Kerouacs Cruising | Where Off-Grid Living Meets Soulful Awakening

She couldn't sleep. She got up from her nap with one idea, told her husband, and by the time he finished putting up the last sign on the highway, the store was already packed with people. That's how Wall Drug started. And we almost drove straight past it. We came to South Dakota for the Badlands. We stayed for the story. This episode covers our first time through the western half of South Dakota,...

James opens this episode by telling us he's already been given a ten year prognosis, and instead of dressing it up, he just says it plain: none of us are getting out of here alive. We're just off three weeks living inside our friends' lives in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and James spent part of that stretch in New Hampshire saying goodbye to a friend he'd known his whole life. He came back with a cancer p...

"Do you want the good news or the bad news?" That's how this one started. Norman, a stick, and a phone call that had Cara convinced something was actually wrong. We've been traveling full-time with Norman and Bella for a while now, and this episode is everything we've learned along the way that we haven't said out loud yet. The hammock that saved our backseat. The water timing trick we wish we'd f...

Two and a half years ago we were gripping the steering wheel so hard our knuckles were white. Trying to figure out how to keep this life we'd built from slipping away before it had even really started. This week... we're not doing that anymore. This episode is a road dispatch from Kansas and Iowa; tornadoes we almost panicked over, soul people we tracked down in Kansas City, a wedding memory that...

We just needed to let the dogs out. Then the cop showed up. From the art streets of Santa Fe to the flat middle of Kansas in tornado season, this one has everything. We catch you up on the leg of the trip that took us through New Mexico to visit Kaatje Jones (co-author and now in-person friend) and into the heart of the Great Plains, where the weather changed overnight, the RV parks take cash and...

We celebrated our anniversary on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. By Monday we were following a 250+ mile foot race through the Arizona backcountry. We didn't plan that week. It turned out to be one of the best we've had. We're back on the road, and this episode is the catch-up we owe you. We talk about what it felt like to go home, what we fixed, what we decided to keep, and why we're not selling...

We weren't planning to go anywhere. Then an ad showed up, we looked at each other, and said — we're not doing anything. Let's go. What happened at the Dr. Joe Dispenza retreat in Denver changed us both in ways we're still integrating. This is the episode where they try to explain what that means. Cara's recovery from her broken pelvis left us with something we rarely have: time. And in that time,...

They were one day from leaving. A parking lot in Lake Havasu changed everything — and somehow, the pause that followed became the best thing that could have happened. James and Cara catch you up on their final days in Lake Havasu: the hidden beer garden, the grocery store that stopped them cold, the peninsula camp spot, before the trip east came to an abrupt halt. In a CVS parking lot, one Sunday...

Season 3 starts the way Kerouacs Cruising always does best — with a day off, a beach they almost didn't find, and an honest conversation about why they went quiet for a while. After months of work-from-the-road life in Bullhead City and Parker, Arizona, Cara and James finally take a day off. They explore Parker Dam, stumble onto a sandy cove on the Colorado River, walk the Bill Williams Wildlife R...

Money, Movement, Marriage, and Finding Balance on the Road This episode is a real-time campfire check-in. We talk about preparing for a cross-country journey, navigating financial stress, living in close quarters, and learning to pause rather than push. It’s an honest conversation about balance, awareness, and choosing growth—even when life feels messy and uncertain. In this episode of Kerouacs Cr...

What if slowing down didn’t require alcohol or numbing out? In this episode, we explore kava — a 3,000-year-old South Pacific plant — its cultural roots, calming rituals, and why it’s becoming a meaningful alternative for connection, presence, and unwinding without losing yourself. In this episode of Kerouacs Cruising , we sit down with Morgan Smith of Kalm with Kava for a grounded, honest convers...

Six months into full-time camper life, Cara and James share what actually helped them thrive off-grid — and it wasn't what they expected. Before Cara and James ever hitched up their travel trailer and hit the road, they spent eight years building a homestead in northern Arizona — off the grid, hauling water, running solar, and learning to live with less. They didn't know it at the time, but all of...

Life doesn’t get easier just because we wait for perfect timing. In this episode, we share a real-time update from the road — navigating finances, family, weather, and uncertainty — and why choosing the life you want matters, even when it’s hard. Sometimes the goal isn’t clarity. It’s commitment. In this episode of Kerouacs Cruising , we check in from the road during the holidays — reflecting on t...

What if your space was quietly shaping your mood, health, creativity, and relationships? In this episode, architect Talor Stewart joins us to explore how intentional environments — even tiny ones — can reduce daily friction, improve sleep, and support the life you’re trying to live, wherever you call home. In this episode, we explore: Why small friction points quietly drain energy and create resen...

Life on the road doesn’t pause for perfect timing. In this episode, we share what it’s been like to find our rhythm while navigating unpredictable weather, financial pressure, and constant movement—learning how to balance work, rest, and presence as we continue forward without having everything figured out. In this episode of Kerouacs Cruising , we check in from the road and talk honestly about wh...

When the plan falls apart, what do you do next? We share what it looks like to hold steady in the unknown—after a property sale collapses, travel plans change, and the future feels wide open and uncertain. This is an honest conversation about trust, timing, and continuing forward anyway. Sometimes life doesn’t ask for certainty—it asks for presence. In this episode of Kerouacs Cruising , we open u...

A quick recap of the last year and optimism for the year ahead. See you next year!

If you’re heading into family gatherings with an inner critic (or a loud uncle), this one’s for you! Your inner critic doesn’t have to drive your life. In this powerful conversation, therapist and hypnotherapist Dr. Margaret Cochran shares a simple “bus” mindfulness tool to name the loud voice in your head, stop arguing with it, and keep moving toward your goals—without toxic positivity. In this e...

We’re back with a fan-favorite format: Road Trip Table Topics ! From moody family members (spoiler: it’s not who you think) to UFO stories, favorite cities, dream souvenirs, and the greatest athlete debate—this episode is a fun, honest ride with plenty of laughs and a few surprisingly deep moments. 💻 Watch this episode on YouTube: @KerouacsCruising 📸 Blog & travel stories: K erouacsCruising....

What do you do when a botched surgery leaves you without an Achilles tendon … and a therapist tells you you’ll be “compromised for the rest of your life”? In this episode, author and hiker Jo Giese shares how she clawed her way back to the trail, one waterfall, lucky stone, and hopeful step at a time. When a “routine” Achilles repair went horribly wrong, doctors told Jo Giese that life as she knew...

The shifter disconnected on a remote fire road in the Idaho backcountry — no phone signal, no reverse gear, three dogs in the back seat. What happened next is very on-brand for Kerouacs Cruising. On a routine drive through the Idaho backcountry to scout campsites for an upcoming hunting trip, James and Cara's truck shifter disconnects — leaving them stranded without phone service, unable to move,...

We are grateful for all of our friends, family supporters and everyone joining our journey, as we figure out this thing called life together! We hope you have a wonderful weekend, see you next week for our next adventure episode 💚🩷

What if the real magic of travel isn’t the views, but  the people you meet  along the way? In this episode, we sit down with traveler and memoirist  Melissa Rodway  to talk about backpacking Southeast Asia, travel fatigue, leech-filled jungle treks, and why some of our most authentic selves show up far from home. Canadian traveler, writer, and podcast host  Melissa Rodway  joins us to share the re...

We finally made it to  North Idaho  — and this week, we’re taking you with us as we tour a remote one-acre property deep in the mountains. The road is wild, the views are unreal, and the reality check hits hard. Is this the spot where our new life takes root… or not? After weeks on the road, we’re back in  North Idaho , the place that already feels like home even though our roots aren’t in the gro...

What if trash could build schools, students could fight poverty, and real democracy began in 7th grade? In this profoundly moving interview, we sit down with  Matt Paneitz , founder of  Long Way Home , a nonprofit turning 550+ tons of waste into a sustainable Hero School campus in rural Guatemala.  In this powerful and uplifting conversation, we talk with  Matt Paneitz  — paramedic, Peace Corps vo...