¦ slightly wild but polite, nomadic in spirit but quiet in departure, and always in pursuit of as much freedom as possible.
As I grow older, having just celebrated my 4th-decade last week, I find that my pursuit of freedom stretches beyond location or travel to emotional and relational freedom. Iāve learned greater communication skills to obtain these, making my life even more magical than I could have imagined.
This story is a tribute to Zorro. I donāt glorify āthings,ā but I am grateful for the foundational aspects of my life that provide me with the freedom I desire.
Iām sure anyone reading this knows I was never the āwhite-picket-fence girl.ā I craved a sunburnt face and calloused hands in exchange for grand experiences.
- Those quiet sunsets on the river bend after a hard day's paddle that never got posted to social media.
- Or that long solo road trip to Alaska, scaring myself awake with crime books on CD.
- Or that sweaty mountain incline followed by 5 more summits and falling asleep while hiking out.
- Or the soft panting of 10 sled dogs pulling me across the crisp snow in the Alaskan landscape.
Iām still that 11-year-old girl at heart. I accidentally built the truck camper rig I always wanted, and now Iām working on my next one.
No one tells you you'll outgrow aspects of your dreams... so you better keep finding new ones.
So, let me share the process of building Zorro if youāre curious about this life.
I returned to the States in 2021 after traveling internationally for five years. Despite having no plans to return to America, COVID closed borders, making a free spirit like me restless. I spent the pandemic in Bali (a solid choice, though not popular at the time), but I eventually felt the urge to move on.
After enough time overseas and dealing with emergency visas and COVID drama, being in my own country felt like a welcome relief from logistics. So, I moved to Denver to try a corporate Creative Director position, knowing the mountains weren't far away. With a Masterās in Fine Art, I wanted some reward (i.e., a larger salary) for that hard-earned degree.
But Denver wasnāt my place. My apartment was overpriced and not as advertised, and my job overworked me and didnāt live up to expectations. So, I moved out.
Unsurprisingly, corporate life is not for me.
Still driven by my desire for freedom, I refuse to ever sign another year-long lease.
My dream truck was a red first-generation Toyota Tacoma with an access cab and 4WD. It took a while, but with the help of my friend Johnny Hatch of Rocky Mountain Retrofit, I found her.
Johnny told me about slide-in campers, and we found my 1989 Palomino camper on FB Marketplace. The grandchildren of a grandpa were selling it, not knowing its value. He had recently been put into a nursing home, and they needed to clear the camper out of their yard. I bought it with the grandpa's (Whitās) items still in it. I felt a connection to Whitās belongings as if he were my own grandpa. The camper was pristine, like a time capsule.
I immediately loved it.
Johnny helped me install it on my truck. We traded services so he could install my solar and battery setup to make it truly off-grid. I wanted to work from the camper, so we put in a beefy inverter and battery system.
I moved into Zorro with my newly acquired puppy on June 1, 2022. I told the camper and the dog they better get along, as we were now a family. Somehow, my dog, Nigu, has never chewed anything in that camper. He innately understands its importance in our lives.
Soon, summer turned to fall. The camper is a pop-up, meaning you manually crank it up every night, and it has canvas sides. I was unsure how it would do in winterā¦ and of course, I wanted to be in the mountains, meaning elevation and colder temperatures.
But Iāve survived a decade in Alaska and sub-zero temperatures, not to mention cabin life without plumbing, so I felt prepared. I decided to risk the winter in the camper.
At worst, Iād drive to lower elevations if I struggled to stay warm. I taught Nigu to be a great cuddler to conserve our body heat, and a zero-degree sleeping bag doesnāt hurt, along with our camper propane heater, which does better than you'd think!
So, I accidentally became a full-time truck lifer.
This subconscious childhood dream came to fruition almost by accident. But it wasnāt. I've dreamed of my freedom lifestyle every day, and this was the universeās response.
I donāt advocate for passive living, but I do encourage pursuing your goals and dreams while leaving room for serendipity and magic. This allows the universe to help you create your wildest dreamsā¦ or something even better!
And that's what I did. I never planned to return to America so soon, but I embraced the chance to live out my life in the American West in ways I never had before.
I met my now-boyfriend in late fall of 2022 at the local rec center sauna in Winter Park. Heās a beautiful part of this story because I took a leap of faith by moving into the truck, setting aside my fears of isolation and the potential of never meeting a romantic partner.
I figured I might just be subscribing to a lifestyle of further isolation. But it felt choiceless to me, as my heart was set ā an undeniable āyesā for me to move into this lifestyle full-time.
So, when I went to the rec center for the first time and found an attractive man in the sauna with me, I couldnāt help but inquire about his world. It turns out he lives in a van and has been living that lifestyle for five or six years already. He had his system dialed.
I will never believe I need a partner to do anything in life, but man, is it fun to share this lifestyle with someone else who loves it just as much as I do, yet on his own terms! We ended up on a weekend camping first date that will always remain magical to me.
Side note: You better be a good judge of character if you go on weekend camping trips with new men. I'm just sayin!
The lesson here is that when we set forth, fully in alignment with our desires and āhell yesā adventures, magic will show up for us.
We donāt have to contrive meeting someone or force connections. We just have to get clear on what we want and remain open to receiving. Yes, harder said than done, but possible.
All my failed Denver dates and short-term relationships suddenly made sense. They would have trapped me in the city or held me back from the lifestyle I hadn't even actualized that I wanted.
Yet again, my inner guidance, my soul-fed visions, and the universe at large knew more than my cognitive brain could articulate.
Our journey together has not been perfect, but Iām deeply joyful to share that we are happier than ever. We had some ups and downs (including breakups), but our relationship continues to serve our bigger-picture hopes, dreams, and desires while challenging us in just the right ways.
There is no perfection here, but instead, alignmentā¦ down to some crazy little synchronicities that can only tell me that we live in an āenergy firstā driven realityā¦ where our inner state creates our outer realities.
And so, a new chapter in my life was solidified.
I overheard someone saying how ridiculous it is for a couple to travel in two vehicles like we do. All I can say is that itās one of the most fun and fulfilling ways Iāve been in a partnership.
I like my own space and time in my truck while driving to places, and then we camp out, cook, and explore together. Itās truly the best of both worlds. It might be odd, but it suits us.
By the fall of 2022, my truck started showing signs of needing work. My leaf springs were broken (eek!), and I hadnāt installed rear airbags yet to support the camper payload. I hadnāt realized the upkeep a Tacoma would need for the camper lifestyle ā especially putting some primary pieces in place, such as an upgraded suspension.
Iāve incorporated house-sitting into this lifestyle, which has given me a place to live whenever my truck needs repair ā check out Trusted Housesitters if you're interested.
I used a reputable mechanic ā Japanese Auto ā in Denver for the work, but that was far from my mountain life in Winter Park (about a 2-hour drive).
The times when my truck was immobile have been the most challenging for me mentally because it threatened my freedom. I have always found freedom and peace of mind in the open road, and when I canāt just get in the truck and drive, I feel stuck.
The guys at Japanese Auto played both mechanic and part-time therapist for me. Doc and Matt spent countless hours explaining the needed repairs and talking me through solutions. They even experienced me in tears once, but I was fortunate to have found a mechanic shop that could handle me through these moments. I'll always be grateful for how they embraced me in those times (and still do).
A year later, I had my first actual truck breakdown. I was on a camping trip with new friends and made it to the location when the rear started clunking. Iām used to the resilience of Tacomas, but this felt serious. I drove it another 600 feet, and the front end started aggressively smoking. I had to evacuate Nigu and me, worried the truck was on fire, because it sure smelled like something was going horribly wrong.
I set up camp at my broken-down spot for the weekend and did my best not to worry.
I learned to fly fish that weekend, which was one of the best meditative experiences I have had. It got me out of my head about the truck and brought me back to the present.
One suggestion I have for all van/truck lifers is getting AAA RV insurance. Itās an annual cost of around $300 and includes four incidents per year, including one long tow. Getting coverage in remote areas is a hassle, but if you find the local tow company and work with them while communicating with AAA, it usually sorts itself out. However, keep your patience.
Small-town mechanics and tow companies are always helpful, in my experience, while large companies like AAA will put you through the wringer.
And so, I had a $6k rear differential repair on my hands. Now, at this point, I was prepared for repairs, but it was still a shock. This one really rocked me, and I was without the truck for almost a month, driving a rental car. For a girl who has only ever driven manual trucks, a car is just not the right fit. It shook my identity, comfort, and, yes, sense of freedom.
Zorro was my first four-wheel-drive truck, and I will never go back. I love it, especially the power of Low 4. As a lover of old trucks, I appreciate that they don't have all the random beeps and warning sounds that new cars do. New cars are insane! They alert you for the smallest things, which stresses me out.
But Zorro eventually got repaired, and I was back on the road. In my time with Zorro, we traveled everywhereā¦ up to BC, Canada, to ski, west to Washington to see friends, east to see family, and south to Joshua Tree for a retreat.
I can't say goodbye to Zorro without expressing my gratitude for the past two years and the freedom she has given me. Throughout my road trips, people have struck up conversations at gas stations and wilderness areas, curious about my lifestyle and truckāI think we are a weird visual combo that intrigues people!
Iāve also had success with a few apps that connect me to like-minded people who offer free, safe places for van/truck lifers to spend the night in their driveway, ranch, or winery. What a life to drive all day and arrive at a friendly location where youāre greeted and treated like family.
I love it. I love finding connections with strangers I may never see again but with whom I share values and passions over a meal, drink, or nerdy talk about solar power.
My solo travel life began over twenty years ago, but each new chapter brings a different light and energy to my life.
I donāt have a large friend group hereā¦ my friends are scattered worldwide and across the country. Sometimes, this lifestyle gets lonely, but mostly, it shows me the possibilities of our human experience.
It reminds me that I can turn down a different road at any time, that Iām never trapped in any wayā that connection, magic, and newfound friends are always just around the next corner.
It helps me stay present, enjoy sunny and rainy days equally, and live a bit simpler than our modern world tells us to.
Iāve learned how to go to concerts, festivals, dinners, hikes, and moviesāreally anythingāon my own. Itās opened my world in a way that makes anything possible. Sure, I had to teach my introverted ass how to show up alone in new places, but itās been worth it, because now I feel confident going anywhere.
That's what I would call true freedom, my friends.
I wish this freedom to everyone. And thus, Zorro is up for adoption to the right person who will love this first-gen Tacoma as much as I do and find their way to new places, adventures, and connections via the truck camper lifestyle.
She's deeply infused with the positive energy of those she's met, the places she's traveled to, and the love I have expressed to her.
