What is it with the passage of time?
It seems like it was forever ago that we first got vaccinated, as chronicled in my 15th Nomadiversary post last year. But really, it was just over a year ago.
Last year – I was noting that we had spent just four nights outside of Florida in the prior 365. This year – we left Florida in July 2021 and didn’t return until late January 2022. A huge shift from the locked-down year before!
It has been a year of fun, adventure, travel, community, and some craziness.
And it definitely feels like it has been WAY more than a year since my Nomadiversary post last year.
Time is just moving at a weird pace – simultaneously at a crawl, and at rocket speed.
Who would have ever imagine a year ago that the pandemic would still be raging (seriously – check the latest lockdowns in China!), or that World War 3 would actually be brewing (go Ukraine!).
But meanwhile, while the world keeps turning….
I’ve now spent sixteen years on the road since I first departed, way back on April 1st, 2006!
Today (April 1st, 2022) is my sixteenth Nomadiversary!
What should I do to celebrate my sweet sixteen?
Celebrating Sixteen Years Nomadic
I checked Wikipedia for traditional ways to mark a sweet sixteen.
It had… ideas:
Shoe Ceremony
In this ceremony, the birthday girl sits down in a chair while her father, grandfather, Godfather, Uncle, or brother approaches her with high heels on a decorative pillow. The girl would traditionally be wearing flat shoes, such as slippers, and the father ceremoniously helps her into her new high heels. This is symbolic of the girl transitioning into a woman.
Tiara Ceremony
The tiara ceremony is similar to the shoe ceremony, except the mother or a strong female figure approaches with a tiara instead of shoes and places it on her daughter’s head to symbolize her becoming a woman.
Uhm….
I don’t think I would be able to walk in heels. And, well, I just can’t find a tiara I like in my size.
There was one additional suggested tradition to mark the occasion:
Montage
At high end sweet sixteens, a DJ often brings along several televisions or a projector to show a video montage set to music of the birthday girl containing pictures starting from when she was a baby and getting older, usually ending with pictures of her in her sweet sixteen dress. The guests can either sit down and watch this montage, or it could be playing in the background while the guests dance.
I think I can manage to put together a montage – chronicling my journey from fledgling nomad through today.
So, sit down – or start dancing!
Montage Time
Three quick photos per year – showing the changes in rigs, and some graying in me too…
The links in each year go to my prior Nomadiversary posts.
2006
Hitting the road solo, and picking up an amazing partner along the way…
2007
First Nomadiversary (2007) — Preparing to set out with Cherie, reminiscing about my first very eventful year on the road. (This links to my pre-Technomadia solo blog!)
2008
Second Nomadiversary (2008) — After a year on the road together, we decided we needed a different style of RV. We worked together to custom design our Oliver, moving up from a trailer ideal for one to one made for two. And then came the ultimate Technomadia upgrade – a kitten!
2009
Third Nomadiversary (2009) — Camped on a beach near Malibu, watching dolphins frolic. A year full of a lot of cross country travel, building nomadic community and taking on ever bigger projects.
2010
Fourth Nomadiversary (2010) — Discovering the secret prize that comes inside every box of wine. A year of more nomadic adventures in the Oliver, launching our mobile iOS apps and then moving to the USVI to take a break from small RV living.
2011
Fifth Nomadiversary (2011) — Giving up nomadism and buying a condo (not!) in the Virgin Islands.
We started the year off in the islands, then spent the summer as hobos riding the rails, and ended up living in a bus older than I am.
2012
Sixth Nomadiversary (2012) — Reminiscing about all the changes over the years.
2013
Seventh Nomadiversary (2013) — At last revealing the real reason I first decided to hit the road…
A dramatic year started with a huge meetup of RVing friends in Cedar Key, and then Cherie’s dad passing away – transitioning her business. Also exciting – our bus needed an engine rebuild.
2014
Eighth Nomadiversary (2014) — Way too swamped and stressed with launching RVillage and dealing with Millenicom madness to write anything wistful or witty. This year was WAY too much work! Oh, and we also happened to launch this little thing called the Mobile Internet Resource Center.
2015
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.
Highlights this year included helping launch Xscapers – a new community for working aged RVers, a trip to Alaska, and a way too ambitious renovation of our bus Zephyr.
2016
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, while traveling by cruise ships.
2017
Eleventh Nomadiversary (2017) — We move aboard Y-Not, and contemplate some innovative ways to bring Zephyr along now that we are living part of the year on the water. We also make our life commitment legal in the state of Florida.
The biggest drama of the year though – surviving Hurricane Irma in Marathon, FL!
2018
Twelfth Nomadiversary (2018) — I share some mathematical analysis of the future trends in boondocking, extrapolating out a future with millions of boondockers fighting over every scrap of desert as the suburbs turn empty.
We get Zephyr put into storage in Texas after presenting at the RV Entrepreneur Summit, and then make our way out of south Florida on the boat. We end up in Sanford, FL by the end of the year, and fall in love with a city like no other.
2019
Thirteenth Nomadiversary (2019) — I explain how we move our Mini Cooper between ports using prototype self-driving technology, summoning the car to us remotely. We actually end up trading our MINI Cooper for a camper van to be our shuttle craft between boat and bus. We finally return to Texas and get Zephyr relocated out to Arizona – and bring in 2020 with our Xscapers community.
2020
Fourteenth Nomadiversary (2020) — Thoughts on being a nomad in a newly locked down, pandemic ravaged world. We end up getting our boat barely out of storage, and return to our beloved Sanford – where we spent most of 2020.
2021
Fifteenth Nomadiversary (2021) — Sharing about the magic of vaccines, and some of the people who have most inspired me over the years. We spent much of 2021 back on the road, absolutely loving #vanlife in our upgraded Winnebago Travato we dubbed “Blooper”.
2022
And 2022 has started off pretty great so far – with a mix already of bus, van, and boat life – and quality time with old friends and new.
This morning, we even set off for a few days on the river – our first trip in Y-Not since last summer.
And Onward!
The craziest thing – some of you have been reading along this whole time too. Wow!
So, long time followers….
Any guesses what our nomadic life might look like in 16 more years?
Will I at last get my Zeppelin? Or a decent tiara, at the very least?
Or will we finally make it to Baja?
Maybe we will even end up traveling in a floating nomadic flotilla and complete this Great Loop thing?
Or, gasp, maybe we’ll even turn conventional and buy a condo!
You just never know!
But we’d love to know who’s still here who has been following along for a decade or more.
If you are still enjoying riding along on all our adventures, do reply and say hi and let us know how long you’ve been along for the ride!
PS. We LOVE comments.. however our blog has been having issues this week, and it seems commenting hasn’t been restored. This makes us sad, as we’d LOVE to have you join us in commemorating this occasion.
Finally got a chance to sit down and read this Chris… always a great read! Loving your and Cherie’s posts and reminiscing… and you both are such good writers! Here’s to the next 16 years!