LUNAtic ADVENTURES

 Imagine not being tied down to a lease or a mortgage. Imagine having the freedom to go anywhere and do anything. Imagine a life not cluttered with too much stuff, where everything you need is within arms reach. Imagine a vibrant community of other vanlifers that are ready to welcome you into the family.

Thats what vanlife is for us. Its a way for us to create our own lives instead of blindly following a prescribed path that may not be for us.

What do a dog collar, half a bottle of whiskey, an old fashioned wedding dress, an iPad, a new Nalgene, a bra, a tambourine, a coffee cup and a hula hoop have in common? 

These are (some of) the remnants left by their exhausted former owners after spending four days at the Born to Run Ultra Marathon Extravaganza on a beautiful private ranch in Los Olivos, CA.

I never knew Texas could be so beautiful. The rolling green hills carpeted with Juniper and Oak stretched into the distance. Broken limestone and prickly pear cactus littered the ground. I was at a private campground called Camp Eagle in the Hills Country of central Texas. I was standing around anxiously awaiting our packet pickup for the Hunter Gatherer Survival Run. I knew there would be some...

I sat slumped over in a camp chair by the fire. It was dark and cold in those mountains in the wee hours of the night. I was tired, delirious, and defeated. I was at mile 68 of the Bear 100. As we neared the aid station I told Sweeney, my pacer, that I was done, that I was dropping out at this aid station. When I told him tears welled up in my eyes at the verbal admission of defeat. I was glad...

"Massasoit, it will be remembered, was the Wampanoag sachem [leader] first to visit the Pilgrims at Plymouth in 1621, and then became and continued their firm friend. The treaty of peace and mutual defence, made between him and the whites, was carefully observed for above fifty years, and was an important factor in the prosperity of the colony." History of North Brookfield, Massachusetts.

The orange and red Madronas contrasted sharply with the dark green evergreens, all clinging to a steep rocky slope spilling into the sea. Our ferry had just left Lopez Island and was rounding the northern point of the island on our way to Orcas Island. The four of us lounged in the cushy seats of our booth on the ferry. The sun was blinding and...

Reading Christopher McDougall’s recent article titled “Born to Be Barefoot” was a great pleasure. His article succinctly confirms and validates for me the worthiness of the pursuit of personal understanding through self-experimentation and hints from the stories and traditions of our most ancient ancestors.

Christopher McDougall’s book “Born to Run” has moved a lot of us to reexamine what it means...