Sometimes, the boldest moves bring the greatest rewards…

Two years ago, I made a choice that many dream of but few act on: I took a leap of faith and walked away from a successful career as an attorney and Senior Vice President of a major commercial insurance brokerage firm to pursue adventure and the open road.

My passion for camping and exploration was sparked at an early age, shaped by childhood trips with my grandparents in their modest Nomad travel trailer emblazoned with a Good Sam sticker. 

My sister and I explored every corner of Oregon with Grandma and Grandpa, from the shores of the Oregon Coast to the dramatic cliffs of Hells Canyon and everywhere in between. We camped in incredible places, explored small towns, hiked, swam in crystal-clear lakes, panned for gold, and never missed a single museum along the way.

I also grew up obsessed with cars—especially fast ones. I slept in a race car bed, surrounded by toy Porsches and posters of sports cars plastered across my walls.

Twenty-five years later, I was finally in a position to graduate from toy Porsches to the real thing. I wanted to get the absolute most out of the experience, which meant daily driving my 911 in all weather conditions, logging countless track days, navigating rough terrain to reach remote hiking trailheads, and racking up miles on road trips every chance I got.

Creating the Fastest RV in the World

It wasn’t until I was preparing for a road trip to Colorado that the idea hit me: why not mount a rooftop tent on the Porsche to create a camper that is equally at home in the fast lane of the Autobahn as it is off the grid? 

I found a nearly mint Yakima Skyrise rooftop tent on Craigslist and set my sights on creating the fastest RV in the world. My goal was a setup that offered the flexibility and convenience of rooftop tent camping without compromising the Porsche’s driving dynamics. 

The result? A complete game-changer! With other cars, reaching the campsite or hiking trailhead is often an afterthought. Now, the drive itself is an exciting part of the adventure.

National Park Cannonball Run: 51 Parks in 50 Days

In late summer 2024, I set out on what I thought would be the final chapter of a yearlong mission: road-tripping to all 51 national parks in the contiguous United States. I had visited 46 and just 5 remained. I visited my Grandpa the day before I hit the road. 

The timeline was tight. Starting from Washington state, I had 13 days to reach Isle Royale, Avadia, Everglades, Biscayne and Dry Tortugas. It didn’t take long for things to go off the rails. A rockslide on Going-to-the-Sun Road, an August snowstorm on Logan Pass in Glacier and a cancelled ferry to Isle Royale nearly derailed the mission.  That’s when I remembered that I had visited the East Coast parks in the fall of 2023. By revisiting them again, I could reset my 1-year deadline and keep the dream alive.  

This set me up to take a shot at something bigger: visiting all 51 national parks and 48 states in the contiguous United States in a single 50-day road trip.  I had visited many of these parks before, some multiple times, so I knew exactly how to make the most of the short time I would have in each one. 

Somehow, I pulled it off – 51 national parks and 48 states in just 50 days while camping on top of the Porsche for 50 consecutive nights. I averaged over 500 miles of driving and 6 miles of hiking a day for 50 consecutive days. Countless setbacks and challenges arose along the way that would have caused most people to fold. So many opportunities to take the easy route, give up and head back home…

But every morning I woke up before sunrise, answered the bell, pressed onward and was rewarded with lifelong memories.

11 National Parks to See Before You Die

My cannonball run was packed with a lifetime’s worth of memories. Here are the national park experiences I think everyone should have before kicking the bucket:

1. Sunrise at Canyonlands National Park

The Shafer Trail is a narrow, unpaved road that cuts through the cliffs into the heart of Canyonlands National Park. Wake up early and hit the trail to have it – and the sunrise – all to yourself. 

2. Exclamation Point at Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is probably one of the most underrated in the system. It’s where I fell in love with national parks and most visitors to the park never make it to the North Rim. They’re missing out!

Most days, you have the place all to yourself. The views are better too, especially from Exclamation Point. You aren’t going to find a better view for a 3-mile hike. Peering over the edge of the rim of the 2,000-feet-deep vertical canyon wall to the Gunnison River below will take your breath away.

 

 

3. Camp at “The Wall” – Badlands National Park

“The Wall” is one of my favorite places to camp. The dispersed camping site is located in the Buffalo Gap National Grassland and offers a stunning view of Badlands National Park, especially at sunrise.

 

4. Kayak The Badwater Basin in Death Valley 

Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, sitting at 282 feet below sea level.

Tens of thousands of years ago, Badwater Basin was home to Lake Manly. This ancient lake has long since evaporated, but it makes a brief and rare reappearance every once in a while. When it does, kayak across its shallow waters for a life-changing experience.

 

5. Hike America’s Tallest Dune

Great Sand Dunes National Park is a Martian-like park in Colorado that has to be checked off the list.

Star Dune measures 741 feet from base to summit and is tied for the title of tallest sand dune in North America. There is no trail, and hiking in sand is exhausting, so start early and get back before it gets too hot.

6. Explore America’s Largest Caves at Carlsbad Caverns

The Big Room in Carlsbad Caverns National Park is the largest single cave chamber by volume in North America. It has been called “The Grand Canyon with a roof over it,” and it is hands down one of the most stunning places in the national park system.  

 

7. Paddle to Canada at Voyageurs National Park

The United States / Canada border extends through the three largest lakes in Voyageurs National Park. With the proper documentation, you can paddle across the border on an extended canoe trip that’ll change your life.

8. First Sunrise in the Continental U.S. at Acadia 

Acadia National Park in Maine is home to Cadillac Mountain. The mountain’s summit, with an elevation 1,530 feet, is the highest point within 25 miles of the Atlantic Coast and the first place to see the sunrise in the continental United States.

9. Last Sunset in the Continental U.S. – Olympic National Park 

Cape Alava in Olympic National Park is the westernmost point of the mainland in the Lower 48 and the place to see the last sunset in the contiguous United States.

 

10. Bison Herds at Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is one of the best places in the park system to see bison. There are so many in the North and South units of the park that the NPS routinely transfers many to other locations to maintain an appropriately sized population for the park.

11. Sunrise Over Crater Lake

When I arrived at Crater Lake National Park on the morning of day 47 of my National Park Cannonball road trip, I was met with one of the most stunning sunrises that I had ever seen. The sky was on fire. It was absolutely magical. 

I didn’t fully realize how special it was until I got back to cell service and received a message that my Grandpa had passed away a few hours earlier.  My love for exploring, the outdoors and camping was born from childhood adventures with my Grandpa.  Gramps loved what I was doing and was always excited to hear about the places I had seen that he had never visited.

During our last conversation, the day before I left on this trip, he jokingly asked to come along (even though he was in no shape to travel). He might not have been with me for the entire trip, but I’m certain he was with me during that sunrise over Crater Lake.

 

 

 

 

 

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