15th Nomadiversary: Nomadic Inspirations, and Getting 5G Shots

The photo above is the sun setting over the Ogeechee River in Georgia – one of the very few recent photos in my album taken outside of Florida. In the past year we spent a total of just four nights outside of our “home” state.

At what point do I forfeit my nomad license?

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Last year on my 14th Nomadiversary, the world was newly on pause.

I concluded my annual nomadiversary post contemplating the extended lockdown ahead:

And perhaps when my fifteenth nomadiversary rolls around next year, we will be back on the road and/or water – setting off to explore an entirely new world.

This tidal wave will hit, crash over us, and eventually recede. It may be three months, six months, a year, or even longer – but this will pass. And we will hopefully manage to learn and grow from it.

It has been a LONG strange year, but at last it does feel like the wave might be receding.

So what next?

Not Throwing Away My Shot!

First on the agenda is getting vaccinated.

Vaccines are at last here, and are proven to work.

Yay, science!

It is incredible to see the amazing advances in medical science and technology that have enabled multiple Covid vaccines to be developed at a pace faster than has ever been possible before.

It is truly a stunning achievement.

We’ve been waiting patiently for our turn – and at last this week Florida lowered vaccine eligibility to those over 40.

We of course snagged an appointment right away, and got our first shot of Pfizer on Tuesday.

Just two months ago it felt like it would take at least until mid-summer before our turn would come up – so it feels great to be looking ahead to being pretty much as protected as is currently possible by early May.

The pandemic is still far from over, and there are multiple scary variants to fight and likely ongoing vaccine boosters required – perhaps for years to come. But it feels like the tide is turning – and we will soon be entering a phase where the world can start to get back to a new, and hopefully eventually better, normal.

And even before things are fully back to normal, I know I am SO looking forward to more social time, hugging on friends and family.

And maybe even dining out or shopping indoors every now and then!

So this shot gives us 5G, right?

Now I just need to wait two weeks for my 5G signal to kick in, right?

I’ve been wondering whether we should do comparative 5G signal testing at the Mobile Internet Resource Center to see whether Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson gives the best 5G performance?

Perhaps a shot in each arm would double 5G speeds and enable MIMO reception?

Maybe this is why a second shot is required?

If so – the “one and done” Johnson & Johnson shot might prove the be at a real disadvantage once the cellular networks are upgraded for faster mind control rays.

Ah technology….

PS: It scares me how many people really do seem think that these sorts of conspiracy theories are true. We trust experts, science, and reality!

Future Travel Plans?

We’ve been docked in Sanford for just over a year now – having arrived here to shelter in place last year on March 25th.

That feels like a decade ago.

But fortunately – we’ve never felt too stuck.

Sanford has been the perfect place to ride out the pandemic.

We have family & friends nearby for socially distanced visits, ample great takeout within walking distance, plenty of great walking and biking right off our dock, and we’ve been able to take the boat out for anchoring trips and the van out for frequent state park adventures.

While Florida’s approach to managing the pandemic might not have always aligned with our preferences – we have benefitted from so much of the state staying relatively open – and at least the area around us has seemingly taken masking and social distancing seriously.

And since Florida offers tons of outdoor opportunities all year long due to nicer weather much of the time – we’ve been able to choose our own risk tolerance and participation levels, which has helped immensely in not feeling trapped.

We even managed to leave Florida for a few nights in February to meet up with some RVing friends, on a van trip all the way up to South Carolina.

Despite this being by far the most stationary we have been in the past 15 years, overall – we’ve had it good.

It’s been comfortable, and this home-based approach to nomadic life has worked out quite nicely for us. We actually aren’t feeling in any rush to pull up stakes and get back to non-tethered nomading.

For one thing, Sanford is awesome and once our immunity kicks in more – we’d like to experience the parts of it we’ve been avoiding this past year – a little more outdoor dining, maybe catching a (gasp) show?

And we both need to catch up on delayed medical stuff we’ve been putting aside this past year.

Jumping back on the Great Loop just doesn’t make sense for us this year, the timing doesn’t align.

Rushing north on the boat just to make more miles this summer trying to outrun hurricane season isn’t our idea of a fun re-entry into nomadic life. The Canadian border remains closed anyway, and so many of the places we would want to explore along the east coast are barely starting to reopen.

Instead – we might actually keep our boating centered on Sanford at least through the upcoming (again? already?!) hurricane season.

Before Hurricane season ramps up, we might take an extended cruise down river, and maybe somewhat beyond.

But I really expect that Y-Not will still be here through the fall, and maybe even longer.

Instead of focusing on cruising – we might set off in the van this summer to escape Florida’s heat and maybe go pick up Zephyr for some bus adventures.

Or maybe we’ll just spend another summer in Sanford and continue with side trips.

Heck – maybe we’ll even look into buying some investment real estate?

But really – it is still hard to make plans.

We are at a crossroads now – and are only just now coming to grips with the idea that extended travel might soon begin to feel safe, fun, and once again responsible for us to consider.

After a year of minimizing travel and contact – that is a pretty big shift to wrap our minds around.

Thanks, Not Pranks

Other than this general update, I’ve been pondering what to write for my annual nomadiversary post for the past month.

After the madness of the past year, it still doesn’t feel right to post something inappropriately witty.  My traditional Nomadiversary tomfoolery would just feel out of step with where the world is.

It is a time for hope, but we are not out of the woods yet.

And I really think I should save my half-written roasting of the Nomadland movie for another day – that movie deserves to be made fun of, but it also deserves some praise and some deeper serious analysis too.

Instead – I am actually feeling inspired by T-Mobile’s #GiveThanksNotPranks campaign.

Rather than publish silly fake press releases making ridiculous product announcements, T-Mobile has rallied a bunch of companies to skip the shenanigans this year to focus on positivity and gratitude.

I’m generally not a big fan of fake corporate do-goodery, but the general concept of expressing gratitude sounds pretty good to me….

So in that spirit – here are just a few of the people I am grateful for that have inspired my nomadism and helped make my past fifteen years of technomadic adventures possible:

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  Mom & Dad – My parent’s set off to live in the jungles of Indonesia (with two small kids in tow!) way back when I was in third grade, and our roundabout trips to and from the United States every summer instilled in me a love of travel and adventure, and an appreciation of the wider world. And all through my life, they have both always supported me no matter what crazy thing I got myself involved in. They really are the best!

• Neil Peart – Neil used to travel between Rush concert tour dates by bicycle, and then motorcycle – and his love of travel and the open road came through in his lyrics and writings. Neil has been a nomadic inspiration of mine since I first discovered his music, and his untimely passing early last year was just the start of 2020 going off the rails. For years I imagined sending him a “Thank You” fan letter – but I guess I missed my chance, and this shout out will have to do.

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  Steve Roberts – The original Technomad, he set off on a “computerized recumbent bicycle named Winnebiko” way back in 1983. When I discovered him in 1995, he became both a friend and inspiration. Steve’s workshop was one of my first stops when I hit the road in 2006 – and he helped me rebuild my little Tab trailer to be solar powered.

• Sean & Louise – When I was first contemplating buying an RV to travel in full time, there was hardly anyone sharing online about what life in an RV might be like.One of the very few blogs I remember discovering and being inspired by at the time was Our Odyssey, the chronicle of Sean & Louise and their absolutely amazing double-decker Neoplan bus.

  

  We eventually met and became dear friends with these guys, and they have been an amazing help to us in so many ways – especially when we bought Zephyr and began bus life, and then again once we followed in their footsteps and moved aboard a boat.

• Travis & Melanie Carr –

  

  Together with these guys, we gave birth to the Xscapers – but they have run with it, turning it into something that will forever shape the RVing world to enable a whole new generation of technology enabled nomads. It feels like the future of this organization is in good hands, and even more importantly – good hearts. Seeing the ripples spreading forth into the future is inspiring indeed!

• Cherie – I didn’t expect to find such a well matched partner my first year on the road, and I certainly know that I never would have been able to keep at it this long without her by my side. We just fit so well together – and she inspires me constantly. No wonder I love her!

And there are many many more – people who it would be hard to give context to in a public post like this, but who have inspired me in ways big and small throughout the years.

Thank you, everyone!

And of course a special 2021 dose of gratitude – to all the health care workers and scientist and everyone else who has been on the front lines fighting tirelessly for this past year.

These people are heroes!

Thank you!!!

Nomadiversary Memory Lane:

Today (April 1st, 2021) is my fifteenth Nomadiversary!

15 years (!!!!) on the road and water…

Here are some links to my (mostly) annual past posts.

Step back in time and check out some of our past adventures:

• Fourteenth Nomadiversary (2020) — Thoughts on being a nomad in a newly locked down, pandemic ravaged world.
• Thirteenth Nomadiversary (2019) — I explain how we move our Mini Cooper between ports using prototype self-driving technology, summoning the car to us remotely.
• Twelfth Nomadiversary (2018) — Some mathematical analysis of the future trends in boondocking, extraploting out a future with millions of boondockers fighting over every scrap of desert as the suburbs turn empty.
• Eleventh Nomadiversary (2017) — We contemplate some innovative ways to bring Zephyr along now that we are living part of the year on the water.
• Tenth Nomadiversary (2016) — I share my past history traveling with a powered paramotor, and our future plans to renovate a Zeppelin to be a flying RV. Meanwhile, we were actually already secretly starting our hunt for a boat.
• Ninth Nomadiversary (2015) — Sharing test results of LTTE boosters. Not to be confused with cellular LTE boosting, LTTE boosting (Libation: Technology Tribulation Elimination) is an even more critical element of a technomad’s tech arsenal.
• Eighth Nomadiversary (2014) — Way too swamped and stressed with launching RVillage and dealing with Millenicom madness to write anything wistful or witty.
• Seventh Nomadiversary (2013) — At last revealing the real reason I first decided to hit the road…
• Sixth Nomadiversary (2012) — Reminiscing about all the changes over the years.
• Fifth Nomadiversary (2011) — Giving up nomadism and buying a condo (not!) in the Virgin Islands.
• Fourth Nomadiversary (2010) — Discovering the secret prize that comes inside every box of wine.
• Third Nomadiversary (2009) — Camped on a beach near Malibu, watching dolphins frolic.
• Second Nomadiversary (2008) — Working with Cherie to custom design our Oliver, moving up from a trailer ideal for one to one made for two.
• First Nomadiversary (2007) — Preparing to set out with Cherie, reminiscing about my first very eventful year on the road — setting off solo and finding an amazing partner along the way.  (This links to my pre-Technomadia solo blog!)