BirdingUnfettered Takes Life To the Road.

~ By Vicky ~

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2025 was a trial of a year. I won't say much more on it than that. And now It feels like the spaghetti paths of our two connected lives have singled out to this one stretch of open road. And the road must be traveled with no turning back, because S. and I have officially begun living the nomadic life. We've taken work, play, and pets on the road and inside a truck camper.

Having lived on and off for the past year in the Roost, our truck camper, we've handily fine-tuned the truck camper life to fit our lifestyle. While I don't (yet) know every inch of the Roost (where do all the wires, ducts, and water tanks mysteriously live, one wonders), I can safely say I know every inch of livable and accessible space in it. If we live comfortably in less than 100 square feet, it's because it took time and learning to do so. S. and I are not the most organized of livers. Our Salem home could look a bit bombed out some days because we were often prepping to go somewhere or be at that somewhere. Clutter takes on a whole new meaning in the tiny space of a truck camper. A single shopping bag strewn in the dinette area, a garment of clothes on the floor, or even just an extra cooking implement on the counter makes for palpable chaos. And so we've become the most organized and efficient road-home bodies we will every be.

C. at her rightful place at the table, and in full appreciation of our seafood pasta dinner.

I'm sure we've built up some karma points between us, because going from never having stepped in any kind of RV in our lives to living in one of the smallest and most technical versions of them without catastrophe feels at times like a miracle. And then we made it even more complicated by adding a toad. A four-wheeled, SUV, Subaru kind of toad. For our first three month living situation we made it without issue up and down the windy and steep highway 20 to Fort Bragg, CA.

To put it succinctly, that's two bird-nerd women, one charismatic but aging husky mix, two adorable cats, a one-ton truck loaded down with a hard-sided truck camper, and one Subaru Forester hooked on for dear metal to said truck. All going merrily down the road on this crazy new journey.

S. walking along the Mendocino Headlands. Mendocino, California

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