Meet Rita (short for Chaparrita) - 2000 Ford E450 Skoolie
I (Jenn) adopted Rita from her creator, Craig, in June of 2024, in Sausalito, CA. She's been converted for full time off-grid living. Craig put a lot of love, thought, effort and countless hours into building her. She's 22 feet long, so she's considered a shorty - like me (5'1").
This blog will document our time together...for however long it is and wherever we roam. The good, the awesome, the bad, the ugly and the hysterical.
Rita and I were built for adventures, risk-taking, saying YES to the unknown and spreading smiles wherever we go.
That's just how we roll.
Latest News
Alabama to Louisiana (Yes, New Orleans!)
When I left Chattanooga, I just had a few hours drive down to a boondocker’s farm in Verbena, Alabama. I was looking forward to being alone – not visiting anyone and not going anywhere. I wanted to get a bunch of little things done (which I did!) and relax a bit, and recharge. I stopped to buy groceries on the way down. I spotted a Trader Joe’s in Birmingham, AL. Why I keep ending up grocery shopping on a weekend is beyond me. It was a total zoo and parking was also a nightmare. Usually, I park way back in...
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New York City to Chattanooga, TN
The leaves were beginning to change and the nights were growing colder and my will to exist was growing dimmer…as will happen in the cold weather. It was definitely time for me to begin the journey south and westward. I was certainly not going to make the mistake of passing another winter in the Northeast. I was excited to get on to the next projects and some fun visits along the way. I stopped through New Hampshire for one more visit with Scott and Adriane. They have had a challenging year, to put it mildly. Adriane is battling the aftermath...
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Driving Miss Rita
What’s It Like to Drive a Bus? A lot of people ask me this - is it hard to drive Rita? What is it like? I figured it would be good to get a bunch of stuff down now while it is all still fresh for me as a newbie. I have logged over 7,000 miles on Rita now, but definitely feels still very new to me in a lot of ways. Slowly, much of the anxiety about navigating unfamiliar roads and showing up somewhere new (how big will it be? Can I back out? What if I get stuck?...
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Indiana to NYC – Long Overdue Update
It has been well over 2 months since I posted an update. I am currently writing from Spencer, Tennessee at. Wanderlust Waypoints - a place to get bus projects done! But before I get into all that...what have I been doing the past 2+ months-that-feels-like-6 ? The time has been pretty action packed, a lot of doctor appointments (routine stuff, getting it all in while in my 'home state', I'm in tip top shape, it seems!), moving all my stuff into Rita, lots of projects, a prolonged stay with the mechanics, lots of family and friends visiting and maybe even...
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