What has four wheels, is fully furnished and called \u201cLil\u2019 Ma\u201d? The answer is alumna Macy Pate\u2019s 1995 Chevy sport G20 van that she and her high school friend Emily Breedlove are currently using to travel across the country.<\/p>\n
According to Pate, she and Breedlove were inspired to begin van life after following the Instagram account of Jace and Giddi, the couple behind @ourhomeonwheels.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c(They have) been living in a van fulltime for two years,\u201d Pate said. \u201cThey were very helpful and open about their lifestyle and, after some research, we realized how possible it really was.\u201d<\/p>\n Pate and Breedlove outfitted their van with a bed, two burner propane stove top and a refrigerator. The remodel of the vehicle took the pair a year to complete, finishing Jan. 21, the day before they intended to embark on their cross-country adventure.<\/p>\n Beginning in Texas, the pair intends to hit every national park and big city, parking at campsites and in national forests for the night, before ending their trek in South Dakota.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So far, they have traveled through Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California.<\/p>\n Some of their favorite national parks so far include Pinnacles National Park in California and Arches National Park in Utah. Their favorite state so far has been Arizona.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Currently in Oregon, they will head through Washington, Canada, Montana and South Dakota. Pate says one park they are most looking forward to visiting is Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada.<\/p>\n According to Pate, their purpose behind the trip is to live life to the fullest.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are doing it because we love road trips and we love seeing new places and experiencing new things,\u201d Pate said in a blog post on Jan. 10. \u201cWe are doing it because we are young and able and blessed and not tied down just yet. So, I guess the short answer would be, \u2018why not?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Pate said her family and friends doubted her capabilities and were originally skeptical of the idea of taking on van life.<\/p>\n \u201cI think for the most part everyone doubted us (at first), which is understandable,\u201d Pate said. \u201cOnce we bought the van, our parents kind of realized just how serious we were and immediately began helping us in any way they could. Then, when the conversion was almost finished, other friends started to get on board. Now the doubt has turned into complete support.\u201d<\/p>\n Pate said she loves trips. Some of her favorite memories from Harding include driving to Washington D.C. and Albuquerque, New Mexico, for two separate three-day weekends.<\/p>\n According to Pate, their journey has gone smoothly up to this point.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>\u201cWe have been very lucky to not have any real problems thus far,\u201d Pate said. \u201cOne night, when we were parked somewhere we weren\u2019t technically supposed to be, we got scared awake by a construction worker banging on our door. That\u2019s the only time we\u2019ve been spooked, but we totally deserved it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Pate knows that van life is just temporary for her, but she is looking forward to whatever the future has in store.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI really wish I would have known that I had time to figure everything out,\u201d Pate said. \u201cThere\u2019s this major pressure on us as college students to know what we are going to do for the rest of our lives by the age of 20, but the reality is that we can do multiple things. \u2026 Our career doesn\u2019t have to be set in stone yet. We have time to change our minds and make mistakes. Dreams can evolve, and mine definitely have.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To keep up with all of their van life adventures, follow Pate and Breedlove on Instagram at @van.babes, read Pate\u2019s blog on macypatephotos.com or read Breedlove\u2019s blog on emilybreedlove.info.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What has four wheels, is fully furnished and called \u201cLil\u2019 Ma\u201d? 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