Our trip to Vermont began with an amazing experience at Stratton Mountain for Wanderlust, VT.  We connected with Kancho and Sensei Jennifer, leading lots of Wanderlusters through the Budokon Yoga Primary Series, Inversion Workshops, and Animal Hikes in Nature.  It was great to see a 60' Pacific Dome there, and was super fun to play with the Acro Yoga peeps, too!

After that we headed back to Burlington where we linked up with Scottie, Ryan and a bunch of our friends over out the Outdoor Gear Exchange.  What a great place to gear up for some serious adventures!  They were kind enough to take us out on the Winooski River, where we sampled several Stand Up Paddles.  Many people ask us - why SUPing?  Well, for one, it's a great core workout.  It's also a fun way to get out on the water WITHOUT a motor!  Pure man and woman power!  And last, it's chill enough that we can bring our dogs with us, too!  Whether you are paddling a lake, river, or the ocean - SUPing rewards you with vantage points of nature that many people don't get to experience.  Again - many mahalos - big thanks - to all of the fine folks at OGX for their support of the Radical Sabbatical!

And what would a trip to Burlington be without making the rounds at the farmer's market?  It has REALLY expanded over the years.  Some of our favorite produce came from Arethusa Farm - Great Green Goddess, what tasty Greens they have!  Be sure to hit up Rookie's Rootbeer for a float (reduce waste and buy a mason jar for a discount on refills!), stock up on some fun and funky art from Jess Graham, and get your dose of Urban Moonshine!

And what better way to wrap up our visit to VT than with a Budokon Kids class?  Thanks to all of our friends who showed up at the Lake Champlain waterfront (on a rain date!) for a super fun class.  The feedback we got was great, and we hope to return again soon for more movement.  Thanks, young senseis!

Osu!

-Professor Joe 

It was great to get back together with my boys from TX for Jason and Abby Gibson's wedding in Minnesota.  They brought us all together at their family's gorgeous lake house where we got to eat, laugh, and Stand Up Paddle for the entire weekend!

Little did we know as we pulled out of the small town heading West, that our trusty vehicle, Lucky the Rav 4 Ever - was bout to become Lucky the Rav 4 Nevermore.... :( !

When the clutch burnt out, we realized that we were pushing our limits in terms of tow capacity.  Although the Cricket Trailer itself is very lightweight (only 1300 pounds, dry) all of our gear added a lot of extra pounds.  We were SHOCKED to find an Auto Repair shop open at 7pm on a Sunday, but Kenny's Clark and Goodyear came to the rescue.  They gave us an electrical hookup and let us camp out there until we got the final diagnosis the next day.

The diagnosis was pretty much what we expected - it was an expensive fix for the clutch, and we were going to need a new vehicle.  It seemed too good to be true that one of the owners, Alan, had a 2003 Chevy Blazer for sale - with cold AC, a 5,000 lb. tow capacity ... AND he was willing to buy the Rav 4 from us as his new "project".  

So, say HELLO to the Blazanator - our new vehicle that is towing with ease.  And big thanks to our friends in Bimidji - hey, if we hadn't broken down there - we wouldn't have gotten to check out the massive statues of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe!  Cheers to synchronistic adventures, good people, and paying it forward!

Five days of driving along this ridge, overlooking valleys and mountains and being far away from the hustle and bustle was medicinal.  Nature has an amazing way of humbling us - when all the illusions are stripped away, we can simplify and be grateful.  And to be honest, we really don't need much to be incredibly happy.  

We plugged 2 Goal Zero Escape 30 Briefcases into the batteries that power everything in our Cricket Trailer and had a great time camping totally off the grid for almost a week straight.  This was awesome because all of the campgrounds on the Blue Ridge Parkway are dry camping only, which means no water or electric hookups.  With the help of our Extreme 350 Power Pack, we powered our Engel Refrigerator, lights, and more for the entire trip.  Part of the magic of that equation is that the 12V Fridge draws only 1-2 Amps per hour!   

I can't describe how awesome it was to be traveling through some of the oldest mountains in this country - and have the ability to pull over, take some fruits and cheese out of the fridge, throw down some almond butter and crackers and have an impromptu picnic in my tent-mobile while absorbing all the epic views.  

As a first-time RV owner, I'm realizing there are many types of vehicles that reflect people's personalities and desired comfort levels.  Our little "spaceship" represents our values of simplicity and sustainability.  It is super light weight (1300 lbs, dry) so we don't need a gas-guzzler to tow it.  The small but cozy space provides with just what we need to travel comfortably with our dogs* while being healthy and having FUN!

*Grrilla Love and Emilio lounging around home base.  They are two of the happiest dogs on the planet!

We LOVE breakfast and this is one of our faves to make on the road.  Warm a tortilla, hydrate some beans, scramble an egg, mix tomato and avocado with olive oil, salt, and pepper - and WOAH!  You've got a balanced breakfast that tastes fresh and will sustain some serious energy throughout your day.

Professor Joe and Sensei Bela (Nu-topia) have kicked off an amazing tour around the nation in our sustainable Cricket Trailer.  The Cricket is made out of recyclable materials such as aluminum and wood, is super light weight, solar-powered, and aero-dynamic.

We will be travelling around offering information and education regarding organic food, alternative energies, sustainable products and businesses, Budokon Yoga and the Unified Field Theory.

Help us restore the planet's vitality!  We invite you to join us at events, share our page with your friends, and donate to our non-profit.

We look forward to bringing you along for our amazing journey, stay tuned!

Love and gratitude,

Nu-topia

www.crickettrailer.com