Welcome to our video blog of our “grand adventure” (as JP likes to call it). Chances are that the fact that you are here now means you know something about us... at the very lest you know that this is the documentation of a young American family that chose to move from Vermont to California with little more than what their 99 Dodge Caravan (bought at auction) and a 5x8 U-Haul trailer could carry. Our income consists of JP’s disability from Social Security and Lyra’s ‘Reach-Up’ Grant through Vermont’s Department of Economic Services (aka welfare). That combined with a little (and I DO mean little) cash that we have saved up makes for what JP refers to as “the reason this is a great adventure”. Some might call it crazy, but let’s just say this is being done on a very thin budget.
Saturday, June 27, 2009 12:09 PM
"We thought that we could begin a new life there, but much to our surprise, it wasn’t so. Maybe a mirror DID get broken and that damn myth IS true, but after nearly six years of bad luck, it was time to leave. And so the next journey begins
Not a moment too soon… actually many moments too late, but that was then, right? The last week has been spent sleeping on a set of bunk-beds in a room barely big enough for them, at what otherwise was really a blessing for all four of us. I know that is not what many would call the John Graham Emergency Shelter in Vergennes, Vermont, though. No pets are allowed, so our two cats have been sleeping in the car. During the day we have been letting them hang out around the shelter home and the playground.
These last couple of days has really made it clear to us, though, that we need to make a break; and today is that day. Everything is sorted, packed or crapped, shrink-wrapped like you wouldn’t believe (another story altogether) and shipped. Once those pallets are on the truck, our path is set.
Not to back-track, but a little history never hurts. This ‘adventure’ really began six years ago, when Quinn was only four months old. We picked up our family and moved from Maui, Hawaii, to Bristol, Vermont. Not something you can do with a van and a U-Haul. This original move was work induced… (a whole other story).
So this time we are going with NO expectations, much less job prospects. We simply want to work on being self-sufficient, and that requires a real growing season to begin with. It is our hope that our Section 8 Voucher has been extended for a rare third time. That would be greatly instrumental in having a home when we arrive in Mendocino County. At the moment, we are in suspense on the issue because the notices are sent out to our mailing address, which remains in Ripton until we get to California.
So, back to the present…
With what money we have been able to save, we have now left Vergennes for the first leg of our journey. We had been planning this journey to California for months. Timing had to be right and the time abruptly arrived with the new knowledge that there are thieves among this group of wanderers, and we want nothing to do with that.
So, we have packed up the van and trailer with the remains of our belongings and are heading north.
North? Wait, I thought that California was west…
We decided to make a quick stop to get some fresh strawberries for the road ahead. We were heading to Charlotte to catch the ferry, when we saw the strawberry sign at Charlotte Berry Farm. We grabbed a few crates and headed towards the strawberry fields deep in the property. After about two hours, with full crates and tummies, we returned to our van and set off for the ferry.
Coming to the ticket booth, we found ourselves placed in the front center seat of the ferry line. This being everyone’s first ferry ride, except for me, we sat patiently in our car as the boat made a direct line from Charlotte to Essex. We left just in time to miss the violent thunder storms approaching Addison and Chittenden County. We landed in Essex and headed south, escaping the storms. Before we got too far, we discovered a rest stop wholly running off of solar electricity.
California here we come!!
But first we must make a few stops. Seeing as how we are taking a great risk moving across the country, heading out on our own, we plan to visit the Statue of Liberty first. Next we will go to Philadelphia to see Liberty Hall and the Liberty Bell, and then we plan to visit the White House, museums and monuments around Washington D.C. Quinn wants to meet President Obama. We will also be there to watch the fireworks on the Fourth of July.
Unfortunately, there are no camping sites along the path until just outside of the DC-Baltimore area. What a drag. From one metropolis into another we see many cars, trucks and vans, but still no camping. The strawberry picking stalled our plans of making it to Liberty Island today, so we will have to park in New Jersey at a Best Western for the night. It is 11:00 PM and we are tired…
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