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Category: On The Road

Simple Gratitude

Posted on June 29, 2021September 4, 2021 by Steve Ainslie

Occasionally I get grumpy when things don’t go the way I want them to. Last week, the weather called for sunshine and clouds but instead it was overcast and rained all day. The next day, instead of clearing up, it was raining again. As I worked out that morning in my gray garage, looking at…

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Clean Break

Posted on December 8, 2020September 4, 2021 by Steve Ainslie

I got rid of everything after my wife died. I sold my house. I gave away all of our belongings. I sold our cars. Then I put everything left into a pickup truck and 6x8ft camper and drove out West to live in the middle of nowhere on public lands. Two months later, I drove…

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I Love Not Being On The Road

Posted on November 6, 2020September 4, 2021 by Steve Ainslie

My life continues to be consistently fantastic. I wake at 4:45AM, feed and walk the dogs in the predawn hours and then workout for the rest of the morning. I swim every afternoon. I walk Wiggles several times a day

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It’s Over

Posted on June 10, 2019September 4, 2021 by Steve Ainslie

After two months of full time travel, my life on the road has ended. I drove 8000 miles from coast to coast, visited 10 states and camped out for 54 straight days. I slept in truck stops, deserts, mountains and forests. I learned how to use GPS coordinates, to read topography maps and how to find…

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Is This Real Life?

Posted on May 18, 2019September 4, 2021 by Steve Ainslie

One of my favorite videos is of the kid in the back seat whose dad filmed him while he was still loopy from dental anesthesia. If you’ve never seen it, I highly recommend watching it now.  You’ll thank me later. 

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The Dollar Store

Posted on May 17, 2019September 4, 2021 by Steve Ainslie

When I lived in the city, I only went to the Dollar Store to buy 2 things – party decorations and holiday cards.  Otherwise, I avoided this place like the plague.  They were disorganized, disheveled, and full of cheap crap the wasn’t worth a dollar. They smelled bad, sold low quality merchandise and in general…

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Eating Alone

Posted on May 17, 2019September 4, 2021 by Steve Ainslie

Since I’ve been on the road, I’ve been craving good Mexican food. I’ve identified highly rated restaurants and local joints in several places I’ve camped near.  But circumstances, timing and laziness prevented me from eating at any of these places.   Instead I’ve eaten at Dos Tacos (fast food), Chipotle (I didn’t get e-coli) and…

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Surprise…surprise!

Posted on May 15, 2019August 1, 2023 by Steve Ainslie

Back in the dark ages when I was a kid, we had a black and white TV that got 3 channels. Sometimes. Other times the signal could drop down to 2. And after theJohnny Carson show or the news, the stations went off air until the next morning.  So although I didn’t really like the…

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Small Town America

Posted on May 15, 2019October 19, 2022 by Steve Ainslie

I thought I would love small town America.   After all, I have only fond memories of the first seven years of my life that I spent in Tamaqua, PA (pop. 7000).  I remember walking down the street and talking to every person I saw. They knew me, my parents, my grandparents, my aunts, my…

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No Blue Highways

Posted on May 15, 2019September 4, 2021 by Steve Ainslie

Before I began my life on the road, I planned to avoid interstates. I would meander down the backroads of small-town America to get a flavor for what “real America” was like.  I’d shop at local mom and pop stores. I’d eat delicious food at local restaurants, I’d have real conversations, meet interesting characters and…

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