Freedom in a Can: Adventures with Hamlet

“Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.”  ~John Lennon We hung this quote on the wall of Hamlet before we left our home and community in the fall of 2012.  And, this past autumn, it's become our mantra.  Nothing about this fall season has gone as planned or expected, leaving us simply treading water for far too long.   It's a good reminder (once again) that even though we live a life of freedom and travel, sometimes life has other plans for us.   Our "hometown" in the Blue Ridge Mountains was severely impacted by Hurricane Helene in late September.  Our hearts wrenched as we watched the impact of the devasting flooding from afar.  We drove across country from Oregon to North Carolina to help with the clean up, which took an extra couple of weeks due to several early season snowstorms that slowed us down.  Just when we found a meaningful flood relief project that we could sink our teeth into, we learned that Hutch's 84...

Planning an epic RV road trip to see America's National Parks? Over the past 12.5 years of living and working in our RV while exploring this great continent, we’ve had the joy of doing just that! We've taken our 1957 vintage camper trailer to all 51 U.S. national parks that you can actually drive to within the continental U.S., as well as several others that require a flight or ferry. We have also explored hundreds of national monuments, lakeshores, rivers, historical parks, battlefields and more.  As both outdoor and environmental educators, we often joke that our travels have become our self-designed PhD program.  “Tips & Tricks for Exploring America’s National Parks” is one of our favorite topics to present at RV Shows around the country , so let’s start out by getting our heads around this HUGE topic! Which are America's Top National Parks? How many parks can you name?  Which parks are within 200 miles of your home?  Which parks have you visited?  ...

Why is winter the best season to go solar?  Let us count the reasons… BU NDLE up and save now!  Over the next couple of weeks, you’ll find some of the lowest prices of the year on many of Renogy’s most popular components from now until December 9th – un lock MEGA discounts of UP TO 70% OFF during their Black Friday and Cyber Monday events! Turn your GREEN dreams into reality now, save later!  There’s never been a better time to take charge of your energy consumption and find your energy freedom. You’ll not only save money on those outrageous electric bills, you can reduce your tax liability by writing off up to 30% of the total cost of the solar equipment that you purchase and install this year on your U.S. federal taxes next year. Chase away the WINTER blues!  Digging into a fun and challenging DIY solar installation is a great way to brighten your outlook during the cold, dark, winter months ahead.  You’ll be ready for that January ski trip at your of...

Just a few days ago, in a Walmart parking lot, a young man approached, "Hey, aren't you the folks with Freedom in a Can?"  Now, this doesn't happen to us very often, and if you think I'm sharing this to sound famous...think again.  This young man came to our seminars at the Raleigh RV Show in North Carolina earlier this year and left inspired to give life on the road a try in the small truck camper rig that he had, rather than buy something bigger and less affordable.  We made a connection at that seminar, and he approached us 9 months later when we happened to bump into each other in Idaho, just to say thank you!  Actually, my friend, thank YOU!  Connection -- that's really what this whole rolling shindig is about for us!  It's the reason we left our home to color in the blank spaces on our map in person, the reason we started sharing our journey through pictures and stories, the reason we became speakers at RV Shows and on college campuses, and the reaso...

We are thrilled to have so many new folks join us for our midlife journey as well as this newsletter!   For those of you who haven't heard Hamlet's origin story, we thought we'd share a bit about our early days... On September 3, 2012 we took a deep breath, and made the first of many leaps of faith by pulling out of our driveway.  We had just quit our busy university careers, downsized our life, rented out our home, said goodbye to friends and colleagues, and hit the road in a restored 55 year old camper which Shari had purchased on eBay for $900.   That special day was our 12th wedding anniversary, and this midlife adventure was intended to be both a gift to ourselves and our marriage. Simply put, it was time for a change to something more sustainable, and drastically different.  We thought it would be for a year, maybe two at most. We often refer to everything in our crazy lil' lifestyle as #canlife. You may have heard of #vanlife, which came on the scene...

We recently returned from a week in The Big Easy with some of our best friends from our hometown of Boone, NC.  This trip had been a long time coming and we left inspired to try some NOLA cooking of our own!   We found a basic Jambalaya recipe online and jazzed it up with some vegetables, beans, additional spices, and plant-based sausage.  Paired with a Humu Humu cocktail inspired by Port of Call, this Vegan Jambalaya may make you start humming along to "Iko Iko" upon first bite.  While you can make this in any kitchen, we love to use our OTZI grill while camping! (Save 10% off your purchase with promo code CANLIFE).   Check out  more delicious recipes  and subscribe to our  FREE Almost Monthly Newsletter  to get a new recipe (and lots more RV camping tips, hacks, and resources) in your inbox each month! VEGAN JAMBALAYA Ingredients 4 Impossible Sausages (spicy), sliced 2 TBSP Olive Oil 1 small Red Onion, chopped 1 cup Baby Bella Mus...