“One's destination is never a place
but rather a new way of looking at things.” - Henry Miller

Four years ago I packed up my car with camping gear and set out on a solo road trip to explore the West for the summer. My “plan” was to place all my possessions in storage in Minnesota, rubber tramp across the National Parks of the West, and figure out what I wanted to do with my life along the way. My “detailed plan” included an unmarked road atlas, a lightly skimmed National Parks of the West book, and not much else.

So I hit the road to see what was out there and find myself. My summer of exploring the National Parks of the West turned into four years of on and off solo travel across 47 states, 27 national parks, and numerous state parks. Being on the road by myself in constant commotion has been one of the highest growth phases in my life. It has been a transformational journey of a lifetime full of extreme highs and extreme lows and brought me to where I am today.

Today I’m in Portland and tomorrow I’ll be Seattle, who knows where I’ll be in a few weeks. My physical location really doesn’t matter. What does matter is that living outside my comfort zone has completely transformed the way I look at life.

There are others out there who have embarked on journeys similar to mine. Traveling down the road to somewhere has even cost a few people their lives, such as Christopher McCandless of Into the Wild fame. After fours years of traveling down the solo road to somewhere I have come to a similar conclusion as McCandless: Happiness is best when shared.

I’m still not sure where I’m going but I need to share the journey. Road Schooled is the start of a new road to somewhere. An experiment in giving back to society by sharing what I learned by dropping out of society.

Peace to Christopher McCandless and all the other dropouts who didn’t live to share what they learned. May all your roads be winding and full of adventure.