Amtrak train crossing Spyuten Duyvil Bridge

Norfolk and Western Steam Locomotive #611

The Cinder Way is inspired by my love of travel and living in a van with my girlfriend, Susan, for most of 2025 before we moved permanently to New York City in March, 2026. Susan and I built out our black Mercedes-Benz Sprinter ourselves and named it Cinder. Cinder comes from a term for a type of material often used for paths.  The Way is a reference to “traveling this way”.

I’m Robert Pickering and I have always had a passion for writing, travel, and public transportation, particularly trains. Susan and I did some travel in Cinder while building it out, but ultimately decided we wanted somewhere more permanent to live.