Big White Truck Cross-Country - Atlantic Coast Edition

Well, I'm back. Currently on top of a mountain pass on the TN/NC border in my tent writing this post.

As some of you know, a few months back I did Charleston, SC - Cascades, and back in 2.5mo. Now I'm heading up to Maine for an undetermined amount of time to photograph the changing of the seasons. I'll hit upstate NY, VT, Maine, NH, and the surrounding areas.

So, just like last time, I'll post daily updates for the duration of the trip. Here we go.

 

So I left around noon from Charleston today and drove for 5-6 hours. I made it to Johnson City, TN, and headed up into the mountains for the night.

And since not much has happened yet I'll just discuss some relevant things.

1. I have blogposts on my website that dive into specifics. Showering/bathroom/cooking/etc. brycectravels.com
2. Prints are available at said website, I live out of my truck half the year for my photography business.
3. There have been a lot of changes to my rig since the last trip.

For #3, the main difference between this trip and the one to the Cascades is lightness. My setup is refined, the load is lighter, I am more consistent and comfortable with how I've built my truck. I know how much food and water I need for a certain time, I know how many days I can go between showers, I know how much I can drive in a day. All of those things make trips, a. less expensive, and b. way more fun.

So I'll stay up here for tonight, and after I write this I'll get on google maps/OnX to plan where I sleep tomorrow.

 

Well, as it goes, I've been a bit busy driving. I got up here surprisingly fast -- I'm now in the Adirondacks. I was planning on going to western NY and seeing Niagra Falls (@Kiddnapped Tundra), the price of gas and my budget kind of ruled that out of the question. I'll be back for sure, I'd love to head into Canada some day as well on a trip. Hope the border opens soon.

But, back to where I left off. The sunset Saturday night was incredible. I didn't take any pictures as the frame wasn't great, and a few people came up to see it there as well, but definitely a great start to the trip.

The next morning I was in the clouds. A great start to a day of long drives.


So I started that morning the same as every other. A trip to the bathroom. Well, thanks to people who don't want to dig holes, I stepped in human waste. In my boots, but still. Before I knew it was on my socks and pants. Yeah, I was not having a good time.

But I got everything sorted, made my first batch of dirty clothes, and hit the road. I ended up in Edinburg, Virginia, and was making good time. I searched for a place to camp in the national forest around Shenandoah National Park. It took a bit of time, but I found a great spot. For dinner, I made brown sugar glazed Salmon from Publix, probably the last Publix I see for quite a while.

The sunrise was gorgeous, shimmering through the trees. A great start to the day. I have never been to the park before, and I did want to go, but at this time of year I figure it would just be like a Blue Ridge Parkway, a road I've seen many times. Maybe on my way back down, if I have the funds, and the foliage lines up, I'll drive Skyline Drive. As for now, I headed north.

 

On the drive north, coming out of the forest, I saw perhaps the most stereotypical VA landscape yet. It did not dissapoint. In the coming days I'll put this up as a print on my site, brycectravels.com.


I stopped traffic on the small two lane bridge to get the picture, but being as I was in the country, everyone was very kind. Something I used to see in Charleston as a child, but rarely anymore. I guess that's something else I try to find by spending time on these long road trips, the feeling of the small town I grew up in. Something that no longer exists back home.

Anyways, I took 81 all the way up through VA, WV, PA, and NY. Now I am in the Adirondacks. I will spend today here, I've set up my camp. I may spend tomorrow, we'll see. I have a bit of work to do and one of the main goals of this trip is to get to where there's some good fall colors to shoot some photos for Jackery (who supplied me with the solar generator).


I was going to purchase it before they reached out. So far it has made my life way easier. Phone is charged, laptop is charged, I have enough juice to power a fridge (my next purchase). Life is way more convenient.

But besides that, this is where I'm at currently. New York is starting to see some color, but there's still plenty of green. The biggest thing is temperature. Lows in the 50s, highs in the 60s. This has been a very comfortable trip so far. Lets hope it stays that way.

 

And speaking of brown sugar glazed salmon from Publix, a few days ago I wrote a blogpost on how I cook and store food. You can read it here.
https://www.brycercampbell.com/blog/kitchen-window-cooking-from-a-car

 

What camera are you using?

 

That was shot on a Nikon D3500. Probably the greatest budget camera on the market.

 

I’m big on the Lumix stuff myself but the D3500 is great. I’d be interested in how you pack and carry your camera gear. My truck is for carrying digital cinema equipment from one customer to the next so I’m always curious.

 

Your setup is probably more elaborate than mine. My lenses/SD cards/drives/cameras are in a camera bag that I keep in the front seat. I've met a few full-time photographers who have pull out drawers, which is something I want to do in the future.

 

Yeah… mostly all video for me. I’m pushing VariCam and Studio solutions around. I keep wanting to see what others do. I don’t want a cap and it’s mostly pelican cases…

 

Truthfully there’s no good way. I have the same problem with clothes. Without removing the rear seats and building a custom platform there’s not much you can do besides throwing the pelican cases back there.

 

Virginia

 

Tuesday feels like years ago, so it's time I recap what I've been up to.

Tuesday was a lazy day, I spent it in the tent writing the previous posts, editing pictures, and doing general work, thanks to the Jackery solar setup. The weather was perfect, maybe the mid-low 60s. The sun shined both days, and it rained (sprinkled) in the evenings. Definitely a great break from driving from South Carolina.

Speaking of rain, I wrote about this in the Roofnest Sparrow EYE review on my website, but the tent has been great in rain and snow for the 90+ nights I've spent in it. No water ever gets inside, except for condensation from breathing. It's a great relief to know I can go somewhere and sleep and not worry.

Moving on, Wednesday.

I was still in New York, so I drove up through Tupper Lake to the Mt Arab fire tower. The hike was fantastic, great weather, low traffic. The view was absolutely insane though.



Something I'm not afraid to admit, I genuinely hate cooking. I don't like to do it at home, but on the road, I rarely have a choice. If I'm in a place for a day, I really spend a majority of the day cooking, cleaning, or preparing food. It's mind boggling how much time it takes.

All that to say, I went to Main Street Restaurant after the hike in Tupper Lake. I had the omelet, add everything. I don't know if I was just starving, but that was the best damn omelet I've ever had in my life. The restaurant was quite dark so I didn't take a picture, but if you're ever in town, stop by there for sure.

After the omelet, I headed up to Whiteface Mountain. It was cloudy, but still worth it.




One of the biggest differences I've seen between things up here and in my time out west has been tolls. A road like this would be free or a part of a national park if it was out west. Up here everything is a toll road. Some of them can be quite expensive, I paid $30 this morning for one which I'll post about later. $20-$30 is average from my experience, and that's around the price to get into a national park without a pass, so I suppose all is equal. Another difference is public camping, but that's a whole other post.

 

So, that was about all I planned for New York. I was still a bit early for the fall colors, sadly. The next day I wanted to head into Burlington. So, on the topic of "public camping being nonexistent", I headed toward Essex, NY to try and find somewhere to spend the night before catching the ferry.

I'm sure you can see where this was headed. Welcome to my humble abode.


This was the only piece of state land (a trailhead) that was even close to being secluded in the area. Normally, before I head somewhere, I check google maps and onX off-road to see what public land is around there. There is public land in New York -- I've found out that most of it is closed to vehicles. A lot seems to be snowmobile trails, gated until snowfall, or tent sites that you have to hike to. That doesn't leave many options of anyone who travels similarly to me, but I hope I'm showing that it can be done nonetheless.

So on that note, I made some fantastic pork chops (from Publix), made some corn, and had a beer. I decided to sleep across the bench seat because rain was forecast for 11pm-11am. The tent is waterproof, 100%. The main issue is that I wanted to leave as soon as I woke up, which meant putting the tent away before it could dry. So the front seat had my name.


The next morning I caught the ferry into Vermont, and headed into Burlington to shower at Planet Fitness and hit Walmart. BWTs first boat ride.


My main source of drinking water is Primo refill stations at Walmart, pretty much every single Walmart has one. The problem is the Walmart in Burlington has an exchange station. You turn in your 5 gal jug empty, and get a full 5 gal jug for $6.50 or so. So I had to drive 10 minutes to another store to get a refill station. For that, Primos website is great. If you're doing anything similar to me, and are picky about how your water tastes, I'd highly recommend using them. All the water tastes the same across the country, and it's from a source you know is clean, unlike random fill stations. I doubt they'll ever pay me, but they really should consider...
https://primowater.com/find-shop/

 

Where I left off, I had just gotten off the ferry across lake Champlain, hit Walmart and Planet Fitness, and got groceries.

Following that, I was cold. I was tired. I gave in. I went to Dunkin and got a Pumpkin Spice Latte. I only have one a year, out of principle. It was mediocre, truthfully. But I can say I helped to create jobs with my purchase.

After I got everything sorted out in Burlington, I grabbed a pair of socks as a souvenir, and headed towards Stowe. The drive was nothing special. Cold, cloudy, typical fall weather. But Stowe itself was absolutely gorgeous, and I was there before peak foliage. (photos can be purchased at brycectravels.com)


I’m sure Stowe is also gorgeous in the Winter, especially the main street area. It was super quaint, even though it was definitely overcrowded.

As for sleeping, I first checked on onX Offroad, but the public land was all hiking and no forest roads. As a backup, I always have Campendium and iOverlander. Between the three of those, I am pretty confident I can just show up somewhere and find a place to sleep.

So that’s exactly what I did. There were reviews with people saying they slept in the Stowe Ski Resort extra parking lot, and the town of Stowe themselves say to use that parking lot for long term storage (hiking/backpacking). I slept there, security drove past a few times, and did not bother me. Some others left their vehicles there and went camping. Overall, it was a decent place to stay for a few nights.


I saw a few vans and RVs in the two parking lots for the community walkway. I’m sure that’s a fine place to stay as well.

But it wasn’t all great.

 

At some point in the day I got a nail in my driver front tire. I went for a short hike and came back to the tire hissing in the ski resort parking lot. No bueno.


I always keep a plug kit in my truck, as well as my air compressor, and a full size spare and jack. I pulled the nail out with a pocket knife and screwdriver. I didn’t know if I was going to have to jack it up, so the first step was getting to pavement before it completely deflated. That was a success.


I tried to plug the hole with the kit, but there was too much air in the tire. I waited until there was only 10 or so lbs of air and finally jammed it in. It’s been 300 or so miles and held up. We’ll see if I make it home. If it fails, I’ll just replug it. With that sorted, I pulled into a corner of the lot, and went to bed.

One of the greatest things I’ve learned from my time on the road is resilience and self sufficiency. I’ve gotten pretty good at putting my emotions to the side and solving the problem. That’s something I only learned from traveling like I have.

The next morning (yesterday), I did mt Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont. I took the scenic toll road up a majority of the way, but hiked to the summit another 2 or so miles.


The weather was insane. It had to be under 30 with windchill. The wind was over 35mph easy. And it wasn’t foggy - it was misty. I was soaked head to toe. It was unbelievable. Something I’ll never forget. A miserable wet coldness, but it was kind of fun, so I’d say it was worth it.

 

And for today, I drove from Vermont to New Hampshire last night. Around 6:30 I checked the weather. Rain for 4 days straight. Adios. I packed up right then (the spot I had was amazing, seen below) and drove 5 hours to Brewer, Maine. An hour or so out from Acadia. I slept at a Walmart there, and drove into Acadia this morning. This park is absolutely beautiful, it speaks for itself.



Theres a lot of ground to cover here, I think it’ll take me a week or so. By then the rain in NH should have passed, and the colors should be incredible, so I’ll head back that way in a few days.

 

looks like fun. keep the Fall pictures coming.
toasty 90 degrees here today. Feel like summer.

 

Yeah I’ve been talking to my family back home in Charleston. 90 degrees 85% humidity. Glad I can Atleast share the feeling.

 

Supercool man! Godspeed!

 

Since my last post, life's been good. Acadia is gorgeous. Yesterday I drove the loop, the best part was Thunder Hole. I happened to show up when the tide was right, and man, it thunders. If you don't know, it's a cave that's been dug out by the ocean. When the swell sucks out water and pumps it back in, it literally shakes the ground. It's incredible, and humbling. I took a video of it, but the audio doesn't do it justice at all. It's worth coming to the park just to see that.


After that, I drove a bit further to Otter Point, which is on the same loop. I sat on the cliffs by the ocean and wrote all the previous blogposts and edited some pictures. It's incredible out here. Obviously I was raised on the water and still spend countless hours in the ocean around Charleston, but a beach or a harbor doesn't show the sheer power like waves crashing into cliffs does.

After that, I cruised to the nearest Walmart, 30min away on the mainland. I had read that the parking lot fills up with RVs and vans every night, and that was true. I actually slept in the tent and had no problems. I think I'll stay there every night for however long I end up here.


Walmart salads are kind of disgusting by the way. But when I was in that parking lot, I just felt content. That's something I feel more often now than I ever have before. Happiness is an elusive thing. People spend their entire lives chasing something which they can't even define. Contentment, on the other hand, is physical. My needs are met, I am content. No longer do I try to be happy. I now chase contentment.

And on that note, I woke up at 4:45 and drove back into the park to catch the sunrise. This was at Wonderland Trail on the southwest side of the island. Over here it's not all park, it's partially residential. Most of the crowd stays on the other side. I wanted solitude, and I've found that here. It's very quite and simple.




After spending some time here, I don't even know if I want to hike in the park. I've found that I'm pretty content sitting in my pink lawn chair and watching the waves crash on the rocks. The smell of the ocean takes me back home, as does the seagulls screeching. I don't think I could ever live away from the water. But that's all for now.

 

So jealous. I’ve done a cpl long range trips cross country, and I wanna suggest a cpl apps. They’re for finding campsites, often free dispersed camping. I just did almost 7k miles from Seattle to Detroit and back, zig zagged so I could hit all I could, and camped almost the entire time. Almost never had to pay for a site. Pics and reviews for many sites.

anyway, the apps are called FreeRoam and Campendium, and also HipCamp if you’re into glamping but those first two are great, FreeRoam being my fave. It also includes parking lots and truck stops, pretty much anywhere you can get away with staying overnight.

oh and I also use OnX, awesome trails app, but I like TrailsOffroad better I think; especially when paired with Gaia GPX and loading maps to it for navigation.
Just my two cents, so jealous. All I do after I return is stare at maps and think “where next”?

 

FreeRoams looks dope. Downloaded it and will absolutely be using it along with the rest. Seems more up to date as well. Loads quick too. Thanks for that, wish I knew about it sooner lol!

 

Oh man, I literally found it on that long last trip. Last Xmas I did 9k almost, Seattle to Boston to DC and back home. 30+ states. If I had had that, oh man. But they have so much, and it’s user submitted so please please add to any you can, just makes me better. I’ve personally seen Trails OffRoad get better from the first time I found it about a year ago. But there’s clear gaps in every app where certain areas don’t submit entires, and if we can expand them it makes travel so much fun.
Have fun on your trip and GO MARINERS!!!!! Aaaaagggghhhhh!!!! Sitting in the truck drinking a beer before game 162 that may result in a 4-way tie for the AL wild card! Aaaaaagggghhhhh!!!! Sorry. I have sports Tourette’s. Cheers and safe travels.

 

And just finished editing the pictures from Mt Mansfield. Didn’t take any on the summit because the wind was blowing so hard.

 

Today has been amazing! But it’s not over yet. Tonight I’m going to hike Beech Mountain Firetower, still in Acadia, for the sunset. It should be amazing, and hopefully not much of a crowd because it’s Monday.

But today started at the Walmart on the mainland, again. It’s a nice place, I feel pretty safe there. Last night probably had 30 rigs overnight, and I’d recommend it for anyone. I was talking to a couple who is in a van and said they slept on the west side of the island at the end of a road, and I’ve thought about sleeping in the park, but the downside is if you do get a knock at 3am by the police/rangers. I don’t want to risk it, mainly out of convenience. I’m sleeping well for the first time since I left, I don’t want to mess that up.


^Tundra Spotted
Something you see in the picture is a few solar panels, but something you can’t hear is the generators. I genuinely don’t understand why generators are so common still. With solar setups, like mine from Jackery, you can run anything a generator can, and SILENTLY. Of course you need sun, but you can also charge from a vehicles alternator, which is what I mainly do (through the cigarette lighter). And modern setups can last days or maybe even a week purely on the systems battery. Maybe I’m overlooking something, but there are cheaper, cleaner, quieter, less smelly, and easier to use systems than a generator. That’s been the only downside to Walmart. The generators are loud, but everyone does turn them off before 9 or 10, so at least it’s not all night.

Also, this bus was insane.



Starting off the morning, I went on a hike. I’ll post the loop I took below, I would highly recommend it if you’re in Acadia. It was super scenic, with vistas and beaches. I did swim as well, water temp was 57f. Not bad, when I was in the Cascades it’s was around 35f, which I only lasted 15 seconds. It was super refreshing today midway through a long hike. I think, in total, I did 6-7 miles. Lots of elevation change and some scrambling. But it was worth it.







That’s all I got for right now. I’ll post pictures of tonights hike sometime tomorrow. As for tomorrow, I might hit the upper peninsula of the park, Winter Harbor, and then head up near the CAN border, Cobscook Bay, West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, and if I can get a pic on the border I will. If y’all have any suggestions for stuff up that way, let me know!! I do need to be in Knoxville on the 10th, so I’ll probably only spend tomorrow in Maine then head back to check out New Hampshire for a few days. From Knoxville, I plan on cruising around WV/VA/TN/NC for fall colors, I’ll stay as long as I can!

 

Also, got around to the pics from Mt Mansfield in Vermont.

 

In 2017 my girlfriend (now fiancé) and I went on a cross country road trip in what is now my Tundra with a rooftop tent. Plenty of tailgate dinners, fuel stops, parking lot camp outs and gorgeous scenery in between. It's an experience you'll never forget. Enjoy!

 

And what most of you are here for.

 

In NY try state gamelands for camping.