Adventure America! A Personal Journey

So it’s been a while since I started this blog and it’s been about that long since I wrote a blog post. I’ve been on a career journey and its taken most of my time the past few years. As I get older and my kids are grown and both in college, it’s time to fulfill my adventurous ambitions!

I started to run through different ideas of how I could realize the goals I have to see the best parts of America and to experience the different adventures that so many people enjoy. I started with recognizing my favorite activities like hiking, snowboarding, and mountain biking. Although I’ve done these things for years, I realized that I have limited myself to West Michigan and the few trips I’ve taken with friends over the years. There are so many places to see and experience and it starts now.

I am also looking at those activities that I’ve always wanted to do and set goals of how to learn new things. Surfing is at the top of that list right now. Although I’ve done this a few times over the years, it was always with a rental board or a friends extra board. I never put the time in to learn this incredibly difficult skill and experience it to the fullest. I bought a board last week and I intend to put the time in!!

As I look at this lofty goal of adventuring across America, i needed a base of operations. I started researching and shopping for a van that would suit my needs on the road, and not in a trendy way that I can post on Instagram (#vanning). First thing I knew I wanted was the ability to stand up in the back. That limited my choices to the obvious high roof models like the sprinter and transit vans. Once I knew that, I was looking at engine options and gas mileage to make sure that I wasn’t getting myself into a gas guzzler. I settled on the Mercedes Sprinter Van and couldn’t be happier with it. I’ll be writing more about this and making my gear list available as I finish it.

Now it is down to planning trips and uncovering those hidden gems. There are a few apps i’ve been using for such a thing and AllTrails is at the top of the list! You can search by State, city or park and it has the ability to filter by activity and several other parameters. The Web and App versions make it easy to find and save all your favorites. The reviews are priceless and the AllTrails community is very large and write reviews from various skill and ability levels. Read the reviews before heading to the trail head! Another app that has been very helpful since I am traveling by van most trips is The Dyrt. It’s a campground locator app that lets you find available spots and filter by amenities in whatever area you’re heading. I started with a 10 hour driving radius around West Michigan and I have quite the list! I’ve already completed a few that I will share very soon.

I am very excited about this new adventure and will have plenty to write about as I go. I’ll take as many photos and videos as I can and look forward to your feedback and adventure suggestions.

Robert Schaeffer

Exploits and Adventures!