July 12-14

We finally made it to our big northern destination. We had a nice early start to the day so we could scope out a good camping spot by mid afternoon on Sunday. We had read about a road with dispersed camping south of Yellowstone’s southern entrance. With hopeful aspirations, we headed in. Those aspirations were pretty quickly let down when each site we drove past was already occupied. We did get Flossie down one somewhat sketchy driveway to what would have been a beautiful and remote lake front spot, but we spent an hour trying to park her on a somewhat level spot to no avail. Hopes dashed, we headed back to the main highway to try other pay options.

>>Quick caveat: we are cheapskates when it comes to camping, having grown up spoiled in Colorado before it was overpopulated, one could simply hop in one’s car on a Friday night to get out of the city and roll up to a camping spot either off the national forest road or a government owned campground, spots were plentiful and no reservations were required. We know the camping world generally doesn’t work like that anymore but we are hard to convert to planning 6 months in advance. Actually, we did make a few reservations at the beginning of the New Year planning out for June and those reservations were cancelled due to corona. Ok, back to the situation at hand.<<

We went for gas and to check on any possibilities of lodging at the already very full looking Flagg Ranch RV park, no luck. We went to the southern entrance to the park to ask for suggestions since we also didn’t have any cell service to google search, the park ranger gave us a printout list of campgrounds out of the park but in the vicinity so we proceeded to the first one. By now it was closer to 6:30pm and we were tired, hungry, and anxious, I was expecting another few hours driving around to find a home for the night.

We circled around this Sheffield campground, about 5 miles southeast of the park entrance. The 8-10 sites were of course full, but I got out to ask the camp host for suggestions and he said if we could sit tight his wife would be down from helping someone else and they’d find us a spot. What a huge relief! These hosts were a somewhat eccentric older couple but cute and endearing. I don’t think they turned down a single camper in the time we were there. What a racket, people parked and camped right next to no camping signs, similar setups stationed close together, they definitely had a method to the madness and we were 100% there for it. We got our spot near a trailhead right by some stock gates, paid for three nights, and proceeded to watch them stuff in as many additional people after us as possible. At one count there were at least 15 additional parties of campers around us, but the atmosphere was one of gratitude as everyone who arrived there seemed as relieved as us to have lucked out on this place.

Our first day in YNP we made a beeline to the West Village and Old Faithful. Natalie was our tour guide having visited the park on a school trip two years prior. The day was filled with waterfalls and geysers, short hikes (that actually by day’s end added up to 9 miles), all the snacks and protein bars, a lot of people (fortunately most wearing masks), a drive in a hailstorm through a canyon, wide vistas and views, and ice cream. We hit our beds exhausted but happy.

Day two was similar with driving and hikes, but entirely different terrain wise as we headed east to Lake Yellowstone and the Yellowstone River. We encountered plenty of bison, elk, mosquitos, people (but less than day one), wildflowers, and our favorite – some moments of solitude at small lake Eleanor and adjacent waterfall closer to the east entrance. This was quite the reprieve after being in hoards of crowds with people, seeing dum-dums trying to snap selfies with the wildlife, full parking lots and traffic, lines for toilets. I started wondering if we were fit for this National Park, but then realized maybe we’re just too judgmental to be mixed in with this scale of people during a pandemic. We were so happy to have that waterfall solitude moment to end on and also realized we’d been going hard for two weeks straight, maybe it was time for a little camping like we’re used to. We packed up and headed west towards Idaho the next day.

Another early start got us out of Yellowstone NP on the west side by 10:30am. We stopped to get back into cell service so we could do a more thorough campsite search before heading out. We’ve definitely already recognized the pattern of travel and how it quickly increases day by day to choice destinations peaking by the weekend. We wanted nothing to do with the rest of Yellowstone until we could get back at the beginning of a new week. So Wednesday’s traffic was heavy in the opposite direction we were traveling, this would fare well for vacancy at our next camping spot- a boondocking place near Island Park, Idaho

July 7-10

Week two, first half:

Supply stop in Grand Junction. We have quickly realized that our cooler arrangement won’t hold up to the intense summer heat. So we bought a second Yeti cooler, doing the math, we could spend $6/day or every other day on ice or make the investment and have ice last closer to a full week. We also stopped at Sprouts and City Market for our first weekly resupply of groceries. Those stops took a long time, but we got back on the road and to Dinosaur before dark so that’s a win.

We headed northwest to Dinosaur National Monument. It was HOT and if we were to visit again it would have to be a season other than summer. We hiked 4-6 miles each day through canyons and up scrambling rocks. We cooled off in the afternoons with a dip in the Green River where tiny, curious fish would nibble our toes. By now we’ve found a comfortable camping and cooking rhythm. There’s coyote howling in the distance through the night and the almost full moon comes up really late in the so we can go to sleep with the windows open and blankets off. Our next stop will be somewhere about halfway between here and Yellowstone for rest and supplies.

June 30-July 7

Rockin’ Roots Farm in Paonia, Colorado is a small family-run operation. They grow hemp, herbs, lots of veggies, and are rescuing the 100yo apple orchard they inherited when they recently moved to this new plot of land. They make cbd products from their hemp harvests.

Check them out at https://www.rocknrootsfarm.com

I met Candice several years ago because her mom Lori was one of my spiritual guides for several years before she suddenly passed away. It was here we decided to start our journey for several reasons: 1. Still in Colorado yet somewhere on the Western Slope we had yet to visit (or even knew about) 2. Rather than take a deep dive into dispersed camping we could ease into the lifestyle close to a town with needed supplies, friend’s access to laundry and their abundant garden, and time to decompress without thinking about the next place. 3. The desire to get to know the Orlando’s more closely and see what they are up to on their farm and in their community.

So from this beautiful location we did all the fun things; made friends and hung out with goats, sweet farm dogs, and had easy access to Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP and hiking off of Kebler Pass. The kids picked apricots and ate half the harvest for lunch one day, the also biked and played hide and seek with 6yo Athena, took a daily chill off in the small irrigation pond, and played like kids outside most of the time even in the heat of the day. We had a sourdough waffle and smoothie Sunday brunch with the Orlando’s. And on Monday we met up some other friends who had recently moved to the western slope for some paddle boarding in Delta. Overall really enjoyed our transitioning week here going from city life to full time camper living.

We loved Paonia and the whole feel of the place. It’s very community focused, people genuinely help one another and there is something for everyone there with easy access to higher up elevations for hiking and other mountain activity.

April-June Preparing to leave Denver.

The months leading up to the move were filled with nonstop work. It’s not easy to get rid of your things when donation centers are closed or only accepting limited items, but we persevered and started having big moving sales on weekends leading up to our departure. We were also finishing up stage two renovations on Flossie. She needed a fully functioning bathroom, electrical power via batteries and solar panels, as well as some rebuild attention on the entry door. These tasks got done in our non-working hours and every weekend. The hardest part about the prospect of leaving was doing so under social distancing protocol. No goodbye parties or get togethers. Just small meetings with family and a handful of selected friends. If you didn’t get to say goodbye in person, just know that we miss you and love you. Writing this two weeks after moving I can tell you I’ve had a lot of vivid dreams involving a lot of friends. We built a set of very intentional communities that were not easy to walk away from. I don’t 100% know where we’ll end up after all of this but just know you are with us in our thoughts and hearts as we navigate this brave new journey.