You Are Living My Dream

When people find out about my current or past travels of living on the road, a lot of the time their response is, "you're living my dream!"  I am always flattered that someone would want to choose the lifestyle of traveling like I do.  Lately, I have been responding with, "you can do it too and live your OWN dream."  Most often, that is followed by, "I would if only..."

If only.

Those, "if only's" are choices. Choices we made in our life that we want to, or need to keep.  Maybe you bought a home that you feel you can't leave, or kids, or a marriage, or your job, or your pet... Those are all great reasons to stay put and not do anything different in your life (not that there is anything wrong with that life) except be envious by posts of other people living a life that is YOUR dream.  The question is, "do you really want to live your dream?"  If you do, what is preventing you from making the choices needed to pursue that dream?

The truth is, you don't have to buy that house, you don't have to have children or get married, you don't have to have a traditional 9-5 job in an office.  American culture wants you to spend your money on things to fill up the home you bought and throw away things that you are bored with.  All the while, you hope this will make you happy in your heart and fulfilled in your life.  It might give you a momentary sense of happiness but it fades and crashes fast and then has the opposite effect.  Over time it makes you feel overwhelmed and trapped.  The more space we have, the more we want to fill it with stuff.  

I know of several families with children who live on the road.  If you don't want to travel alone, you can do it with a partner.  I can't imagine traveling without my dog Max, but that is a choice and it limits what I can do.  I am ok with that.  

I own a home and rent it out when I live in the van.  There are several online companies that will help you find someone that will pay you to live in your home with all of your furnishings in place.  I come back a few months out of the year and each time I do, I get rid of things.  I sell or donate the ten years of stuff that I have collected in my garage.  A collection of emotional items (Grandparents furniture, photographs, art) to things I thought I needed.  It's a bigger rush to me to get rid of things now, as opposed to buying something new.  I put out a stack of plastic chairs that I had for parties (which I don't have anymore) out on the curb with a free sign on it.  I was so excited when someone picked it up.  It was giving them a new home instead of a landfill.  If I decide to have a party, B.Y.O.C (bring your own chair) will now be included on the invitation. I digress. 

Here's the thing.  YOU CAN live your dream...whatever that is.  It's all a matter of choices and planning.  Do the work.  Be persistent with your goals and do something to move closer to them every day.  I will leave you with a short clip of artist, Chuck Close on what he would tell his younger self.  

What I took away from this is:

1.) You can do anything

2.) Inspiration is for amateurs.  Professionals show up and do the work.

3.) Continue to do the work, even if you don't feel like it.  Eventually it will get you somewhere.

Time to live YOUR dream.

A Drive Along The Oregon Coast

One of my favorite drives in this country is along the Oregon coast. For some reason, it puts you in a good mood and for a moment, everything seems right in the world. Ok, that might be a bit dramatic but it truly is a sight to see. I've done this drive a few times and each time I do, I find something new.

I took a few days and stopped for the night in some nice camping spots along the way. A drive on the coast isn't complete without a stop at the tillamook cheese factory to taste samples and get a huge scoop of ice cream.

Max loves the beach and he gets a bit crazy when we play in the sand. Sometimes, he even lets me bury him! We had such a good time on the coast. If you're looking for a scenic drive on the ocean, Oregon has it!

Here are a few iPhone pics from our Oregon drive plus a few near the border of California in the redwoods.

Where are you going?

When someone learns of my plans to live in my van and travel around the USA, the first question I get is, "where are you going to go?"  My answer is "I don't know" or "everywhere!"  I wish I could be more specific but I really never know.  I tend to have a general direction on where I will go and depending on the weather and circumstances, it determines the next day and so on.

I admit that it's not the best way to travel, but it's worked for me so far.  I would like to see Marfa, TX and perhaps make it out to the salt flats but other than that, it's a blank canvas.  I am assuming I will travel with the weather so that usually means I will head North during the hot months and South in the Fall.  I always enjoy being on the East coast in late summer.

I will be making goals along the way and sharing photographs, including portraits of people I meet on the road.  If you know of a place I shouldn't miss, please let me know.

You can always follow me here:
Instagram - user name is alisontravels
Facebook
Twitter - @alisontravels
Photos

Also, to help fund the trip, I am thinking of publishing small books in limited numbers to sell with portraits and travel photos. Once that is completed I update that here.

Thank you for your support!

Home (For Now)

As I was wandering around the streets of El Paso, it hit me.  It was time to go home.  I felt a little like the Forrest Gump in the scene where he stops running and says, "I'm pretty tired.  I think I'll go home now."

So that was it.  I decided that home is where I wanted to be at that moment.  I drove from El Paso back to Southern California in one shot.  I knew I was getting close when the Waffle House disappeared and Starbucks appeared more and more.  Also, people drove faster and everyone seemed to have blinker light problems since I didn't see any on merges right in front of me.  Ahhh...close to home.

As you might know, this is my third year traveling the country in a car with my dog.  I put together a little map with arrows to the places I've been in those three years.  Arrows in Red are from this year, purple is 2009 and Blue represents 2008.

It's been quite the journey.  As much as I would say that I am staying put, that is not necessarily the case.  I tend to get bored easy and need to keep moving and doing things so that is what I plan to do.  In fact, the homecoming will be short lived since I need to pack up again in a few days to make way for renters to come to my home.

I have a few things planned in the upcoming months so there won't be a dull moment.  I look forward to sharing more with you as they happen.

Thank you for following me on my journey and for all of the supportive comments.  I appreciate you and hope some of it has inspired you to get out on the road to explore this great country of ours.

America From My iPhone Camera - Featured on iphone Photography Website

It's hard to believe that I've taken over three thousand photographs on my iphone in the past few months.  Well, for me it's easy to believe since I tend to take pictures of everything I see that I find interesting.  I put together a short video of some of my favorite photographs taken with my iphone using my favorite hipstamatic app.  All of these photographs were uploaded as taken from my cell phone.

Thank you for watching and I hope you enjoy.




Very exciting news that the iphone photography website featured my video on their blog!  To see it listed, click HERE or go to www.iphonephotography.com

Alison Turner Photography Website www.AlisonTurnerPhoto.com

As you might know, I have a list of goals for the year that I outlined on my 39 goals for my 39th year blog.  One that wasn't on the list but I made a goal for myself is to put my photographs on a site where you can view and easily purchase.  Goal completed! You can find this site by clicking HERE or by simply typing:

www.AlisonTurnerPhoto.com

Many of the photographs on the site are from this road trip the people I've come across during this trip.  I will be adding more as I go along and it will always be a work in progress but it's a nice way to be able to put everything in one place.

You can browse photographs by clicking on "galleries" from the top menu. If there is a photograph you like, click directly on the photo and from there, you will have options to buy prints once you click on the green "buy" button.  If you don't see that button, the image is not for sale.  There are also options to download images once you click on "buy."  Once you go through the steps, it will take you to an online check out and the printing is done through a photoshelter partner.  I've received feedback on the printing and to my delight, the quality is great!  If there are photographs on my blog that you would like to purchase, please let me know and I will put them on this site.

Max and I will get back to the travel blogging but wanted to let you know about a goal completed!  We look forward to sharing more of our adventures with you!

Photographs Published In Airstream Life Magazine Fall 2010 Issue

I wanted to take a pause on my travel blog adventures to mention what a thrill and honor it is to have a few of my photographs printed in the newest issue of Airstream Life magazine!

As you might have guessed, I love Airstreams.  I joined the Silver Sisters at a rally back in March and took a few photographs of the ladies having a great time together at lake San Antonio, California.  I wrote to Airstream about this wonderful group of women and their "unofficial" club and now they get to share their story with all of the readers of Airstream life in an article about the Silver Sisters written by Becky Blaton. I was even able to get in the magazine with a strategic timed group photograph. I was just keeping Holly (the yellow lab) company while we huddled together in the below normal, extremely cold temperatures in California last March.

I am thankful to the editor of Airstream Life, Rich Luhr for the opportunity to be the official photographer the first annual Alumapalooza event held in Jackson Center, Ohio last June and for publishing a few of those photographs in the newest issue of the magazine (to view current issue online click HERE).  It was a wonderful event to be a part of and I enjoyed meeting and getting to know all of the proud Airstream owners!  Some of whom I keep in touch with and will get the chance to visit with on the road...stay tuned!  Don't miss out on next year's Alumapalooza event!  You can click on their official event page to see what it's all about and register HERE.

If you want to get a flavor of what happened last June, I put together a little slide show of my photographs from the event that you can view HERE . I look forward to more Airstream adventures and owning my very own Airstream trailer someday.

The Oregon Coast

After exploring the Redwood Forest, Max and I took a drive up highway 101 to the Oregon coastline.  This has been by far the most beautiful drive.  Through all of the twists and turns, we came across some of the most amazing views and beaches that stretch for miles.

I talked to some campers from Colorado at the last campsite that gave me a tip to a free campsite just outside highway 101 that sounded nice so we were going to head in that direction next.  In the meantime, we took a leisurely drive along the coast and stopped at a beach to enjoy the day and watch some people doing the same.

Max loves being on the sand and really, what's not to love?  The beaches here are so calm and the smell of salt water in the air is one of my favorite scents.  This trip so far has been so different from the last two.  For the most part, I have talked to more people in the first few days than I have in the last two trips combined.  For some reason, I just went along my way and didn't really engage with anyone.  Sometimes you will get the best tips from locals in the area and you never know how the direction will change if you decide to take in the advice and do something you wouldn't have normally done without the exchange.

So we are planning on the unplanned.  It's not going to be perfect, but it will be an adventure and I look forward to while seeing and exploring places I wouldn't have thought of if I didn't take the time to listen and take advantage of a new experience.

For today, we are enjoying all of the beauty of the Oregon coastline.  It is an incredible sight to see.

The Beauty Of Yosemite

I love traveling to our National parks.  There is something about them that instantly relaxes me.  Just driving up to the gate fills me with excitement with the anticipation of what I'm going to see, especially if I haven't been there before.  This was my first visit to Yosemite and despite the crowds, it is truly a sight to see.  As with every park, there are places you can find to get lost or stay with people if you want to drive around the valley.

Since Max isn't allowed on the trails, I had to stay near the road and even doing so brought me to some amazing views.  One of the best investments I've made was purchasing a National Park Pass.  For $80, you can travel to all parks for a year without paying admission.  If you plan to visit several, it's well worth the price.

I plan to visit as many National Parks as possible this time around and I look forward to seeing many I haven't explored before.  This is the perfect time of year to dust off your tent and equipment, get in the car and take a road trip to see the most beautiful acres of property in this country.

A Few Hours In Nevada City, California

I decided to get out of the forest for a few hours so I kept Max in the cool cabin and headed to Nevada City.  I used to come here in the winter when I lived in Northern California.  The town is so charming and the people are so down to earth and friendly.  If you happen to be in the area during Christmas time, it's not to miss.  The entire town is decorated and will put you in the spirit instantly.

It's pretty hot around here right now as it is in most parts of the country today.  I decided to hang out at a coffee shop for a while to power up my computer and write for a while online.

As Western Mining History describes, "First settled in 1849, Nevada City is one of the oldest of the Gold Rush towns. The settlement was known by several names until the name Nevada was selected in 1850. In 1861, the creation of the territory of Nevada once again prompted a name change and Nevada City became the final name of the town. 

A prosperous mining town, Nevada City became Californias third largest city with over 10,000 residents. Nevada City became the most sophisticated of the gold rush mining camps. New England moral influence, and able leadership from early settlers resulted in a relatively lawful town in contrast to the lawless camps of the time."

The houses here in town are so beautiful, I wanted to see if I could get people in their element sitting on the porch.  I think I toured during the hottest part of the day since most people were inside of their homes.  This is a dog lovers town and there were several best friends hanging out on the street with their local owners and a few scattered tourists around.  From the last time I was here, it seems more quiet than usual.  I didn't mind, it was a nice break of the day to get out and be around people for a while.

After just a few hours, I headed back into the hills.  I look forward to seeing what I come across tomorrow.

Max And His New Trailer!

I thought it would be fun this year on the road to be able to take Max with me while I wander around.  Last  year, my only option was to keep him in the car while I rode my bike, but sometimes it was way too hot to do so.  Now he is able to get on the dirt road with me in this handy bicycle trailer from Doggy Ride!

When I put it together, I didn't want him to be afraid of it right away so I put his small bed in it and put treats inside so he would have to hop in to eat the treats.  I did this all day (not moving the trailer), until I was able to zip it up and move it around slowly with him inside.

I thought he got the hang of it pretty quickly so we went for a spin around the neighborhood.  He didn't bark once but growled at a cat he saw.  I look forward to touring around in this with Max while we wander around the country soon!   Of course I still use a cheap tent that's over 10 years old to camp in but Max gets a brand new luxury coach!  Lucky Max.

Setting Goals For The Road

I think I do pretty well with setting goals and making them happen as much as I can.  Most of the work comes in actually writing the goals down and figuring out what I really want to do.

I've always hated the typical "where do you want to be in 5 years" interview question.  I mean, really.  How many people answer that truthfully?  I usually answered the question with what would benefit the company.  The tendency is to answer along the lines of: "I want to grow this company x amount and perhaps work my way up and fill the x position."  When you are really thinking, "I don't know if I will be happy here in five years and if you don't pay me enough, I am sure I will look elsewhere." Then 5 years comes along and you are doing the same thing and wondering why you are still there hating your job.

Good news is...you can do something about it!  I know this economy is pretty shaky and the future is uncertain but what future is certain?  I know that it took a long time for me to quit my job and let go of all of the security that surrounded it.  Even at the beginning I mourned not being needed anymore. Yes, I know...so sad.   I woke up and thought, "now what?"  I wasn't the type of sales person that did it just for the money, but I have to admit that getting a paycheck was nice.

I've lined up some people to live in my house and that means it's time for me to get out!  Time to get back out into the uncertainty...the unknown of the everyday.  For me, it's a welcome experience.  I love waking up each day, looking at a map and deciding where to go.  Although it hasn't always been the best way to plan a trip, it takes you to places you would have never had the chance to see, especially when you get lost.  My GPS navagator, "Cindy" tends to lead me to dead ends and takes me the wrong way sometimes.

Uprooting your home to live in a car for an extended period of time takes some planning.  There are so many things I want to see this time around.  I am completely hooked on the website, Roadside America and I am planning to visit the odd and weird.  It makes sense because I am typically drawn towards things that are different and freaky. There is so much to see and do. I've already seen the palace made of corn...very exciting.  I hope to become my own Hewell Howser and learn about different people and places along the way.  Of course I can't wait to share them with you here.  So, it's back to planning at least the first few weeks.  I can't wait to see the worlds largest, smallest, and greatest (insert something really facinating here).