THEIR Roaming Story: Christopher Craig Cohen

Throughout my travels, I have been fortunate enough to meet many others living a similar lifestyle to me, and i have connected with most of these folks who share the same core values as me. This lifestyle connection leads to a quickly progressing friendship, and often brings me inspiration and perspective on a new way of thinking.

So why only share MY roaming story? 

Christopher Craig Cohen. 
IG:@souladventurer311 
Snapchat: Soul-Adventurer

Chris lives in his '91 Chevy conversion van all year-round.
Since may 2014 he's been going  all over the US for 7 months of  the year.
 He has his own driveway seal-coating business on
Long Island NY that he runs and works for the other 5 months to fund
 his lifestyle
LONG ISLAND NY. NATIVE

---------------------------My brother and I first met Chris when we were crossing paths in Flagstaff Arizona. Josh and I were crashed in a hotel parking lot that night and woke up to Chris's legendary early morning energy and New York accent. We got to know each other pretty well after convoying together to the Grand Canyon shortly after that meeting in Flagstaff. We since have became good friends and have traveled to plenty of more places together since. We have collectively now seen the California desert, his hometown on Long Island when were passing through there and even Las Vegas for my 21st birthday.  Also, we recently met up with Chris again in Sacramento and explored South Lake Tahoe, Crater Lake, and now, our vans are together on the Oregon Coast together. We sure have had our fair share of fires, meals, and overall good times since meeting him early this year. I'm happy to call him a friend, and random part time travel buddy to unexpected places at unexpected times.
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                      Our Adventures Together:

Josh and I hopped into Chris's van just 3 weeks ago
 to save gas in the bus, and we down to South Lake Tahoe
 for a day of exploring and a night full of gambling and roaming.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE CA.

Vannin' in the National Forest by Crater Lake National Park. Pictured here is Chris's van and Dylan Bellngam's @myamericandreamtour
CRATER LAKE OR.

Jammin' in The Van With No Plan
LONG ISLAND NY

Farewell
LONG ISLAND NY

<<<<.When we met up with Chris on his property in New York, it was hard not to be jealous of the land he posts up at while working his 5 months of the year on the island. He has his own little slice of what looks like a decked out chunk of a KOA campground, complete with an above water house boat >>>>

..

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                                          Q&A With Chris

What keeps you going? your goals or motivations.

-Life in general is my motivation and what keeps me going. Just being alive and knowing everyday is truly a new story waiting to be written. As for my goals I have and set many. Something as little as running an extra mile or something as big as taking my first trip ever out of this country, Which I plan to do next year for six months. Goals are good to set just as long as you don't get yourself down if you don't achieve them right away or even at all.

What does a day in the life consist of for you?

-Every morning I make some tea eat a grapefruit feed Yosemite and get some exercise in with him. Once that's done I'll figure out where we'll be exploring that day. There will be lots of hiking, biking or finding a place to catch up on some reading while relaxing in my eno hammock; mostly how my days unfold. If I'm in a more populated area I really love checking out thrift stores and seeing what kind of cool things I can find. I love talking with the locals and hearing about the area as well.

Is there ever a time it has been stressful to you, and what were those hardships?

-Definitely a few times. For instance right before I got on the road again for this trip out west I was getting a bunch of work done on my van back home on Long Island. Once I got it out of the shop it was running great and I was read to hit the road. A few days before my departure I was coming back from the beach when my transmission decided to give out. I couldn't even begin to describe how upset I was. Luckily the universe was on my side and I had a friend and fellow traveler (via Harley) who had my same transmission sitting around in his garage. I ended up only paying $250 for the transmission and I had another friend install it for $300. Pretty amazing if you ask me how it all worked out. That's normally well over a $1,500 job. Not to mention between breaking down and getting back on the road only took two days. Now my van is running strong again and I'm in Oregon answering your questions. One thing everyone should understand right away is that this is just life. No matter what you do in it you are going to end up going through a tough time and unfortunate events are bound to happen. You just have to try and stay positive and good things tend to always overcome the bad in any situation. It's really all perspective I guess and knowing things truly happen for a reason, even if that reason doesn't show itself right away. Always trust the path you're on.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to live a similar lifestyle to you?

-Just get out there and do it! My lifestyle believe it or not really isn't all that expensive either. I usually spend about a $1000 a month while traveling. It's all about making your life more simple and realizing most of the things you think you need or want you actually don't want or need. That saying is also true you know, "Life begins once you step outside of your comfort zone." So just believe in yourself and take that first step.

What are the risks of living this way to you?

-For me living this lifestyle I honestly don't feel I have many risk. I mean sure I don't have tons of money put away or a retirement that will be kicking in after I worked into my 60's. But if they think I'm going to let them tell me when it's time for me to live my life, well they got another thing coming. So I'll take my chances living by my own rules and traveling as much as possible. Life is about experiences. I just don't see how I can experience much working all my life. For some people that's ok and their happy with that, I get that. For me though I know there's so much more to life. I feel working all day to come home pretty much go to sleep so I can get up and do it all again is way more of a risk. It's a risk of a wasted life. A risk I'm not willing to take.

Would you ever change anything about the way you live?

-NOPE! I'm happy! Sure I choose to live out of my van something the average person couldn't do. But with my van I also get to choose where I want to live everyday. I get to see all these amazing and beautiful places. I get to meet, bond, and learn about so many amazing and beautiful people. Even while home on Long Island for the five months I'm working I still live out of my van. I'm a simple man I guess. I live in my van, work out of my pickup truck and save for my travels. Freedom is what I thought this country was all about anyway, correct? So I'm grabbing my piece of freedom in the form of a van.

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 A taste of Chris's adventures. .

Chasing Hot-springs all over the country has become a beloved hobby of his after having been to and had great experinces at different ones all across the country. That never really was a thing until he decided to live on the road.
 Here's a shot captured by him in Mammoth Lakes CA.

   

Chris's favorite tree in the world, deep in the California desert.
he calls this place his "cabana" and his home sometimes too. Last year you could have found him here for 22 full days, and he plans on going back to "secret spot" for another month here soon after he is done exploring the Pacific Northwest.
 I don't blame him, Ive been to this tree. It has like 3 "bedrooms" that are naturally made from the way the roots grew in, and has prime hammock spots all over the place. 
Chris's heaven in the desert.

Chris actually explored, experienced, and even hiked through The Grand Canyon before meeting up with us in Flagstaff AZ, but after hearing that we were headed that way because we've never seen it, he didn't even have a problem going back again. He talked it up and even teased us with this picture of him lounging in his ENO hammock, The Grand Canyon will always be a favorite place of his but is far behind Yosemite as he would say. :)

Yosemite National Park is by far Chris's favorite National Park, hands down.
He even named his new Blue Heeler dog "Yosemite" and this dog is the colors of Half Dome (pictured here) His time spent here was spent exploring everything he could in the amount of time it takes him to get bored of being in one spot. For Chris, it usually isn't ling he stays anywhere unless there's a hot-springs around, but there's a special feeling Chris shares with this place.
 His happy place.

 SO. as you might be able to tell...
Chris does have an eye for photograhy, though you can almost never find him wielding a camera around and fishing for a good shot. Chris, of course, captures pictures of himself and scenery from across the US during his time out, and does an awesome job of portraying the scene,, but when Chris is with others, he tends to pull it out for a quick second and capture an in-the-moment lifestyle shot that looks like something out of a catalog, a trick i noticed and called him out on during our time spent in Crater Lake Oregon. \Hes good at catching the peak of a moment.

Here's a couple of  captures that Chris took from places like  
Yosemite, California desert, Lake Siskiyou, and more. below. 

****FOR MORE OF CHRIS, AND HIS ADVENTURES MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW***** HIM ON INSTAGRAM @SOULADVENTURER311 AND ON HIS AWESOME SNAPCHAT STORIES FROM THE ROAD @SOUL-ADVENTURER

Feel free to drip any questions or comments.

-Matt Monthei

Avid Roamer

Storyliver

Roadside 101: The Devils Punchbowl

"Over the 9 (what felt like short) months i spent In Oregon, i was lucky enough to see everything from the seemingly untouched and rugged landscapes, to the touristy beaches and local secret spots thanks to new friends. The coast has a lot to offer, and this is just one chill amazing stop right off the road." MM


         This place here is a strong mix of all three of those things. 
                ''The seemingly untouched touristy local spot''

                                                       The Devils Punchbowl. 
          "what looks like just another parking lot road-side scenic overlook is anything but"
 Located 8 miles North of Newport Or. in the community of Otter Rock, the Devils Punchbowl is not only a MECCA FOR ANY SURFERS (and surfer-watchers) due to the nice break that generates from 'close by' Gull Rock, but is also an epic experience for whale watchers, scenic family outings, and even makes a great traveler rest stop since its only ¹⁄₄ mile off of HWY 101.
Locals told us stories of surfers that catch a wave and ride it with skill all the way into the punchbowl,
- though we never saw this, i think i believe it, but that's a tight and scary squeeze through that hole.

To the best of everyones knowledge, ^ The Devils Punchbowl ^ was created by the roof of two large caves collapsing, and overtime has been sanded & shaped by pounding waves.

--Watch for whale 'blows'! The park is a very popular and well known whale watching site. 

Bring some burgers! --an epic picnic or BBQ spot as you sit atop the this breathtaking rocky shoreline.

--The Civilian Conservation Corps even showed their support to this piece of natural art and were kind enough to install bathrooms, a fresh water system, picnic tables, stoves, trails, and safety fences... 

and did i say trails?! YEP 

- Don't let the safety fences fool you, you CAN hike down, and even INTO the punchbowl on the trail entrance hidden behind the building to the very right of the safety fence separating the parking lot and the scenic overlook. ------They must be hiding this entrance for safety reasons due to tide change, so please be safe.------

Usually roadside stops like this aren't nearly as appealing

 of what the surrounding areas have to offer, but we were 

not expecting this place to have trails leading inside the bowl

<<-
As you start to walk through that little entrance tucked behind the building it'll lead you to this flat opening atop the rugged coast line, but as you keep walking and start to descend, you start to see what else the ocean waves have been carving over the years.

Phones and wallets out of the pockets for this one, just in case.

                            ->>
The ocean carved walls that you are greeted with, being similar to a rock climbing wall, make for a fun and somewhat easy entrance to the bottom of the bowl. When extreme low-tide hits, you are even able to stand inside of the bowl. unfortunately, the couple of times that i went, it wasn't low enough to get inside of, but it did let me catch this epic view from the bottom after crossing the wall above. ^

At high tide the waves crash against this
wall so hard that the water splashes the
overlookers standing probably 20 ft. above

<<-
When we got to the bottom of the Devils Punchbowl to the entrance tunnel, we were pretty disappointed that the tide wasn't low enough to walk through and into the bowl. It didn't stop us from trying, but it stopped us from going any further than this picture due to the slippery rocks that almost send me sliding right into the ocean. So after sitting back and taking in this place we all agreed that looked like where dinosaurs kicked it at the beach, we headed back up the trail toward the rim of the bowl.

This picture that my brother Josh took of Sarah Rini and i
 at the rim of the Punchbowl actually went on to be used as
 the cover picture for a local bands album.

                                ->>
The rim of the punchbowl really is a sight so see and an exceptional experience to be had. Even though you can easily see this gem from the comfort of the parking lot and safety fences, i highly recommend getting a closer, more personal outlook on this natural work of art. This place is kept very clean and is a well respected area in the Otter Rock community. meditate, medicate, do yoga, be at peace, idk film a sci-fi movie, just don't litter. It is taken very seriously, as it should be.           - Enjoy! MM





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- Matthew Monthei
Avid Roamer +The Van With No Plan
@myroamingstory

*All pictures are taken with my Samsung Galaxy S5*

Questions? Comments? Business inqualries?
email me! lilmonthei@gmail.com

Longboarding 3000 miles across America for charity.

This summer my brother, my girlfriend, 4 guys from England and myself were all living in the bus for 3 months. Our mission? To skateboard across America from LA to New York City to not only make a feature film about it, but to also raise $20,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Skateboarding has always been a huge part of my life, and my brothers.
We've been doing it ever since i can remember, and just never stopped.
Rupert found us and our bus from an online blog post Passenger Clothing Company
did about us a couple months back. >>>> You can find that here. <<<<
Josh and i only hesitated for about 20 seconds before saying yes to Ruperts Facebook message propsal. why not? Its almost as if we were meant to do this the way it worked out. we try to revolve our life around things that we're passionate about, and skateboarding, helping others and traveling are definitely on that list. So with expectations of our bus being packed (which it was) to be used as the RV / support / film vehicle and with high hopes, we headed to the JFK airport and met up with these 4 british dudes we've never met on June 7th, and i'm glad we did.

TVWNP support vehicle

Rupert Rixon is a young filmmaker from England who owns "perspective Pictures" and is responsible for making this film a reality. So he chose to have this 3000 mile journey dedicated to the Teenage Cancer Trust due to them greatly supporting his friend through his hardships, and he even found these rad sponsors to help with essentials for the trip.
Mindless Longboards - provided us with complete boards and extra everything.
Bounce Balls - (healthy snacks made 100% naturally) to keep us full of healthy protein and energy.
Sick Chirpse - (provides online entertainment) gave weekly updates of the trip.
Alibi Health Drink - provided us with cases and cases and cases of awesomeness.
& my brother and i even reached out and found some awesome companies to partner with.
ReplayXD Action Cameras - provided us with action cameras and helmet mounts to catch 'on the road' action and a terabit of much needed storage.
Stanley Brand - provided us with thermoses that kept our water cold for days, and essential camp cook gear for those campfire cookin' nights.
Goldcoast Longboards - provided us with extra boards, wheels, and social media support.

Rupert Rixon & David Rock did it! skated 3000 miles for cancer!
Unfortunately, Oli went home in Salk Lake City due to family problems
and Tom left in Omaha Nebraska due to a torn ligament in his knee.
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Rupert and his 3 friends Oli, Tom and David accompanied Rupert for this trip, but unfortunately only Rupert and David actually made the 3000 mile skate from coast to coast.
-This trip was full of hardships and emotions, especially when we were all hot and miserable in the Mojave Desert. Ss you can imagine and it was hard to stay motivated and get out of the bus to skate 50 miles every morning. Davids main source of motivation was food and Ruperts was the film. He constantly did selfie video blogs which were hilarious, maybe just because of his accent. They always dug deep and remembering the purpose of this trip, they always picked themselves up and carried on. blisters and all. I have a lot of respect for these two dudes, and after living together for three months, i'm glad to now call them my good friends.

This three and a half month, 3000 mile journey across the states was as memorable as it could have been in every aspect, and then some.
when thinking back, i find myself  reminicscing not about the skating but mostly about the late night bus shenanigans and songs that left us in tears from laughing so hard.
After living in such tight quarters with 7 people you share an unexplainable bond with eachother, and share jokes no one else will EVER understand.



Alright, i can't give you too much information. . . .
To find out the rest you're just gonna have to wait until March of next year when the film comes out!
it will be released for free to the public in 8 parts on Perspective Pictures Youtube Channel ,
then it will be put together as a feature length film and be available on Netflix.

As the british dudes would say, Cheers!
 - Matt Monthei
@myroamingstory                                         Enjoy some more shots from the trip!
@thevanwithnoplan

Breaks always last longer than expected

oli lost a bet and had to skate 10 miles like this!

Grand Tetons

Valley Of Fire

The bus was a checkpoint, every 15 miles

 comments? questions? shoot!

Fifth Water hot springs, Utah. soaking in heaven

Have you ever been to a natural hot springs?
I've been to about 4 different hot springs and now it has become a must to seek out the ones close by when traveling through. This one?  Relaxation level: PRO
I've even heard many stories about the healing powers that water heated by the earth can have on a body due to the minerals found in it. I have even felt it for myself! Relaxed while soaking, rejuvinated when stepping out. I've even met some people dead set on it and religioulsy attending natural springs on a daily basis. Some even base their travels around Natural hot springs, which isn't a bad idea!

This one for instance (Fifth Water, or Diamomd Fork hot springs) is right outside of Salt Lake City Utah. It has both, manmade pools that are fed by PVC from hotter parts of the springs, and naturally fed pools. This place got it all, smimming, hiking trails, camping spots, the worx, but It does yend to be a populated and a well known place during prime parts of the year, like when i was there.

The reason i want to share this place with other people, is because it gave me a feeling of "unrealness" - for a lack of better term. You can. And i did, sit under a cold running waterfall, while sitting in the heated water beneath you. It's also a perfect scenic 2 1/2 mile hike to get there, and it rewards you with free camping sites, and the springs are free too! Pack it in, pack it out tbough!. It really is an experience to be had seeing nature clash like that to make something so unique. And colorful too, so lets keep it that way!

Matt Monthei

"I will be there someday,
wherever that is,
but until then,
i will enjoy being on the way.

You will grow as a person by traveling, and in my case, so does your vehicle.

I stepped out of my comfort zone 3 years ago and into something that has mentally and physically amounted to nothing less than continual personal growth for me. this van.

$600 1992 Ford Econoline. Nov 2012 - Sep 2013

I have lived and understand the feeling of accomplishment you get when you can get you own place, and work to afford your food, bills, etc. being self-sufficient. Would you believe me if i told you that this same thing and feeling could be accomplished on a smaller scale, without rent, utilities, and other things you don't need to have. :) You might not either, which is why i share my stories. because right now i would be doing just that if it wasn't for the insight that this "roadtrip" i've been on for 3 years has given me.When i come back to places like Sacramento, where my journey started and where i happen to be right now,it all hits me how much of an impact and how educational this has been to me. I feel as if i can tell you exactly where i would be and what i would be doing with my life if i never left, and how comfortable and content i would feel doing it. Instead, this life i have been living has molded me into the person that can hopefully bring some much needed attention to learning and living through traveling. hopefully you can even learns some through my experiences i share here. There's important things to be taught that you can't get learn in school that i have learned on the road through encounters and experiences. The biggest difference between me back when i was living a ''normal life", is that i feel as if i am a more rounded, aware and an overall more involved person.I never really have lived the "vanlife" in the conventional way other than that first little Ford van we had. Maybe the thing is is that were traveling together, but were brothers, and we need more room than the average vanning duo, which is usually a couple. I've seen VW vans, conversion vans, and even a truck camper work for two people, and a dog too!, most van set ups includes 1 bed, and the rest is living space and kitchen. which is the reason we've built the inside of our past three adventure-mobiles ourselves, complete with 2 beds and plenty of living space. So here is our past three homes, and our current one, how we got them, where we found them, and what we did with them.We actually traded our first van (and 5 weeks of labor) for our first bus that we spent 6 months converting and fixing on the Oregon Coast, 

custom duct tape mirror.

26 ft. 1992 Ford E-350 diesel shuttle bus 

We outfitted it with two beds,    ( L shaped bunk beds), and all the bells and whistles in order to live in it, and we loved it, and so did others.  We even painted the outside of it with chalkboard paint and had everybody who wanted to sign it, or put a quote on the outside. The only thing was that this bus had a replaced engine, and more problems than what we can keep up with. As we took the whole west coast, we broke down 3 times along the way and bad mechanic experiences were included with that. When that poor bus finally made it back up to Oregon we fixed her up once again and traded it bus straight across for a 2002 Sprinter van. A trade that made possible through Craigslist. thanks Craig. After building out the sprinter, we soon realized that even this very large sprinter is small. it was tall and long and thats for sure, but very narrow which made it difficult to sleep sideways. 'We then traded our bus straight across for this van, and spent a couple of weeks in Eugene Oregon installing overhead storage, futon, flooring beds and cabinets.

sprinter set-up

2002 Freightliner Sprinter

We then sold that Sprinter to Cyrus Sutton after meeting him in the desert. So we rented a uhaul and headed to Phoenix to pick up our new home.

our current home. 23 ft. 2008 ford E-350 turbo diesel.

When we first saw this bus on the guys property we we're working for, we knew that we had to get it, he wasn't doing anything with it and we saw potential.We ended up selling the sprinter van to Cyrus Sutton, (a well known professional surfer with a talent for making films). After meeting him in the desert at a natural hot springs we told him we wannted this bus and we were selling this. with the amount we sold it for, the man we worked for in Phoenix said he would take it. so we rented a Uhaul in Vegas and drove to Phoenix with everything we own full of excitement to see our new home. we than spent just a week converting it at a wood shop in Portland Oregon and have since took it across the country twice and put over 12,000 miles on it. 

-----------------------------Anyway that you want to live can be lived------------------------, but you have to persue it. You might not ever know the life you we're meant to live if your not optimistic about new things or opportunities that come your way, you CAN miss them. so take things as they come and never get ahead of yourself. or behind! --Matt Monthei questions? comments?

Ohiopyle State Park

-- Where the slopes of Laurel Ridge clash with the Youghiogheny River in Pennsylvania, you can find this 'unique to say the least' State Park.  Natural water slides, waterfalls, whitewater rapids, scenic overlooks, and a steep mountainous landscape combine to make this place just a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts. We went and explored this area when we were passing through on our longboaring across the US trip (more on that later), but we almost missed it. If it wasn't for the help of the locals, in this case a lady at the laundromat, we would of never found it. Always ask around about cool local spots to anyone like coffee shop owners, your grocery clerk, etc. You just never know.                                                                                  Ohiopyle State Park, Fayette County Pennsylvaniaok, when we first showed up to this place, we were feeling sluggish from bad sleep the night before because the guys skated until 2 am. to get here. When we all woke up, which was way too early, the first thing we saw was Cucumber Falls which was, at that time, happily just a short walk off the road and not a hike.     (--pictures of that on my instagram @myroamingstory.) this waterfall was unlike one i've ever seen due to the fact that the water doesn't even run fast enough to make you stumble as you cross atop it. in fact, its just a gentle stream of water, but it falls off of a scenic, flat 100 foot cliff, and even mostly whisps away before it hits the ground. It's comparable to sitting at the edge of two tectonic plates that have separated, really cool. What we were most excited to see here was the natural water slides which the locals talked up so much. when we saw it, we were blown away and when we experienced it,we were no longer sluggish or tired. It did, however, kind of left us wanting more speed, so we decided to blow up our kayak and bomb down. (pictured above), and it was the best idea we have ever had. It's definitely an experience to be had to be sliding down something comparable to a water park, but instead was formed naturally.by flowing water. Ohioplye does offer some amazing hikes and trails but i feel we stuck more to the water aspect of things due to the short time we had there, but we definitely did go to the main Ohiopyle falls, and even stood atop it to soak in the view. (pictured below). What looks like to me is the Pacific Northwest, but on the east coast. I highly recommend this place to any outdoor enthusiast, especially if your learning to, or are an experienced white water rafter. due to the fact they have Class III and Class IV rapids good for any amateur or pro. Great, now i'm rekindling all these memories of this place, and i gotta go back. I'll see you guys there :) 


all pictures featured were taken by me on the Replay XD action camera.// Matt Monthei //       'I'll get there someday, but until the, i will enjoy being on the way'