As this is my first official blog post, I figured it would be best to tell you all a little about myself before diving completely into the van build process and documenting my travels.

My name is Cheyanne, and I was born on the Texas Gulf Coast where I spent the first 30 years of my life. I was raised in the water. Learning to swim before I learned to walk, and eventually falling in love with the surf, it is safe to say that salt water is coursing through my veins. The melody of my heart sounds like crashing waves, coastal breezes, and the call of the gull.

Six years ago, I felt a tug at my feet that landed me in the Northeast portion of Texas known as the Piney Woods Region. The soaring loblolly pines and rolling hills of this part of the state have a crisp, mesmerizing beauty to them that makes me want to lose myself on dirt paths and backroads. I have put in roots here, something that is a constant battle for me as I have always craved both roots and wings. It is here in the Pineywoods that I purchased my first home, opened a boutique outdoor outfitters, and made some incredible friends that now feel like family, but I would be remiss if I did not admit that I experience a daily beckoning to pack it all up and return to the coast, or maybe even venture off to somewhere new.

Therefore, to bring about a solution to my never ending desire to change directions and experience fully the world around me, I bought my first van! Her name is Zatara, and she is a 1995 GMC Vandura 2500. I am currently in the process of building out this big brown metal can as an off-grid camper van, and have already begun to plan the various road trips I intend to take as soon as she is ready.

I am excited to experience life on the road, even if it is simply as a weekend wanderer at this point. With my sweet pup Hurley in tow, and some friends sprinkled in here and there, I hope that you will journey along with us as we explore the wild places of the Lone Star State and beyond.

xx

Cheyanne