In December 2020, I bought a used Ford Transit passenger van, still fully loaded with 13 backseats and all of its original plastic lining. I spent eight months stripping out the interior, building a new bed and cabinetry layout, trying and failing and trying again to construct a water system, and carefully watching YouTube videos for free electrical wiring advice. By Labor Day 2021, I hit the open road.

Since then, I’ve visited all lower 48 National Parks, driven fully across the country four times, spent the night in every continental US state and two Canadian provinces, and explored some of the most remote natural sites entirely by myself.

But I haven’t always been alone on the road. I’ve gotten to know people from all walks of life, across a seemingly ever-changing political spectrum, and have learned about the weird histories and regional quirks of places I’d sometimes never heard of from the people who know it the most. My writing is a culmination of these interactions, the realities of navigating life on the road as a woman, and my attempts to explain what’s going on in American culture and politics through this experience.

In my full-time role working in product management, I’ve translated my narrative-building and problem-solving skills to a professional setting. I currently use these competencies to create tech solutions for nonprofits, foundations, and local governments addressing socially and environmentally impactful problems.