Eleven: February/March 2019

ROVA

The magazine for epic road trips

ROVA2 min read
From The Editor
Ionce did a quiz to find out what my autobiography should be called. I was sitting in an airport lounge, waiting for a flight, passing the time doing crappy quizzes online (don’t pretend you don’t do that). I finished this quiz (favorite color: green
ROVA2 min read
Rova Recommends
When done well, nature captured on film can be revelatory. The Nature Track Film Festival happens in March in Los Olivos, California, showcasing filmic love letters to the outdoors. Almost 50 films will be screened over three days, including a docume
ROVA2 min read
Why The Road?
It’s always been about rock climbing for me. The van was a vessel for accessing these beautiful rock-climbing destinations in North America. There’s nothing like parking your home at the base of a crag and being able to wake up and do what you love f
ROVA6 min read
Vanlife Gatherings RV Rallies Reimagined For The New Generation
Human beings have been coming together to celebrate the things we love for as long as we’ve been on earth. And the group of societal misfits and go-getting travelpreneurs that choose the road life is a growing community bonded by a zest for life and
ROVA8 min read
Connected To Nature
We road-trippers love nature; it’s why we escape the cities, putting rubber to road in search of our own little section of paradise. But there’s also no denying that, as a society, we have become reliant on technology, and expect a certain level of c
ROVA7 min read
Raise The Roof
When I was young, one of my favorite things about camping with my family was helping set up the pop-up camper. I’d squirm in through that little half-door on the side of the trailer and wait while one of my parents cranked the handle to raise the roo
ROVA6 min read
Roads To Nowhere
According to the Federal Highway Commission, 4.12 million miles of road stretch out across the States (2018). From coast to coast, or border to border, we can easily traverse this vast infrastructure. Yet sometimes a wrong turn, or a miscalculated GP
ROVA5 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Discovering Delmarva
Sometimes, the fog gets so thick on the Delmarva Peninsula that drops of dew will form on your eyelashes. When that happens, it’s as if you’re looking through a watery kaleidoscope. A slight tilt of your head will make the shoreline sparkle and dance
ROVA5 min readAutomotive
What’s In A Name?
“It already has a name, you know.” I tell this to my husband, Steve, after, sight unseen, we buy a Land Rover Defender 110 from a couple driving through Africa. We’ll pick it up in Ethiopia and drive it back to our current home in Botswana. There are
ROVA6 min read
The Road To Adventure Is A Bumpy One
The road to adventure isn’t always a smooth one. When my wife, Rachel, and I set out on our five-week adventure, pulling a decrepit camper around the United States, rather than worrying, I prepared. Fearful thoughts about trailer tires exploding and
ROVA5 min read
Here, There And In Between
I had been yearning to hit the road and travel for years. I’d drool over YouTube videos and Instagram pics of people living the life that I wanted. I thought that maybe my work as a professional photographer would be the way to live a life packed wit
ROVA2 min read
Think Before You Shoot
About a year ago, I found myself sorting through the pictures of a recent trip on my camera’s SD card. I dreaded this process; it meant trawling through the thousands of photos I had just taken, looking for the few good ones. Thirty-two photos of a t
ROVA5 min read
Seeking Solitude In The Mojave National Preserve
Rolling south from Las Vegas on I-15, a traveler might feel the urge to press more heavily on the gas, and the few landmarks don’t offer much motivation to the contrary. In the rearview mirror, the man-made oasis of Primm beguiles with neon casinos a
ROVA4 min read
Gold In Small Places
Ten Sleep is a place for beer, mule deer, rock climbing, and picking the brains of locals; locals who, in an elegantly rough way, unjar the type of wisdom only found in solitary folk who have somehow managed to cultivate a well-traveled life by stayi
ROVA6 min read
NO MURO, MUCHAS SIERRAS Searching for Crystal Caves Across the Rio Grande
You never know when a stranger will ride in on horseback to rescue you. And by “on horseback,” I mean in a beat-up Toyota wagon. We were stranded in Austin while my partner Stephanie’s 1987 Chevy Elite RV was in the shop with a busted engine, just tw
ROVA5 min read
Sisu: Exploring The Land God Made And Forgot
The Keweenaw Peninsula is a largely unknown gem located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, only accessible by one bridge to the mainland. I attended college in Houghton, Michigan, on the mainland side of the bridge, and after five years had begun to call
ROVA7 min read
Let The Good Times Roll Road Tripping Through Cajun Country
I’ve driven through 44 states; I’ve seen a lot of roadkill. Louisiana was the only state where I saw an alligator on the shoulder. It was also the only state where I ate alligator (a different one), jambalaya and boudin, and saw a tiger at a gas stat
ROVA8 min read
Happiness Is The Maine Thing
It was the end of the year. Christmas had yet to arrive, and my wife and I were ready to get out of the big smoke. There’s a lot to be said for living in the city, but peace and serenity are not among those things—especially in a city like New York.

ROVA

More Issues From ROVA