“It’s like you’re living in an alternate universe,” my dad says, our Facetime session connecting England and Alabama. I was trying to describe this experience, and finding it hard to grasp some sort of storyline; choose something consistent to follow as I explained how the adventure’s unfolding. It feels as though there’s so much going … Continue reading Another Life →

We’ve only been in Kansas 30 hours, and I’m terrified. Shaking. We’re right on a lake, surrounded by fields. It’s dark outside, save for the flashing lightning, slicing reckless zigzags across the sky. In every direction. I’ve received two emergency alerts on my phone, and don’t know which is worse: the baseball sized hail? Or … Continue reading Tornado Warning in a Tiny Home →

If I’m being honest, I was nervous. I wasn’t sure what to expect – what it would actually be like. The ‘it’ in this case was downsizing from 1,700 square feet to 98 square feet. Moving into a 14-foot cargo trailer my boyfriend converted into our new teeny tiny home. Two adults, an 85-pound wolf-dog … Continue reading 5 Perks of Living in a Tiny Space →

It’s not breaking and entering if you’re not breaking anything to enter, right? The front door's partially missing, and I duck through a gap in the existing frame. This is the first home I’ve been inside in over a month. Chad and I are out exploring, and the narrow dirt road we’ve been bumping along … Continue reading Resilient and Resourceful →

It’s a bit of a shock. The past 6 days were spent walking across rocks that looked like artisan soaps, the kind that they sell at health food stores. Now I was walking across blacktop. In 23 days, I’d: Not had a “real” showerOnly interacted with 3 people (not including Chad)Only used 1 flush toilet. … Continue reading Two Days of “Normal” Life →

I’m staring out the window, absentmindedly spooning crunchy almond butter into my mouth as I wait for water to boil. This will be my second coffee. We’re parked on the side of a dirt road in Tonopah, Nevada, on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land. Beyond the beige sandy soil where clusters of small determined … Continue reading A Week in Tonopah, NV →

Photo by Chad Bohren It feels like we’re getting away with something. The first of the month comes, and we don’t have to pay a cent toward rent or mortgage. We’re parked in a spot where, whenever the urge strikes, I look out and across the high desert plain dotted with sage and spiky things. … Continue reading It’s All a Wash →

I can’t stop staring. Taking pictures. The novelty is not wearing off, and being close to such magnificence makes me giddy. I’m drawn toward them. Pulled by some invisible force. I’m sure those of you who know me well are rolling your eyes thinking, we get it Kat, you love truck stops. But that’s not … Continue reading Into the Unknown →

Chad and I have different definitions of freedom. His is very patriotic: the right to live your life as you choose – as long as it doesn’t interfere with life, limb, or property of others. And mine is more of a feeling, summed up as: the right to gallop through an open field…as long as … Continue reading Freedom →