Our next stop was just about 90 minutes down the road and still a part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, though quite different in feel. Zach found us a free campsite (with toilets even!) called Telephone Cove that was right on the water. We pulled in Sunday mid morning where there were maybe a dozen or so other rigs amply spaced out. This seemed like a beach reward to us having spent the previous week near the water but rarely ever close enough to touch it. The paddleboard was promptly filled and launched and we all generally slowed way down to just take in our surroundings.

This was the first opportunity to socialize (safely of course, we’re all outside and socially distanced) with some other people as we met a family of four from Grand Junction, Colorado who have been traveling and living out of their Skooly (renovated school bus) for the past four (!) years. Their 14yo son took an instant liking to Camden so the boys got to playing and chatting right away.

We sat around a campfire with this family for a couple of the nights and had great conversations about life on the road, similar places we’d been, new suggestions and the like, when the question came up, “So, are you guys full-timers?” We’d never pondered this deeply before but it brought up all kinds of existential feelings. Are we full timers? Well, if we stopped this we don’t have an established home to return to, we don’t have any work pulling us anywhere, we homeschool, so I guess if those are our qualifiers then yes, we are full timers. I’d been having separate but similar thoughts these past few weeks when looking around at some of our fellow campers, especially this week at the free spot. Some of these people are homeless, living out of their vehicles / Some of those people are US! That’s us, we live on the road, granted we chose this, but it puts this lifestyle into perspective and gives a huge dose of humility and compassion for anyone experiencing homelessness, regardless of how they arrived there. Also, we are a scrappy, resourceful bunch. This place felt the most like a community with friendliness and conversation beyond the normal head nod or wave. We rather enjoyed this camaraderie and didn’t really want it to end. When our skooly friends departed two days ahead of us camp felt a lot different, like a piece of something special had moved on.

In addition to the great home vibes here we did manage to venture out for a couple of hikes. The surroundings are definitely transforming more into desert and less mountainous. A hike right by our camp was up an old wash with a lot of scrub oak and cacti, gravel terrain and millions of rocks of all sizes. Our second hike in Grapevine Canyon was filled with petroglyphs, and, surprising to all of us, actual vegetation – grapevines, trees, green shrubs and grasses, all credited to the active water flowing through this canyon.

We knew it was getting close to time to move along when for two days we were caught in another storm system that brought incredibly strong and unrelenting winds. I don’t recall ever feeling so anxious overnight about weather, it was like the wind and endless rattling camper noises were blowing right through my body. I thought we were going to lose everything that was still outside or sustain major damage. What really happened is one of our outdoor rugs flew down the beach but we were able to retrieve it in the morning. We moved up the cove for our last night here to be closer to a natural windbreak. This sweet spot will be remembered for glimpses into community and another unconventional Thanksgiving for the Mashek’s.

Continuing on our southwest Utah tour, our next stop was Bryce Canyon NP. We were immediately taken aback that this park was more like our Rocky Mountains in that the park was full or towering pine trees and forest vs. the desert surroundings and red dirt we have been acclimated to. The other more pressing surprise was the incoming snow storm, we couldn’t outrun this one, we had to brace ourselves and it was just a matter of how long to sit through it. The first day we were ahead of the snow, we found an open spot in the campground and got set up before the precipitation began. By about 2pm it started snowing steadily but we were busy distracting ourselves on a drive around the park and an attempt at seeing some overlooks. When this proved futile, we returned to camp to hunker down in front of our heater. There were people all around us in the campground that were in tents so we thought they were either hardier than us (or maybe crazier?). There was definitely a novelty to this snowstorm. I remember a childhood family trip today the Grand Canyon where we had snow, so if nothing else we were creating special memories. The next day we decided to venture out into a couple smallish hikes to still take in some sights. We bundled up and set out. The thing I’m learning in this season of being flexible and lowering expectations is that once we are out doing the activity, the weather doesn’t really matter all that much. If you layer properly, you won’t get too cold, and the sense of accomplishment after the task is all the greater with the added (insert your: snow, wet, heat, less than desirable weather) challenge. We enjoyed both a short hike to Mossy Rock, and a longer stint from Sunrise to Sunset Points in the canyon. There were few people, a few glimpses of blue sky lighting up the orange hoodoo rock formations, and as promised, plenty of great memories made. A second night of camping in the snow seemed like no big deal after our day’s accomplishments. We knew this second night was projected to be even colder though (and far less tents surrounded us), so we cut our intended visit short one day and planned to move on further south in the morning to dry and warmer ground. We didn’t want to break anything on Flossie if it could be avoided. Already the bathroom sink was freezing up and we were barely keeping warm ourselves. We’ll reassess if there’s anything we want to go back to in Bryce, but with winter coming it really feels like we are just trying to stay ahead of the inclement weather at this point in our travels. Lesson learned, one night of snow is fun for the novelty, two or more – we are just asking for trouble.

Returning to writing about our life on the road now that our long stint in Salida has concluded. It was fabulous to be in one place for so long, we got spoiled by beautiful weather and long lingering fall colors. Camden had so much fun doing odd jobs for our landlord, things like running a four wheeler and chopping logs. He’ll definitely remember those experiences for his whole life. Natalie’s highlight was likely visiting an alpaca farm and getting inspired by the farm owner’s hobby turned career. We did a lot of hiking and exploring of the whole area and would love to settle down in the area on some land if the opportunity arises.

As the month of October drew to a close it was time to mosey on further west. Our first stop for this leg was the Great Sand Dunes National Park. We visited the day after a big snowstorm had blown through the area (we holed up at a hotel in Alamosa to keep from freezing ourselves). The massive sand mounds paired with the white of the snow was striking. We had the whole place practically to ourselves since the winds were high and it was still quite chilly. Much fun was had marching up and sliding down dune after dune. Such a unique place, I’m glad we finally made the time for the stop.

Next up was a little dip further south to Farmington, NM since we were ready to be back in our trailer but the RV parks in SW Colorado were in the process of closing down for the season. We resupplied in Farmington and ate some of the best street tacos we’d ever had before heading into the Utah desert.

We had a two week layover at one of our favorite person’s house in central Denver. (We couldn’t see a lot of people due to social distancing, so we’ll catch ya next time if it’s safe to do so!)

Being back in the city we’d left six weeks earlier was strange, it was both like we hadn’t been gone at all, and that everything had changed for us. We know that leaving was the right call, but we are in this in-between space of waiting for what we really want (to live in Guatemala) to open up again. The good news on that front is that Guate is set to open it’s airport on September 18, but we won’t plan on booking flights until we see what happens in a longer term forecast in terms of Coronavirus.

We used our time in the city to make a few tweaks to Flossie. Namely, removing the broken furnace and building some more storage in its place. We also added a few more led lights to key interior areas, and invested in a Camp Chef outdoor cooking arrangement so we could retire Zach’s grandpa’s old cooking stove and our really cheap grill for an all-in-one unit. (I’m aiming to get the outdoor oven attachment for this baby in the not too distant future too!)

The best part of staying with our friend Sara was how easy it was to live together. We cooked almost all meals together, grocery shopped, walked our favorite dog Lexi countless times, and enjoyed the easy proximity to everywhere. When it comes to city living, her location can not be beat. Also, we like walkability whether it’s out in nature or in a downtown, give us either over any suburb any day.

Our time was also utilized trying to find a homeschooling model and curriculum for our kids. We knew when we left that we would start homeschooling in the fall, this seems like the best year to try all the new things what with whole school districts and states unsure of how to proceed with learning. We knew setting them up for virtual learning would be a challenge given our sometimes complete lack of cell signal. We are also keenly aware of the place of privilege getting to have this decision comes from. Not everyone can choose to homeschool, and even virtual is a challenge for many families. In my ideal pandemic world 🤣 I’d call this year a mulligan for all of us and start again next year wherever you left off. I’ve seen every array of choice being enacted out there and access and money will inevitably put some children at an unfair advantage over their peers, it’s a heartbreaking reality and I’m not sure how to react to that but thems the facts.

What we are going with is an “unschooling” model, much led by the kids themselves. We drew up a schedule and chose areas of interest in the core subjects, adding in art and Spanish as electives. PE is a given just in the nature of how we’re living. The rest is pretty open ended and a’ la carte. We have no idea what we’re doing! And neither does anyone else! Grateful that this will dovetail into our living arrangement though, and for their open minds and flexibility.

July 21

We arrived at our next reserved spot, an r.v. park on Flathead Lake just 3 miles south of the cute town of Big Fork. We’ve decided that if we are going to be traveling to some of the busier places like this, a reservation is key to avoid the same thing that happened at Yellowstone. We got set up then set out to see Big Fork, a charming downtown with all of the expected touristy shops but with a bent on art galleries. We walked over to the Swan River area too that feeds into Flathead Lake. My favorite part of this day was being mistaken for a local when we were getting supplies at the regular store when a lady approached me in the parking lot asked if I knew how to get downtown for the aforementioned shops.

22

We spent the whole day at one spot on Flathead Lake. We arrived at the beach area early, were the only ones there save for a local passing through on his morning workout. Always ask the locals what their favorite things to do are, they’ll most certainly indulge you with great tips. Montana folk are particularly friendly and conversational. The kids got out on the paddle board early and we all rotated turns several times. The water was chilly and crystal clear. The beach slowly started filling with other patrons but we were all able to stay socially distant. Boats would buzz by, sending out their fun wakes, and we enjoyed a beachside picnic lunch.

23 Have you ever heard of Flathead cherries? They are the most prominent fruit in this region with orchards all around the south and west sides of the lake. They are highly sought after and we were lucky to be there at peak season to go to a u-pick farm. And you’d be hard pressed to beat the price of $1/lb

These cherries have sustained our fruit fix for a solid week!, nobody is tired of them, and we’ll be sad when they’re gone. (After: In fact, they are done and we are sad). After picking 8+lbs of cherries we drove the long way home around the whole lake. We are loving the sights of small rural towns, farms and rolling hills. Taking in all the greenery and blue water is restoring to the city-dweller’s soul.