Prepping an 8,000 mile trip across the USA and back– in a Chevy Van

A cool day in January, practicing for the 8,000 mile journey.

At the end of May, I’m heading from Davidson, NC to Northern California, and back. In my Roadtrek 190 camper van, I’ll mostly follow the ‘blue highways’.

First leg will be south on I-85  through Alabama (want to see Selma).  Passing New Orleans (been there, done that) then go slowly through Cajun Country to dip deep into Texas’ Gulf Coast.  At Galveston, turning North.

Then through the Texas, a corner of New Mexico and the Colorado deserts, to pick up my wife, Catheryn, who doesn’t have as much available time as I, and so flying to Denver.

We continue in the camper van for the next 10 days, cross the Rockies, then  Utah and Nevada.  We slide through California, stopping on the coast in Petaluma, to visit with our son Evan, and his friend Rachel for a few days.  Then up the Northern California coast to Redwood  National Forest for several days.  Return to Petaluma to visit a few more days, then Catheryn flies back to Charlotte.

I drive the van back East, this time looping through northern Nevada, Wyoming (Yellowstone), then the Dakota Badlands,  infamous Standing Rock, and the Pine Ridge Reservation.  Meander through Iowa, Ohio and the Virginias.  Estimate to Back in Davidson around the end of June.

Planning to do a lot of writing and shoot/edit stills & video on the way.  Will post regularly here.

For the month of July,  I will park the van outside the little Appalachian village of Bakersville, NC.  I’m working on a documentary about a 150 year old water-driven grist mill there, and will shoot, write, edit and live in the van outside the mill.  It may be haunted– we’ll see!