From Brooklyn to Boondocking- Delia Mo

Hello everyone! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Delia. I’m originally from Brooklyn, New York, but currently, I live on the road full-time with my partner, Enoch. We live in a Nissan Xterra and adventure trailer with a rooftop tent. Together, we are MoLeisureXventures. What does this name mean? My last name is Mo, his last name is Leisure, and the Xventures is for the Xterra and the many adventures it has taken us on. Our goal is to visit all of the national parks in the U.S. So far, we’ve visited 46/63 national parks, have driven through 40/50 states and are currently in Mexico. You may be wondering, “why did you decide to do this?” Keep reading and I’ll explain it all to you.

As mentioned above, I was born and raised in Brooklyn. Born in the city, raised in the city, I am a full-blooded city girl! After about 25 years in NYC, I decided I wanted a change of scenery. I wanted to get away from the brutal East Coast winter and move somewhere warmer with better temperatures. So, I moved to San Francisco, another city, with slightly better weather (at least I got away from the snow). I lived in the Bay Area for about 1.5 years. During this time, I met Enoch in a hiking group. We shared a love of travel, and we both wanted to make travel a priority in our lives. That was it! We spoke about traveling full-time and decided to make it happen. Enoch bought Yogi (our Xterra) and drove up to Alaska to visit his parents for about two months. I had never been to Alaska, so I flew up to visit. We drove the inner loop and I camped for the first time. I was hooked and wanted to continue. So, I flew back down to San Francisco, saved up some money, quit my job, sold a majority of my belongings, ended my apartment lease and embarked on the trip!

We started our trip in November 2019. Yogi was packed to the brim with stuff. Our bed was a Smittybilt RTT. Enoch built a kitchen galley in the back of the truck and installed a water tube on the roof that would act as a shower (we never used it as a shower). I went from living comfortably in a studio apartment to boondocking in a different location every night. So, back to the main question: Why? Well, why not? I’ve always been the person that was waiting for the “right time” to do something. After I moved to California and met Enoch, he showed me that you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow and to embrace living in the now instead of waiting for the future.

Prior to moving to California, Enoch was involved in a serious car accident he barely survived. After a three-month long recovery, he decided that he needed to start living for himself because life is short. There’s no such thing as the “right time.” Covid is another example of how things can change so quickly. When Covid hit, we were on the East Coast. We were on our way to Brooklyn to visit my family. NYC was one of the hardest-hit areas in the country. We were quarantined in Brooklyn for about 2.5 months, along with the rest of the world. Being stuck inside gave us confirmation that we had made the right decision to travel full-time. Once the national parks started opening up again, we hit the road.

While we were in quarantine, we kept busy, improving Yogi and getting rid of more things to lighten our load. Minimalism is another great thing I’ve embraced on this trip. I used to own A LOT of things, mostly clothing, but also knick knacks I had accumulated over the years. Decluttering is such a relieving action. I started the trip with three totes and four bags full of just stuff. I am a lot more organized now with just three bags for clothing, electronics and adventure gear.

We minimized our belongings but expanded our rig to include an adventure trailer. We lived in the Smittybilt RTT for about eight months before purchasing a Freespirit Recreation overlander trailer (boo-boo) and RTT. We like the idea of having a base camp to return to after a day of adventuring. Before getting the trailer, we would have to pack up every morning to go somewhere. Now that we have the trailer, we are able to clear out some room in the backseat of the Xterra for our newest family member, a rescue pup named Ella. Enoch built a new kitchen in the trailer, equipped it with a battery system that powers a water heater for the sink/shower and propane for the stove. #overlandaf

From Brooklyn to Boondocking

Which brings me to the term “overlanding.” I had no idea this word existed before meeting Enoch. Overlanding is the journey of exploring places without having a destination. After learning the meaning, I realized I had been living my life in the opposite way. I was always so focused on getting to each destination in my life, not realizing there were so many different ways I could’ve gone that would’ve been more fun, to reach the same destination. The faster you go through life, the more you miss out on life’s beauties.

Growing up in Brooklyn, I’ve always been in the NYC mindset of go…go…go! Now I think back, wondering where I was sprinting to? Why was I always in a rush? Everyone in the city is always in a hurry to get somewhere that they don’t stop to appreciate their surroundings. After being on the road for a little over a year, I have so much appreciation for the world around me: The sun that warms us every day, the trees that shade us, the water that hydrates the plants that create oxygen for us to breathe. Boondocking allows us to be one with nature, using what is naturally available for us but also making sure we leave everything as it is so others can enjoy the space, too.

Brooklyn will always be home in my heart, but boondocking lets me call a new place home every night in this overlanding life! www.instagram.com/moleisurexventures

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