Couple exploring the country after creating fully sustainable vehicles

MILL CREEK — They wanted to be more than weekend warriors.

Ching Fu, 33, and her partner, Jerud Crandall, 36, didn’t want to wait until they retired to travel and see the great outdoors. They found a weekend or a one- to two-week jaunt wasn’t ever enough to really experience a place.

So they went to work in Asheville, North Carolina, rebuilding a silver fifth wheel, outfitting it with solar panels, electric appliances and even an waterless composting toilet. They converted a rusty, red and tan 1991 Ford F250 to run on waste vegetable oil.

Once their sustainable travel rig was in line with their commitment to living a green lifestyle, Crandall, a mechanical engineer, and Fu, a marketing professional, quit their jobs. They packed their stuff, rented out their house and hit the road in March.

“We wanted to show people you can live sustainably whether it’s in a home or on the road,” Fu said. “For us, we wanted to travel and see things.”

The couple is now camped out in Mill Creek, visiting family.

However, they hit a bump in the road two weeks ago when Fu’s touring bike with an attached dog trailer was stolen from the parking lot of the recently closed Mill Creek Safeway.

That’s made getting around more difficult. The couple depends on their bikes for local transportation.

Tybee, their 12-year-old Labrador-rottweiler mix, has arthritis and relies on riding in the dog trailer behind Fu’s bike. Tyki, a 2-year-old blue heeler mix, is able to run alongside the couple as they ride.

The couple has no itinerary. They stay in each place as long as they like.

“Our goal really is to visit smaller towns with a lot of outdoor stuff,” Fu said.

They plan to keep rolling as long as they can or until they decide they want to do something else.

Fu and Crandall earn money to keep traveling by doing odd jobs and with small real-estate investments.

“We’re not rich, we’re just ordinary people,” Crandall said. “The important thing to note is it doesn’t cost us a lot to live this way.”

They don’t have to pay to stay in RV parks because the solar panels power their rig anywhere there is sunshine. They avoid costly wastewater dumping fees because of their waterless-composting toilet.

Their fuel costs are lower because they only use diesel to start up and shut down the truck. They ask restaurants to give them used vegetable oil to burn and convert into fuel.

There is a cost to getting the oil ready to burn but it’s fairly inexpensive, Crandall said. The couple can travel about 400 miles on each 37-gallon tank of oil.

They also don’t spend much on propane because the only time they have to use it is when they want to bake in the trailer’s oven.

Their rig also has other eco-friendly features, such as LED lights and a low-flow shower. They go through about 40 gallons of water a week.

The couple said they invested about $30,000 to buy and rebuild their trailer and truck with sustainable features. They spent a year working on it before they hit the road.

“She’s always the one who comes up with ideas that make me do a lot of work,” Crandall said, pointing to his partner.

The couple decided to take to the open road because the 9-to-5 daily grind didn’t work for them. They weren’t interested in climbing the corporate ladder.

“For us, material goods aren’t as important as quality of life,” Fu said. “You have to be true to yourself about what you want and why you want it.”

The couple said they’re happy living on the road but the nomadic lifestyle doesn’t come without a lot of work.

“When you’re living on the road things don’t ever go as planned, you have to roll with the punches,” Fu said.

Still, they’re living small and enjoying the freedom that comes with it.

Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports.

Their adventures

Follow the couple’s travels at livesmallridefree.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Everett mall renderings from Brixton Capital. (Photo provided by the City of Everett)
Topgolf at the Everett Mall? Mayor’s hint still unconfirmed

After Cassie Franklin’s annual address, rumors circled about what “top” entertainment tenant could be landing at Everett Mall.

Everett
Everett man sentenced to 3 years of probation for mutilating animals

In 2022, neighbors reported Blayne Perez, 35, was shooting and torturing wildlife in north Everett.

Dorothy Crossman rides up on her bike to turn in her ballot  on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett leaders plan to ask voters for property tax increase

City officials will spend weeks hammering out details of a ballot measure, as Everett faces a $12.6 million deficit.

Starbucks employee Zach Gabelein outside of the Mill Creek location where he works on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 in Mill Creek, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mill Creek Starbucks votes 21-1 to form union

“We obviously are kind of on the high of that win,” store bargaining delegate Zach Gabelein said.

Lynnwood police respond to a collision on highway 99 at 176 street SW. (Photo provided by Lynnwood Police)
Southbound lanes on Highway 99 reopen after crash

The crash, on Highway 99 at 176th Street SW, blocked traffic for over an hour. Traffic was diverted to 168th Street SW.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order to halt work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Imagine Children's Museum's incoming CEO, Elizabeth "Elee" Wood. (Photo provided by Imagine Children's Museum)
Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett to welcome new CEO

Nancy Johnson, who has led Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett for 25 years, will retire in June.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.