Brianna Madia, a lifestyle influencer on Instagram, shares her story of abandoning the typical ideas of civilization and moving into a giant orange van with her husband and dogs, exploring the deserts of Utah and surrounding areas.  At some point, they nearly kill one of their dogs, lie to her followers about exactly what happened, and collected at least $100,000 for his care and recovery.  While the dog recovered, her marriage did not, as the guilt of hurting the dog and taking money from strangers tore their relationship apart.

I’m not entirely sure how Nowhere For Very Long landed on my radar, but it was an interesting read.  The author basically took my one day in Arizona back in 2018 where I went to the slot canyons and the Grand Canyon and turned it into a full-time gig.  Who amongst us hasn’t dreamed of giving it all up and living in the back of a van with a couple of dogs?  Or at least part of that.

There is some controversy about the incident with the dog, and it’s hard to tell exactly where the truth lies.  If it happened as she describes in the book, then it was truly an accident and one that, while it could have been avoided, wasn’t too outrageous given how they lived.  If it happened as speculated elsewhere, then let’s just say not everything is worth getting the perfect shot for your Instagram followers.