On November 14, 2022 Laurie’s mom passed away. Her death was peaceful and marked the end of a 9 year battle with dementia. Laurie was committed to caring for her mom through the end and Andy supported her and stood at her side during the entire process.

As the grief lifted, we started to talk about what was next. Ever since chatting with a couple (Toaster and Smudge) in Trout Lake Washington while hiking the PCT in 2016, we had been very curious about Boise, Idaho.

Over the years we visited a few times and were impressed by the clean parks, friendly people and great access to nature. House prices are more affordable than California (and would have been MUCH more affordable had we purchased in 2016), but alas, we are in the here and now.

So after many back and forths about our timeline, we made plans to move to Boise in the fall of 2023, after a month long trip to Alaska. With that transition on the horizon we both quit our jobs in late spring to prepare for the move.

It felt like the PCT all over again. We were packing for both a trip and a move, boxes were numbered and spreadsheets were created to track where things were put.

Our original plan was for Andy to drive to Alaska in Monster Truck (our truck camper) and Laurie would fly with her godmother Joanna and the kiddos. But after a mosquito ridden evening in the Eastern Sierra in late June we accepted the fact that we have outgrown Monster Truck.

The Four Wheel Camper is wonderful for a couple or family with 1 kid, but we felt too cramped as a family of 4. Some families do it, but it feels incredibly cramped for us. We wanted to enjoy our Alaska adventure. Traveling with 2 young kids is hard enough and we didn’t need to add more work and frustration.

Once home from that trip in June, Andy did what he does best – pour himself into research. He started sending Laurie links to RVs which totally overwhelmed her. We were 1 month away from packing up our life and Andy wanted to switch up our adventure rig. Laurie initially refused as she couldn’t handle another big change. Plus, she grew up camping in a tent and already felt like we were glamping with Monster Truck. But slowly the idea of the RV made sense and Laurie changed her tune.

On August 13, only 2 1/2 weeks before Andy hit the road and Laurie and fam boarded a plane, we bought a 2010 Coachmen Freelander in Reno, NV.

The following 2 weeks were a blur of packing boxes, moving boxes, organizing and learning about the RV, doing RV maintenance, and saying goodbye to friends and a house that Laurie had lived in on and off for 35 years.

The week before we left, we signed a lease for a rental house in the Boise area starting in mid September. Andy will drive the RV directly there from Alaska while Laurie and the kiddos fly to Oakland and spend a week with Joanna and friends before flying to Boise to meet Andy.

But until then, the adventure continues in our new-to-us home, a 25 ft RV that has yet to be given a nickname.