Hi Fellow Travelers,
My name is Matt and I'm 35. I've always loved road trips and have done multiple 2-8 week long trips all over the US. Most trips were done in an 03 Chevy Express Van that I set up for camping. One of my longest and most enjoyable trips I did in a 2 door Jeep Wrangler, but setting a tent up every night wasn't near as nice as sleeping in the Van. So far i've driven through 48 states including Alaska and Hawaii. Arizona and Louisiana are the last two to check off my list. When I turned 31 I got a very very severe case of Lyme disease that nearly put me in a wheelchair. It took nearly three years to get the correct diagnosis and i've been responding to treatments and for the first time since it started, it's looking like i'm going to be getting a second chance at life and as bad as being disabled has been at times, it's taught me an important lesson and that lesson is don't put off what you want to do today, because no one is guaranteed a tomorrow. I don't know how long I want to spend on the road, but I figure I can do at least a year, and potentially thinking I may like to join the full time community. I own a 2013 Chevy Silverado 4x4 and it only has 45k miles on it and I don't owe on it, so for now I'd like to use that and I've decided i'm going to buy a 7x14 cargo trailer this summer and start converting it. One of my favorite things to do is explore lakes and rivers in my motor canoe (Flat backed canoe with 4hp outboard) so I picked the 14' length because it will allow me to travel with the canoe inside to help with gas mileage while towing, as opposed to it up on the roof. I have a cabinet and furniture making background, and am really looking forward to the build. I have another 4-6 months of treatments, so if all goes according to plan, I hope to hit the road the beginning of October and meet up with some of you at the 2017 RTR. Prior to becoming disabled I was very active backpacking(did lots of 3-10 day trips), hiking, fly fishing, snowboarding, traveling, etc. Look forward to working back towards doing all of it.
Look forward to meeting you all out on the open road.
~Matt~
I've learned that making a living is not the same thing as making a life.