Did you quit your job?
No, we're both on one-year leave of absences.

Are you keeping your house?
No, we were renting and it doesn't make much sense to pay rent on an empty house.

What did you do with all your "stuff"?
Some of it is in storage and a lot of it is being stored by friends. Thanks friends.

So, where are you going anyway?
We'll be driving all over the US, parts of Canada, possibly Alaska, and definitely Baja. If time remains, we'd also like to fly to Costa Rica and New Zealand.

How much will it cost? Are you just blowing all your savings?
We're not sure, but we're frugal. We aren't paying rent, so our main expenses are gas and food. We rarely go "out" to dinner since we have time to make good meals ourselves.

Why didn't you just buy an RV!?
RV's are made for hauling people. We want to haul gear. Also, RVs are very hard to drive in cities or on small, sketchy roads.

Is that van new?
No, it's a 1999 Ford E350 XL. We bought it with 39k miles.

Did you put the van hightop on yourselves?
No, we had that done, but we did do the carpeting, the interior of the hightop, and the lighting.

Can Heather drive that thing?
Yes, we opted for a unisex van.

Did you put that bed/seat in yourself?
No, that was done at US Vans (for too much money).

What's the gas mileage on that thing?
It varies...13mpg city and 16-17mpg highway.

Can you stand up in the van?
Absolutely, it's a little over 6 feet inside.

Why do you have two ladders on the back of the van?
In the spring, we will strap each of our kayaks to a ladder, with the bikes on a trailer hitch bike rack in between.

Is the van 4WD?
Unfortunately, no--that's a $6000 custom job.

What do you do about going to the bathroom?
There are lots of trees in the areas we'll be visiting, but public bathrooms are readily available too. This question has been asked so much that we thought we would add a vague elaboration: When we are dying to go pee in the middle of the night, we have a "pee jar" that we use.

What about laundry?
Laundromats. We keep lots of quarters on hand.

How and what are you going to cook?
We have a two burner camp stove. We can cook about anything we normally cook except pizza. Our favorite meals so far are burritos (spanish rice, black beans, and corn) and anything using smoked salmon.

What about a shower?
This can be a problem. In cities with a 24 Hour Fitness, we've got it made. Pay showers are available at some truck stops, campgrounds, hostels, public pools, etc. When all else fails, we use wet wipes.

Where do you park to sleep?
Flat parking lots at motels/hotels, preferrably far from traffic. Lights don't bother us because we have foam insulation for each window.

How do you stay warm in the winter?
Down sleeping bags. We also have a propane heater for daytime use.

Do you have a carbon monoxide detector?
Yes, but we still don't plan to use the propane heater while sleeping.

What about bills?
We only have two, Visa and Verizon. We can get the balance over the phone or online and mail the checks or pay online.

Aren't you going to get bored before a YEAR is up?
We've both spent ~240 days a year for the last 6+ years in a 6'x8' cubicle in front of a computer--no, we won't get bored.

Where will you put your gear?
The kayaks will be strapped to the ladder. The bikes will be mounted on a rack that attaches to the trailer hitch. The windsurfing boards will go under the seat/bed, and the sails will be on a shelf in the hightop of the van.

How do you get online?
Our first choice is at a local library but more often than we want, it is via our cellphone at 19.2KB/sec (slow!!!).