Living the dream, one state at a time

Allison Greer is living her dream. 

The Hyattville resident embarked on a tour of the 48 contiguous just after Thanksgiving. 

Greer is traveling in a 1989 Chevy bus that is 17 feet long. She found it for sale on Facebook Marketplace. The past year has been spent getting the bus ready to go. The bus has solar panels that run the fan, lights, refrigerator and charge points for her phone. The heater in the bus primarily runs on diesel. 

“I’ve always like traveling,” said Greer. “Four years ago, I started looking at buses. I was thinking I just want to travel the U.S. to see the different cultures, different land and the way things are done in different states.” 

Greer had originally planned leave before Thanksgiving and head to Montana. The delay changed her course due to weather. She plans to go to Utah, then to Reno, Nevada. She intends to spend a week in Nevada. “At that point I hope to make it over the Sierras.”  

If she can’t get over the mountains, the backup plan is to travel to southern California and head west to the coast.  Once she does reach the coast, she will stay around two weeks. Her goal is to travel Highway 1 from one end to the other. After California, she will head to Arizona. 

As far as things she wants to see in each state, Greer said she doesn’t have a list by state, but she is excited about seeing Maine, the Statue of Liberty, Moab, Utah, the Great Lakes, The Alamo, the Florida Keys and the Grand Canyon. 

Greer thinks a lot of nights will be spent in Walmart parking lots. On this side of the Mississippi, she could stay on BLM land. Or stay at the homes of people she knows along the way. 

Kronk the dog will be her traveling campaign for trip, which she estimates to take between 16 and 18 months. For two months in the summer, she intends to work at a processing plant in Michigan. 

Greer’s parents are Amber and Tyler. Her siblings are Madi, Dawson and Stetson. Saying goodbye to her siblings was extra hard, but they and her parents are excited for her, too. She hopes the family will visit her during the trip. 

(Update: Since her departure and the filing of this story, Greer made it over the Sierras and is currently staying with friends in Pacifica. The beach is right outside her bedroom door.)