Howdy.
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We’re Spencer and Clare. In 2018 we hosted a camp wedding, started new businesses, and purchased a large van for adventures around the western US.
Clare is a partner at Two Plus Collaborative, a designer at Mell Lawrence Architects, and a ceramic artist.
Spencer helps people people get more of what they want from their career. He is the cofounder of Best Monday Ever and author of the Looping Method.
Why A Big Van?
Previously, we converted a mini-van for trips around central Texas. This year, when we decided to move from Austin, we opted for a bigger, newer van in order to take longer trips with more of our outdoor gear (bikes take up a lot of space!)
We spent countless hours evaluating all our options (trucks, campers, RVs) and concluded that the Dodge Promaster is the perfect combination of function and price for our lifestyle.
Do You Have Other Vehicles?
The van is our only vehicle. We’re bike people. We prioritize living in places where we can ride to everything we need; work, food, entertainment. It’s not always easy to carry groceries or ride in the rain and we recognize not everyone can or wants to live without a car. For us, this decision affords us the opportunity to have our big van.
Where Are You Going?
In January and February we converted our van in Virginia and then returned to Austin where we’ve lived since 2013. In mid-March we left Austin to explore west Texas and then traveled through southern New Mexico and Arizona. We turned north to visit the Grand Canyon and then headed into Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, stopping at some of the best mountain biking trails along the way. We plan to travel through early August.
What’s The Purpose Of Your Trip?
We are looking for a new home :)
But Isn’t Austin Like Totally A Hip City?
Austin has been a fun adventure for us. We dig the vibe and value a lot of what Austin offers. We love the parks and trails, swimming in Barton Springs, and the bountiful tacos. However, Austin is an island in the vast sea of Texas where there is practically no public lands. We are ready for a change after five years of humid, 100-degree summers and winter cedar allergies. We want mountains and endless trails.
What Did You Do With All Your Stuff?
We’ve always lived in small places, so we don’t have much stuff to begin with. Currently, we have a tenant in our place in Austin. When we decide where to relocate, we can then return to Austin to figure out what we want to move with.
Does The Van Have A Name?
While we love a good van-pun, we landed on Merry Weather after my grandfather Meriwether (and also my middle name).
What is Vancilando?
From Steinbeck’s Travels With Charlie:
“In Spanish there is a word for which I can’t find a counter word in English. If one is vacilando, he is going somewhere but doesn’t greatly care whether or not he gets there, although he has direction.”
It seemed fitting to transform vacilando to VANcilando.
