Today is a special day for us. It was five years ago that Chris and I met in person for the first time.
It was also the day we had our first technomadic adventure.
We had been corresponding online since the prior June, just a couple months after Chris gave up his San Francisco apartment, traded his beloved Prius for a Jeep and hit the road full time in his tiny 16′ T@B teardrop camper.
I was living on the coast in Florida, had just put my home up for sale and bought a Prius with intentions of driving across country to California to start a new life there.
I was researching hacks for my Prius’ onboard computer, when I stumbled on a post from Chris in a LiveJournal Prius forum saying good bye to his Prius that he had taken to Burning Man and used as an aircraft carrier (for his paramotor).
I had actually recognized his name and user pic, as we had friends in common. I had already been spending the prior year traveling frequently to California and experimenting with running my software business remotely while traveling and developing a new social network. I dropped him a quick reply saying hi (I’m ‘serolynne’, he’s ‘radven’), that we had friends in common and hoped to be attending the burn for my first time in my Prius. (He seems to have taken that as ‘Hi, I want to move into your little trailer with you!’)
And that struck off months of correspondence that led to finding that we had much more in common than a Prius.
My house didn’t end up selling due to the housing market starting to crash early in Florida due to hurricanes. I didn’t end up making my cross country move to California. And I didn’t end up meeting Chris at Burning Man for our first planned date.
But I did keep the dream alive of eventually moving from Florida and planned another trip to San Francisco to keep in touch with my growing social network. I checked in with Chris, and he was still bouncing around the area. We set a date – October 18 – to finally meet in person.
He asked when I needed to be back, and I said I didn’t have anything planned until the next afternoon. But, I would need to work – and I was already sporting a tethering capable smartphone to get online with my laptop. He offered solar power and an incredible office view.
So the date was set – we’d met, camp somewhere overnight in his T@b and I’d get some work done the next day.
Kinda crazy for a first meeting. But after months of correspondence and friends in common to vouch for each other not being axe murderers – if felt right.
Chris picked me up. We headed to downtown San Francisco and spent the afternoon getting to know each other in person. We dice-walked the entire day, allowing serendipity via the roll of the digital dice to decide our every move. Do we turn right or left? Do we eat at this restaurant or this one? At one point, only an hour or so into our first meeting, we were taking a snack break out the back of his T@b kitchen, and a couple comes up to see the trailer. When Chris explained that he lived in it, they asked if I did too.
He smirkily replied ‘Not yet’.
They turned to me and told me that I should totally move in with him.
That was the furthest thing on my mind at the time, but how prophetic they were. As it was just 6 weeks later that Chris showed up at my doorstep in Florida, to start a series of nomadic trial runs that lead up to me joining him on the road full time… starting in that tiny 16′ T@b (did I mention it had no plumbing??).
What an amazing 5 years it’s been – this life and love of ours that has grown pretty much entirely on the road. Continuing to listen to serendipity at every turn.
So cool. You guys inspired me five years ago, and you still do now. Congrats and thanks for sharing your life on the road!
Awww… thanks, Steve! So good to hear from you – hope you are doing well. Did you ever hit the road yourself?
Just came across your site trying to figure out what type of small camper to ship over here to Israel where I am living and found you both. GREAT STORY!! Just the way life was meant to be lived. Blessing to you both and I am sure our paths will cross-
Scott
Such a lovely story of serendipity. Plus, there are few places more romantic to fall in love than San Francisco! Congratulations!
CONGRATS on 5 and we can’t wait to hear its been 10 and longer. May the blessing of the universe go with you both and Kiki.
Be safe,
Steve
Awwww…I’m a total sap for a good love story. Congrats on 5 gorgeous years together. Hubby and I are going on 14 and still enjoying it all 🙂
Nina
Congrats you two. Thank you for sharing your journey. We have always loved reading your posts over the years.
Your blog is one of those that has convinced my wife and I to also full time it. We’re new to the Bay Area with our RV. Can you provide a maps link to where you boondocked? We’d love to spend a weekend there.
Hi guys!
The few times we’ve boondocked in the Bay Area has been when parked in front of friend’s houses for a few days at a time. When we stay there any other length of time, we stay at an RV Park. We don’t tend to be fans of stealth camping, which is pretty much the only option for boondocking in the Bay Area.
You might want to check out the archives over at Our Odyssey (ourodyssey.blogspot.com), as they boondock a good deal in the south bay when in the area, and typically provide map links to where they stay.
Thanks Cherie. OurOdyssey is another full-timer blog we follow and they also provide great info. I’ve email Sean once about ideas too. I’ll search the archive to see what I missed.
Chris & Cherie –
Ice cold Pepsis all around to raise a toast to the heart & soul of Technomadia!
With Technomotion ready to take you wherever the blue highways lead. . .
Hear! Hear!
Five years on your way to forever together!
🙂
Awww… thanks RJ ! I’ll sip a fizzy pop to that!
Congratulations, and thanks so much for sharing your adventure. For those of us who are anchored by responsibilities that cannot be shed, the vicarious travels of those who can move freely are a gift of great value.
May your journey continue for many more years!
Thank you Michael, we appreciate that there are folks who enjoy hearing our tales.
Congrats you two! Wishing you many more nomadic adventures! Maureen & Eric
Thanks guys!
such an adorable love story! best wishes to you!
Thanks Klara!
What a great story this is! Here’s to wishing you many more anniversaries 🙂
Thanks Debbie!
Congrats you two! Here’s to 10x more 5 year anniversaries!
Congratulations Chris and Cherie! We hope to be living on the road someday too, but in the meantime, we love living the serendipitous lifestyle vicariously through you. Wishing you both another fantastic five years!
Thanks Dave & Julie.. looking forward to seeing you guys out on the road!
Congrats to you both! What a long, strange and fabulous trip it’s been!
Indeed it has been!
Bawwww! How sweet!
Now get that article on those batteries written, dammit! ;)))))))))))))) I’ve waited two weeks!
*ducks, runs*
Hey hey hey – It’s only been 8 days since the last LiFePO4 article 🙂
It’s in progress.. lots going on for us right now tho.
Your pioneering ‘Serenomadic’ story continues and I thank both of you for showing how it can be done.
Serenomadic… I believe you just coined a new favorite word!! 🙂
What a great story! I bet it blows your mind every day!
We do count ourselves very blessed to have found each other.
What a great story, epic though only 5 years so far. May it continue for many, many more. Cheers! *clink*
Thanks Dixie… *clink*
Congrats on what has been a fabulous sounding 5 years (and a glass raised to many more!)
*clink*
Congratulations! We all know that if you can RV together you can do anything! I’m so glad you found one another.
Thanks Linda! Thriving in a small mobile space on the road is indeed a great test for relationship compatibility.
Congratulations on the 5 year milestone. And thanks for keeping one of the truly interesting blogs in blogville. I’ll be along for the next 5 years.
Awww… thanks, Thom!
What a sweet story. When it’s right, it’s right. 🙂
Indeed that! Thanks.
awwwwwwww, you guys! I’m gettin’ all teary-eyed and stuff.
What a wonderful and amazing five years it has been! I often think of the crazy twists and turns my wife and I have taken together over the years. None could have been predicted, and there was no guarantee that both of us would be able to make the same transitions. We’ve gone from ultra-religious to atheist, from ultra-conservative to mostly liberal, from traditional to nomadic, all together. Your own transitions might not have been as dramatic, but going from a T@B to a bus is no small change!
But then, that’s what happens when you find your soulmate! Congrats!
Truly romantic! COngratulations and may you have many more great nomadic adventures together!! Love your blog-BTW.
Thanks Janine – thanks for stopping by!
Cool! we have been 25 years of happiness and we too are on the road in our Lance 1685 2 laptops a mifi card and away we go… we are trackable on google aprs map by inputting kj4ezx-7 you guys never got into ham radio ? you are naturals for that hobby Terry & Bess
Terry – I had that set up for awhile, but other than storm-chasing I never used the radio enough to justify the expense and effort. Have you set your radio up for proximity radar/voice alert?
Glenn
WX3TOR
Thanks guys. We do have our HAM licenses, but we haven’t gotten into it yet. Our bus did come with a radio, so some day we’ll probably try to figure it out.