Up front: “Cirque Dreams” a print of an ink and watercolor portrait of the Cirque of the Towers in Wyoming’s Wild River Range by Craig Muderlak
Drum roll, please… this is my 500th post on the Blonde Coyote! A look back at my very first post from June 2011:
Until very recently, I resisted starting a blog. I already make my living at the keyboard as a freelance science and travel writer and I didn’t want to commit to spending any more of my time staring at a computer screen. But lately, friends have been asking me for travel tips, especially road tripping advice and since I’ve been living on the road for the past six years, I have a lot to share.
Traveling is more than a hobby for me; it’s a way of life. Everything I own, including my two dogs, fits neatly in my car and I am ready to pack up and hit the road anywhere at anytime. In the past six years my dogs and I have crossed the country ten times, taken countless regional road trips, hiked thousands of miles in the lower 48 states and lived in nine states on both coasts: PA, OR, MD, VA, NM, MT, MI, WV, and ME. I have seen a lot of the world and have no plans to settle down any time soon.
I know not everybody is willing or able to convert to full time vagabonding, but traveling doesn’t have to be exotic or expensive. All you really need is time and a good pair of shoes. I would love for my friends to see more of the world, whether they are exploring their own home towns, a neighboring state, crossing the country or heading overseas. Stay tuned to The Blonde Coyote for travel tips, updates from my adventures on the road and lots more!
A new form of transport for the Teardrop: the Rattler’s first ferry boat ride out to the Olympic Peninsula!
Now, just over three years later, the intent of the Blonde Coyote has remained the same but my own mode of travel has evolved quite a bit. I bought my rolling home on the road in March 2012, as a 30th birthday present to myself. After living out of my car between housesitting gigs for six years, I was craving some personal space but I wasn’t willing to settle down in one place. The trailer has given me exactly that and after my third summer living in it, I have it decorated just so with an eclectic mix of micro-art and mementos from my journey. In celebration of my 500th post, I thought you all might enjoy seeing some updated pix of my dream home on the road.
My work station, where I write most of my posts, surrounded by some of my favorite images and an original painting by my sister.
The painting at lower left was sent to me by a reader who based it off one of my photos of Mount Elbert. Other mementos from Key West, the Rio Grande Gorge, Vedauwoo, Wyoming and the Grand Canyon.
The best Art of all…out the door
Stay tuned for 500 more posts! :)
