Our First Stop: St. Cloud, Florida – Embracing Change and Discovery
Hello everyone! As we kick off our adventure across the country, our first destination is none other than sunny St. Cloud, Florida, where our trailer awaited us, nestled among the serene backdrop of a working cattle ranch. This initial stop wasn't just a random choice; it represented the beginning of a journey not only for me but also for Echo, my one-year-old Labrador companion. Our goals? To get comfortable with our new mobile lifestyle, ensure seamless remote work capabilities, and, of course, bond with the local fauna.
Getting Acquainted with Trailer Life
The ranch served as the perfect setting to familiarize ourselves with the ins and outs of trailer living. From mastering the art of towing to setting up and tearing down our mobile abode, each task was a step towards embracing this new way of life. Echo and I, taking it one day at a time, gradually found our rhythm and comfort in this novel setting.
Setting Up Shop: The Remote Office
As someone deeply embedded in the tech world, ensuring that I could work virtually from any location was paramount. My search for a reliable internet solution led me to Starlink, promising full online access regardless of our geographic location. To my relief, the setup was a breeze; within mere minutes, I had our Starlink dish deployed and operational, ensuring that my Microsoft Teams video calls and all other web-based resources were just a click away. The first week was dedicated to ironing out any kinks in my remote office setup, ensuring that communication with my team remained as efficient as ever.
Echo's Ranch Adventures
For Echo, the ranch was nothing short of a paradise. With 20 acres of secure, fenced-in land for her to explore, her days were filled with new sights, smells, and, most interestingly, her first encounters with cattle. Watching her cautiously approach and then curiously interact with the cows was a delight. It seemed as if she found a peculiar kinship with one cow in particular, whose coat mirrored her own. Their nose-to-nose meetings quickly became a daily highlight.
The ranch's chicken coop also provided endless entertainment, not just for Echo, but for me as well. The sight of chickens taking their dust baths, which reminded me whimsically of scenes from "Chicken Run," offered a humorous and grounding reminder of ranch life's simple pleasures. The chickens, with their escape-artist antics, became an unexpected distraction from my window-side remote office, adding a layer of rural charm to my workdays.
Reflecting on Our First Stop
Our initial days in St. Cloud were about more than just adapting to trailer life and ensuring work could go on uninterrupted. They were about discovering joy in the unexpected and learning to find comfort in change. As Echo and I continue on this journey, we carry with us the lessons of St. Cloud: adaptability, curiosity, and the beauty of forming new connections, both with nature and technology.
Stay tuned for more stories from the road as we explore what it means to work remotely, live minimally, and embrace the vastness of the country with open arms and an open heart. This journey is as much about the destinations we'll discover as it is about the discoveries we'll find within ourselves along the way. Join us as we venture into the unknown, powered by technology, driven by wanderlust, and guided by the spirit of adventure.
To learn more and perhaps invite us to your community, explore our America Tour site here: https://www.nebulaacademy.com/america-tour or email us at tour@wctd.org
Interested in being a sponsor to support scholarships for workforce development reach out to us at sponsor@wctd.org
Thank you to our National Sponsor Apex Systems
