Day 200: What Does it Mean to Love our Country?

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Dan+Yi

What does it mean to love our country? – a recurring question over the course of our many road trips and now 200 days of living full-time on the road.

To us, love is rooted in understanding. When we set out with a goal to explore all 50 states together, we hoped to grow our love of this country with a deeper and more complete understanding of all that it holds – its natural landscapes and manmade monuments, its bustling cities and quaint small towns, its native history and immigrant cultures, its roadside attractions and local flavors.

Everywhere we’ve been has shown us something far-flung and something familiar, and always a connecting road in between. Each time we cross a state border, most recently the Nevada/California one on this quiet stretch of US Route 95, we get a renewed sense of this connection.

We often hash out current issues and political debates during our long drives – of which there are many – and at the core is our mutual desire to understand our country and to recognize not only its complicated history but also the prevailing march of progress.

For us, to love America is to never tire of exploring its land, immersing in its communities, and questioning how it can be greater tomorrow than it is today.

6 Months/Half-Year of Full-Time Travel

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Dan+Yi

Today marks 6 months since our “one day” became “day one,” as we set off in Samwise the Brave to fulfill our full-time RV dream years in the making. Coincidentally, it’s also “Winnebago Day” – 61 years since the iconic company began enabling families to venture outside and explore more, and we couldn’t find a more fitting occasion to cross this milestone.

We’ll never forget the sense of freedom and endless possibility that buoyed us as we started our journey westward. In these 6 months, we’ve crossed the country, traveled 20 states, visited 11 national parks, explored national monuments and public lands that we’d never heard of, celebrated friends’ weddings, and luxuriated in some of the best camp pools. Add to those adventures many other new experiences—creating a website, editing and sharing YouTube videos, blogging, learning how to use a DSLR camera, and setting up and working from a mobile home office—there’s no doubt that we’ve learned deeply about this digital nomad lifestyle, our country, and most of all ourselves.

Thousands of miles later, driving our home down the road still feels novel, and setting up camp in a new location brings a fresh sense of adventure. And while our living space has shrunk considerably, our appreciation and love for each other has grown. Above all, we’ve gained a real sense of being at home anywhere we are.

Today, we find ourselves under the Orlando sun for the HIMSS conference, but we can’t wait to be back in a week with Samwise, who is awaiting our return in Las Vegas. Here’s to the first 6 months of freedom, growth, and adventure, and what’s to come in the next!

Exploring Liberty State Park

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Dan+Yi

While on our trip back to New Jersey, we had a chance to drop by Liberty State Park, where Yi was having a work meeting the same day. We’ve visited several times before as former residents of Jersey, but this place never gets old!

This massive park on the Hudson River features stunning views of both the Jersey and New York City skylines. But of course, the main attraction is Lady Liberty herself. Though she has long been made a symbol of New York City, she stands tall in New Jersey waters! She faces out toward the open waters as a constant reminder that our nation must strive to be a beacon of hope to the others – welcoming them rather than slamming the door.

The park also pays tribute to those lost in the 9/11 attacks. The solemn memorial set against the skyline starkly highlights the empty sky where the Twin Towers once stood.