It’s been a while, but we have finally returned to the van life. Tyler got a job working at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. We were set to depart from PA at the end of March and Tyler was to begin his job the Monday after Easter. Due to some beauracratic complications with paperwork we found ourselves stranded in the outer banks, with Tyler unable to begin work (and my start date 2 weeks away), and unable to move onto our site. We spent a few days parking on side streets and hanging out in parks before making the realization that nothing was tying us down here and the obvious question was–why not travel? So we did.
We planned a two week tour of the South–Savannah, Chattanooga, Nashville, Asheville, and Durham. And so we embarked. Savannah was our first, and favorite stop. The most enchanting, old-world city we have encountered in the US. This small city is nestled against a river frequented by tour boats and massive barges. The unique, weathered, waterfront buildings house numerous restaurants serving Cajun influenced foods, and street musicians serenade diners while they enjoy their meals. The interior of the city is has parks and squares every few blocks which are filled with huge trees draped in Spanish moss. You can spend hours wandering the picturesque streets lined with gorgeous colonial houses and stopping in historic churches. It is a magical city.
Something that made our stay even more magical was our accommodations. Yes, we stayed in our van, but while trying to find a low-key, inconspicuous place to park for the night we came across a nearly empty convention center parking lot right next to a huge, beautiful resort. It seemed like as good a spot as any, so we parked and headed out to scout for drinking water and a bathroom. The convention center was all locked up, but a back entrance to the resort provided a public bathroom and water fountains. We decided to explore the waterfront a little and discovered…a pool and hot tub surrounded by palm trees and overlooking the river and the city beyond! We couldn’t resist and changed into our swim suits for an evening swim.
And did so again for the next two evenings and then headed across the parking lot to stay in our van.
Staying in the hotel parking lot worked out so well for us that for the remainder of the trip (when not staying with friends) we scouted out hotels that did not have any parking regulation signs and spent comfortable nights there with easy access to water and bathroom facilities. Discretion and confidence are ever the keys to success.
After three days in Savannah we headed north to Chattanooga, TN. The location of this tiny city was lovely–nestled in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains with a river running through. We spent a quiet day there before moving on to Nashville, TN where we met up with friends and hit up a kareoke bar. After a beautiful drive through the Smokies we spent two days in Asheville, NC. Another city tucked away in the mountains Asheville is a small but growing city filled with wonderful restaurants and art galleries. A short drive took us up into the Blue Ridge Mountains for an amazing hike through those misty mountain-tops. 
A short stop at Duke University in Durham, NC (which is gorgeous, by the way) and 1,800 miles later we were headed back to the Outer Banks to finally settle down at our jobs for the summer. Our location on the ocean front of North Carolina is clearly very different from our setup in Colorado last summer, so we have had to make a number of updates to our van which I look forward to sharing with you in our next post!
Snapshots of a Traveler's Life 