Beyond the Grid, Vol. 15 - Nomad Effect: The Director's Cut

The photos that never made the videos and the full story of our cross-country trip.

Sep 04, 2025

The front of a dark-colored Ford Escape parked on a street in Red Hook, Brooklyn at night. The car's headlights are on, casting a warm glow on the ground in front of it, and the windows are dark.

Hey all,

So this post is about a week late. The week got away from me, but I think it worked out for the best, because it’s landing in your inbox today, on my birthday. Seemed like a fitting day to look back on an amazing chapter of my life.

Back in 2019, my wife Sofia and I had this crazy idea. We started a YouTube channel called Nomad Effect, built out our old 2005 Ford Escape, and drove it across the country right from our garage in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

I recently shared a little 'best of' reel on Instagram with some clips from the trip, and the response was pretty wild. It made me realize how many photos from that trip have never properly seen the light of day, and how much I'd love to do it all over again.

We told the story in episodes on YouTube, but this is the director's cut. The story behind the story, with the photos that never made the videos. So, here it is.

Part 1: The Build

It all started in our tiny garage in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Sofia and I had this crazy idea to escape the NYC grind, build out our beaten up 2005 Ford Escape, and drive it across the country. The reality, of course, was a four month emotional rollercoaster of learning how to fix rusted out metal, fighting with stuck hubs, and constantly running to the hardware store for more tools.

A candid photo of Sofia working on the wheel hub of the Ford Escape in a garage. The car is jacked up, and she is focused on the task, surrounded by tools and car parts.

Part 2: The Road

After a frantic final week building a custom roof rack and packing up our lives, we finally left NYC around 8:30 in the evening. No dramatic look back at the skyline, just a quiet escape that was immediately followed by an hour of being stuck in roadworks traffic. A classic NYC send-off.

The Westward Push

That first leg of the journey was a blur of long, straight roads. Our first real stop was the Indiana Dunes on Lake Michigan. From there, we pushed west and stayed at a cool Hipcamp in Nebraska, right in the middle of a horse field.

But that first big push didn't end with a sunset. It ended with our Ford Escape on the back of a tow truck in Breckenridge, Colorado. We were stuck there for about a week waiting on parts. Not exactly the dream, but once the car was fixed, we got to explore the mountains, and it was incredible.

The dark-colored Ford Escape is parked in a grassy field in Nebraska at sunset, with its rooftop tent open and set up. The scene is lit by the warm, golden light of the setting sun, and lightning is visible in the dramatic sky.

A gallery collage of eight photos from a cross-country road trip. The images show a dark-colored Ford Escape in various scenic American landscapes, including mountains, open plains at sunset, and on the road. The gallery also includes details from the journey and a view from inside the car.

An aerial drone shot of the dark-colored Ford Escape parked on a dirt road, centered in the frame and surrounded by vast mountains.

This email is getting a bit long for most inboxes. To see the rest of the photos from the Desert Southwest and the journey back east, click the button below to read the full post online.

See the Full Road Trip Story

The Desert Southwest

The next chapter was all red rock and desert heat as we dropped into Utah. This part of the trip was less of a plan and more of a series of happy accidents. We rolled up to Monument Valley late one day, not realizing there was a time cutoff for camping permits, and ended up accidentally camping in the middle of the Valley of the Gods. It was one of the most incredible, unplanned nights of the whole trip. We finally made it into Monument Valley proper the next day, which was just as epic as you'd imagine.

Our next mission was to hit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I'd never been to the more famous South Rim, so I don't have a comparison, but the North Rim was incredible. After the canyon, we spent time in the Kaibab National Forest before heading to Lake Powell for a couple of nights

The Journey East

After the desert, we started the long journey home. We headed back up into Colorado to drive through the Rocky Mountain National Park, then pushed north into Wyoming to see Cheyenne and the Medicine Bow National Forest. The landscape flattened out again as we drove toward one of the weirdest roadside attractions in America: Carhenge, Nebraska. From there, we did some offroading before pushing north toward South Dakota.

Our path took us to the banks of the Missouri River, but we didn't hang around. The flies were insane. The final leg was a blur, cutting through Minnesota to Milwaukee, then dropping down through Indiana and Michigan before we finally booted it all the way back to NYC.

Part 3: What’s Next

Looking back at these photos, the nostalgia is intense. That trip was a huge chapter for us. We eventually made it back to NYC and upgraded to a "new" car, a 1989 FJ62 Land Cruiser, to continue the project.

And that’s where the story is right now. That new car is still sitting there, waiting. I still have those same dreams of reigniting the Nomad Effect project. To be honest, I haven’t posted on Instagram since that reel in July. My focus has shifted, and writing these emails and sharing these deeper stories here on Substack has become my main creative outlet.

I don't know when the next trip will be, but I know that chapter isn't over. Thanks for being here for the journey.

Cheers,

Benny