4Runner Nomad

4Runner Nomad Hawaii to nomad life. Showing what life on the road looks like full-time through car camping, travel, Roy Skeleton, Riven, & Rex From Hawaii to nomad.

Currently in Arizona with my Blue Heeler, Riven. Founder of the Car Camping & Living community.

Southern Minnesota can look like a difficult place to find cheap or free camping.Many of the lesser known options do not...
09/18/2026

Southern Minnesota can look like a difficult place to find cheap or free camping.

Many of the lesser known options do not appear in the searches travelers commonly rely on. Several of the places I found while scouting southern Minnesota were not listed on iOverlander at all.

I knew the usual apps would not give me the full picture, so I researched my route ahead of time, visited several locations, and stayed at a few myself.

That preparation gave me more choices without having to scramble for a place to stay at the end of the day. It also saves a lot of money.

I brought the research and my firsthand field notes together in the Minnesota Camping Guide, now available inside the 4Runner Nomad Academy.

Subscribe now to lock in the $1.99/month Founder’s Price before the price increases to $4.99/month in October.

The link is in the comments.

You don’t see many of these anymore.I’m parked at a campsite, and the playground is directly across from me. I spotted t...
09/18/2026

You don’t see many of these anymore.

I’m parked at a campsite, and the playground is directly across from me. I spotted this old seahorse spring rider and immediately remembered how common these used to be.

Now finding one feels like stumbling across a little piece of childhood, back when playgrounds had metal slides, scraped knees were part of the deal, and nobody thought twice about hanging on while one of these bounced as hard as it could.

How many of you remember riding these?

There’s a reason I keep ending up on roads like this.I usually have a direction, a few things I need to accomplish, and ...
09/17/2026

There’s a reason I keep ending up on roads like this.

I usually have a direction, a few things I need to accomplish, and a general idea of how much ground I want to cover. After that, I start looking at what is sitting between here and there.

The fastest route gets me where I’m going. The smaller roads show me where I actually am.

Driving through southern Minnesota means cornfields, gravel roads, little towns, old buildings, murals, and things I probably would never have planned a trip around on their own.

That is how a lot of my favorite stops happen.

I walked into the woods and found this abandoned place.The old structure is nearly disappearing under the trees and vine...
09/17/2026

I walked into the woods and found this abandoned place.

The old structure is nearly disappearing under the trees and vines, but enough is left to picture what life around it once looked like.

It feels like a place built for both rest and work.

Animals sheltered under the roof. Feed, tools, and supplies stacked nearby. Someone coming in from the field at the end of a long day, with that camp bell carrying through the trees when it was time to come back for dinner.

Inside, a rusted bed frame is still sitting on the floor beside a large metal drum.

Now nature is slowly taking it back.

Rex and I found another thing we can agree on.“Be the person your dog thinks you are.”Rex thinks I am the person who alw...
09/16/2026

Rex and I found another thing we can agree on.

“Be the person your dog thinks you are.”

Rex thinks I am the person who always has bacon.

To be fair, I would also like to be that person. I just didn’t bring enough bacon to keep both of us living that dream.

Bacon may be the easy part. Figuring out whether your space, budget, routine, and travel plans will work with a dog takes more thought.

The Car Camping With a Dog Readiness Workbook helps you work through those decisions before you hit the road together.

https://store.4runnernomad.com/products/car-camping-with-a-dog

I only had time to find one of them. The one I spotted could not have matched Katan better.The Owls of Downtown Owatonna...
09/16/2026

I only had time to find one of them. The one I spotted could not have matched Katan better.

The Owls of Downtown Owatonna has five small owl murals tucked among the historic downtown. I could not stay long enough to hunt for all five, but I did find this blue one.

My 4Runner is named Katan after Bo-Katan, a Star Wars character known for her blue armor and connection to the Nite Owls.

This felt like the right one to find.

Somewhere in Minnesota, the road briefly tried to send me home.I was driving through town when Hawaii Street crossed Sun...
09/15/2026

Somewhere in Minnesota, the road briefly tried to send me home.

I was driving through town when Hawaii Street crossed Sunrise, so of course I pulled the 4Runner over for evidence.

After all these miles, I finally made it back to Hawaii for sunrise. There was no ocean, the palm trees were missing, and the 4Runner handled the Pacific crossing suspiciously well.

Minnesota sent me to a gas station for pizza.I have developed a habit of trying pizza as I travel, and people kept ravin...
09/15/2026

Minnesota sent me to a gas station for pizza.

I have developed a habit of trying pizza as I travel, and people kept raving about Casey's. This was never going to be brick-oven pizza or something competing for a place among Minnesota’s best, but for a grab and go meal from a gas station, I needed to try it for myself.

I ordered a whole pizza online instead of choosing one from the open case inside. That gave me a fresh pizza with fewer people touching it before it reached the 4Runner.

The verdict?

Judge me all you want, but I liked it.

I used to feel Monday closing in before Sunday was even over.Years ago, Monday meant traffic, a commute, and running fro...
09/14/2026

I used to feel Monday closing in before Sunday was even over.

Years ago, Monday meant traffic, a commute, and running from one responsibility to the next. I started watching the clock before I even left the house because one delay could throw off the entire morning.

My Mondays look different now. I choose to start with a walk with Rex, and when it is time to begin the day, he comes with me. I do not have to leave my dog behind or spend hours thinking about how quickly I can get back to him.

My office may be in a forest, beside a lake, or at the swing hitch. I spent years building a career that can move with me. I still have responsibilities and deadlines, but I no longer arrange my entire life around a commute.

Taking Rex along is part of the rhythm of travel and camp now. To him, the laptop simply means we are staying in one place long enough for a nap.

There is a bite in the air now.The squirrels are working the campground hard, hauling off whatever they can find before ...
09/14/2026

There is a bite in the air now.

The squirrels are working the campground hard, hauling off whatever they can find before winter settles in. The evenings are cooler, the light is changing earlier, and you can feel the season starting to turn.

Tonight, the beach gave me a front row seat to the sunset.

Tomorrow I’m back on the road, so I’m letting this be the last scene from this Minnesota lake.

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