Leaving Our Off-Grid Home Behind: Bittersweet Goodbyes, Yosemite Dreams & a Vegas Disaster

After eight years of blood, sweat, and sunsets, we locked the door to our Northern Arizona homestead for the last time. In this episode, we share the bittersweet goodbye to our off-grid home, the excitement of heading toward Yosemite, and the chaos of Vegas—including James’ screwdriver mishap.

Saying goodbye to a place you’ve built with your own hands is never easy. For us, leaving our 20-acre off-grid homestead in Northern Arizona came with tears, laughter, and fresh paint under our fingernails. But it also funded the next chapter: a road trip west, chasing long-awaited dreams in Yosemite.

We talk about:

• The whirlwind of fixing, painting, and selling our tiny home
• Why saying goodbye to a homestead is more than just a sale—it’s letting go of a life you built
• The nerves of towing into Yosemite’s high elevations with a tricky transmission
• Our candid struggles as a couple under pressure (hello, Vegas traffic + camper backing fiasco)
• James’ wild “screwdriver-through-the-foot” accident and what it taught us about slowing down

Join us as we transition from homebuilders to full-time travelers, and share the messy, beautiful reality behind the scenes.

Timestamps

00:00 – Teaser & Intro

02:20 – Two weeks of chaos: rodeos, football, friends & painting

05:30 – The bittersweet last lock of the front door

07:00 – Yosemite dreams & fears about towing over the Sierras

12:00 – Vegas traffic nightmare + camper communication meltdown

15:00 – The screwdriver accident: James vs. his foot

22:00 – What’s next: Kristen Bentley interview + Yosemite adventures

Resources Mentioned

• Kristen Bentley's Interview - YouTube: https://youtu.be/Lr4KrVycjHk Where You Stream: https://kerouacscruising.alitu.com/episode/c8c62d7d-0e2f-4f0a-bf54-9f213125825f

Connect

Website: kerouaccruising.com

IG/FB: @kerouaccruising

Email: [e-mail]