. . . until we meet again
Contented Trails to you . . . until we meet again . . .
. . . Long ’bout a year from now.
Mountain Lake native Laurel (Classen) Gustafson, and her husband, Nate Gustafson, of late living in Mankato, left pretty much all behind on Wednesday, August 17 – and took off in their 2003 VW EuroVan – Babe the Blue VW – for a trip of their lifetime around the contiguous United States.
Their end goal?
“Living with a little less to experience a little more” – or – intentional living in a minimalist style.
Year-long trip takes shape through planned prep work
“Greetings from New Hampshire! (The first ‘new’ state for both Nate and myself – of all the other states we have been in so far, at least one of us has traveled through before).”
By this weekend, Laurel and Nate had wound their way from Mankato through Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, down through the state, across northern Ohio, northwestern Pennsylvania and crosswise on a northwesterly track through New York, across Vermont and into New Hampshire.
For all the miles their van’s odometer has already compiled, this trip required an amazing amount of time for organization and initial prep work.
“When the idea to travel first came up on the day after Christmas in 2014, what we had laid out was a very structured road trip to all 50 states,” Laurel explains. “It changed a lot, but the fact still remained that we’d need quite a bit of money saved up; $30,000 was an arbitrary goal we picked from online research.”
It was while living in Bloomington, where Nate was working for The Four Firkins, a craft beer institution in the Twin Cities, that they first hatched the idea to undertake this adventure. “From higher education to craft beer, we continuously strive to experience all we can in life,” Nate adds with a laugh.
“Planning and prepping to embark on the trip took a good deal of time, patience – and imagination,” declares Nate. “We tried to orient all our decisions by thinking about their impacts on this trip. Saving all the money we could was critical. This wasn’t easy to accomplish with our proclivities to enjoying great beer and food. Yet, keeping our travel goal in mind, we were able to meet our financial goal.”
“Also at that time, we still had school loans to pay off and plenty of ongoing bills to pay . . . so we gave up a lot of good things to make this great experience happen,” lays out Laurel.
“We got creative. Here are a few examples –
+ Not paying a cable bill for the last 4+ years.
+ Dropping Netflix for the last year.
+ Not paying a cell phone mobile carrier for over one year by using a free, WiFi-only service.
+ Not paying a hair stylist for over two years.
+ Not joining in on every happy hour.
+ Not buying a vehicle since 2006, that is, until buying Babe the Blue VW (#babetheblueVW). At first we called ‘her’ Big Blue, but our friend Mike gave us the idea that, since we are from the Land of Paul Bunyan, ‘Babe” would be appropriate – and we’ve come to know her as our home.
+ Not buying paper towels, napkins, Ziploc bags, etc for two years by using up what we already had and then trying to go without – but – toilet paper never made that list!
+ Not paying a storage facility to hold our stuff while traveling, but by either getting rid of things, selling things or keeping things with family.
+ Buying clothes we needed at thrift stores – after assessing what we really would need and what would be wise.
+ Researching the right outdoor gear in which to invest.
+ Using little heat in our home over winter, which meant wearing extra layers.
+ No AC (air conditioning) use at home this summer – both to save money and to get used to not having it in the Babe the Blue VW.
+ Making simple meals made from fresh ingredients.
And, we started selling many of our things that we didn’t need or use often. The whole ‘minimalist movement’ was something we had already started working towards around three years ago, unknowingly at the time.”
Nate includes, in an expanded explanation of the twosome’s plans, that, “We’re traveling very frugal to experience all we can. We will typically stay in National Forest dispersed camping sites that do not charge a fee, and eat food purchased at grocery stores. Lodging and eating costs are often the highest expenses for travelers. If we can limit those costs, we have pretty good odds in pulling off this adventure.”
Laurel also noted that there were a number of other things that were necessary to be done – but were “the boring part of the planning.” Those steps included making decisions about what to do for their health insurance, with their investments, what address to put on their driver’s licenses, etc.
The boring parts were made bearable – and enjoyable – “by dreaming about where to go, who to see and how to make a vehicle into our home, continues Laurel. “Even if we didn’t end up leaving our home for this trip, that planning process made us so intentional with our resources and appreciative of our abundance in life (love, family, education, parks, friends, our beautiful home state of Minnesota – and the list goes on).”
About the explorers
Laurel graduated from Mountain Lake Public High School (MLHS) in 1999, and on this trip is putting to good use her Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services from Minnesota State University-Mankato (MSU), earned in 2003. In 2014, she obtained a Master of Science in Experiential Education, also from MSU.
“Higher education is one of my favorite things, yet there’s often an end in a student’s life in the form of a degree,” states Laurel. “Considering the cost of this trip as tuition, I am seeking to keep learning and putting to practice the many skills I’ve learned about in my passion for parks and recreation.”
She worked full-time for MSU in University Advancement since 2006, leaving that position after the couple was in full gear crafting their travel plans. For 10 months, she was employed by great friends of the couple who own a small business, Goodtimes Manufacturing. Of that experience, Laurel shares, “It was a great opportunity to learn a variety of skills, since we have not decided what we will do when this adventure of life takes its next turn.”
Laurel and Nate were both living in Mankato when they met, and the Key City was their “starting line” for their countrywide travels.
Nate is a 2002 graduate of Century High School in Rochester, and a 2006 graduate of Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Environmental Studies and Political Science. His continuing education brought him to Mankato, MSU – and Laurel – when he was on campus studying to obtain a Master’s in Public Administration in 2011.
Before the couple turned their Babe the Blue VW’s tires to the open road, Nate was working as a research analyst with MSU and Riverland Community College in Austin. Prior to that employment was when he served at The Four Firkins.
Point of the pilgrimage
Why – at this time of their lives – did they decide to strike out on this very fluid adventure? The consensus from both was obvious, “Why not?”
For Laurel, adding to that reasoning is simple, “Society suggests the time to do that is after retirement; I suggest it’s when a person is most curious about doing it. It’s even greater because the idea seemed impossible at the time.”
Nate tucks into the conversation more expansive thoughts on “Why?” “To live simply – with less – in order to experience more. We live in a vast and diverse nation, with countless opportunities for discovery. Now is the time to grab the opportunity to see the spectacular natural beauty of our nation, meet incredible people from villages, towns, and cities, and to continue learning about ourselves, each other, and life itself.”
Adds, Laurel, “Indeed, this world is full of beauty. We started by exploring our own back yard – and wanted to continue. It’s been a dream, so we were willing to give up normal comforts to make this happen.”
Nate and Laurel’s ‘inspiration’ to carry them through
“As we travel the United States of America, we are reminded every day of the natural beauty and cultural diversity of our nation. We are blessed, each and every day for the opportunities that have been afforded us to explore,” Laurel enthuses. “Venturing into the unknown seems to embedded in the DNA of our beings, and more so of those who trod before us.”
“We’ll never be a Shackleton, Amundsen, or Scott journeying to parts undiscovered,” interjects Nate, “yet, we’ll be able to play adventurer for a time. Finding new passions, learning social and natural history, honing our camping knowledge and skills are part and parcel of our days. Remembering our child-like sense of wonder at the world around us plays a large part in this endeavor. Most importantly, both of us want to continue learning about leading a contented life.”
You can keep up with Laurel and Nate by connecting with them on Facebook – www.facebook.com/contentedtrails/ or Instagram – www.instagram.com/contentedtrails/. Work is being done to kick off on YouTube, as well. You can also e-mail each at – nathan.d.gustafson@gmail.com and gustafson.laurel@gmail.com.
Cross-Counties Connect will remain in touch with the pair on their pilgrimage, and greet them for an update on their whirlwind year when they return “home” to Minnesota.
