After fourteen years as a manager at a tech company, I made a radical decision. Climbing behind the wheel of an eighteen-year-old Volkswagen Eurovan that I began referring to as “The Shoebox,” I embarked on a transformative journey across the U.S. and parts of Canada. My year-long odyssey resulted in “NO Overnight Parking – Vanlife Stories from a Year on the Road,” a captivating compilation of short stories chronicling my 32,000-mile adventure.

As a vanlife greenhorn initially relying on duct tape for quick fixes, I gradually came into my own as a vandweller without a day planner running my life. I traversed celebrated routes like the Hi-Line, Going to the Sun Road, the Cabot Trail, and the Loneliest Road in America. My only companions were Rand McNally, a persistent check-engine light, and tireless curiosity. Nights were spent at Walmarts and truck stops, amid leafy neighborhoods, and next to roadside curiosities like a lighthouse, an eighty-foot dinosaur and a remote grain bin.

I pondered the enormity of nature and man-made wonders, America’s philanthropic traditions and the erosion of social connections. The loneliness of traveling solo often overcame me, much like it does for long-distance truckers. When my mother suddenly took ill, I faced a difficult choice.  My own health became a concern in remote Nova Scotia, requiring a four-and-a-half-hour drive through bad weather and winding roads to seek help. Following the Covid-19 outbreak, I encountered additional roadblocks.

My tales range from visiting one of America’s last video stores in Oregon, confronting a cross-country walker on the Montana prairie, saving souls at a Grand Rapids truck stop, and philosophizing about life at Hemingway’s favorite hangout in Key West. I experienced discovery, excitement, fear, and solitude during my personal coming-of-age story.

“NO Overnight Parking” is not just a travelogue; it’s a compilation of stories that will reignite your passion for the road and its endless possibilities. Candid, sometimes humorous, and always heartfelt, this book captures the challenges and joys of vanlife. It’s for anyone ready to rediscover their sense of adventure–a reminder that sometimes the best destinations are the ones we never planned.