Have you ever dreamed of leaving everything behind and hitting the road with your family for an extended indefinite adventure? How would you feel waking up every day in a new location of your choosing, surrounded by nature and new places to explore? Today, we have a wonderful post from Emily Kimball, mom of 3 kids and a pup, living life on the road while unschooling and adventuring. Emily’s sharing all the beauty in a day of her road school life and insight as to what she’s gained through this experience. This post seriously makes me want to sell everything and hit the road!
Greeting the morning
I awake in the early morning to the songs the birds sing. Their melodies are filled with cheer as they welcome the new day. I tiptoe to my living room where my daughter is awake eagerly awaiting my arrival. “Mama, the ducklings are back!” We open the window and watch the mama duck with her babes enjoying a morning feast.
I step outside with my golden doodle pup, Rosie, and watch the morning come to life. The river is peaceful this time of day, the Nuttall sandstone mountains still covered in the dawn’s fog, not quite ready to awaken. I breathe in deep and am grateful for this unique life I live with my family. Today, my feet are on the banks of one of the longest rivers in the world, the New River in West Virginia. Last week I lived in a little town in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. The week before, the outskirts of Washington DC. And a month before that I awoke to the sound of waves and sand under my feet in the Outerbanks of North Carolina.
A colorful trade up
We chose to leave our life of normalcy, of knowing which local coffee shop served the best lattes, which park had the largest playground and where to find almond milk at the grocery store. We left all of that and more – our family, friends, neighbors and community. Instead, we chose to live on the road. We sold nearly everything we owned, stored a few things in a storage unit and the rest is in our motorhome. It’s been a year since we said goodbye to life in Orange County, California and we said hello to living a different type of life. To quote P.T. Barnum, “Trade that typical for something colorful.” We took that advice to heart.
A life of adventure
Since we left our comfortable lives for a life of adventure, my children (8, 6 and 4) have swum in glacier lakes in Montana, had a close encounter with a bear in Wyoming and saw alligators in South Carolina. They’ve experienced countless incredible thunderstorms, had a couple of close-encounters with tornados and witnessed breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. They have met more people in a year than I had met in the previous 5 years. We’ve lived in mountain towns, coal mining towns, urban forests, beach towns, metropolitans and quiet national forests. We have visited 20 states so far and hope to see them all. Yes, even Alaska and Hawaii.
City scouting
I try to plan at least one day dedicated to seeing the city we are in. Although, we typically see much more of a city than we can in just one day while we’re there. Between grocery shopping, getting acquainted with the local coffee shop, finding a book store, visiting science and children museums (through our reciprocity program we are apart of) and scouting the best places to hike, we can get a pretty good idea of any town. Traveling is a way of life for now, but we do eventually have a goal of finding somewhere we can permanently live. For now, we are having a lot of fun and have no intention of stopping.
Exploring a state park
This week of road school, I planned for us to stay near Natural Bridge State Park in Virginia so we could visit it without having to travel far and to explore the darling little town near it. As we adventured into the park, we descended down to the path that led to the Natural Bridge. We stopped along the way reading every sign and learning why the water is brown and admiring the remains of the now-extinct white cedar trees.
Road schooling has been such an incredible blessing. Learning side-by-side with my children is a gift I do not take for granted. Are there days that are hard? Yes. Are there days of bickering and frustration? Of course! Are there days that I want to give up or maybe just take a leave of absence? Absolutely! But today? Oh, what a joy today is!
Taking in the history
The moss-covered rocks are incredible, as is the slow-moving river that has worked for thousands of years to make this gorge. We walk in awe. The arch is 215 feet above us, birds fly overhead making nests on landings. Flowers sprout from limestone walls as cool water drips on our heads from the rocks soaked with moisture. Legend says that George Washington walked the same path we are now on and then climbed up the side of this natural bridge and carved his initials into the side. Thomas Jefferson’s father owned this land and centuries later the state of Virginia was able to buy it and turn it into a state park preserving it for generations to come.
Of course, Thomas Jefferson was not the first owner of this land. The Monacan Indians lived here long before any Europeans came to the Americas. A small village shows what life was like for the Native American tribe. The exhibit gave us a sense of the intuitiveness that was needed to thrive in this place. One huge benefit to being a road school family, is being able to see places during the week, without crowds. The reenactors of the Monacan village linger with us, probably the only children they will see that day. They take time to answer our questions and give their knowledge freely.
Hikes and home base
This was a short trail, one mile each way. But, as any mother knows, even short trails require loads of snacks. Butterflies and wildflowers provide lovely distractions while we snack. As do hidden caves, mystery bones, and beautiful lace waterfalls. However, we have to make sure not to get too distracted, as one of my sons nearly touched a Northern Mole Kingsnake on accident!
Our road school days aren’t always filled with adventuring out of the campground. Sometimes we stay around the motorhome the entire day and explore. I tend to think the greatest adventures happen at our campsite. Today, while my children ate breakfast outside, three families of geese with their babies swim by. What a delight to see! It feels like we are living in the book Trumpet of the Swan by E.B.White and we were Sam Beaver getting a front-row seat to see these babies.
Welcoming the seasons
Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, Monarchs and Red- Spotted Purple butterflies flutter about us. We research if carpenter bees are friends or foes. We literally watch, for the first time in any of our lives, winter turn into spring. I was born and raised in Southern California, where the change of seasons is swift. It’s nothing compared to spring on the East Coast where life emerges tentatively, with a delicate sense of trepidation. What an educator mother nature is and only now am I learning what a treasure she is.
This life is full of wonderment. And while it might seem easier for me to observe these changes in my California backyard, nothing has prepared me for how amazing this experience has been. I believe it is the posture I have taken to open my eyes to truly see the beauty of life around me. What an amazing experience this road school lifestyle has been for our family. 
