<First written in 2021, updated January 2023>
In case you don’t already know us, we are Mike Trowbridge (70) and Janine Rood (64 – almost). We’ve fulfilled our main life-obligations to family and community and professionally. We’ve made it our mission to dedicate ourselves to travel and adventure for the next 5 or so years, and we’re keeping this blog to record and communicate our experiences (the highs AND the lows!).
It has been our dream (especially Mike’s!) to explore the US by RV. We took our first major steps toward the RV travel life in 2019. We started the processes of downsizing, organizing, extricating ourselves from employment (not always easy!) and preparing to launch our “next life” of travel and adventure. That summer, we moved cross-country from Chico CA to near Buffalo NY to care for Janine’s parents and help them stay in their home for as long as possible. From August 2019 through June 2021, we logged multiple crossings of the US, as well as a few multi-week east-coast adventures in our first set-up (or ‘rig’!). We learned a LOT with this truck-trailer combination, a Ford F150 we nicknamed “Captain” and “Kanga,” a Rockwood Roo hybrid trailer (get it?!).
In June of 2021, we finished up our ‘caregiving’ responsibilities and headed back west, to begin our full-time travel adventure life. By this point, we had gotten rid of a LOT of our stuff (maybe 2/3 of everything we owned?), and sold our home in Chico, but we still have a rental house in Chico (and storage for our remaining stuff) as well as our little cabin in the woods of Mt Shasta, CA. So northern California remains our “home base” from which all trips originate!
We love being at our Shasta cabin, but the winters can be tough so we decided to launch our first big travel adventure (and this blog!) in January of 2022, in search of 70 degree weather for the next 4 to 5 months.
LIFE ON THE ROAD
The first thing you’ll probably want to know, is about our “rig” or set up. As mentioned above, we like the truck/trailer combo, because we can store our bikes pretty safely in the truck (with camper shell), and we can always unhitch and drive away, leaving our “home” behind rather than dragging it with us to the start of any adventure. This is especially handy because we like to seek out places we want to explore, for at least a couple of weeks at a time. So the need for a grocery store run, or other shopping, is bound to arise… in addition to getting to trailheads, bike ride starts, museum parking lots and any other adventures!
So in the beginning of 2023, we’ve just “upgraded” to a bigger, 4-season trailer and a bigger truck to safely pull it. The truck is a Ford F350 Supercab with 8 foot bed and a Leer camper shell (nicknamed “Godzilla” for its huge engine). Yep, it’s BIG. Great to drive, but can be tricky to park! The trailer is a Timber Ridge 24RKS from Outdoor RV Manufacturing (ORV for short). ORV makes “heavy-duty, 4-season trailers designed and built for the mountains and deserts of the west coast” in La Grande, Oregon. We LOVE their commitment to good/proven design, rugged construction and high quality. When we started spending significant time in our Rockwood Roo, we quickly learned that it wasn’t great for extreme heat or cold (due to the fold-out canvas-enclosed sleeping area…) and that light-weight often is synonymous with “will fall apart soon”. So we’re excited to experience the difference with ORV! And it’s still so new that we haven’t figured out a nickname for it yet.
We do carry a fair amount of ‘stuff’ with us on the road. Basics, of course, like generator, solar panels, tools, kitchen stuff, clothes etc. Then the fun stuff like gravity chairs, an inflatable 2-seater kayak, hiking gear and of course bikes and related gear, parts and tools. We started out with a road and a mountain bike each. Currently we are traveling a bit lighter with just a gravel bike and two sets of wheels each (road and gravel), so that makes a little less to deal with. It’s a lot of stuff, but better to be prepared (both for adventure and misfortune!) than not…
Our crew would not be complete without Jeri and Squeaky, our traveling cats. Both were orphans so they also have their quirks! Jeri is the orange one. At age 14, she is slowing down a bit but still the “alpha cat”. She’s our loveable and affectionate girl – the most ‘dog-like’ cat ever. Squeaky, a mostly-grey ‘dilute tabby’, is 8 and still as crazy and loud (thus the name) as the day we got her from the Humane Society at 3 months old! She lives for tormenting Jeri and exasperating us… she’s a true cat’s cat!
So that’s us! Our goal is to post a weekly updates (internet permitting) while we’re off on adventures, so we can stay in touch with you. We’d love to hear from you, and will try to respond to any questions or comments withing 24 hours, but be patient as the internet might be scarce where we’re heading!