The Journey

Follow my route, stops, and experiences as I travel across the country

Detailed stories and experiences below the map

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July 31, 2025

Departure Day

Forest Lake, Minnesota

The first day of my new life. Packed the Tesla and said goodbye to the lake house.

August 1, 2025 - August 14, 2025

Becoming a Prepper

Rosemount, Minnesota

Based and prepared car systems for the longer journey.

August 15, 2025

The Real Journey Begins

Duluth, Minnesota

Dr. Paul Glowacki, PT, DPT - my cousin in Duluth

Connor, Kelli, and Thor

Instead of heading straight west, I decided to leave for Duluth, Minnesota to surprise visit my cousin, Dr. Paul Glowacki, PT, DPT. I hadn't seen Paul in years and was thinking about relationships I wanted to foster the night before (August 14, 2025). In that time, he became a doctor of physical therapy and started his own practice: Nordic Performance, with raving client reviews. What a guy!

I experienced the strangest supercharger experience here, where I had to pay to get on a parking ramp to charge.

Before heading to a campsite, I also got to see my friends Connor, Kelli, and Thor. Kelli taught me about "junk journaling", which was perfect as I have a notebook for this journey, so I planned on filling it with scraps accordingly with my newly-discovered term!

August 15 - 16, 2025

North Shore Beauty

Grand Marais, Minnesota

On my way up, I experienced the coolest supercharging experience, where there was a hiking trail across the street that I took Gidget on, and it had fresh raspberry bushes.

I stopped at a marina, parked, looked up and saw a resonating sight: a boat hoisted up that said "Freedom" on the side, with a USA flag behind that in view.

First State Park Stop

Palisades State Park, South Dakota

A hidden gem in South Dakota.

Iconic Roadside Attraction

Wall Drug, South Dakota

The aggressively-advertised Wall Drug was filled with the things exactly as advertised!

Somehow, I was sitting on a cactus which I assume I picked up when stopping at Buffalo Gap National Grassland, and I only realized it when I stood up out of my car at the supercharger in Wall, SD.

Hipcamp Discovery

Rapid City, South Dakota

In a pinch, discovered Hipcamp is awesome, downloaded it while scouting in Rapid City. Found a great spot when traditional camping wasn't working out.

Meeting Bob & Purple Labradorite

Indigo Iris Rocks and Stones, Rapid City, SD

Bob teaching me about purple labradorite and jewelry slipknots

Met Bob at Indigo Iris Rocks and Stones, who taught me slipknots for jewelry and taught me about purple labradorite. Labradorite means a lot to me as Omni's color palette is represented by gemstones, and labradorite is the primary color; I was seeking labradorite pieces.

The Presidents

Mount Rushmore, South Dakota

Iconic American monument carved into the Black Hills. Impressive scale and craftsmanship up close.

Bill and Jennifer - Awesome Hosts

Big Pine Campground, Custer, SD

Bill and Jennifer - awesome campground hosts

John the groundskeeper - Gidget's friend

Stayed at Bill and Jennifer's campground. Great hospitality in the Black Hills area.

Gidget made friends with John the groundskeeper.

Wildlife and Scenic Drives

Custer State Park, South Dakota

Amazing wildlife viewing - buffalo, prairie dogs, and stunning granite formations. One of South Dakota's crown jewels.

August 24, 2025

Needle Eye Drive

Needles Highway, South Dakota

Incredible scenic drive through granite spires and pine forests. Narrow tunnels carved right through the rock formations.

Falling in Love with a Rock

Crazy Horse Memorial, South Dakota

Ended up falling in love with a rock in the parking lot. Sometimes the most unexpected things capture our hearts on the journey.

My opinion: DO NOT pay for this. You can see the memorial better from the highway in my opinion, unless you do a special event that gets you closer to the memorial.

Sacred Monolith

Devil's Tower, Wyoming

My friends said I will climb this. I said hell yeah. Then I arrived, and I said I don't think I can climb this, bois.

Learned this was the first National Monument of the United States, as established by the legendary President Teddy Roosevelt.

Sandy and Kevin - Great Hosts

Billings, Montana

Got my bearings in Billings. Sandy and Kevin were great hosts in Montana's largest city. Good base for exploring the region.

Highway to Heaven

Beartooth Scenic Byway, Montana

One of the most beautiful drives I have ever had the joy of experiencing. Taking the Tesla was a serious concern, lots of horror stories of charge on this route; I don't think I could have done this if I had the cargo box installed, but luckily that came later and I had plenty of charge: enough to (accidentally) explore bits of Yellowstone.

Accidental Yellowstone - Saw a Bear!

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Ended up in Yellowstone by accident - and saw a bear! Sometimes the best adventures are unplanned. And boy, there have been a lot of unplanned adventures so far.

Big Sky Country

Bozeman, Montana

Caught up with my high school friend Justin here.

University Town Charm

Missoula, Montana

Ham

Ren

Homesat and watched 2 sweet cats here: Ham and Ren. Learned how to administer insulin to cats!

Installed roof rack here, which I had been lugging along since Rosemount, MN. Then, purchased a cargo box during REI Labor Day sale, and installed that in the REI parking lot (thanks Aaron from Missoula REI for your help). I said REI 3 times here...is this an advertisement? Not intentionally. I swear. REI.

Gateway to Glacier

Kalispell, Montana

Charming town serving as the gateway to Glacier National Park. Last supply stop before heading into the wilderness. Met Steve here, discussed holistic wellness, history, and so much more -- made a friend.

Crown of the Continent - Saw Another Bear!

Glacier National Park, Montana

Glacier National Park scenery

Mountain wilderness views

Crown of the Continent landscape

Pristine wilderness experience

Bear encounter location

Glacier National Park - saw a bear! The Crown of the Continent lives up to its name with pristine wilderness and incredible wildlife.

TBD

Journey Stop - Sandpoint

Sandpoint, ID

PLACEHOLDER: Add description of your experience in Sandpoint, ID. This beautiful lakeside town offers stunning views of Lake Pend Oreille and the surrounding mountains.

September 7, 2025

Riley Creek Campground, Lake Pend Oreille

"Not again..."

TBD

Journey Stop - Spokane

Spokane, WA

PLACEHOLDER: Add description of your experience in Spokane, WA. The largest city in Eastern Washington, known for its beautiful parks and outdoor recreation opportunities.

TBD

Journey Stop - Coeur d'Alene

Coeur d'Alene, ID

I didn't stay here, I just used it as a place to stock up on supplies. CDA had been on my sightseeing bucket list for years, and it did not disappoint. I have never seen a more beautiful mountain lake (not counting pristine, untouched alpine lakes...c'mon). Supercharger here had a Buffalo Wild Wings and seafood restaurant, targeted advertising straight to my heart. I had to drive south to McCall to get to the next nearest supercharger en route, and there was zero chance of making it, I had to ration my charge. This is the second time where I was genuinely worried about arriving at my destination. Luckily, I found a level 2 charger at a hotel about halfway between.

TBD

Journey Stop - McCall

McCall, ID

I wanted to spend some more time here, but it was starting to get late. Stopped to charge. It was a pleasant surprise, I didn't realize it was a lake town until my friend (described below) mentioned it. Will revisit to drive around the whole lake.

TBD

Journey Stop - Boise

Boise, ID

Oh, Boise. What a time. I maximized my time here: tried jiu-jitsu (I wanted to continue, but it's hard as a nomad and I was burning through money) at Egley Train. Met a friend, Kevin, I met in middle school on a video game called RuneScape that I had never met in person before. This was my second-to-last time drinking alcohol on Project Reforage, and boy did we go hard. Too hard: by the end of the night, I was in warrior mode (jiu-jitsu intro session really got to me...) and tried to get Kevin to punch my face. Bar hopping with his friends. Dancing with strangers. Met a large, white wolf-dog named Luna with yellow eyes that I was divinely connected to, and formed a friendship with her owner, who was a monk in India for some time, helped build temples, and taught me a lot about reiki, Hinduism, and crystals.

TBD

Journey Stop - Bend

Bend, OR

I arrived here late in the evening. Planned on taking a nap at a rest area in Bend's sister city, Redmond, but there were sketchy people there so I decided to leave. Found a place to camp in Bend that smelled amazing, woke up to beautiful views.

TBD

Journey Stop - Eugene

Eugene, OR

I wanted to see the city, so I drove through a little bit. Not really my vibe.

TBD

Journey Stop - Newport

Newport, OR

PLACEHOLDER: Add description of your experience in Newport, OR. A picturesque coastal town known for its historic bayfront, lighthouse, and fresh seafood.

TBD

Journey Stop - Aloha

Aloha, OR

Aloha was rough. I really do not like the area, but I found hidden hiking gems. Bonded with a food truck owner, he was so excited to share his family camping trip stories with his wife and kids and it was such a joy watching him light up about what matters: his family. This was my last time drinking alcohol on Project Reforage. I may drink again in the future, but in rare, celebratory cases, with friends, holidays. I'm excited to talk more about my journey with alcohol and sobriety in the future.

TBD

Journey Stop - Tillamook

Tillamook, OR

Tillamook is known for its dairy, but I was broke so didn't partake. Just stopped to charge. Good excuse to head back. Smells like cows everywhere, beautiful.

TBD

Journey Stop - Lincoln City

Lincoln City, OR

I love Lincoln City! So many friendly locals, tourists. I needed to switch to work mode, so booked an Airbnb. I tried to book just a couple weeks, but they only allowed full-month booking so I stayed here for a month. During this time, I missed car camping. I craved it. Back on the road in no time, but the grind house was needed. Every night, I walked down to the beach to enjoy the sunset, do HIIT sprints with Gidget, meditate. I heard about the glass floats here, but never saw any. Someday, I will.

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Forge around and find out