Sold My House, Bought a Prius and Hit the Road

[myway_1]

My small dog and I started in south Florida where my house was about a week ago. Got to the foothills of the Appalachians ASAP to escape the 90 degree heat. So far have been to Columbus, GA, Lagrange, GA, Chattahoochee National Forest, Blue Ridge, GA, Murphy, NC, Nantahala National Forest, Chattanooga, TN, Cleveland, TN and tonight am in Cherokee National Forest. I have stayed away from interstate highways. I enjoy the downtowns of small and medium towns and college campuses. I left with the car packed to the gills and have been shedding stuff along the way. Now I am down to a 3" foam bed, medium suitcase, two Sterlite totes, a small cooler, a bucket and a couple of small canvas bags and 3 gallons of water. It has been pretty smooth so far. The biggest challenges have been bodily functions and hygiene. Tomorrow I am going to Athens, TN to see its downtown and Tennessee Wesleyan University.

 

[Jdaniel]

Good luck on your new adventure! Regarding hygiene, Try wet wipes. They are great when space and water are limited.

 

[CautionToTheWind]

"Baby wipes" are the best. Best of luck on new adventure!

 

[AbuelaLoca]

How wonderful you made the leap!! Enjoy your journey!!

 

[Queen]

How fun!! I'm going to enjoy reading about your journey.

 

[gcal]

My small dog and I started in south Florida where my house was about a week ago. Got to the foothills of the Appalachians ASAP to escape the 90 degree heat. So far have been to Columbus, GA, Lagrange, GA, Chattahoochee National Forest, Blue Ridge, GA, Murphy, NC, Nantahala National Forest, Chattanooga, TN, Cleveland, TN and tonight am in Cherokee National Forest. I have stayed away from interstate highways. I enjoy the downtowns of small and medium towns and college campuses. I left with the car packed to the gills and have been shedding stuff along the way. Now I am down to a 3" foam bed, medium suitcase, two Sterlite totes, a small cooler, a bucket and a couple of small canvas bags and 3 gallons of water. It has been pretty smooth so far. The biggest challenges have been bodily functions and hygiene. Tomorrow I am going to Athens, TN to see its downtown and Tennessee Wesleyan University.

Wow. I could not go that simple. But if you have a Youtube channel, I will watch you do it!

 

[akrvbob]

You must have just passed by me just south of Ocala Florida, I'm sorry to have missed you. I plan to be in Western North Carolina in about 3 weeks, would love to meet you!

 

[myway_1]

^Bob, I'd like to meet you too but I will be further north by then. My plan is to gradually head north as the weather gets hotter. I was born and raised in northwestern NC. If you are up that way I can recommend some places to eat and sightsee.

 

[myway_1]

The end of the second week in my Prius. Going great so far. I have solved the hygiene and bodily functions issues. I have curtains enclosing the back seat and part of the cargo area for privacy. I have shed my final suitcase. I'm using the Prius's large storage area under the floor of the cargo area for my clothes.

I travelled up east Tennessee this past week from Chattanooga to Bristol along US 11,  US 411 and US 321 visiting most of the towns and colleges along the way. Camped in Cherokee National Forest a couple of nights.

I am now in Abingdon, VA. It is the prettiest town that I've seen yet.

 

[rvpopeye]

How far north are you planning or is this "no plan" which is always good ?

I have a spray bottle with white vinegar for cleaning the rig and sometimes give the wet wipe a shot for a little extra on smell reduction.

 

[myway_1]

^I may go all the way into Canada by mid-summer.  I hurried north to escape the heat of Florida, but the other day in western TN, the high was 60, so I need to slow down because its starting to get too cold, haha. I'm just afraid that I will get bored if I don't keep moving.

 

[rvpopeye]

Practically everywhere you should have something of interest to keep you busy till you're ready to move on.
Slow is best! Too fast and you will miss great things and may never go that way again.

I spent a big part of my life traveling too fast missing out on cool things and sights and it was part of the reason I go slow now.

 

[myway_1]

I proceeded on my tour of the downtowns and college campuses in the foothills of the southern Appalachians, making my way through SW Virginia and SE West Virginia. Abingdon, VA remains my favorite town. Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia was my favorite campus. My reason for liking these places best is that they have preserved and protected their historic areas very well. When you are in downtown Abingdon or in the original quad of Hollins University you can easily imagine that it is 1880.

However it began to become monotonous both in terms of the built environment and the natural environment. One downtown or college campus looked very much like any other. The national forests were all trees, trees, trees, damp and dim. It was claustrophobic.

So I cut it short and headed toward the wide open spaces. I'm near Witchita, KS on my way to Colorado.

I'm still liking living in my Prius. It is quite comfortable for sleeping. It is cramped for changing clothes and bathing. I have figured out how to drive it to get 55 mpg consistently on paved roads. So the 3500 miles I have put on hasn't cost me very much in gas.

 

[Queen]

I hear you about the claustrophobia, I enjoy visits to places like that, but after a while I need to see the horizon.

Saw a prius yesterday and gave it a long look, never could figure out how anyone could sleep in a tiny car, but they are surprisingly roomy inside. And that mileage, wow!