California Memories

One of my best parts of surfing was the satisfaction that washed over me as I rinsed off my surfboard and changed into dry clothes.  The ocean water was refreshing against my sunburnt skin. Although by the end of the day my fingers and toes were icy.  Pulling off my drenched and sticky wet suit in favor of a soft cotton tee was a heavenly experience. As I Smiled from ear to ear, I shook out my salty, sandy hair and managed to work it into a shape somewhat resembling a bun.  Finally, dry and warm once more, I grabbed my board and headed to the thing we call a home. (The van!)  Even after the board was all strapped to the roof, I could’ stop thinking about the thrill of finally standing and balancing for a few shaky seconds before plummeting back into the foamy turmoil of salt and seaweed. 

Blog Post by: Isabelle Zink

Edited and Produced by: Lily Zink

Utah fun!

From canyoneering, to kayaking, Utah has beautiful scenery to explore. 

Blog Post by: Lily Zink

Sixteen Years Around the Sun

Turning sixteen seemed to mark a turning point on our trip. I had had time to relax in the house we rented, and get ready to move back into our van. A little to my surprise, I was excited to move back into our little home. I had been brainstorming new art to put up in the van, new ways to hang our fairy lights, and more convenient places to store things. I was looking forward to giving our little van a makeover and getting back on the road. Once we were back on the road, it was obvious how much more time I spent inside while living in a regular house. In the last two weeks, I had begun to lose my tan, to not get as much exercise, and the hours in the day seemed to slip away without my knowledge of where they had gone. Turning sixteen, beginning a fresh year, and moving back into our little home felt like a fresh start and an opportunity for new goals and inspirations.

Blog post written by: Isabelle

Edited and produced by: Lily

Where the Desert Drops into the Sea

Hello again friends and family. I wrote this blog entry while sitting on a cliff beside the ocean on one of our first days in California in Crescent City. The posting is obviously a little late, however this journal entry perfectly captures my amazement at the stunning beauty of California.

The sun is warm on my face, shining down the left side of my body and melting all my muscles into calm relaxation. The air is cool, crisp, smelling of seaweed that has been roasting for too long under the harsh glare of the sun. The waves thunder below me, crashing into twenty foot cliffs in white foamy abandonment. Vacation beach houses huddle together, perching delicacy on the cliff to my right. The houses gaze solemnly through giant glass windows out upon the vast expanse of ocean. The little structures look like colorful birds, painted in off yellows and ocean blues. All the buildings have the same tint to them, as if hot California summers have baked them into the surrounding desert landscape. To my left, our little home on wheels sits in an empty gravel lot; tiny in comparison to the vast shimmering ocean in gazes across. Above me, the sky is an impossibly vibrant blue, growing hazy as it reaches for the surface of the water surface of the water. Suddenly, I feel very, very small. My tiny presence nearly nonexistent in comparison to the vastness of the world around me. I close my eyes and abandon myself to this novel, beautiful land of ocean and never ending sky called California.

Blog Post by: Isabelle

Edited and posted by: Lily

Tis the Season

We knew Christmas this year would not be like others. Our tradition in Alaska was to host a spectacular Christmas Eve party, friends and family all coming together to celebrate. This year though was different in more than one way. As we try to stay as Covid safe as possible, we knew having a party would not be happening. Also, living in a van in Arizona is much different than a house in Alaska.This was one of the few years Izzy and I have ever had a Christmas without snow. Instead, we enjoyed Christmas in our swimsuits. 

blog post by: Lily Zink

Living by the Beach

On the trip, we decided that one of our goals is to learn how to surf. Surfing is something I have always wanted to do, but living in Alaska can make that challenging. We bought a used surfboard and two wetsuits. Best purchase yet. After school we head to the beach to surf till sunset.

Ok, let's talk sunsets. The sunsets here are utterly spectacular. Every night the sky lights up with beautiful shades of oranges, pinks, reds, and so much more.

Ok, we’re not expert surfers. Yes, we have gone surfing after school everyday, yes we have improved a tremendous amount. BUT we are DEFINITELY BEGGINERS.

Izzy and I have a thing for turning a one person sport (surfing for example) and turning it into a two person sport. We have been practicing having one person lay on the board, while the other person jump on top of them to ride the wave.

Blog post by Lily.

Defying Gravity

The rock was warm under my calloused hands as I pulled myself onto the orangish wall, nearly red in the glow of the setting sun. After weeks of rock climbing throughout Oregon, my soft, smooth hands had grown hard and rough and constantly seemed black with rope aluminum from belaying. As I pulled up in search of a second hold, my conscious subsided, and suddenly, my body was overriding my mind in a wave of instinct and memory. My fingers claimed seemingly nonexistent cracks in the harsh textured landscape beneath my chalked fingers. The tips of my rock shoes smeared into the mear idea of a depression. My entire body pulsed to life in an unwavering pursuit to defy gravity. My breaths deepened, my heart beats drummed louder inside the hollow of my chest; Blood rushed just below my skin flooding my shaking muscles. The world had narrowed into an undefinable point between me and the rock, and in an instant, the sinking sun seemed universes away.

blog post by Isabelle.

Edited and posted by Lily.

How to Duck Dive while Surfing

How to Duck Dive while Surfing.While surfing, the duck dive can be very helpful for getting under a wave without it crashing on your face. Grab your board, and either practice in a pool first or go straight to the ocean.

To successfully duck dive under a wave, you'll need a shortboard. A shortboard is a type of surfboard that is small, with a hard deck. Shortboards are meant for tricks and are much easier to get past the breaking waves with.

The first step is to paddle hard. It is unnecessary to practice this step if you are in a pool. Instead, skip to where you put your hands on the board. You want to get some speed while paddling, so the momentum you have can push you under the wave. About six feet, or two meters from the wave, start your duck dive. Next, put your hands on the board, grabbing the rails. Then, push the nose of your board down and forward. Now press down on the tail of your board with your foot or knee. With that, your board will go down, pulling you along. You then bring your body down to the board. Rather than pulling the board up to meet your body, push your body down at an angle with your head first. Keep your eyes open while under the wave, if possible, because you don't want to damage your board if you hit it on the bottom. Also, you can look at the bubbles in the water and see if the wave has gone over you or not.

You are now under the wave, and you want to let your board guide you through the water. Don't rush coming up, or you might come up right as the wave crashes on you. The board will guide you up, but if needed you can give a few kicks to help boost you. Then your head will surface, followed by the rest of your body. You did it. You now know how to duck dive a wave while surfing.

blog post by Lily.

Edited and posted by Lily.

Beginning the Journey

After printing screenshots of plane tickets back to Alaska and stocking the van full of food, we were off to Canada.  My mom planned to drive my sister and I through Canada, then fly back to Alaska.  Meanwhile, my dad would fly down and meet us in Seattle.  However, the Canadian border had been shut down and was now only open for “mandatory travel.”  This being a fairly loose phrase, we decided we would make our argument to the Canadian border patrol on the basis of going to the lower 48 to complete school work.  Equally nervous and excited, we hugged my dad goodbye, gave Luna a few extra kisses, and drove beneath the beautiful fall leaves away from our familiar home towards an unknown destination.

When we finally arrived at the canadian border we were more than nervous.  Many people had been turned around at the border, and our friends at home were doubtful we would make it through.  The man at the border window was burly and stout with a serious face.  When my mom handed him her return ticket to Alaska, he coldly asked why the ticket price was only one dollar.  After my mom explained we got the ticket on Alaskan Airlines miles, he gave an unexpected laugh.  Clearly, he was another Alaskan Airlines frequent flyer.  After waiting for what seemed like a tense eternity while the border patrol did background checks, we were finally approved to continue into Canada.

Little did I know I was in for a surprise as soon as we crossed the border.  First, we had absolutely no cellular since we were in another country.  Second, the driving age was 16 so I was banished to the back seat since Lily and I had previously agreed that I would sit in the back when I wasn't driving.  This meant I found myself experiencing the snake-like curvy roads of Canada in the back with absolutely nothing to do except watch miles of tiny scraggly spruce trees grow larger and finally turn into something like a Colorado spruce that actually resembled a tree.  I soon discovered that a teenage girl with nothing else to do besides stare at trees, quickly learns to sleep for twelve or more hours a day.  That is, as soon as I was used to the random items falling off shelves and hitting me in the head while I drooled over the armrest.  All in all, Canada was absolutely beautiful and it was wonderful spending three days of uninterrupted time with my mom and Lily.

The Build

As the days in Alaska began to wither away and we realized we would be doing homeschool in a dark cold house in front of a fireplace, it was apparent that we needed an escape. So began the brainstorming process. After throwing out all our ideas, we decided that traveling through the United States was a possibility since it allowed us to stay Covid safe in our van and travel. With this spark of an idea fueling our imaginations and some serious time spent YouTubing, we began the van build.

Making our little home on wheels a little more like a home began with some leftover lumber, some garage tools, and a big idea. My sister and I prioritized a loft bed from the beginning and we were all excited for a roof rack. To be honest, both of those things were largely inspired by Pinterest photos. Despite my dad explaining that we would never actually do yoga on the roof like on instagram, we were determined to give it our best. After a month of quickly learning to use power tools, sanding and staining wood, and hanging fairy lights and prayer flags we had bags packed and were on our way towards Canada