Relocation on Ben and Carma

Lithia Park in Bloom

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Right in the middle of downtown Ashland, there is a 93-acre park.

And in April, it explodes.

Ashland — Our New Home Base

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 12:00:00 +0000

From San Diego, we didn’t head straight to Oregon.

We made a stop first.

San Diego — Bikes, Whales, and an Unexpected Air Show

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000

We didn’t plan on an air show.

But there it was.

Snow, a Cabin, and a Van

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000

We bought a camper van.

But let’s back up.

A Stop in Oklahoma City

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Since we planned to visit family in Tulsa, we decided to spend a couple of nights in Okalahoma City, before driving over to Tulsa. Just an hour and a half away from Oklahoma City.

Pedernales Falls State Park

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Pedernales Falls State Park.

About an hour west of Austin, out into the Texas Hill Country. Mid-60s, partly cloudy, a light breeze. Perfect.

Austin, Texas

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

We didn’t plan to go to Austin.

We’d been in Galveston, happy enough, and tried to extend our stay. That didn’t work out. So we decided to spend time in Austin. It seemed like a good place to land on our way to visit family in Tulsa.

We found a reasonable place and did the 4 hour drive north.

Galveston, Texas

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Galveston in January.

Grey skies, wide beaches, and not a crowd in sight.

The Ferry to Galveston

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

We didn’t just drive to Galveston.

We took the ferry.

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi — Slow Days on the Gulf

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

We didn’t come to Bay St. Louis to see the sights.

We came to rest. And the town was perfectly fine with that.

Four Hours in New Orleans

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Four hours.

That’s all we had in New Orleans. Just over an hour from Bay St. Louis, so we made an afternoon of it.

Buccaneer State Park — Gulf of Mexico

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Just south of Bay St. Louis, MS, hugging the edge of the Gulf of Mexico, is Buccaneer State Park in Waveland.

We went in the afternoon. And the light made the difference.

A Lunch Stop That Became a Highlight: Mobile, Alabama

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

We weren’t planning to fall for Mobile.

It was supposed to be a lunch stop, a place to break up the drive from Gulf Shores,AL to Bay St. Louis, MS. But the ferry from Fort Morgan to Dauphin Island was down for maintenance, so we had to drive through Mobile anyway.

Fort Morgan, History at the Tip of Mobile Point

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Right at the tip of a long, narrow peninsula — where Mobile Bay meets the Gulf of Mexico — sits Fort Morgan.

It’s been there since 1833.

Gulf Shores — Wildlife, Bikes, and a Beachful of Shells

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Gulf Shores surprised us.

In the best possible way.

Pensacola Lighthouse, 165 Years and Still Shining

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Not every lighthouse is easy to get to.

We’d come east to Gulf Shores, but the Pensacola Lighthouse pulled us back west. Forty minutes back into Florida. Worth every mile.

The lighthouse sits inside Naval Air Station Pensacola. You have to enter the base to reach it.

Panama City Beach — Three Nights on the Gulf

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

After the busyness of the holiday coast, we needed to exhale.

Panama City Beach was just the place.

Bonita Springs, Bradenton, and Steinhatchee — Moving Through Florida

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Not every stop on a road trip is a destination.

Some stops are just… the road.

Two Lighthouses, One Epic Day

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Wowsa. What a day!

Not one lighthouse. Two.

Oak Island Lighthouse — 131 Steps and a Great Story

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 14:00:00 +0000

We had already fallen for Oak Island.

The beach. The bikes. The quiet.

And then we discovered there was a lighthouse, in Caswell Beach, right next to the town of Oak Island. Of course we had to go!

Oak Island, NC - Shells, Bikes, and Relaxation

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 09:34:00 +0000

We hit the road on December 15th.

After two full months of prepping our house to sell, selling furniture on FB Marketplace, moving things into storage, and finally closing on the sale — we were done. The house was sold. We were officially homeless. And it felt amazing.

Six Years in Iowa

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 12:00:00 +0000

We moved to Iowa six years ago.

Not for a job. Not for the winters. For family.

Carma’s parents needed care, and we were the ones to do it. So we went. We settled in. We made Iowa home — at least for a season.

We always knew it was a season.