It has been 18 months since we sold up and became nomadic. Along the way we have met new friends, old friends and spent time with lots of family all over North America. This video documents everyone we were able to take photos of with our van; in their home; place of work; place of worship; in a campground or just on the street. Our hearts warm every time we watch this. It may seem random but these are the most important people in the world to us since we became nomadic. There are some whom we regret not capturing on camera, specifically: Lynn and Jim Manner, Kathy and David Knight Whittier, LeAnn Brookhart and Alan, Jen, Dylan and Tyler Hirshon, Will and Grace Evans, Derrik from Turista Libre, David Cadena Quintero and Georganne Dean.
Over the past 18 months we have captured over 47,000 photos and videos which we are now in the process of organizing, processing and categorizing. We are inspired to create books, art installations and festivals based on our experiences.
We decided that the easiest way to begin this process and to put our creative ideas into action was to rent an apartment in Victoria, BC for two months. We chose Victoria because it is presumably the most temperate place in Canada. Plus, our van was already in BC. We made it across Western Canada in roughly a month and a half. Our goal was to make it to the Pacific Ocean in time to fly back to Toronto for our son’s wedding on September 12th. We did just that!
We will also be adding new posts while we are here. There are a couple that are long overdue. Specifically, Newfoundland and Florida. Of course we can’t work all the time… we need to schedule walking breaks and excursions, who knows we might get new material 🙂
The Latest Stats:
1 year and 182 days on the move (547 days)
64,470 km / 40,060 miles travelled
47,340 photos/videos taken
44 friends and family prevailed upon for lodging, visitations, meals, bathroom and laundry facilities
17 national parks
45 provincial / state parks
6 county parks
64 private campgrounds
2 campgrounds we paid for and then left right away
16 motels / hotels
8 house rentals
3 B&Bs
12 ferries
2 airplanes
2 row boats
2 motor boats
2 burros
6 bikes
6 buses
1 former Tijuana city bus turned Alt-tour bus
2 street cars
8 taxis
2 tow trucks
1 horse drawn carriage
2 rental cars
16 appointments with mechanics
10 border crossings
10 provinces
24 states
148+ cities / towns / villages
3 countries
Overstayed our allowed time in USA by 1 month and not advised to re-enter until October 15th, 2015 at the earliest
Overall Incredible Supporters of the US Economy (and not exactly slouches here in Canada either)! It’s a wonder they won’t let us back in for a while!! The Gross National Product of the United States has dropped since we crossed back into Canada on April 12th, 2015.
537 days of Van Repairs and Parts: A Whopping $9,636.39!
Supported 10 Auto Garages in 2 Countries; Awesome Customers of GoWesty, VanCafe and Bus Depot; Provided Custom to Canadian Tire, Part Source, Napa, AutoZone and O’Reilly Auto Parts