Abby Gleason 9/23/18 Abby Gleason 9/23/18

Catching up

OK. Here it is. The big catch-up post — I’m about to summarize and stuff nearly 5 weeks into one (hopefully) brief post.

OK. Here it is. The big catch-up post — I’m about to summarize and stuff nearly 5 weeks into one (hopefully) brief post. For any more detailed info about an event or a place, ask me in the comments!

I left you when I was leaving Acadia National Park, that would have been August 12th. I took the more northern route to my college town of Ithaca, NY, stopping just one night in Burlington, VT where my sister’s boyfriend’s mother lives. With warm, helpful people making connections, I was invited to park at her home. Cora was the most gracious hostess; I arrived to a homemade German-inspired dinner and her tenant, a talkative man by the name of Ducks (also living in a van, but parked stationary in her driveway) joined us. We sat and talked about so many things and five hours passed enjoyably and I was pleasantly surprised by yet another visit with lovely people.

I had planned to stay in Ithaca for a few days but a heavy and steady rain set in on my second day, and being so close to home in Pittsburgh, and already having visited my favorite spots (the Farmer’s Market, Purity Ice Cream, Cayuga Lake, A Taste of Thai) and still annoyed at the married man that hit on me that now owns the wonderful restaurant I worked at 13 years ago, I decided to head south and reorganize at home.

After a couple days in the ‘Burgh, I gathered up my mother, my younger sister and her daughter and we headed to our family vacation spot in North Carolina. We camped in West Virginia on the way down and then spent several lovely days just hanging out together in the Smoky Mountains at Fontana Village. We took my niece on her first rafting trip and rented a pontoon as we always do and toured around Fontana Lake. We fished for trout (that was hilarious - imagine three women and little girl who’ve never really fished before), cooked meals, played music, and talked like we ladies do. It was just what I needed before setting off on the rest of my adventure.

First, to Nashville, where I stayed with friends I knew from Denver. I accomplished my goal of getting into The Bluebird Cafe where I saw two excellent singer-songwriter rounds. I will absolutely do that again, it was one of the highlights of my whole trip thus far. My friends came out line dancing, we did Broadway, we did a couple’s mini photo session, and ate great food. I loved Nashville and started to picture an alternate life of trying to be a songwriter, or just photographing up-and-coming singers and bands. Maybe….

Then it was northbound for a brief night in Chicago to stay with one of my oldest friends and we also met up with an old high school theater buddy (and crush) which was a spontaneous and happy reconnection. The next day I picked up a good friend, Beth, in Milwaukee and after some planning and lunch her mother sent us off with fresh produce and we headed west across Minnesota towards Badlands National Park. Now, some of you have heard this part already….

150 miles from Badlands, in the middle of nowhere South Dakota, my engine light came on after some odd rumbling and jerky transmission shifting. Luckily, a repair shop was just 10 miles away so we cautiously drove and made it to a nice family-run auto shop. We went to the only restaurant in town and indulged in afternoon drinks while we waited for the diagnosis. They wanted to rebuild my transmission for $3000. We borrowed their souped up Chevy Impala to stay at a hotel in Chamberlain and assessed the situation over wine and hot tub soaking. Thanks very much to Beth’s boyfriend, a former mechanic and very patient with all of our questions, who told us to just take the van and see how it goes, driving gently and slower. He wanted us to get it to a Chevy dealer, at least, and that maybe it would just drive fine anyway! He suspected contaminated gas and nothing worse.

So, the next day, with lots of support from Beth and a gathering of determination, I told the kind folks at the shop that we’d like to take it for a test drive after they reset the computer. And though I could tell they thought I was being crazy, we settled the bill and we drove off. Very gently. Very slowly. Counting each mile we successfully got closer and closer to Badlands, and therefore closer to the dealer I found in Rapid City. We made it to Badlands with no issues and decided to enjoy the afternoon there. We hiked a little and marveled at the strange rock formations, and met lots of bighorn sheep and bison on our way to the free campground at the west end of the park. At camp, we set up the van to the fullest, something I rarely do on my own. I grilled the veggies Beth’s mom gifted to us, we opened wine, strung up lights (which invited many giant moths), and did some cool night sky photography.

The escapade with the van continued after we made it to Rapid City and the Chevy dealer (Yay! Great signs of relief). They needed the day to get to it, so we rented a car and headed into the Black Hills, trying to make the most of being stuck. I wanted to go back to Keystone, a funny tourist village at the foot of Mt Rushmore, where I remembered an adventure park built into the mountainside. We rode the alpine slide a couple of times and 1 long zip line, both firsts for Beth (sorry, no photos!) Then we got the call from the dealer… they couldn’t find anything wrong with the van! So we booked it back down the highway to grab it before they closed, then we turned right around to catch views of Mt Rushmore and Crazy Horse.

We were a bit late for Crazy Horse; we could see it but only briefly as it quickly got too dark. But we were delighted to learn there was about to be a laser light show on it, so we parked backwards, positioned to watch from the back of the van, brought out snacks and opened the back doors. The show left some modernization to be desired, but it was educational. Then we began the long drive toward Grand Teton, hoping to make it halfway and catch up on some lost time.

We arrived in Grand Teton the following afternoon and got to explore and hang out for a couple of days before Beth’s flight left out of Jackson Hole. We did a nice hike up to Hidden Falls, where a black bear came crashing out of the hillside and crossed the trail not far in front of us. I’ll admit — I turned and ran! (Which you are NOT supposed to do). But the bear had kept running too and though I was relieved it scampered away, Beth kept trying to lure it back for another look. Short on time, we used the boat shuttle to bring us across Jenny Lake, which I recommend whether or not you have time to finish your hike because it’s a beautiful view from the water.

I spent my evening in Jackson Hole after seeing Beth off, starting to feel unhappy about going on alone. Beth had been an excellent vanlife companion and remembering how to do it on my own wasn’t feeling so exciting. I comforted myself with green curry noodles and went back into the park to do laundry and stealth camped right outside the general store. After rising early to catch sunrise light on the Teton Range, I traveled northward to Yellowstone National Park.

I knew there were geysers in Yellowstone but I honestly didn’t even know what to expect otherwise. I met up with a friend who happened to be working outside of the West Entrance and had the day to explore. We made a northwest excursion and hiked to the summit of Bunsen Peak, checked out Mammoth Hot Springs, and had elk and bison burgers for dinner outside of the North Entrance in Gardinier.

After camping at the West Yellowstone Visitor’s Center, I went into the park for a couple of days on my own, camping at Madison and doing the south loop the first day and the north loop the next day. Some major highlights of the southern loop were Grand Prismatic and Firehole Drive. The colors of the rock and the thermophile microbes that live in hot, sulfuric places! The gurgling mud pools and steaming vents and gushing geysers! Oh and bison. All of the bison.

On my second day I started early at Artists Paint Pots and the morning light and the steam coming out of the earth created the most lovely effect. The northern loop includes Yellowstone Falls and oh. OH! Top 5 most beautiful places I’ve ever seen is from Brink of Lower Falls, which brings you quite literally to the brink of the 312 foot drop of a rushing glacial river into the 1000 ft Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I stood in awe and let the beauty and majesty of this place wash over me. I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking.

The next day I was planning to head north to Glacier National Park, then further on to Calgary, Banff, across the Canadian Rockies to Vancouver… but talks and news of wildfires made me pause and do some research. It was tough to call, but after driving through the part of Yellowstone that was on fire and tasting the smoke inside my van, I decided it wasn’t something I wanted to deal with, and the fire map for the Canadian Rockies looked really bad.

But I loved Yellowstone so much, I decided I could just go back for a couple more days! I hung out with Mike a couple more times in the funny town of West Yellowstone, and went back to the Grand Canyon area for a guided hike and to Yellowstone Lake for a “scenic boat tour.” I do not recommend it, it’s not a scenic boat tour if you’re sitting the middle of an enclosed vessel with small windows. I wanted to do a nice hike a ranger recommended but a big worry for me has been bears and all of the “Do not hike alone!” signs. So I went to the trailhead and waited to see other people and asked to tag along with a nice couple, Deb and Robert, from Alabama. We reached Cascade Lake after 2.2 miles and impulsively decided to do 3 more miles to summit Observation Peak… this made the whole hike 10.5 miles! They were great company and I was super impressed with myself, setting the record for longest hike I’ve ever done. A nice lady had given me her unused dinner coupon so I treated myself to a big dinner and wine reward before leaving the park.

I had decided to avoid most of the fires, and to see my sister and friend before they were tied up with other things, by going through Idaho straight to Portland. I had no idea the cool sights Idaho possessed; St. Anthony Sand Dunes and Craters of the Moon, with lava fields and volcanoes. Eastern Oregon was striking, too, with its rolling desert hills and the Columbia Gorge. I spent 5 days in Portland, wining and dining with my sister, Chrissie, and falling head over heels in love with her city. I saw another longtime friend who sent me away with fresh heirloom tomatoes from her garden. Then I decided I should move along, especially because I was feeling very comfortable… too comfortable. I decided to go into Washington and wander for a few days, and the options were plentiful.

Abby Gleason 9/6/18 Abby Gleason 9/6/18

Brooklyn & Massachusetts

I got my van to a Chevy dealer in New Jersey, found my next campsite not too far away while I waited, and after shelling out an unexpected $370 for the headlight electrical fixes and inside door handle (which the dealer supposedly fixed when I bought it), I went off for Solo Camping Night #2.

I was excited to get to camp in the daylight and set up my cooking stove/grill. I attached the piece the grill comes with but it seemed too floppy but I couldn't get it more secure. I attached the long hose that was intended to let me leave my full-size propane tank in the van all the time and didn't have to find and buy those little camping tanks. Time to open the tank and ignite the grill. But, well, what if! I got super paranoid that when I would turn the gas on, I would explode because the hose wasn't right and the connections were loose. I got irrationally worried I was doing it all wrong and that it would be disastrous if I pressed the ignite button. I googled, I youtubed, I called a friend, I texted people... but no one and nothing I found was quite answering my questions and I wasn't sufficiently talked down off my ledge of anxiety. By then it was after dusk, the mosquitoes were relentless, and I was in quite a mood - feeling sorry for myself, feeling idiotic for not testing the grill before I left, and wondering what the hell I thought I was doing with this whole van adventure thing.

I decided to pack it up, pour myself a cocktail, and hang out inside the van, eating raw zucchini, mushrooms and red bell peppers with a yogurt dip I whipped up. It wasn't a bad dinner by any means, and by this point my disappointment was softened by good humor and positivity. Eventually I prepared the "bed," getting frustrated with the heavy wooden pieces and the clunky and injury-inducing sharp corners. Sleeping was a joke, as I just sank through the separating cushions again, even though I had tried stacking them. What. A. Night.

I arrived to Brooklyn early in the afternoon and impressed myself with parallel parking the van in Park Slope. I sat myself at Roots Café for hours barely drinking coffee and working on my logo project and worrying about finances. Around 5pm I walked the very charming 1.5 miles down 5th Avenue to meet Jess, my sophomore and junior years roommate and friend. We caught up at Union Standard, sitting at the bar with happy hour specials and having a lovely sort of "it's-been-12-years-since-we've-really-even-spoken-but-it's-totally-fine" conversation. We decided to go around the corner for Thai food, having shared a special love of my college workplace, A Taste of Thai. It was really great reconnecting with such an old friend. I love that this trip has already been and will likely be more of this!

Brooklyn.... I adore Brooklyn. I kept imagining living there, or longterm van lifing on the street. I hung out with my high school friend, Lindsey, for a few days. I helped her prepare to move apartments and she helped me talk through van projects still undone. I told her about my stove/grill fears and she cleverly hooked me up with a friend of hers that isn't a camping guru, but a lab scientist! Basil was her name, and she was very patient with what I, by then, felt were irrational and silly worries. We walked, we had bagels and tacos and coffee, and a trip to IKEA for both of our needs. Oh yes, the van has some IKEA touches. (Note to self - should have taken photos for that - will edit later!)

I left Sunday morning after taking Lindsey up on a little gig to drop stuff off that she didn't want to deal with but wanted to get rid of responsibly. Then I was off to Massachusetts, excited to see a family I adore almost as much as my own, the Rodutas. I stopped in Connecticut somewhere on the way in a fancy outdoor mall area to find an REI, hoping they would have a solution to my bed problem. A helpful employee got me just what I wanted and I was so thrilled, I became a member and trotted off down the highway.

I arrived right before dinnertime to a home I remembered fondly. It was covered in construction wrap instead of the dark blueish grey wooden siding I loved, but the warmth and the family were inside. I dated the son of this family, PJ, for a few years back in my mid-20s and had remained connected with his family ever since (Thanks, Facebook). His father, Pete, passed away last November from a long battle with cancer, but his wife, son, two daughters, 2 son-in-laws, and 6 grandkids all bustled about the home as I remembered them, because of course—and thank goodness—life must go on. Everyone lives in town except PJ, who lives in Pittsburgh but was visiting that night for his niece's birthday. We all caught up, chatted, grilled, played and had dinner together and I was just so glad to be there.

The next day was much quieter. I made plans and did some work at the kitchen table while the family buzzed around me. The oldest daughter, Wendy, had hired me for family photos and we were trying to organize that around home buying and PJ leaving and work schedules. In the afternoon, PJ headed to New York City and I went out for ice cream with his mom, Karen, his sister, Merissa, and her daughter, Norah, who is a smart, pretty, and small bundle of 5-year old energy. Then we rushed to Wendy's home for a family photo session, which was challenging for all the people and personalities and rushed energy but I think I got some great shots that represent the family well. That evening, I played in the pool with Merissa and Norah, and sat with Karen for a long time over wine and talking about her plans for retirement. I don't recall ever getting that kind of time with her before and I really cherished it. She is a soul I have trouble describing but suffice it to say she has a depth of warmth and patience, is quick to laugh with her goofy kids, and is the sort of person you feel could give you all the answers to life's quandaries.

In the morning I got ready to take off and felt I should get out of their way, but Karen offered breakfast and other helpful things and I let her, also not really wanting to leave just yet. Everyone else had left the house and it was just the two of us with coffee at the kitchen table. Somehow, I'm not sure why, the conversation became very emotional and serious and I felt like we were talking about her and her husband, but there were parallels to the uncertainty and change I was also going through. She said a friend sent her a card last fall that read, “You can be scared and brave at the same time” and I suddenly wanted to cry for her, for her loss, for her entire family’s loss, and then for me and all the worries I have about to enter the solo phase of my trip and the larger picture of my life. I couldn't hold back all the tears that were building up, but I sort of pulled it together. Then she hugged me tight and said my visit was a highlight of her summer and the tears came again, briefly. I said goodbye and drove off in my van and let the flood gates open. It was just overwhelming, everything, all of it. It was sad, comforting, and full of a lot of nuanced memories, hopes, and just... reality.

I drove a little ways to Portsmouth, Karen had suggested it because New Hampshire has no sales tax and I had decided I needed a new cell phone, the nice new camera ones. Then I realized I hadn’t taken any photos of me there, with them in Massachusetts, and was sad. Actually I hadn’t taken any of the people I had visited so far, besides one with Libby. I got the phone, stocked up at Trader Joe’s, and continued on one more hour to Portland. I didn't love it as much as I thought I would, having a vague fond memory of a short visit about 16 years earlier. I walked around Old Port, bought a great handmade canvas bag, and stopped at Andy’s Old Port Pub for mussels and Maine craft beer, all of which was great, and tried to do some work. Getting tispy on one beer and realizing I was still too far from my campsite, I instead went to a coffee shop, tried to work more, then decided to just go an hour north to a travel plaza for the night. It was a really nice one with a large, well-lit parking lot and I felt safe enough. The new camping pads were an excellent solution and I slept a full 9 hours with no issues. On to Acadia National Park....

Abby Gleason 8/27/18 Abby Gleason 8/27/18

Getting Into It

I am officially a month into my van life adventure! Catching up on my blogging and vowing to do better!

Oof! I really intended to write way more often. I have been writing about everything to I keep the memories fresh but just haven't been able to get to the blogging. Here I am! I vow to try to do better here on out.

I am officially a month into my van life adventure. It's been a real experience... from setting off with frustrations and worries with the van and figuring out the secrets to free camping, to spending time with several different families and friends around the east coast, cities and national parks and small towns. I haven't really spent as much alone as I thought I would, which means my writing and guitar practicing time has been very limited. The really awesome thing is that through my moving to 4 places in my adult life, and getting know people in all of them, and those people moved around means I get to visit people all over the country!

First, Maryland to see my old college bestie, Libby. I had met her husband only briefly at their wedding 8 years ago, so getting to know him a bit and to meet their 2 beautiful children was a great start to the range of people I'd spend time and reconnect with over the next month. I felt so welcomed by them and loved bonding with the kids and talking to Libby about her life and her grown-up concerns. She always had this certainty about her when it came to love; I knew when she found someone, she would love him unconditionally and absolutely and I can see that she does. After blue crab, family dinners, a house party and bedtime book-reading to their daughter, it was time to hit the road.

Outside of Philly in the town of Phoenixville, I pulled up to a lovely house where my old friend Bob lives with his parents, a warm and life-loving Dutch couple. I met Bob back in Pittsburgh several years ago when a friend and I started a little fashion magazine and we scouted him to model for us. He quickly became a friend and joined us for karaoke and late-night diners on a regular basis. Bob and his parents were wonderful hosts. After relaxing with him and his mother over her favorite tea and Bob's homemade cookies, Bob took me for a short driving tour of the town where he grew up.

When we got back, we caught up over ping pong, and I spilled it all, about how I was doing the van trip now because I hoped to get pregnant next year. I don't have a real plan on how to do that and it was funny bouncing ideas around with a 30-year old guy. Later we went up to start cocktail hour and hang out in the kitchen while his mom made dinner and his dad got home from work. Seeing Bob's parents made so much sense. I love meeting a friend's parents and you just think "Ah yes, I totally get why you're you." His girlfriend also came to join us and I loved spending the evening with all of them over a delicious dinner.

The next day, I had decided I would go camping the next 2 nights since my friend in Brooklyn wasn't ready for me just yet. I also had a lot to do - I had a big mission to replace the the damn Passport I couldn't find before leaving my home. I had an appointment at a post office south towards Philly, which turned out to have a system outage issue and couldn't do any processing. I went up towards Phoenixville to a cute town to use WiFi and figure out what to do next. I found a little library nearby that did them and was able to get it al settled and done without much more trouble. It was really lucky I had grabbed the one blank check I had. After all of that got settled, I ran errands gathering van supplies and then met Bob at Whole Foods and grabbed groceries for my next two days of camping. By the time I left, it was already near 6:00 and I knew I'd be arriving to my campsite after dark, which is less than ideal... and I didn't know just how much less.

Earlier I had posted in my Facebook group to other female van travelers about campsites, since all of them in the Pocono area were really expensive. They pointed me to freecampsites.net, where I found Delware State Park and free camping with a call-in permit. I got that all set up, and got the coordinates in my phone to guide me into the forest. The drive up was great, until I was getting close and noticed my headlights suddenly got brighter, like the brightness they should be, and then starting flickering... and then went out completely. Luckily, it was just for a minute and I was still around other cars to give me light but I knew if they went off again I would be in serious trouble.

I was getting just about 10 minutes away when I missed my exit off the highway, and when Google maps showed me I just added half an hour to my trip, I started to panic. I couldn't do anything but keep driving, hoping and hoping the headlights wouldn't fail me again. I finally got to my exit and pulled off to very dark, windy, forest roads until I found the little gravel road to my campsite, and then finally to my spot. Relieved but a little freaked out, I poured myself a cocktail and set about reorganizing the van storage and focused on the positive - it was my first night in my van on my big adventure! And an adventure it already was...

I slept terribly that night, finding out the the cushions I made from foam mattress topper material was not at all sufficient, and my shoulders and hips sunk between and through them to the plywood underneath. Then the rain began early in the morning and I discovered just how loud it is, even through all the added insulation. Unable to sleep more, I checked the weather to find severe warnings for hail and even possibly tornados, so I decided hanging at the campsite wasn't wise. Plus, I needed to work on some freelancing and this was not a great environment to do that. I packed up and found a quaint restaurant not too far, the Forklift Cafe. I worked, found a Chevy dealer an hour away that could check out the headlights issue, and sufficiently fueled on coffee and a Rueben sandwich, headed south into New Jersey.

Abby Gleason 8/7/18 Abby Gleason 8/7/18

Starting Off

Well, I really wanted to make a "Before I Go" post to start things off, but the last few days, not to mention the last entire 2 months, before I left Pittsburgh were a total whirlwind and I could not find the time and/or focus. This is the best I can do, y'all….

I left Pittsburgh on Saturday, July 28th to begin what I hope will be a 4-month life-changing adventure. I'd been thinking about epic road trips since I was in high school and I had a few decent ones: New York to Florida in college, Pittsburgh to Massachusetts/Maine looping through New York, moving to San Francisco from Pittsburgh and then moving again from SF to Denver, but I wanted to LIVE on the road. I wanted to get settled on the road, visit cities I hadn't been to, see the beautiful parks and do some major hiking, stop at quirky roadside attractions, eat lots of farm stand fruit, collect things, and take many many photographs.

About two years I got really serious about a longterm road trip. I tried the old RV way, but shopping in Denver for what I could afford left me with 30-year old campers in rough shape and I'm sure would've been money pits. I postponed, and after my move back home to Pittsburgh last summer, inspired by Instagram and Pinterest feeds of converted vans, decided that buying a cargo van and custom-converting it was the way to go.

Luckily, in Pittsburgh I knew a guy who was a master carpenter and didn't have a lot going on in the early summer months. I bought my 2008 Chevy Express 1500 in March, and starting in June, John took on my project and, guided by my designs for aesthetics and function, built me a tiny home on wheels. This was not the adorable process that Pinterest and bloggers make it look. I was working 2 jobs to save money for my epic adventure, and John - well, I'm not sure exactly what John's process was really like - researched and executed the conversion process. We planned on the end of June being the deadline because I knew that my last month would be just enough time for me to work on the finishing projects in the evenings. Alas, John was working right up until the Tuesday night of the week I left. That meant that I couldn't always get in and do what I wanted to do in the van... which also meant I didn't get all my projects done in time. But, with encouragement from friends, I decided to just take off and work things out on the road.

That Saturday morning, I was stressed as hell. I couldn't find the passport I would need to cross into Canada above Maine to do Montreal and Ottawa city before coming back down into New York. I didn't have my curtains finished, or my mosquito netting, or the awning I imagined putting up whenever I camped. But I wrapped it up the best I could, hoped I grabbed the supplies I'd need in the immediate future, and set off towards Germantown, Maryland to see my best college friend. I hooted and hollered, felt the excitement and also the trepidation, settle into my chest as I drove south and then east.