Plans & Prep Archives - Modern GeographersModern Geographers

That first weekend.. Figuring things out.

26/05/2015 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: modgeos | In: Adventure, Car Living, Plans & Prep

Star Command (our casa in Utah) >> Capitol Reef, UT >> Bryce Canyon, UT >> Henrieville, UT >> Zion National Park, UT >> Kanab, UT, Grand Canyon, AZ >> Flagstaff, AZ

Since we’ve hit the road we’ve slept in the car twice, stayed with friends/family twice, have eaten dried and rehydrated refried beans, creamy pasta, peanut butter & honey, summer sausage and crackers, water, sour gummy worms, apples, bananas, and pistachios. (Not a bad gig.)

We are enjoying being on this trek, and surprised it’s really (finally) happening. We spent months specifically planning this trip, and who knows how many years we individually looked forward to such a journey.

The weather has been cool and rainy in spots. We love our prescription sunglasses to combat the brilliant sun.

One thing we needed to do was find a place for each item we have in our car-home. This shouldn’t be too much of an obstacle, though. We had a few extra items with us to take to C’s family’s home. In fact, we even had an extra memory foam to sleep on. We were provided a specially-made, fabulous little mattress from Intellibed. It is a dream. Having both stacked on top of each other is a bit of a joke though.

Honestly, when we took off, we felt good about the amount of food, clothes, camera gear, toiletries, and medicine that we had packed. We did a nice job planning ahead and down-sizing appropriately.

The Plan

01/04/2015 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: modgeos | In: Adventure, Car Living, Food, Plans & Prep

When we talk with people about the trip, often their first question is, “Wow, where are going to go?” Followed quickly by, “Are you going to hit all fifty states?” We’d love to share with you the sketch-of-a-plan we have for your reading pleasure.

First: We are going to travel in a counterclockwise loop from Arizona > New Mexico > Texas > Louisiana, and on from there. Our trip will then take us north along the eastern states to Prince Edward Island in Canada, back across the US (following the perimeter) from Wisconsin > Washington > California, and home. This will take us roughly 15 weeks.

Second: As you may have interpreted from the above explanation, no, we will not be hitting all fifty states. A) because Hawaii and Alaska are pretty tough to tackle, and B) we are focusing on the diverse continental US loop, hitting as many unique and wonderful places as we can with the time that we have.

We have friends that have asked to come along for pieces of the journey. We’re calling these friends “hop ons.” We’re stoked to shares portions of our trip with them. We also have friends (sometimes friends of friends) who have graciously left open invitations for us to stop by their homes as we pass through their city for a nice place to sleep and/or a yummy meal or two. We cannot express how grateful we are for the sincere kindnesses that have already been shown to us.

30 Days To Go

01/04/2015 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: modgeos | In: Adventure, Car Living, Plans & Prep

People like looking forward to things. It breaks up the monotony of the daily grind, and gives one something to daydream about and prepare for. Part of the looking-forward-to-things game is the counting-down-to-that-thing. Whether it’s paper chains, calendars, or online app countdowns that you use, one way or another, that special thing will arrive. Believe us, we know when you say it feel like it will never get here.

It seems most of the time when there’s a grand thing ahead, feelings of anxious anticipation or sheer excitement aren’t far behind. Whichever emotion you tend to feel, there’s one thing that’s certain: change is in the air. But that doesn’t mean doom is in the air. Change is necessary and helps us become better than we were before.

For C and I, today marks 30 days until we hit the open road. Whether we are ready or not, our grand, awesome, super, soul-searching trip of our lives is only 30 days away. The Summer of 2015 is looming, and we can’t wait.

We’re probably 70% ready. We need sleeping sheets (made out of bed sheets so we don’t melt and die in our cozy, warm sleeping bags), car curtains for nighttime, storage bins, and food. Everyday we think about the trip. Everyday we check off mental to-do lists, and everyday we try to reassure ourselves that everything will be okay. But do you know? It really will be. We’ve decided to take a chance. We are confident that as we look ahead with excitement and faith, no matter what happens out there, we will be okay.

What’s ahead for you? What are you looking to? Tell us what countdown you have going these days.

Jan 14 2015

Modern Geographers

14/01/2015 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: modgeos | In: Adventure, Plans & Prep

Anyone can choose to take the road less traveled. For us, it seemed unavoidable. We both grew up with an inner pull to travel and a desire to change the world. We’ve chosen to leave our normal lives this summer and document the US (including parts of Canada and Mexcio). Our backgrounds in design and video have helped us with our plans to document and explore.

Feel free to come along for the journey! We’d love for you to follow our blog, watch our videos, and share our experiences with your friends. Get involved by telling us where to stop or what to see, eat, and discover..

Nov 05 2014

Dandi the Fearless Subi

05/11/2014 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: modgeos | In: Adventure, Plans & Prep

We needed a car. That much was obvious. One with a space, guts, and durability. High on the list of qualities was how comfortably one (or rather, two) could sleep. C was diligent about keeping her eyes open for potential cars. Almost every car she saw was imagined in her mind as our next home. She’d think about it’s efficiency, gas mileage, and storage space.. After exploring the world of automobiles, it came down to a Subaru. But which model: Forester or Outback?

We looked at a used Forester, pulling the back seats down and crawling inside to measure length. It seemed positive, but we didn’t feel we could make a truly informed decision before examining the newer Outback model.

That’s when fate stepped in.

I had an errand to run. As I went to my car in the parking lot, in the corner of my eye, I saw a golden Outback pulling in. It shined in it’s splendor and newness. I thought to ask the driver what they thought of the car. Then I panicked, “What if they think I’m a creep for interrogating them?” Just then, a kind, older couple stepped out. I gathered whatever courage was in me and went over. They were excited and surprised by the upcoming adventure I described. They said they loved their car. They opened the doors, showed me the interior and expressed, “We’ll it’s too bad. We’re trading this one in for a newer model here in November.. If someone wanted to match the price, I suppose we would sell.” I immediately asked what the asking price was and jotted down their info.

C was ecstatic when I told her about the experience. We called and left a message with Glenn.. and heard nothing in response. Days passed and we thought our Wonder Car was slipping through our fingers.

In the meantime, we went to a Subaru dealership to get a feel for how each was on the road. The salesman was young at heart. We asked him all sorts of questions, giving many random scenarios. At one point he enthusiastically jumped in the back of the car to see what kind of sleep space we’d get in each model.

Finally it happened: we heard back from Glenn and his sweet wife. The car was still available! We chose a time and drove down (down, down, down) to where the car was. I was nervous that we’d get there and C wouldn’t see the same appeal as I did in the golden 2010. But it was perfect. He was perfect. Dandelion (Dandi) Flinn was the car we were looking for. We were so well-taken care of by Glenn and Joyce. They treated us like their granddaughters and made sure everything (battery, gas tank, paint touch-ups) were good to go when we came through to pick him up. Truly a saintly couple put in our path to help us with our home on wheels. We will forever be grateful for their goodness and willingness to see life in our young, transient eyes.

Who We Are

11/10/2014 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: modgeos | In: Adventure, Plans & Prep

Em thrives on positive interactions with people and likes finding the simple wonders in life. She finds a friend wherever she goes and looks for silver linings. She is an old soul. She started her video work four years ago. It has allowed her to explore other cultures and meet people that have shaped her into who she is. She continually seeks to develop her interest in music, travel, documentary, and people.

C has one of the most brilliant brains you’ll meet. She sees life in efficiency. She understands the complexities of human emotions and enjoys films that remind the audience to live their lives more fully. She enjoys a good schema, and balances spontaneity and a well-thought-out plan with the best of them. She has designed for nearly a decade; professionally for five years. She makes a point of always learning in any circumstance.