Four Nomadic Hippies, Astoria, OR (2026)

09/25/2026

One thing my kids liked me to do while we were on the road was tell stories before bed; Over the years, I've found I can sure spin a tale...

Once there was this family that bought an RV and sold everything. They got the RV registered in South Dakota, began to drive the RV to places they had never been, and genuinely enjoyed life. After about a year, the family had their mail forwarded to them, and they received a registration renewal from South Dakota. The family was enjoying themselves so much that they pretty much “just forgot” to renew it. Then they realized they had forgotten, and they knew they would have to pay a fine. To avoid the fine, the family came up with a new idea. Don’t send back the renewal, ever, and just, you know, keep driving. Sometimes they paid the insurance, sometimes they didn’t… but they never, ever, dared pay the registration. Then, after about five years, they planned to drive near South Dakota, and they worried the expired plates/registration might get them in trouble. Enter… super new plan. This family had some plates off a vehicle they had just sold, but those plates still, technically, had a few months of validity left. Since the RV plates had been 100% expired for a bit, the family thought it would be less illegal to put the non-expired plates on the RV. They had no real evidence it was less illegal, but for some reason it just felt better.

Making up "stories" can be fun... but my best genre is creative narratives.

09/23/2026

Another reflection on the conclusion of our travels...

Whenever we had a conversation with a rando on the road and word got out that we lived full-time in our RV while exploring the country, nearly all exclaimed that it was their dream, how jealous they were, and how great an educational experience it was for the kids. Our best guess is that very few of them actually joined us in the lifestyle, because most people can’t get rid of their things. Possessions possess so many of us, but let me assure you, those things pale in comparison to experiences… and coffee… but mostly experiences.

09/08/2026

More reflections on the conclusion of our travels...

For much of our time on the road, my wife and I maintained a semblance of economic freedom by participating in “gig work.” For us, this included making deliveries for companies like Instacart, DoorDash, and Amazon Flex. Making money on these platforms allowed us to, as I often said, “keep the dream alive.” It mostly kept us nearly caught up on monthly financial obligations and put fuel in the RV to get us to our next stop. As time went on, distressing issues emerged. Over time, these once semi-lucrative avenues became gradually more greedy. Paying the driver less per order and constantly restructuring pay models to benefit the delivery company were passed off as a plus for their “workers.” With each change, it became clear the company was implementing ways to increase profits at the expense of those who carried out its platform’s purpose. With longer hours needed to make the same money as before, coupled with the constant “hiring” of workers, worthwhile orders became more difficult to acquire. Congrats on creating a system where there is an overabundance of workers begrudgingly taking far less than they once did. Very disconcerting.

"Gig work” is mind-numbing. Pick up order… deliver order… wait… get another order… sit idly for an extended time for pickup as the restaurant muddles through a never-ending stack of order tickets… get slowed up by road construction that the app fails to alert… more orders… customers cowering in their houses (only peaking out from behind a curtain) until the delivery agent has placed their order on the steps, gotten back in the car, and pulled out of the driveway… and only then mustering up the courage to exit the safety of their domicile to sn**ch up the order and scurry back inside… I realize that I’m a bit on the scary-looking side, but the same happens to my wife… so, yeah…

09/05/2026

Hi All… I hope this message reaches you stressing out about the future of the world as much as I do. Congrats if you aren’t… this either means you already have a spot in the underground bunker that is in place to protect our finest from the disintegration of the planet, or you haven’t been fully jaded by the discontent with society. I can’t say I am currently blessed with either, as my free and easy days are long gone and I am too much of a slacker to be kept around to help save the planet. People do say I can be humorous, but there probably won’t be much need for laughter when trying to fend off the termination of humankind. Anyway… I digress.

If you are still reading at this point… thanks. I appreciate you sticking with this. I do have something of real substance to announce. The time on the road of the Four Nomadic Hippies had officially come to an end. A myriad of reasons have taken us to this point… and I won’t bore you with them. But ultimately, this means we have settled into an apartment where our neighbor’s non-stop smoking (tobacco… damnit) permeates the walls and haunts our daily existence. It also means our beloved RV (RIP Wonderwall) is no longer in our possession.

To put an assuredly fitting ending to our travel posts, I felt the dire need to burden you with a series of self-reflective conclusion pieces… Postings of the tidbits that have continuously found their collective way into my increasingly chaotic mind (you know… the stress of the future of the world is bouncing around up there). I do hope the piece gives you at least a slight bit of enjoyment.

REFLECTION #1

The National Park System, the organization that is tasked with managing national parks and other sites that are part of the system, should never (EVER) have to deal with political bu****it. NEVER. The sites within the NPS should never be considered for anything other than their intended purpose. Those under the employ of the NPS should never be given more work than they can handle. Additional workers should be hired when needed, and funding for the long-term continued success of the NPS should never be an issue. The various sites in the NPS dot our nation and are an absolute treasure. They are a fantastic gift bestowed upon you by your chosen god for the enjoyment of all. The 400+ units in the NPS are the most incredible thing the U.S. offers, and something of this value should never be compromised. Seeing many of them firsthand with my family during our travels is one of the greatest experiences of my life.

05/04/2026

We got to see The Okee Dokee Brothers for the second time today; this show was in Bend, OR. Such a great performance and it was a pleasure watching Joe and Justin have so much fun up there while the kids (and some adults...) danced it up while they played.

05/04/2026

From it's 1985 start in Dallas, TX... to 9,000+ locations... to only one remaining... The last Blockbuster in Bend, OR

03/10/2026

When in Astoria, I am sure many visitors swing by and snap a picture of the "Goonies House" to reaffirm their fandom of the 80's smash hit "The Goonies." After all, the movie is an enduring bit of pop culture...

With great fear of an all-out revolt by the people of Astoria (and perhaps the entire state of Oregon), I must admit that I have never seen the movie. I said it... I HAVE NEVER SEEN THE GOONIES!!!

So... does anyone else have a hole like this in their pop culture game... whether on accident or on purpose?

03/10/2026

A Few Dozen Hockey Fans Leave Game In A State Of Disbelief After Watching Home Team Set Hockey Back Several Decades...

Macon Mayhem v. Pensacola Ice Flyers (3/3/22)
Player of the Game: Weiland Parrish (Pensacola Ice Flyers)
Favorite Player: Dylan Carabia (Pensacola Ice Flyers)
We Came To See... What The SPHL Is All About
Di****ad Move Of The Night: Getting Reamed For Pounding The Glass
This May Be Of Interest... Macon Mayhem Defensemen May Need Reteaching On Offsides Rule

*Want to read more about our experience... check out the caption for each picture.

02/26/2026

Happy Birthday to the guy that I will climb every mountain with forever! I love you York! ❤️❤️❤️

We climbed a mountain
And I picked wildflowers and put 'em in her hair
And at the top we found a meadow
And danced barefoot in the grass
And I'm not lying there were bluebirds in the air
It was a long one
There was a time or two we felt like giving up
But every fall and every stumble made us
Stop and see the wonder
With your hand in mine we pushed on towards the top
Why do people climb mountains?
Is it just to reach the top and see the view?
Well I'll tell you something
Every rock and every river
Every sore and every splinter
I would climb every mountain with you
Well the clouds rolled in
There was lightning there was thunder there was rain
As we hid beneath our shelter
All the doubts that we had felt
Came pouring in as a flood we had to face
Then came the sunshine
The clouds rolled back and color filled the earth
And the rain had brought the flowers
You could sit and stare for hours
And the toil and the struggle showed its worth
Why do people climb mountains?
Is it just to reach the top and see the view?
Well I'll tell you something
Every rock and every river
Every sore and every splinter
In the summer, in the winter
When it's warm and when we shiver
I would climb every mountain with you
I picked wildflowers
We climbed a mountain
I picked wildflowers
We climbed a mountain
I picked wildflowers
We climbed a mountain
I picked wildflowers
Why do people climb mountains?
Is it just to reach the top and see the view?
Well I'll tell you something
Every rock and every river
Every sore and every splinter
In the summer, in the winter
When it's warm and when we shiver
When our feet are full of blisters
When it's sweet and when it's bitter
I'd climb every mountain with you!

-Tophouse “The Mountain Song”

Four Nomadic Hippies

09/25/2026

09/23/2026

09/08/2026

09/05/2026

05/04/2026

05/04/2026

03/10/2026

03/10/2026

02/26/2026

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