#15 A year into living a nomadic life!
We had shared how we felt about living the nomadic life in the very nascency (10 weeks in) of the journey - you can read it here https://cogitoergo.net/fernweh/blog-post-two-fn3tr. Now that we have lived peripatetically for more than a year, it is time for an update.
We spent much of this time going up and down the eastern seaboard, had 8 fun-filled weeks in Brooklyn NY, a few weeks in Mexico and Rio Grande Valley in Texas over the year-end, and several weeks in India spent with family and friends, interspersed with the time at our base in Connecticut. And we are now 2 months into our 5-month coast-to-coast road trip of the US.
It is perhaps worth noting that there are some key differences between this way of traveling life and the type of travel we had been accustomed to over the previous 3 decades:
The most obvious - that there is no home to go back to. Once our time is up at a stop, it is time to move on to the next, which we find exhilarating but could be unnerving to many
The stops are all much longer than what we are used to, anywhere between 1 to 3 weeks, allowing us to get a true feel of the place and do and live like the locals do
In our regular travels, we would pretty much know aforehand all the activities we would do and the restaurants/bars we would hit. But we have largely left ourselves to be surprised by what the places on this journey have to offer. All we know is that we would like to spend time in a certain region / state, within which we pick an Airbnb that matches our taste, and then figure out once we reach the destination how we will spend the time there. In the process, we have ended up in stops that are barely known even to people in the state, but have found that there is so much beauty in even these unheralded places and that the locals here are less jaded, and are more open to interaction and more joyful
In summary, we feel exactly the same way about this nomadic life as we did in the blogpost of last year and perhaps even are ready to double down on this way of living! Here is why:
Every day that we are out on the road, there is a sense of wonder at all that each of these new places has to offer. There are trails, picturesque sights, birdwatching hotspots, golf courses, farmers’ markets and eateries to explore, events to savor, and the local culture to experience and get a feel for, and all done unhurriedly. To illustrate, we feel so fortunate to have, just as a sample and in no particular order,
Wandered the various little roads leading off the Trans-Canada Highway in Newfoundland, exploring the various bays and little communities along the coast
Explored the riverine grasslands and farmlands in the valleys cut out by Memramcook and Petitcodiac Rivers in and around Memramcook in New Brunswick, CA
Swam and dived in a variety of cenotes in the Yucatan in Mexico
Savored the unique ecosystem of salt marshes and lagoons glowing in the evening sun in Kouchibouguac NP in New Brunswick, CA
Stayed at the amazing campground set right on the edge of the cliffs of Cabot Trail
Chanced upon some incredible birdwatching related sights -
the shores of Bay of Fundy where hundreds of thousands of semipalmated sandpipers and other shorebirds gather in late July / early August (when we serendipitously happened to be there) to gluttonously feast before they set off on their migratory journeys
the intimately close viewings of the puffins in Newfoundland
the hundreds of flamingos in a picturesque bay off the Gulf of Mexico
Hiked and took in the stunning sights of the Pictured Rocks Lakeshore in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Biked and walked the pretty Frazer River Trail in Winter Park CO
Participated in farming activities of a 400-acre farm in Paxton NE
Hung out and cast a line at a completely secluded bay on the shores of Lake Superior
Stayed at an Airbnb in Cross Village MI that was stunningly landscaped with an abundance of native plants and trees (something close to our heart), and in mid-June was abloom and thus abuzz with pollinators
Played table tennis with a bunch of friendly locals on multiple days at the YMCA in a central Wisconsin town
Seen so much of the countryside including places we would otherwise may not have such as Iowa and Nebraska
Came across phenomenon that we had absolutely no idea about previously - like the highest tides in the world at Bay of Fundy
And .. fulfilled our life-long dream of living in New York City!!
Sorry, couldn’t stop myself with the list!
Memramcook River wending its way to Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick CA
Our campsite at Mkwesaqtuk/Cap-Rouge Campground, Nova Scotia CA
An Atlantic Puffin right by our feet in the early morning, Newfoundland CA
A native plant in all its blooming glory at our Airbnb in Cross Village, Michigan
The brilliantly choreographed murmurations of a few hundred sandpipers, Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick CA
Table tennis companions in Eau Claire, Wisconsin
We continue to meet so many interesting people along the way and have had so many wonderful conversations, almost all of which are attributable to this unhurried way of travel. We are excited to hear about their lives and very often, people are intrigued to hear about our way of living and this leads to so many interesting interactions. Most are just wonderful in the moment and do not have a following chapter, which is totally fine, while some have resulted in exchange of contact information and an earnest intent to stay in touch, and in some cases, we have actually gone on to have a subsequent meeting
Our cup of luck with awesome Airbnbs continues to poureth over .. we have stayed in so many absolutely wonderful homes, be it for their location, how well appointed they are, the magnificent surroundings they are in, or the wonderful hosts we have gotten to meet. We absolutely would like to continue to experience these beautiful abodes.
We continue to explore local fare and produce and weave them into some go-to recipes that we adore - they are nutritious, filling, and delicious, and we can’t seem to get enough of them. But equally wonderful has been that Marley Spoon, the meal delivery service we have relied on and loved for more than a decade now, has to our surprise been able to deliver to towns as remote as Cross Village MI, Winter Park CO and Paonia CO. This has made it so convenient to eat our favorite meals without the attendant hassles of wondering what to cook and of shopping.
We have been able to attend hyper-local events, shows and concerts in little towns that we have stayed at or were nearby that are just so cute, wholesome and warm
We have had some of our dear family and friends join us for some of our travels - how cool that we continue to enjoy their company but in a new environment that we can collectively explore and enjoy
And last but by no means the least, we have been able to visit and spend time with several friends and family, several of whom we had not been in active touch with. This was only possible because we have time to spend, and because we are in no rush to get back home. This has led to us catching up with each others’ lives, to reacquaint ourselves and become closer, and to so many wonderful conversations.
The idyllic setting of the "Bunkhouse”, our Airbnb in rural Nebraska
For all these joys that we derive from this way of life, are there any challenges? We would be hard pressed to think of any based on our experience thus far (unless we count something as trivial as ordering and returning goods which can be a challenge because of the lack of a fixed address, but in some ways it is a boon as we have to be truly selective!).
There are two though that could potentially be significant in the future: 1) We have always known that needing sustained medical care is incompatible with nomadism and thus this journey is only feasible only as long as we are healthy. Which was also why we decided to retire relatively early and set upon this journey while we are physically still in good shape. 2) If we needed to travel in an emergency while on the road, we would have logistical challenges to worry about
Once our ongoing road trip wraps up by late fall, we plan to leave the familiar environs of north America and begin our international travels. The big change we see is our inability to speak the local language and thus be unable to truly communicate - how we take to this only time will tell. But we are super excited to give it a shot and see how we like it!
Based on the absolutely fun year that we have had and the several upcoming adventures that are already in the works, the thought of settling down again hasn’t even crossed our minds. Hope it stays this way for a long, long time!
A few of the hundreds of flamingos in flight near Celestun, Yucatan province, MX
