For our 6th installation of the En Route Series we caught up with Jon, Gale, and their Huckberry Sprinter. From Jon and Gale on the road:
Independent of each other we were both looking for a change. Our jobs were "good", but no longer what was best for us. I'd grown up dreaming of a van trip rambling across the country and the idea had crept back into my head. After mentioning the idea to Gale after dinner one night, I learned she'd taken a shorter road trip in high school and was totally down to hit the road longer term. We started planning pretty much immediately; saving money, paying down debts, and lots of van research. It took over a year for us to be in the position to resign from our Boston jobs and start to make the trip a reality.
We bought a 2004 Dodge Sprinter that had been a construction van and spent this past summer turning it into an apartment (cabin) on wheels for the two of us. Finally in mid-August we were ready to hit the road. Our Sprinter was now a home that we were excited to move into with a queen size bed, dinette for four-ish people, and power from a Yeti 1250 Solar Generator and Boulder 90 Solar Panels. It's been nearly two months since we set out from York, ME and we've seen a lot: over 4,500 miles of road, 6 National Parks, 17 states, innumerable National Forests, and a few Walmart parking lots.
We get asked what the destination is for the trip a lot. There never has been one, but we're open to the idea of finding one we'd really like to head back to when the wanderlust begins to burn a little less brightly. But, there was always a goal to change the daily norm and that we've definitely done. If you're so inclined, you can follow along with our travels at: www.instagram.com/she_explores www.instagram.com/thevanman www.instagram.com/ourvanview www.she-explores.com www.huckberry.com/journal
For those of you who have been asking for more detail on how these vehicles are outfitted with solar, Jon and Gale stuck around for a bit and showed us more about their setup. Check out the video below: