It is not down in any map; true places never are.
– Herman Melville, Moby Dick
Moby is a Sportsmobile 4×4 camping van.
Learn more about Sportsmobiles at http://www.sportsmobile.com/.
Janene teaches writing at the community college when she’s not on a trail or a river.
Larry is a retired high school environmental science teacher who loves most things outdoors.
When we’re not at home in Boise, Idaho, we’re out driving around North America in Moby, the Great White Van.
Moby is a 2010 Ford E-350 Sportsmobile 4WD van with all the bells and whistles. Whatever you do, don’t call Moby an RV. It goes where no RV would even consider trying.
Before Moby, we camped in Larry’s 1956 Chevy, his daily driver for 40-some years.
The Chevy was great, but Moby has all the comforts of home.
The downside is the gas bill. In addition to having extra large tires, Moby has an extra large gas tank. 46 gallons to be exact. Before Moby, I was not aware that most gas pumps shut off automatically when you hit $100 on a credit card.
Boise winters generally are not that bad. Not that cold, not that much snow. But our first winter, while we were living full-time in Moby, was one of the snowiest and coldest in 20 years. No problem! We camped on our daughter’s curb and used Moby’s forced air propane furnace and an extension cord to the garage electricity. Toasty warm!
Our grandkids think Moby is way cooler than a boring old house. They love hanging out in Moby’s upstairs “penthouse”.
Below is a sampler of some places Moby has taken us.
We usually don’t camp around others. No RV parks, no campgrounds, no neighbors. With one exception: Walmart parking lots. They’re not wilderness, but when you’re traveling from A to B, and need a place to sleep, they’re not that bad. They’re free, have a bathroom open 24 hours a day, and there’s a McDonalds inside where you can get discount senior coffee in the morning. Such a deal.
This T-shirt captures our Moby lifestyle. (Thanks, Debra!)
Home is where you park it.
Indeed . . . We might have a house, but ultimately, for us, Moby is home.
Maybe we’ll park near you soon.
Moby Goes 
I came across your blog while doing an internet search on chukar in Southern Oregon. I truly enjoyed the reading and I appreciate your sensibility and sense of humor. If you’re in Bend and need recommendations on what to do (or what to avoid), drop us an email.
Julie – send me an email to my personal account and I’ll get back to you. Larry LCHUKAR@GMAIL.COM
So great to see my high school teacher enjoying a just reward. may our paths cross one day while we’re out adventuring.
I would like that very much, Mara. Coming to Idaho soon? Send me an email so we can catch up.
Hi, how do 2 school teachers afford such a vehicle? 🙂 Please share your secret..
Hi Karen– The secret is that we both taught in Kazakhstan for two years where we made good money and had all expenses paid by the school. We saved enough during those years to buy the van. It was a very lucky financial break.
So that’s who you are. Good summary. Keep in Mobyin’!
Man, you got some followers grandma!
Keyton, thanks for the comment and for reading the blog!
Keyton, Thanks for leaving a comment and for reading the blog!
Good work, Daughter #1. The rest of you are slackers!
First kid to comment!!!
Maybe when our kids are grown, we’ll catch up with you on the road.
Cheers.
Would love to see you on the road someday. We used to teach with Tadd Reaney in Oregon, and he tipped us to your blog. I love that your blog is only photos yet tells the story. It’s lovely! For the rest of you–check it out:
https://stealawaynorth.wordpress.com/
Dawn – After we named the van “Moby” it was Dean Wells who researched Melville’s Moby Dick and supplied us with some good quotes.
Love the Melville quote!