Surfing, skiing, adventuring in our van, and traveling with a wheelchair!
Hi there, we’re Thera and Casey, a happily married inter-abled couple. Welcome to our adventure travel log and DIY van build journal!
In 2017 Casey sustained a T-10 complete spinal cord injury after a failed snowboarding jump, leaving him permanently wheelchair bound. I absolutely was not going to let this get in our way of doing what we loved and dreamed about – such as snow sports, surf trips, and traveling to far away beaches, mountains, and towns. The narrative that disabled people can’t live full, adventurous, sexy, wonderful lives is just wrong!
In 2021 we started our (semi) accessible camper van build. We loved traveling, but found it increasingly difficult and expensive to book hotels or Airbnb’s. Trying to find affordable AND even semi accessible accommodations meant scrutinizing photos for hours, constantly asking “Are there any stairs?”, And then having to pack and lug BOTH our gear in and out of the car…. It was EXHAUSTING.
Van Build Philosophy
I began working from home full time in 2020, and we decided making our own camper made perfect sense. I didn’t have electrical or plumbing experience prior to starting this project, but as a full-time software engineer and the daughter of a master plumber – I’d be DAMNED before I didn’t try learning those things for my own DIY van. I did have plenty of home improvement projects under my belt – I’d made custom shelving and (very!) simple nightstands, but nothing of this scale.
We are not full time van lifers – more like quarter-time 🙂 We’re looking forward to taking some month long trips when our van is built out more.
We take the van on long camping trips during the build process rather than build all at once. This has been awesome for us understand our unique needs. Iterate and improve, not waterfall design. Besides, who wants to wait 6-9 months to enjoy epic van camping adventures?? Oh, and I work full time to support both of us. So ditching everything to just build a van wasn’t happening. Check out our process!
Surfing
We LOVE to surf. Casey grew up surfing and I learned a few years ago. It changed my life. We’ve taken many surf trips throughout the coast of California, and traveled to Hawaii, Australia, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Guatemala to surf – wheelchair included! Casey has been competitive in adaptive surfing since June 2021.
Snowboarding and Mono-skiing
Snowboarding was my first love before surfing. Then Casey sustained his life-altering injury in February 2017. Less than a year later, he learned how to use a monoski!! We love Tahoe and night skiing.
We’ve spent the years traveling to hard places to find out just how (in)accessible they are, and if we could overcome it. We absolutely advocate for accessibility everywhere, but when it’s not available yet, we call upon our fellow humans to help us make it over ledges, down stairs, and through steep passages. We hope to inspire your travels, and show you adventure is for everyone!
