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Finding Home: How a 100-day road trip led one couple to relocate from LA to Chattanooga

Hollywood, California, Day 0/100I think of the concept "home" as the focus of my journey. I wonder what describes home. Is "home" shelter, being surrounded by family, or maybe it's the open road? I love the idea that home is where you want to be. Right now, home is where I'm alive and where my love is. As we journey, I know the idea might change or stay the same. I'm not sure yet, but I know that I am so happy. – Corey Hollywood, California, Day 0/100I think of the concept "home" as the focus of my journey. I wonder what describes home. Is "home" shelter, being surrounded by family, or maybe it's the open road? I love the idea that home is where you want to be. Right now, home is where I'm alive and where my love is. As we journey, I know the idea might change or stay the same. I'm not sure yet, but I know that I am so happy. – Corey

By Story by Sunny Montgomery December 1, 2016 3 min read

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Finding Home: How a 100-day road trip led one couple to relocate from LA to Chattanooga

Limekiln, California, Day 3/100It's always felt on our camping trips that day 3 is the day all of our petty worries fade away and we become ourselves again. – Emily

Pfeiffer Beach, California, Day 3/100Driving on the 1 makes you feel as if you're the star in a car commercial. Fresh sea air and misty mornings complement the beautiful scenery. We pulled off constantly to view the cliffs, discover hidden coves, and watch sea lions sun bathe. This was still only the beginning of our journey. – Corey

Deep in Wyoming , Day 19/100Weary and longing for a hot meal we finally find the cabin at the end of what they call a "road." Only one night here before we had to get onto our next stop. The interior of this old cabin, previously used as housing for miners felt creepy at first, but a warm stove and candle light can turn almost anyplace into a home. It was here we found a poem by Robert Frost that perfectly summed up our feelings about our 100 day road trip at that time: "The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep." – Corey

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Day 21/100From Old Faithful to the Prismatic Pools to free roaming bison, Yellowstone felt like an ancient place. You could easily imagine enormous dinosaurs walking around. Basin Station Cabin was simple and enriching. I split wood outside on an old stump as Emily prepared dinner over an old stove. The sun set behind a beautiful mountain range in the distance. Later that night we were lulled to sleep by howling wolves. It was sincerely home on the range. – Corey

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, Day 22/100It was in the Tetons that we began to feel heavy. We had been traveling for 3 weeks and began to worry about what exactly we were doing. … The next morning we watched the sunlight touch the highest Teton peak and spill into the valley, we were quiet as those thoughts faded away. Home is a perfect place to reflect and recover, but never dawdle over woulda, coulda, shouldas. – Emily

Big Horn National Forest, Wyoming, Day 23/100I've flown over the U.S. dozens of time visiting Corey on the West Coast when I was on the East during our 3 year long distance. Viewing the country through the window of an airplane does not compare to the experience of driving the land. I had no idea so much was out here. I think the best way to see America is in a car, constantly looking out the window for wild animals, constantly being blown away and humbled by every bold mountain peak … – Emily

Badlands, South Dakota, Day 26/100Every journey has its highs and lows. It rained from South Dakota to Minnesota and we were camping the whole time. On our way to the Thunder Basin National Grassland in Wyoming we got lost and couldn't find a sign. We drove past mining gear, railroads, and signs that read

Versailles, Kentucky, Day 37/100We didn't spend every day of the trip in wooden cabins, pitched tents in the wilderness and even sleeping in our car. A hidden agenda for this journey was seeking a new place to live and grow. We surveyed specific towns to see if they were a good fit or not. A month into our journey and my vagabond side was becoming greater, though we were quite exhausted from traveling so often. Luckily we have lots of family scattered across America. Family is so important. Whether you like them or not, family, anywhere they are, will always be home. – Corey

Arches National Park, Utah, Day 87/100It always amazes me how many different landscapes America has. I am so proud to live in such a gorgeous country. So many things contribute to the wildness of America from terrain to beast, but the true wildness and adventure that makes this country great lives in the hearts of the people. – Emily

Goblin Valley, Utah, Day 88/100Home can show many faces. Even the most martian-like place in America was home to Native Americans for ages. They believed the mud-clay formations were ancient gods forever waiting and watching. – Emily

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, Day 89/100Have you ever been truly shaken to your core? So scared that you really might not see another day? As a child, I hid under my sheets when things went bump in the night, like most kids. In your home, you find the safest place to be when frightened. In this case, it is a sleeping bag and the love of my life. So this rainy night as we hear what sounds like giant paws stepping all around our tent and gruff-huff sounds, I hide in my sleeping bag tightly holding onto Emily. I think we fear most the thing we cannot see or understand. – Corey

Upper Antelope Canyon, Arizona - Day 95/100In our homes, we love clean, symmetrical lines made of stone and wood. We try to create a balance between natural and artificial. The truth is, we are really trying to create the feeling of peace, balance, joy, and love. – Emily

In 2015, photographers Corey and Emily Critser embarked on a 100-day road trip, which they document in their exhibit titled, "100 Days Around America: Call It Home." (Photo by Lanewood Studio)

Hollywood, California, Day 0/100I think of the concept

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In August, the Critsers’ travel photography was showcased during a pop-up art show at AVA Gallery. Titled “100 Days Around America: Call It Home,” their exhibit featured 25 images from across the country. From starry nights at Yosemite National Park to the mud-clay formations of Goblin Valley State Park, here are a few of our favorites, alongside corresponding excerpts from the Critsers’ journals.

After five years working on film sets, Corey and Emily Critser decided to leave Los Angeles. They were in search of a place that felt more like “home,” which the couple defined using four criteria:

“We wanted a strong community, a good place to raise a family, and somewhere we could work successfully,” Corey says.

And, Emily adds, ” easy access to awesome outdoors.”

“[LA] was just such a large place, it really didn’t vibe with us,” says Corey.

The couple met in 2009 at Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, where they both graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film & Television. But after getting a look at behind-the-scenes Hollywood, the duo decided to trade the silver screen for still photography. They dreamed of opening a studio together.

“But before we found a place to settle down and buy a house, we wanted to travel,” Corey says.

So the Critsers decided to take a 100-day road trip. Along the way, they would scout for a place to put down roots.

They made a list of prospective cities: Portland, Chicago, Colorado Springs, Asheville and more. Chattanooga didn’t make that list, but they did plan to stop on their way through to visit Corey’s parents who live in Signal Mountain.

“It hadn’t occurred to me to move back to my hometown,” Corey says.

During their visit, the two explored downtown and the riverfront.

“I was like, this is not the place I remember,” says Corey, who had moved away after high school in 2006. The couple agreed – “Chattanooga hit all our points,” Corey says.

In January 2016, they relocated to the Scenic City and bought a home in North Chattanooga. They opened Lanewood Studio, a commercial photography company named after their Hollywood apartment, which was located on Lanewood Avenue.

“The journey hasn’t stopped,” Emily says. “Sure, I long for the freedom of telling everyone I have no cell service and constantly turning new corners. Sometimes I do want to get in the car and keep going until we find camp, unpack the ukulele and share a lukewarm bottle of honey whiskey over a campfire. Good thing we’re in Chattanooga. Maybe we’ll just go this weekend.”