Lots of RV dreamers want to know how to make their road trip dream happen. There are many paths to get there, but only one way to begin.

You just have to Start. Reading, that is.

Jon Acuff’s new book, Start: Punch Fear in the Face, Escape Average and Do Work that Matters is the trailhead for making your life-changing dreams a reality.

I just dove into this powerful book after receiving a press copy from the publisher and am so freekin’ excited as I read Acuff’s step-by-step guide to creating an extraordinary life, that I want to share this preview before I write an actual review.

Enjoy this quick video summary, and some powerful messages from Acuff that I hope will inspire you to pick up a copy now!

This is more than a feel good motivational book, Acuff provides realistic steps you can take to get off your butt and stop making excuses about not living your dreams.

Whatever stirs your soul, from taking that extended road trip to creating a form of work that changes the world, this is required reading for hopping onto the train to awesome.

Here’s what I mean. Check out what Acuff has to say about coasting down the road to an average life, versus trailblazing your way into an extraordinary one that turns the world on its head:

“So why then do most people decide to travel down the average path?

The truth is, they don’t decide. The only thing you have to do on the average path is not die.

You graduate from high school or college and effectively shift into neutral. Sure, you’re not moving that fast, but you’re getting great gas mileage and you are making some progress, if you want to call it that. You’re definitely getting older and that means something, right? With age comes wisdom? Not necessarily.

Especially if you’re coasting. Eventually, you’ll roll your way right into the grave.

The average path is the easier of the two paths, and it’s dangerously comfortable. I spent many years on it without realizing I’d been there a week.

The awesome path?

It is dangerous too — but the good kind of dangerous. The kind of dangerous through which all great accomplishments must travel. On it are tall mountains, rocky walls, and even an occasional dragon. You’re going to get bloodies, your discipline will be tested, and your dreams will be challenged a thousand times over. But ohhhh, it is awesome.”

In Start, Acuff describes why it’s easy to get trapped in an average existence, until one day you’re 75 years old and look back with regret at all of your unfulfilled dreams.

“Billions of people have traveled and continue to travel the other path, and it grows wider every year. The terrain is easy — grassy even — and after a brief incline it follows a safe and steady decline that mostly allows for casual coasting.

It sounds nice. It feels effortless when you’re on it.

The trouble is that on this wide path, you don’t end up at awesome. You just end up at old. This path is called “average.”

Fear Not, You Can Start Today

I know you have dreams. You want to make them happen but you’re afraid. That’s OK! Fear is what keeps us on our toes, it reminds us we’re alive. If you aren’t feeling it, you aren’t living.

When you decide to step onto the path of awesome, you will be afraid.

Jim and I were poopin’ our pants when we turned the key and walked away from all that we had known in our old lives.

We asked ourselves self-defeating questions like: Would we end up broke and looking for jobs? What were we thinking, buying an RV and taking so much time off?

As free as we felt, deep down we were terrified. Six years later, that fear has worked in our favor as we continue doing what we love best, living a life we wouldn’t trade for anything. Yes, there are days we still feel fear knocking at our door, but now we have the tools to punch that fear in the face!

Are you ready to live life on your terms? What are you waiting for?

Just Start.

Over the past week as we got pummeled by a desperately needed snowstorm, we watched the fluff pile up on our rooftop.

It seemed like common sense to me that a heap of snow would add too much weight to our Northwood Arctic Fox.

On the other hand, I wondered: what happens to all those RV stored outside all winter long in places like Denver or De Moines? Or RVs belonging to crazy families like Jema’s, who spends winters in Breckenridge?

Obviously those people aren’t going and scraping off snow every few days. Or are they?

Jim thought I was wasting time being worried about it, but after all these years he knows that worry is my middle name. I’m trying to get over that, so this time instead of worrying I just went to the source to get an answer.

I called Northwood Manufacturing and asked one of their fabulous technical support reps:

“How much snow can pile on top of my 24′ Arctic Fox fifth wheel before it starts to present a hazard to my rig?”

“Two feet,” the helpful tech answered.

Whenever neurotic people like me think to ask this question, Northwood will tell them that 2′ is an acceptable load for the roof of any RV, including theirs. After that, you’re on your own and had better start checking for leaks when things thaw out.

Scraping snow off the RV roof is a headache, but not as much as an interior leak. I’m happy to report that so far, there are no signs of water damage inside the rig.

Now, if only we knew for sure that our frozen water pump and plumbing still works.

There I go, worrying again  . . .

Pummeled. That’s the only way to describe this very unexpected Rocky Mountain blizzard that’s bombarded us since returning to Jerry’s Acres for a few weeks.

This photo was taken yesterday. There’s even more snow now that’s covered up the trees you see here. Another 2′ is supposed to fall today.

I am so over this. I’ve never experienced snowfall like this in my life, and hope that I never do again. Yes, I’m a sissy. I want my flip flops and cold beer, waaaah! Life is too short to shovel snow. It’s a great workout but I’d rather go for a run in warm weather.

About the only thing that makes this weather disaster fun is our newest neighbor.

Say hello to Rocky!

In the last six years since we started full-time RVing, Jim and I have noticed more and more of these popping up in the countryside.

Last week while touring Utah’s backcountry, I was stunned to see these drilling operations right alongside Canyonlands National Park and other ecologically sensitive areas. Even here at the symbolic Thelma & Louise point (near and dear to my heart!), there’s active drilling within close range.

Am I the only one who’s noticed the proliferation of fracking operations in the last few years?

Many of the rural areas we fell in love with during our first North American full-time RVing tour, like North Dakota, are now hotbeds of natural gas drilling (aka “fracking”). The stories I heard about fracking boomtown headaches make me shudder to think about how these once peaceful areas have changed so much we might not even recognize them.

I’ve been thinking about the whole fracking business for a long time, but especially after seeing so much drilling in Utah’s BLM lands near Moab. The unknowns about hydraulic fracturing scare the hell out of me. Not because I’ve been brainwashed by environmentalists (although I admit to leaning that way), but because once again, this country’s energy industry appears to be only looking at short-term profits over long-term consequences. Can anyone say with 100 percent certainty that our water aquifiers won’t be harmed?

Coincidentally, Jim and I just saw an excellent movie about the whole fracking fracas, Matt Damon’s The Promised Land. Of course the necon media came out swinging against it, but honestly, the basis of this movie could be about any major economic issues faced by small towns. Damon and director Gus Van Zant just happened to choose fracking for this flick. It’s a great film. If you haven’t checked it out, yourself a favor and watch it.

As full-time RVers, we recognized dozens of towns that are exactly like the fictional one portrayed in this thinking person’s film. As fracking continues across North America and energy companies reap the biggest rewards from their efforts, I fear for the future of these integral communities that make up the heart of our nation.

A million years ago when Jim and I thought we wanted to homestead in an eco-groovy earthship somewhere in America, we quickly learned that the earthship dream is far from the reality of what it’s like to actually create and live in one.

As we explored places like the New Mexico Earthship Institute, a “model neighborhood” of stunning earthship styles, we discovered that many people also share that dream.

Unfortunately, lots of hippie dreamers have gone broke trying to make their own earthship homestead happen, like this guy in Colorado.

Earthships are off-grid homes made with found materials that take an insane of labor, materials and sweat to build. You’d better have a lot of good friends who can help if you want to fabricate one from the ground up.

The irony of how ridiculously expensive it is to hand-build a hippie hovel made out of earth, straw and recycled tires blows my mind.

After we saw how much work, sweat and tears went into earthships, we opted to buy the most pre-fabricated, ready-made, warter-tight and move-in ready place available, which is what we have now in Red Feather Lakes.

Our little prefab palace gets on my nerves sometimes because I hate the responsibility of being a property owner, but it’s also been really nice to be able to say it’s 100% ours and it’s always been ready for us to move in when we visit.

Northern Colorado Earthship For Sale

But just when I thought I put that earthship fantasy behind me, today I learned about an earthship property for sale here in Northern Colorado near Fort Collins. This eco-groovy property is exactly what Jim and I were looking for back in the day before we became committed gypsies. Our awesome realtor family friends Mike and Marie have this place listed for sale.

This totally off-grid earthship is far closer to a “move-in ready” state than any other earthship we’ve seen outside of the Earthship Institute.

It’s on 35 wooded acres just east of our place and it’s a lot closer to Fort Collins. The elevation is lower which makes it perfect for summer gardens and livestock. It even features a separate art studio. I’m telling you, this was our dream property when we were first looking.

Today while we were out at the post office, we considered braving the latest snow storm and going to take a look at it but then decided not to. We’ve got wandering’ in our blood now and there’s no going back. But if you like the idea of nesting for a spell, give Mike and Marie a call, they’ll be happy to show it to you.

 If you’d like to see what a completed earthship looks like, check out this Earthship Institute tour video we made.