Ava Aum

Car living. Open roads. A life built for freedom.
Travel, adventure, and the pursuit of life on my own terms.
@AvaAum • @_IKITAO

[Ava Aum @avaaum]

I have known men to hazard their fortunes, go long journeys halfway about the world, forget friendship, even lie, cheat, and steal, all for the gain of a book.

— A. S. W. Rosenbach, Books and Bidders

#IKITAO

[Ava Aum @Ava_Unbound]

Mine just shipped. Can't wait to get it set up in the rolling command center. They say good things come in small packages, and she's a beast.

Have a look.

Bluetti Elite 300 the real off grid test
https://t.co/8FxiwuoKCN

#IKITAO #AvaUnbound

[Ava Aum @avaaum]

Power station sorted!

I went with the BLUETTI Elite 300 portable power station. Could not be more excited about it.

It has 3,014Wh of capacity and 2,400W of output in a pretty compact package, which matters when you're trying to fit everything into a Corolla Cross.

Should be able to fit it in the passenger-side floorboard.

It uses LiFePO₄ batteries, is rated for more than 6,000 cycles, and gives me four standard 120V AC outlets, a 140W USB-C port, a 100W USB-C port, USB-A, 12V DC and a dedicated TT-30 RV outlet.

I'll be running the BLUETTI Charger 1 DC-to-DC charger while I'm driving, so I can recharge it directly from the Corolla Cross while I'm on the road. I can also plug solar into it when I'm parked.

It can also function as a UPS or backup power system at home.

But for me, this is the power system for the rolling command center.

It'll run the refrigerator, portable AC, laptops, internet, homelab, phones and the rest of the electronics I'll be depending on while living and working from the road.

This is what makes the whole setup work.

It'll be here in a few days. :)

YT
https://t.co/KkJT6STTTU

#IKITAO #AvaUnbound

[Ava Aum @avaaum]

Power station sorted!

I went with the BLUETTI Elite 300 portable power station. Could not be more excited about it.

It has 3,014Wh of capacity and 2,400W of output in a pretty compact package, which matters when you're trying to fit everything into a Corolla Cross.

Should be able to fit it in the passenger-side floorboard.

It uses LiFePO₄ batteries, is rated for more than 6,000 cycles, and gives me four standard 120V AC outlets, a 140W USB-C port, a 100W USB-C port, USB-A, 12V DC and a dedicated TT-30 RV outlet.

I'll be running the BLUETTI Charger 1 DC-to-DC charger while I'm driving, so I can recharge it directly from the Corolla Cross while I'm on the road. I can also plug solar into it when I'm parked.

It can also function as a UPS or backup power system at home.

But for me, this is the power system for the rolling command center.

It'll run the refrigerator, portable AC, laptops, internet, homelab, phones and the rest of the electronics I'll be depending on while living and working from the road.

This is what makes the whole setup work.

It'll be here in a few days. :)

YT
https://t.co/KkJT6STTTU

#IKITAO #AvaUnbound

[moxie @_moxiecat]

Moxie girl 💜 vs blinds :)

#IKITAO #Moxie

[Ava Aum @avaaum]

The spiritual life is the real life; all else is illusion and deception. All who act upon their highest motivations become a power for good. Know that every right thing you do, every good word you say, every positive thought you think, has good effect.

— Peace Pilgrim

#IKITAO #PeacePilgrim

[Ava Aum @avaaum]

There is a well-worn road which is pleasing to the senses and gratifies worldly desires, but leads to nowhere. And there is the less traveled path, which requires purifications and relinquishments, but results in untold spiritual blessings.

— Peace Pilgrim

#IKITAO #PeacePilgrim

[Ava Aum @avaaum]

Difficulties are opportunities for inner growth, and the greater the difficulty, the greater the opportunity for growth.

— Peace Pilgrim

#IKITAO #PeacePilgrim

[Ava Aum @avaaum]

Set up Google Drive app credentials for rclone and connected the Synology directly to Google Drive.

I also got everything configured in the terminal so I can access the encrypted Google Drive backup from my ThinkPad in Dolphin and from mobile through Termux.

Then I set up an unattended scheduled task on the Synology so the transfer keeps running without me babysitting it.

At the current pace, it’ll take about two weeks. When it’s finished, all of my files will be backed up directly from the Synology to Google Drive, encrypted through rclone crypt.

[Ava Aum @avaaum]

Rebuilding my homelab for life on the road.

Thinking about selling my Synology DS923+ 4-bay NAS and keeping the 22 TB Seagate IronWolf Pro drive.

At this point, every dollar I can free up goes straight back into the rolling command center.

The Synology is great for storage, but its Ryzen R1600 has no integrated GPU or Intel Quick Sync.

Meanwhile, the Protectli VP2420 I’ve been using as a hardware firewall is actually a pretty competent little machine.

Obviously, keeping the firewall and server on separate hardware would be cleaner, but I have to economize space.

VP2420 = 4-core Intel / 32 GB RAM / 120 GB M.2 SATA SSD / Intel UHD GPU + Quick Sync / 4×2.5GbE / fanless / virtualization support

I also have a Lifetime Plex Pass, so hardware-accelerated transcoding is already unlocked. Moving Plex over to the Protectli would let it use Intel Quick Sync.

The plan:

Export OPNsense → install Proxmox → OPNsense VM → restore config → add Plex/rclone containers.

Firewall + server + Plex + storage on one little fanless box.

I’m trimming the digital fat along with everything else. The goal is to get everything I actually want to keep—media, photo backups, all of it—under 10 TB.

Just upgraded Google Drive to 10 TB. I’ll encrypt the backup client-side with rclone crypt and keep the 22 TB drive as my local copy.

Initially, I’ll just put the drive in a powered USB enclosure:

22 TB HDD → powered USB enclosure → Protectli

Then later:

4-bay DAS → 22 TB HDD + future drives → Protectli

The DS923+ was recently discontinued, but it’s still fully supported and selling really well used right now.

Looks like I can get $400–$500 for it used.

If I can put a couple hundred into a good DAS later, carry less hardware, and still come out ahead, it’s hard to see the downside here.

#IKITAO #AvaUnbound

[Ava Aum @Ava_Unbound]

Cold storage is handled :)

I went with the BougeRV 30QT 12V fridge/freezer + insulated cover.

Same footprint as the 23-qt, just 2.5" taller, so more fridge without losing floor space.

It'll be here Thursday.

The rolling command center is coming together.

#AvaUnbound #IKITAO

[Ava Aum @Ava_Unbound]

The Hele Box Solo is here :)

This height-adjustable car-camping platform + 3" hybrid pad is exactly what I was looking for.

I haven’t even opened it yet, and @_moxiecat has already claimed it.

One more piece falling into place as the journey gets closer.

#AvaUnbound #IKITAO

[Ava Aum @Ava_Unbound]

Just ordered the Hele Box Solo for the ride!

The sleeping platform is one of the biggest pieces of this no-build build, so I’m excited to finally have this part coming together.

Can’t wait for it to get here. :)

Ig: heleoutdoors

#AvaUnbound #IKITAO

[Ava Aum @Ava_Unbound]

Shop says the Hele Box Solo Car Camping Platform and Sleeping Pad are shipping out tomorrow and set to arrive this Friday! I'm pretty excited about it. Definitely looking forward to getting it set up for the road.

#IKITAO #AvaUnbound

[Ava Aum @Ava_Unbound]

Just ordered the Hele Box Solo for the ride!

The sleeping platform is one of the biggest pieces of this no-build build, so I’m excited to finally have this part coming together.

Can’t wait for it to get here. :)

Ig: heleoutdoors

#AvaUnbound #IKITAO

[Ava Aum @avaaum]

In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.

— Eric Hoffer

#IKITAO

[Ava Aum @avaaum]

Was passing through this little town in Alabama today and saw some amazing classic cars.

Apparently, on the first Friday of every month, they block off the main street through historic downtown and fill it with classic cars.

I only had about 15 minutes to look around, and I really wish I’d had more time. I could have spent a long time walking up and down that street.

#IKITAO

[Ava Aum @avaaum]

Upgraded my Bible.

Got the SBL Study Bible. This is the updated edition I've been looking forward to, and probably the last book I buy before I head out.

I have many versions of the Bible, from William Tyndale to the Lamsa Bible. But if I could only keep one English translation, it would be the NRSVue, the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition.

It's the latest revision of the NRSV, which comes out of the RSV tradition and carries forward the long English Bible tradition from Tyndale through the King James Version and later revisions. The American Standard Version was the RSV's direct ancestor.

The RSV was published in 1952, the NRSV in 1989, and the NRSVue in 2021. Over that history, each revision has incorporated advances in textual criticism, linguistics, manuscript study, and our understanding of the ancient world.

The NRSVue is not an entirely new translation. It's a substantial scholarly revision of the NRSV, incorporating newer textual evidence and developments in the study of ancient languages. It takes the ancient texts seriously and puts them into clear, contemporary English.

It’s readable, precise, and based on the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The SBL’s preface explains that the RSV was “authorized to improve the translation, based on more evidence of the original texts and early translations of the Bible,” including ancient translations into Arabic, Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopic, Georgian Greek, Syriac, and Latin. Not somebody’s interpretation of somebody else’s translation. Going back to the sources.

This is the kind of translation serious biblical scholars, seminaries, and academics use. Bart Ehrman, one of the foremost New Testament scholars and textual critics of our time, has called the NRSV the best English translation of the Bible available, a view shared by many other biblical scholars.

The Society of Biblical Literature took the HarperCollins Study Bible, a long-standing academic and seminary resource, and thoroughly revised it with the NRSVue. It was published in 2023 as the SBL Study Bible and was the first study Bible to include the complete NRSVue text.

It has introductions, notes, textual criticism, historical and cultural background, maps, charts, essays, and the Apocrypha.

This is the version I've been waiting for. I'm also waiting for the print edition of the updated New Oxford Annotated Bible, which will also use the NRSVue. Those are really the two best English-language academic study Bibles to own.

There's only so much room in the car, so I have to get selective about which books come with me on the road.

This one gets a spot alongside the Hindu classics, Buddhist texts, the Qur'an, Taoist and Sikh scriptures, Osho, Science of Mind, Sanskrit language books, and a few others.

I'll have my entire digital library with me, of course, and plenty of audiobooks. But some texts just feel better in your hands. And there's something nice about being able to sit down and read without needing power.

A little library of essentials to take with me on the journey.

#IKITAO

[Ava Aum @avaaum]

It’s my birthday. 🎂

Another year of learning, sharing, building, and walking the path.

October is getting closer, and this next trip around the sun is going to look very different.

Many of you know @_moxiecat and I are preparing to head west into the desert and make the Corolla Cross our home on the road.

The larger journey is still unfolding. Somewhere along the way, I’ll be looking for a small piece of land and a place to eventually build a home base.

I’ll be documenting it all at https://t.co/0hbRsceNzw and across the Ava Unbound socials.

IKITAO and Ava Aum sites and socials each have their own place, while Ava Unbound will be where I share more of the road, the places I find, the build, the gear, the journey, and everything that grows out of it.

There’s nothing on the site just yet. I’m just getting the pieces in place.

The site will be the central hub for following the journey more closely, supporting the mission, and finding everything in one place.

Grateful for everyone who’s been along for the ride, and for every reply, share, conversation, and show of support along the way. It all means more than you know.

— Ava

🙏🏻💜

https://t.co/0hbRsceNzw

X: https://t.co/ewMyjedIeb
IG: https://t.co/KT9HY5LAjm
Threads: https://t.co/3jfDFByBsc
YouTube: https://t.co/kbYqsFbgGx
Facebook: Coming soon

#AvaUnbound #IKITAO

[Ava Aum @avaaum]

A man built more than 1,000 homes for squirrels... and put cameras inside some of them to see what they get up to.

This may be the best use of surveillance technology I've seen yet. :)🫂💜

#IKITAO

[Ava Aum @Ava_Unbound]

Just ordered the Hele Box Solo for the ride!

The sleeping platform is one of the biggest pieces of this no-build build, so I’m excited to finally have this part coming together.

Can’t wait for it to get here. :)

Ig: heleoutdoors

#AvaUnbound #IKITAO

[Ava Aum @Ava_Unbound]

Just ordered the Hele Box Solo for the ride!

The sleeping platform is one of the biggest pieces of this no-build build, so I’m excited to finally have this part coming together.

Can’t wait for it to get here. :)

https://t.co/JfGTaPXN8I

#AvaUnbound #IKITAO

[Ava Aum @Ava_Unbound]

Building out the Corolla Cross for life on the road and heading west with my hairless cat, Moxie @_moxiecat.

Freedom. Adventure. A more intentional life—and seeing where the road leads.

I'll be sharing it all here.

Welcome to my journey.

#AvaUnbound #IKITAO