Our Nomadic Experience

Home
Our Nomadic Experience

Living simply in order to travel the world full-time In January of 2016 at the age of 53 I retired from corporate life. We are Carey and Susan Mossop.

We sold or gave away all of our “stuff” and set off to travel the world indefinitely. Our plan is to visit all areas of the globe, spending months at a time in a given area. We created a website and page designed to help you in a number of ways:

Give you our perspective and experiences in the places we visit around the world

Tell you how we were able to retire at the age of 53 without w

inning the lottery or inheriting millions of dollars

Inspire you to value the experiences in life and derive satisfaction from experiences and relationships versus accumulating things

Share advice and tips on how to travel as comfortably and as inexpensively as possible

03/09/2024

We made a brief visit to the largest national park in the continental USA, Death Valley. Yeah, I didn’t know it was the largest national park either.

Yes, it was hot. The hottest spot according to the car temperature gauge was 114 degrees F (45 C) this. Was at sea level at the Mesquite Sand Dunes. I got out of the car to snap a few photos.

We did a short walk at Dante’s View at about 5500 feet above sea level, it was cooler at only 95 degrees F (34 C)

If it were a cooler time of year, we would have liked to have done some hiking. We were really just driving through on our way from Sequoia National Park to the Grand Canyon.

We are spending a couple of nights in Las Vegas to sleep in real beds and catch up on laundry before heading to the Grand Canyon.

02/09/2024

We are back in cell phone and internet service after spending two nights in Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.

Of course, we saw many sequoia trees. Sequoias are the largest trees in the world by volume, redwoods are the tallest.

In addition, we did the Lakes Trail - 21 km with 876 m elevation gain (13 miles, 2900 feet). Quite a beautiful hike.

30/08/2024

Day two in Yosemite, National Park. Although I have been to the park five times, (this is Susan’s second time) there are many areas of this large park that we haven’t been to.

We started the day at Tuolumne Grove. There is a small stand of Sequoia trees here. Then we drove the Tioga Road to Tuolumne Meadows with a couple of stops along the way. Only 12 km (7 miles) of walking today after our 30 km (19 mile) hike the day before.

28/08/2024

Half Dome completed! We were able to get a permit in the three day lottery. It was a long and strenuous hike, but worth it. Perfect weather. Susan said, “I’m glad I did it. Once is enough.”

Nineteen miles round trip, 5520 feet of elevation gain (30 km, 1686 m).

This was Susan’s first attempt. My third.

1981 - spur of the moment trip, cables down, no water, no food, no gloves, just the energy and naivety of an 18 year old. Successful summit.
2008 - attempt with our son, I made it to the sub dome but couldn’t make the last half mile.
2024 - success! Thirty pounds lighter than 2008 attempt.

It took us longer than average.
- added a couple of miles since we walked from our camp site, not the trail parking lot
- I sprained my ankle a few weeks ago so no conditioning for the past couple of weeks, a little sore during the trip.
- we are in our mid-sixties

Yosemite is a beautiful place. I highly recommend it and the Half Dome hike.

25/08/2024

We have spent a great five days staying with friends on the Oregon coast. We have had excellent weather and are having a great time.

The house is right on the beach near Depoe Bay. We get to see whales spouting in the ocean right in front of the house. In the past few days we have visited some nice places up and down the coast.

We are grateful for time with our friends and for their hospitality. Tomorrow, we are on our way to Yosemite National Park in California. We will break it up into two days of driving.

13/08/2024

We spent a great week in Salt Lake City. The best part was staying with good friends our entire time. We also got to meet friends that we haven’t seen for a while.

Another positive thing was getting some hiking in. On August 26 we will arrive in Yosemite National Park with hopes of hiking Half Dome. This will be followed by a month of camping and hiking in national parks.

We hiked up Adams Canyon four times. It is a relatively short hike - 6km (4 miles) with a 500 meter (1500 foot) elevation gain. Our time improved from 2:22 the first time to 1:47 by the fourth time.

Today we head back to Washington State for a family reunion on Saturday. Through parts of Idaho the speed limit is 80 mph (130 mph) so we can cover ground quickly. Still, it is about 13 hours of driving that we will split up into a day and a half of driving.

04/08/2024

Garden of the Gods is a beautiful park in Colorado Springs. We went for a 10km (6 mile) hike this morning. Incredible views.

02/08/2024

Got a nice hike in today in Santa Fe, NM. It is nice to have dry air and to be at altitude. Santa Fe is at 7200 feet (2200 meters). Our 12 km (7.5 mile) hike took us over 9000 feet (2800 meters).

I love pollo al carbon - Mexican charcoal grilled chicken. We have been in New Mexico three days and I have had it twice already.

31/07/2024

We visited Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands National Park in the past two days.

Carlsbad Caverns are some of the largest we have been in. There are certainly some spectacular formations.

White Sands is a unique area of gypsum sand dunes covering 275 square miles. The sand ia very white and drifts quite a lot. The roads and parking lots have to be plowed quite often. At first glance it can look a lot like a snow plowed road.

30/07/2024

The past month or so has been spent primarily visiting friends and family. Our hearts are full of the love and friendship we have felt. Unfortunately, our bellies and waistlines are also full and have expanded as we have enjoyed wonderful meals together.

For the next three weeks or so we will be exploring some National Parks and doing some hiking. In a couple of hours we will head to Carlsbad Caverns, tomorrow, White Sands, and work our way north through Denver and to over to Salt Lake City.

Here are a few photos of some of our activities.

17/07/2024

Another great visit. This time in Vero Beach, FL. We met John and April Anderson in Bangkok. We eventually met Deogie (D.O.G.) and even dog-sat a couple of times.

I don’t think we have seen them since about 2018. They now live in Florida. The way Deogie reacted to us, we think that she remembered us in some way. You never know what goes on in that little dog brain.

We fittingly ate at a Thai restaurant last night and were treated to April’s stuffed waffles today. Delicious!

17/07/2024

Susan and I are having an incredible time on our cross countries (Canada and the USA) trip. Since beginning our nomadic lifestyle in January of 2016, this is only our third time revisiting North America. We moved around quite a bit during my working career, so we have friends from many places across Canada and the USA. Not only that, but people that we knew from other cities have moved and we have been able to reconnect with them even though they now live in a different place.

We have been able to see people that we haven’t seen for three, eight, twenty, thirty, and even forty years!

Here are just a few photos of some of the people we have met with in the past couple of weeks. We didn’t get a photo taken of everyone we met, nor have I been able to comment on everyone we have seen.

Our hearts are full of joy and love seeing all these wonderful people.

08/07/2024

We are now in Nashville. TN. We are looking forward to being able to slow down a little for a week or so.

We post about our travels quite a bit and like to highlight some of the unique things and cultural differences we observe. This post I will focus on some of the cultural differences or unique things we find in the USA that we have experienced recently.

The USA (and Canada) is the land of cars. Very few places have walkable cities. The US Interstate highway system of about 50,000 miles (80,000 km) of multi-lane highways is truly impressive.

Buying fireworks as individuals at the volume we observe in the USA for July 4th, Independence Day, is something we have not observed anywhere else in the world to date.

Finally, food choices vary depending on the area of the USA you are in. We have enjoyed some of our favorites here in Nashville, although they must be enjoyed in moderation - although delicious, they can be loaded with fat and sugar.

05/07/2024

It has been about a week since our last post. We are having a great time. Besides driving, a lot of driving, we have been visiting friends and family.

We spent a little less than 24 hours in the Chicago area visiting a friend and former co-worker that we first met in Calgary. It was such a great visit. We hadn’t seen each other for ten years or so.

In Salem, IL we visited dear friends that we first met in Pittsburgh. We hadn’t seen them for about three years and we were able to spend three nights with them. The children have grown up and are all adults, so we had the additional joy of seeing them and finding out about their lives as they finish college and start their careers.

Right now we are in Salem, IN visiting one our nieces, her husband and three children. Another great visit.

The focus has been visiting, but we have had some activities like visiting the City Museum in St Louis and attending a fireworks show last night.

28/06/2024

Our 965 km (600 mile) drive from Glacier National Park to Dickinson, ND was expected to be long, flat, and boring. It was long, flat, and mostly boring. However, for the last couple of hours it was pouring rain. Once, we had to park in a parking lot for a while because visibility was almost zero.

Then for the last couple of hours Apple Maps and the National Weather Service started sending us announcements. “Thunderstorm Warning on your route” “Possible half-inch hail on your route” About 20 minutes before we reached our destination both of our phones started blaring a warning sound and displaying “Tornado Warning “

North Dakota is flat. It can be fifty miles between any kind of shelter or overpass. We kept driving.

We arrived safely at the hotel. The first floor breakfast area and the laundry room had a lot of people in them heeding the warnings from the National Weather Service to get on a low floor.

No tornados touch down near us. We are fine. The final few hours of the drive were just not as uneventful as we were expecting.

27/06/2024

Final day of Glacier National Park and final day of camping until late August. Just one hike today. Ten kilometers up the Grinnell Glacier Trail. The trail was only open about halfway due to snow and ice on the trail. Still, it was a nice hike. We got to see a black bear with two cubs on the roadside before we started our hike. There was a large big horn sheep at the top of the trail.

Tomorrow morning we start a 2200 km (1600 mile) drive to Chicago. We plan to take two and a half days to get there with no real sightseeing along the way.

26/06/2024

Day 1 in Glacier National Park. (Plus morning in Waterton NP. Susan developed a huge blister from our 30 km hike so we took it easy today with two short hikes totaling 10 km (6 miles).

We visited Red Rock Canyon in Waterton. It is relatively small, but quite beautiful. Saw our first bears on the way out of Waterton!

In Glacier National Park we drove the Going to the Sun road. Wow! Every turn featured a new, spectacular view. We also did the Avalanche Lake hike.

We

25/06/2024

Bear story number one. We are currently in Waterton National Park in Alberta, Canada. There are grizzly and black bears here. It is recommended to carry bear spray - basically a pepper spray to spray at an attacking bear.

It is important not to surprise a bear so many people carry bells to make noise. (Many experts doubt the efficacy of the bells, but people carry them nonetheless)

Black bears primarily eat berries, roots, and grubs. Grizzlies are true omnivores and will kill and eat deer, goats, etc.

Signs that bears are in the area include bear p**p - s**t. You can tell whether the s**t is from a black bear or a grizzly bear. Black bear s**t will contain seeds and small sticks from their diet. Grizzly s**t contains bells and smells like pepper.

25/06/2024

Day 2 Waterton National Park, Alberta, Canada.

We hiked to Goat Haunt in Glacier National Park in Montana. It was a 30 km (19 mile) round trip with 778 meters (2500 feet) elevation gain. It took us about eight hours to complete. We haven’t done a lot of hiking lately, so it take quite a bit out of us.

You have to cross an international border to get there. Most people visit by taking a scheduled boat. Some hike there and take the boat back. A few crazy people like us hike both ways.

There is no supervised border crossing. You download the US Customs and Border Control ROAM app, enter your passport and other details, hit send and wait about five minutes for approval.

25/06/2024

Day 1 of 31 planned days of camping and hiking in National Parks in Canada and the USA. First stop is Waterton National Park in Alberta, Canada. Fun fact: in 1932 Waterton NP in Canada joined with Glacier NP in Montana, USA to become the world’s first International Peace Park.

We will spend two nights in Waterton NP followed by two nights in Glacier NP.

The scenery is spectacular and the weather is great. We hiked to Bertha Lake, 13 km (8 miles)with 600 meters elevation gain (1900 feet)

A fire swept through Waterton NP in 2017. Thankfully, the town was saved, although you can still see the results on the forest. One benefit is that with the larger trees burned down, there is a meadow effect leading to an abundance of wildflowers.

We also did the short Bear’s Hump hike in the evening to get a view of the surrounding area. 2.5 km (1.5 mile) 220 meter (720 feet)

20/06/2024

Hello Edmonton, city of my birth! I have few memories of Edmonton. We moved when was about five years old - too cold for my dad to remain. My uncle still lives here and we got to visit a bit today.

Yesterday we drove here from Sexsmith with a couple of stops along the way. We got to have dinner with my niece, whom we haven’t seen for a few years. It was good to see her.

For some reason, “The Largest ###XX in the World” seems to be a popular thing amongst small Canadian Prarie towns. We saw the “Worlds Largest Ukrainian Easter Egg” and the “World’s Largest Sausage” in Vegreville and Mundare respectively.

We have just two nights here before heading to Calgary for three nights tomorrow.

15/06/2024

We are spending nine days in Sexsmith, Alberta in Canada. This is where Susan’s oldest sister and her husband live. We also got to see nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, and three great-great nieces and nephews whom we have never seen before since they were born after we last left North America.

Sexsmith is a town of about 2500 people. It was established in 1911 and from 1939 to 1949 it was known as “The Grain Capital of the British Empire” since it shipped more grain than any other port in the empire. There is still a lot of farmland, but the area now also has a lot of oil and gas production.

It has been a nice visit, busy at times with lots of lively children running around. Susan has been busy making a wedding dress for one of our great nieces.

Sexsmith has a few historic buildings and is a nice little town.

One thing that we have to get used to is the long days. We are quite far north. Sun rises at 5:13 AM and sets 10:38 PM today.

09/06/2024

We have been having a great time since our return to North America for a visit. It has only been two weeks, but we have been pretty busy. We spent four nights in the Seattle area, six nights in Vancouver, BC and then a couple of nights on Vancouver Island, one night in Chilliwack, one in Hope, one in Kamloops, and just arrived in Sexsmith, Alberta. Total travel - 2100 km (1300 miles).

A key aspect of this trip is visiting family and friends that we haven’t seen for years. We have twelve great and great-great nieces and nephews whom we have never met. Five down, seven more to go.

We have traveled to over forty countries around the world, yet we are reminded of the fact that some of the most beautiful scenery in the world is in Washington State, British Columbia, and Alberta. We haven’t taken a lot of photos, but here are a few.

31/05/2024

Vancouver, BC is the third largest film production center in North America (after Los Angeles and New York). Our son lives in Vancouver and they are filming in his neighborhood over the next three days. Notices have been up in his apartment. He said they filmed here a couple of weeks ago as well.

They typically don’t let people know what production the filming is for (movie, TV show, etc.) And if there is any information about the filming, it is a working name and gives no clue to the actual finished product.

28/05/2024

We have been in the Seattle area since Friday. Although it has been a short visit, we got to see some good friends and spent some quality time over the Memorial Day weekend with family.

We also cleaned and rearranged our 5 ft X 5 ft storage locker.

For those of you from the Pacific Northwest, you might understand. I think it might be a state requirement to have a Costco card, so we got one of those. We also stocked up on candy bars that you typically can only get in Washington State, or that originated here.

Today we head up to the Vancouver area.

22/05/2024

Massive Road Trip

We are back in North America and finalizing our plans for our visit. We will be here at least until October before resuming our global travels.

We have already contacted many people we plan to visit while we are here. If we are going to be in or passing by where you are and you would like to get together, let us know, and we will do our best to make it happen.

If you want to meet us during our travels, please message us.

Here is our schedule:

Seattle area - May 24 - May 27 This is a very short visit this time around and we will be busy purchasing a vehicle, catching up on in person paperwork and other items so really won't have time to get together with many people. There are a lot of friends we would like to see but this may need to wait until we return to Seattle in October.

Vancouver - May 28—June 2. This is also a short visit. We plan to spend most of the time with our son, my parents, and siblings. Again, there are people that we would like to see, but it may have to wait until October. We plan on attending church at Vancouver West, Strathcona, on Sunday, so we could say hello there.

Nanaimo - June 3,4.

Hope - June 6, 7 - Susan will be attending a Ladies Conference at the Dogwood Valley Campground, so this is another opportunity to connect if you are attending the conference.

Sexsmith, AB - June 8 - 18. We will spend time with Susan's sister and will visit people in Dawson Creek during our stay there.

Edmonton, AB - June 19 We may stay a day or two earlier or later depending on circumstances. We hope to meet our newest great-niece with a due date of June 18th!

Calgary, AB - June 20 - 22.

Waterton Lakes National Park, AB, June 23 - 24. Do you want to go hiking and camping with us?

Glacier National Park, MT - June 25 - 26. More hiking and camping.

Monotonous cross-country drive:
Rapid City, SD - June 27
Austin, MN - June 28

Chicago - June 29

Salem, IL - June 30 - July 2

Salem, IN - July 3 - July 5

Nashville - July 6 - July 14 We will be attending church at The Turning Point, Madison. Would love to see you there. Also, there is a UPCI Tennessee meeting in Murfreesboro, TN July 10-12. We plan to spend some time there, so that is always an option to say hello or grab a coffee or meal together.

Vero Beach, FL - July 16,17

Tampa, FL area - July 18, 19

Crestview, FL - July 20, 21

Houston, TX July 23 - 28

Carlsbad, NM - July 29, 30 We have never been to Carlsbad Caverns before.

Santa Fe, NM - July 31 - August 1

Colorado Springs - August 2 - 4

Denver - August 5

Salt Lake City - August 6 - 12

Onalaska, WA - August 13 - 19

Depoe Bay, OR - August 20 - 24

Yosemite National Park - August 26 - 29. We hope to climb Half-Dome. We were unsuccessful in the preseason lottery, but hope to be successful in the daily lottery.

Sequoia National Park - August 30, 31 More hiking and camping

Las Vegas - Sept 1,2 - Day hike in Death Valley on the way

Grand Canyon - Sept 4 - 6. Woo Hoo! We got a backcountry permit to hike down and spend the night on the Colorado River.

Gallup, NM - Sept 7 - 11. Going to spend time with awesome friends and eat fry bread, Navajo tacos, and 'ach'íí'. (Google it. It is delicious)

Mesa Verde - Sept 12 - 14.

Page, AZ - September 15, 16. Hope to be successful in the lottery to see The Wave slot canyon

St George, UT - September 17

Zion NP - September 18,19. Hope to be successful in the lottery to hike Angels Landing

Bryce NP - September 20 - 22. Hiking and camping

Capitol Reef NP - September 24 - 25. Hiking and camping

Moab, UT - September 26 - 30. Hiking in Arches NP and Canyonlands NP

Salt Lake City - October 1, 2

Back to Seattle October 3. Visit people in Seattle and Vancouver that we didn't get to see in May.

Two of our major goals for our visit to North America are to visit friends and family, and to see and hike in national parks in Canada and the USA.

We love hiking, but we also recognize that the clock is ticking on us physically to be able to do some of the longer and more strenuous hikes, e.g. Half Dome in Yosemite 16 miles with 4800 feet elevation gain, Grand Canyon rim to river 20 miles - 4300 feet elevation gain, Waterton Lakes Goat Haunt via Great Divide Trail 13 miles, etc. We hope to be hiking for decades to come, but thought sooner is better than later.

I underestimated the challenge in coordinating these hikes. Many of the most popular hikes require permits only available via lottery months in advance. Camping spots in national parks can sell out in minutes months in advance. Then there is the balance of trying to avoid the summer crowds while at the same time getting in before it gets too cold. That combined with trying to work around events like family reunions, coordinating with friends that travel like us to be in the same place at the same time, etc. has made this a logistical challenge.

We are looking forward to seeing and reconnecting with everyone that we can.

22/05/2024

Hello, Boston! Hello, USA! Hello, North America!

After 939 days of international nomadic living, we are back in North America for about four months to visit friends and family. We fly to Seattle on Thursday.

21/05/2024

Our final stop in the Azores was the island of Terceira. The unique factor of this island is the amount of history and the number of museums. Angra do Herosimo was the capital of Portugal at one time. There is a US Air Force base here.

Due to our limited time here and the forecasted rain, we didn’t do any hiking.

We would like to come back and spend more time here.

18/05/2024

Our time in the Azores is winding down. Tonight will be our last night on the island of Flores, then two nights on Terceira and then…. back to North America for a visit. First time in 939 days.

The total population of Flores is just under 4000 people, the second least populated of the nine islands.

The island is very wet and mountainous. It has some really nice hiking and waterfalls. It was a little rainy when we arrived at noon yesterday, so we did some sightseeing by car. Today, the weather was nice so we got some hiking in. Forecast for tomorrow is rain, so I don’t think that we will do any hiking.

Thirty-seven photos. I know. I’ve got to be kidding, right? But the last sixteen are flower photos. After all, the name of the island is Flores.

17/05/2024

Faial Island in the Azores is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and once had, and still has strategic significance.

The first undersea communication cable arrived in Horta on Faial in 1893. By the 1920’s fifteen cables ran through Faial linking cities in North America, Europe, and Africa.

From the fifteenth century, Horta was a stopping point ships crossing the Atlantic. It is still a major stopping point for sailboats crossing the ocean.

In addition to walking around Horta, we visited the botanical gardens. The attendant was great at answering all of Susan’s questions about the various plants we had seen around the island.

Address

The World

Website

http://www.ournomadicexperience.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Our Nomadic Experience posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Our Nomadic Experience:

Videos

I love how they make a Mexican flag with the red and green salsa and sour cream

Canoe Polo. Portimão, Portugal

This is called "Canoe Polo." I had no idea this sport even existed until we saw it while walking along the seaside this afternoon. I Googled "Kayak Basketball" since that is the closest name I could think of that would describe this and found the real name of the sport. Since 2005, there has been a World Championship every four years. The Netherlands, Germany, and France consistently show up in the top three with occasional appearances of the UK and Australia in one of the top spots.

We go to Nong Buak Haad Public Park about three times a week. It is about 2 km from our Airbnb and has a 500 meter running track. I usually run there and do my running training for my upcoming 10k race. Susan walks down and walks around the track until I am finished and then we walk back to the apartment. It is a beautiful park with fountains and sculptures, sports equipment, and places to get snacks and drinks.

Sepak takraw at the park

Chiang Mai Sepak takraw

On our way from Napier to Auckland we stopped at the Hamilton Botanical Gardens. The grounds are huge. We only spent time in the enclosed gardens, which appears to be the main attraction. Each garden has a theme, Tudor, Egyptian, Japanese, etc. We had great weather. We highly recommend if you are in the area.

Piha Beach, NZ

Piha Beach,NZ

Watching the waves crashing. Note to self, don’t get too close.

This is the coolest video from our humpback whale swimming trip. Susan was out with a group for one last encounter. There is a rule that you can not approach closer than 5 meters (about 15 feet) from the whales. Apparently, this calf didn't get the 5 meter rule memo and approached Susan's group for a closer look.

This video shows the power of the thrust of a humpback whale's tail when they decide to start moving

Our first encounter with a humpback mom and calf. Tonga.

First of a few videos I took a couple days ago while swimming with humpback whales in Tonga. This one is of a mama and her calf. I realized a few seconds into the video that there were two males hanging out with them.

Nouméa, New Caledonia. Song after church sung in Faga.

It is Saturday again in Nouméa, New Caledonia. That means church. It is truly an all day affair. Things get rolling around 10:00 am. Today they finished up around 4:30 pm. Then we had a meal together. Today, since it was our last Saturday here, they decided to sing a couple of songs for us afterwards. One was in the Nengone language the next was in the Faga language. We loved our time here with these people. They are so warm and kind. A few speak some English and between my very limited French and some Google Translate, we are able to communicate. Here is the Nengone song. I will post the Faga song in a separate post.

Susan and her pilot. Poe Beach, New Caledonia.

We attended church yesterday, Saturday. The congregation is mostly Kanak, the indigenous people of New Caledonia. There are about 28 Kanak languages. Church service was held in French, but a portion of the congregation sang a song in Faga, a Kanak language spoken on the island of Ouvéa. One of the reasons they hold church service here on Saturday versus Sunday is that everything shuts down at noon on Sunday, stores, etc. even bus service. Church started at 9:30 am and got over early at 2:30 pm. We have been told that the Saturday service often goes until 4:00 pm or later. Holding service on Saturday ensures that those who rely on bus service can attend.

Every once in a while, everyone gathers in the middle of the field, players chant, whistles and horns blow, and then they go back to playing.

Shortcuts

Address
Alerts
Contact The Business
Videos
Claim ownership or report listing
Want your business to be the top-listed Travel Agency?

Country:

City: