Reconnecting with nature

We moved from Manhattan to Providence in 2020, needing to escape our tiny walk-up apartment for a semblance of normal life while adapting to working fully remotely. With that came a sober reality, that our workplaces came with us wherever we went. A childhood bedroom my brother-in-law grew up in turned into a class-a office building with all the trappings of the physical workplace. Was this a net benefit as people were claiming?

Following our moderna man shots, we planned a trip to take our new puppy on, half way across the country to St. Louis. We would take our beater 2010 Nissan Versa SL hatchback with new PowerStop Z26 Extreme carbon fiber brake everything, NGK sparks and coils, and my must-have super bright and super white Sylvania SilverStar Ultra headlight halogen lamps. These products, while hyperlinked through affiliate links that we may be paid commission on, have proven to be reliable safety alterations (and preventative maintenance) as my research proved. Following this experience, I next secured funding for some NPS photography for a client for which Natural Creative Bureau was born.

We pulled out the stops for our next trip; we secured a new 2022 Kia Niro PHEV EX Premium and installed a Trustmade hard shell rooftop tent on oem branded thule roof rack crossbars. This is tight but tolerable for us and the dog, and it severely reduces expenses on hotels. This sleeping-on-the-car setup was an quick interest for myself with my strong camping experience as an eagle scout, skills I had spent time away from while living and working in the city. We headed to Grand Canyon National Park and back with our Bernedoodle, testing the new setup in rapidly changing conditions.

With the success and exhilaration of the second trip, we embarked on a third trip, heading to Yellowstone and back. We again testing the vehicle in a variety of climates with unique challenges, and an expanded roof setup via FrontRunner Outfitter Slimline II roof rack and accessories. On this trip we left our dog, and new puppy with family to allow us to target experiences dog-free, as different parks and areas have different rules, for good reasons.

In the coming months we will take a dive into each of these trips, the places and spaces, wood and food, and the life on the road in a small family car. We hope you will join us recounting these trips; to plan your own, re-engage a past experience, consider changes to your own plans or rigs, or just smile and watch. At worst, you'll check out the OVER 20 national parks that we have already seen this year, and plenty of cool places in between. We are in the process of considering a winter east coast trip for after the holidays, and would love your input there too!