1. Stay flexible: plans are always subject to change, so try to give people a bit of notice that you are coming into town, but sometimes it just is going to be less than 24 hours. (thanks friends, new and old, who were willing to host us on such short notice!!)
2. Be quick to apologize and quick to forgive: Life on the road, living in a van, can cause some grumpy attitudes (especially when I haven't eaten in a while and its getting dark and we don't know where we are going to sleep, and can't seem to find a good spot that we won't get a fine or get towed for sleeping in our van there) Thankfully we haven't gotten towed or "caught" yet in all the places we have parked for the night (see #4).
3. Appreciate the herbal remedies and bug sprays, but sometimes you just have to use the "real" stuff, especially when getting attacked by hundreds of mosquitos in Canada. (my legs were COVERED with bites and they itched for 3 days! Not fun!)
4. Tips for parking overnight: When in the city, read street signs carefully, and use translation apps or your cousin, to translate from french when in Montreal. When in a national park, usually park outside in the nearest town, in a parking lot near something open 24 hrs if possible. (Watch for nails that attack your tires) Denny's and 24 hour rest areas have served us well. The best places to park overnight have been the National Forests - drive in a little ways, pull off the road and you're golden. (leave no trace / cover your poo)
5. Try to stay present in the moment, and appreciate the beauty around you wherever you happen to be, say a prayer of praise and gratitude, breath deeply, stare up at the stars, tell your spouse you love them. (related to #1)
6. Rye Sourdough bread is really yummy! And it makes a great on the road lunch, with avocado summer sausage and some spicy olives if you have some.
7. Everybody's Coffee in Chicago (Run by JPUSA) has the best coffee I've had so far on this trip! Though, Philz in SF is really really good and so unique, its almost a tie.
8. If you are doing a huge road trip, get a National Parks interagency Pass! Its $80 so you pay for it in 4 visits (parks are usually $20 or $25 per car), and you can put two different names on the card (don't have to be related) so you and a friend could split it! Thanks Dad for buying it for us. We'll send it your way at some point! :)
9. A futon mattress on a nice piece of sanded plywood makes an awesome bed, on top of milk crates in the back of a Honda Odesey. Handles and cup holders are awesome for hanging/ storing stuff within reach of your bed. For curtains tie a rope all around the car, and use butterfly clips to hang shawls, skirts, scarves or sheets along the sides.
10. Permaculture is a huge umbrella term, and everyone does it a bit differently. There are three "pillars" or values that remain though, "Care of people, care of the earth, and redistribution of surplus". Other terms we are hearing a lot are, sustainability, primitive, homesteading, forest garden, restorative, native only, closed loop, off grid...
11. The BBQ in Kansas city is famously delicious (i had no idea)
12. The Canadian side of Niagara Falls really is spectacular!
13. Solar ovens are really cool! They are insulated boxes, with big metal flaps that you move to follow the sun, and they bake bread and other goodies. Just be sure the sun is really shining brightly.
14. A few permaculture terms i've learned so far:
- Swale: Where you dig a ditch, and pile the dirt on the downhill side, so the ditch catches the rain water, and whatever you plant in the mound will have plenty of water.
- Hugel Mound/ Hugelculture: Using dead wood and logs that are decomposing as the base of a mound for growing stuff. Needs to be things that grow well in high fungal environments though (for example, not corn).
- Key hole mound: making mounds in a U shape, or a key hole shape, hence the name :) to grow things in, and you can access the plants for watering/ harvesting from lots of different sides.
- Zones 1-5 for your growing: Zone 1, annual herbs and veggies that need the most attention, usually closest to your house --> Zone 5, wilderness that you let be.
15. Work hard, play hard and remember to rest too. Being on the road is super fun, but can be tiring. Take care of your body -if something hurts, pay attention. Appreciate the opportunities to do laundry and take hot showers at friends houses. Rivers are refreshing too, especially with waterfalls.
