This one’s a little different. We’re still hanging out with our family in Florida and don’t have any new adventures, van life advice, or embarrassing revelations to throw out there on the interwebs. In this post, we are inviting you to join us.
Time to Build Community
We’ve been at this crazybrave thing for a few years now and have learned the ins and outs, upsides and downsides of no-frills van living. And we’re generally pretty happy with our own company.
But there are times we miss our old sense of community.
This feeling has increased in the cold realities of 2025, and though almost all our interactions with folks along the road have been friendly, we are a bit more wary these days. And we don’t always go out of our way to greet our neighbors.
We have been yelled at in a Western Colorado supermarket parking lot because we had Massachusetts plates. So our reticence isn’t totally unfounded.
While here in Florida, we checked out Vanfest, a huge vanlife meet-up. It was quite a stretch for us somewhat shy folks. But we loved it! We met friends we’d only known from the interwebs and connected with so many other nomadic folks. So yes, please. More of this in 2025.
Whispering into the Void
I do enjoy keeping a journal here at crazybraveadventure.com. What started as a way to learn a new skill set, has become a passion, and it’s especially gratifying to know that we are developing a resource others can use. We hope that our honest, warts-and-all approach encourages our readers to get out there and chase their own crazy-brave dreams.
…But we really don’t know.
Blogging sometimes feels a like shouting (well, scribbling) into the void. We know people read our posts, but we really don’t know who, or why… or what they are getting out of it.
In short, the “community” part of our crazy brave adventure is lagging.
When we started out on the road, we joked that we were “driving through the apocalypse.” It felt a little like the world was falling apart around us. And we had only the slightest connection to the people and things outside the big old barn doors of our van. Funny joke, right? But it really feels like that now.
More Connection
Community (like time) is a resource, one we value more than a bucket of money or a pristine vehicle. And so, in the name of community, we are trying something new: This year, we’re developing our Crazy Brave Newsletter to try to connect a little more deeply with you all out there in the interwebs.
The new and improved newsletter will include recent posts. But it’ll also share more personal details about our life on the road, our travel plans. And maybe some new ways to connect on the road. In short, we want you to join us… at least virtually. We hope that the new and improved newsletter will be of value to you and are looking forward to more of a conversation.
Big Plans in the Works
In addition to the new and improved newsletter, I am (finally) taking a step towards the modern age. This spring, I’ll be learning how to make videos.
YouTube is definitely where it’s at. If we had a nickel for every time someone asked us if we have a YouTube channel, we’d have a whole lot of nickels. …. now to get over my shyness and give it a try.
If nothing else, our videos will be charmingly low tech and goofy (Maybe that’s our vibe?)
All the News That’s Fit to Send
So stay tuned! And please (please!) join the adventure, and sign up for our new and improved newsletter. We aren’t selling anything or making money from any of our crazy brave adventures. And we won’t share your information with anyone. We’re just trying to keep it real AND keep in touch every month or so and building our crazy brave little community. The link is below. Also here.
And please, let us know what you’d like to see up here on the website, or in the newsletter. Or post a comment. It’s really (really) nice to hear from you all. We truly appreciate having you along for the ride.
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Great site! We will have to meet up. I’m heading north into Albuquerque for a month or hopefully less. Then west towards Death Valley and then north to Oregon for the summer. Hopefully get some time on the beach!
Hey there, James! Thanks for your comment. We’ve enjoyed your instagram posts for some time. We are planning a similar route– heading back to New Mexico in a few weeks, then across Nevada to Oregon and Washington. We’d love to meet up somewhere along the way– Maybe on the beach!
Perri and Dan, you are two of the coolest people I’ve run into in a long time. I was so excited when I first found your Insta and you were in my home town in New Mexico and loved watching you move from spot to spot in my old stomping grounds. Since then, I’ve realized just how awesome you are and spending time with you at VanFest just solidified it. They’re the real deal, folks. They’re as nice, friendly, smiley, etc. in real life as they are in the pictures and comments. Can’t wait to find you on the road again, and until then, stay safe and keep exploring. While we’re all being a little more cautious, the people out there are overwhelmingly good, kind, and giving. We have to embrace the good in each other!
Peace! Love! Vans!
✌️❤️🚐
Thanks so much Darren! We feel the same about you– Meeting you at Vanfest was a highlight. We are looking forward to meeting up with you and Karen on the road someday. And yes, you are absolutely right, we have to embrace the good in each other.