Living life on the move—fulltiming in the RV parlance—is about staying liquid, staying agile, staying mobile, so we can change our surroundings, explore our environment, discover and experience things new. For the first five years, we did it in a 40 foot 5th wheel trailer pulled by a big truck—actually starting with a pickup and moving to a baby-Freightliner and then to a semi.

In 2008, when fuel hit $5/gallon, the moving stopped and we settled in a couple places over the next few years before starting the vanlife. In 2010, we bought our first van, outfitted it, and began traveling in it.

Then, in 2013, we bought our second van, sold the first one, and traveled for another three years.

After three cross-country trips and one to Alaska, we started seeing the same roads, and working in the van began to get a little cramped. Traveling in a van is great for short hops and short stays, but difficult for long stays, especially in wet and cold weather. We’d seen a lot of space and a lot of places. We decided to spend more time in fewer places, and the van wasn’t the optimal rig to do it. It was time for another change. Something bigger. Something we could stretch out in and easily work from while parked somewhere in the rain for weeks. So, the van went up for sale, and was bought by a young couple with plans to live the vanlife. We sold it outfitted completely, ready to go wherever they wanted to go.

Then we started looking for its replacement. We found it in Portland, Oregon, sitting on a private RV lot after spending a day looking at old, worn out rigs around Portland. It’s like a great big van—well, with a slide. But it drives like a great big van.

We also purchased a car to tow behind it. After a few maintenance tasks, we hooked up in July and headed out for the next nine months. Our first stop? Long Creek, Oregon for the solar eclipse.