I live in a white windowless van.
...down by the river.
As any parent would dream for their 30-year-old, my home is lampooned in popular culture and by Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live.
But it isn't just rivers I live next to, it's also lakeshores, grasslands, and mountains.
You see, I'm spending the next three years--from the centennial of the National Park Service (2016) to the centennial of the National Parks Conservation Association (2019)--experiencing all of America's national parks.
But not just the 59 national "Parks" you're probably thinking of (Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Acadia).
I'm visiting all 412 sites in the National Park System. Every monument, seashore, battlefield and more.
"Constitution Gardens" — Photo Credit: TBCMikah.com
When I finish, I'll be the youngest person to have experienced all these sites, along with the only person to ever do so in one continuous trip.
"Living out of "Vanny McVanface"" — Photo Credit: TBCMikah.com
As someone who's openly gay and nearly half the age of the average national park visitor, I'm hoping my journey will inspire other young and LGBT people to visit the national parks. The National Park Service has historically struggled to reach these demographics, along with many others including racial minorities, and is especially encouraging diverse people to visit as part of their "Find Your Park" initiative with the National Park Foundation.
So basically, if you're anything but a fit cisgendered straight white 67-year-old, the National Park Service wants YOU to #FindYourPark! (Though cisgendered straight etc. people are welcome as well!)
"The newest national park: Stonewall National Monument" — Photo Credit: TBCMikah.com
It wasn't easy quitting my jobs to undertake this task, as I've enjoyed my career as a classical singer, but with every note and concert, I knew I was saving for this goal to begin at age 30.
And I chose 30 for a very specific reason.
When I was 19, my 58-year-old father passed away from cancer. It took me from someone who started saving for my retirement in high-school and shocked me into realizing retirement wasn't guaranteed. 50 wasn't guaranteed. Tomorrow wasn't guaranteed. So I needed to make today everything I wanted it to be.
It's the reason I continued with the road trip I had been planning for months before his death, even though its launch date ended up being only 10 days after his funeral.
It was on that road trip, and the successive ones I've taken annually for the past 12 years to honor that experience, that I not only learned the healing power of travel, but also the need to chase ones dreams while they are still alive.
So at age 25, on an annual road trip which had become my longest yet (260 days and 16,400 miles) I made a vow to myself:
To do everything in my power to take one year off every five years and live the retirement my father never got. To turn every fifth year of my annual road trips into something "epic." Something you'd normally save for retirement.
That way, if I die at age 58, I will have at least experienced a little bit of the "things I'll do someday" when I still had a someday to do them.
"Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park" — Photo Credit: TBCMikah.com
"Vanny McVanface - named after the usurped Boaty McBoatface" — Photo Credit: TBCMikah.com
As much as it hurt me to leave the 409,000 sq. ft. boarding school I lived at to move into a 72 sq. ft. van with my boyfriend, I hope my journey inspires others to live their dreams while they still can.
To not wait for retirement to go on that trip you've always been dreaming of.
To take time with loved ones making memories to last a lifetime.
And to not give up on that idea which might seem "crazy" to others.
Even if it's living in a van down by the river...
- In this Guide are just 4 of the National Park System units. I'd love to have you join me for my journey to all 412 by following along at www.TBCMikah.com or through the many email/social media options listed on the site.
Mikah Meyer
Currently on a world record road trip to all 400+ U.S. National Parks. Follow along at TBCMikah.com