The Dad Book
50 Dads. 50 States.
May 11, 2021.
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii marks the finish line of The Dad Book's 50 state adventure!
My name is Nate Timmons and I'm absolutely thrilled to have you here.
Over the course of 758 days, I traveled to all 50 United States by van and bicycle seeking out dads from all corners of our beautiful country to ask the question, "What does fatherhood mean to you?"
Not a trained or practicing father myself, I conducted interviews with 1 dad from each state in an effort to showcase that fatherhood isn't black and white. It's not a do this, don't do this kind of profession. What works for a dad in Alaska battling brain cancer is inherently different from a single mom raising a son in South Carolina.
With interviews from a world record holder, a same-sex couple, an Emmy-winning actor, and many, many more incredible dads, these interviews and tales from the road are being compiled into my first book I'm calling, The Dad Book: 50 Dads. 50 States.
The inspiration for this book: my dad.
As I finish writing the book, I hope you enjoy some of the moments captured from this two and a half year project below.
On April 14, 2019, a 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon, dubbed Vanah White, and I set sail on what was a planned yearlong expedition across the United States. Vanah had been retrofitted with 100 watt solar panel, a twin bed, and all the creature comforts needed to live out of full-time. With over 30 years of experience, Vanah led me across 36 states during a span of 9 months before her untimely death just a half mile away from exit 16A in Cabot, Arkansas. Her engine had thrown a road and after 11,563 hard earned miles, our time together came to a screeching halt on January 30, 2020.
View some moments from our time together here.
With just 14 states left and at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, I decided to finish the rest of the journey by bike, this time named Teal Armstrong. Having never pedaled a bike further than 50 miles, Teal and I began our bikepacking adventure on June 28, 2020 in Cabot, Arkansas at the exact spot Vanah took her last breath. We overcame sweltering heat waves, vicious dogs, the rolling hills of Appalachia, and sleepless nights in a tent. After 40 days of peddling, we arrived at our sweet finish line in Portland, Maine on August 6, having covered 1,776 miles (without a single flat tire!).
View some moments from our time together here.
