Infiltration, Immersion, and Indulgence The next morning (a Monday), we got ready, had some oatmeal, then drove back to the Atlantis Casino. We walked our way over to the event center and right through the doors past the security guard whose only gesture towards us was a “Good morning”. So much for “invitation only”. We… Read more

Boulders and Basins The hike up to Wheeler Peak was a bit over four miles and about 3,000 feet of ascent. I wanted to get up there early so we had time to get back down before the snow melted too much or afternoon thunderstorms made an appearance. So, we awoke at 4 AM and… Read more

From Canyon to Meadow to Basin On the morning of Thursday, June 6th, we got up early and headed into Bryce Canyon National Park to the Sunset Point trailhead to beat both the crowds and heat. We only beat one of those two as we could hardly find a spot to park. Once we did… Read more

Canyons and Their Denizens In the morning, I got up and drove us to Aztec Ruins National Monument while Faith slumbered in the back. Unfortunately, we got there before the parking lot was even open, so we found a nearby pull off where I worked while Faith kept sleeping. Once the lot was open, we… Read more

Into the Southwest On Friday, May 31st, we arose early, packed up, bid Will and Kat farewell, and hit the road. Our next destination was Tim and Belynda, Faith’s aunt and uncle, who live in Albuquerque, NM. The drive was an easy 11 hours through the prettiest parts of the country… who am I kidding?… Read more

Kansas, big and small We awoke early on Wednesday, May 29th to finish packing up and get everything squared away for living in a van for the next few months. We didn’t have much left to do, but I was definitely a bit anxious that we had forgotten something important. After bidding another fond farewell… Read more

Just Chillin’ in Cedar Rapids We filled our first few days in Cedar Rapids with hanging out with my family, working, going on walks, and having campfires together. On Saturday, Faith and I met up with some childhood friends to go to Houby Days in the Czech Village area of Cedar Rapids. Despite being marketed… Read more

Volcanoes and Snow We left Boise just after sunrise on Friday, May 10th to begin our journey back to Iowa to finish our van build and see family. We headed east back across the previously discussed Snake River Plain, stopping thrice: once for Dutch Bros coffee, once for the subsequent pee break, and once for… Read more

Building and Bonding in Boise While in Boise, Faith and I spent our time hanging out with Faith’s family, working, and exploring the area. I started working a part-time summer schedule to facilitate adventuring while Faith hung out with her siblings and got stuff ready for vanlife. Amongst other things, she helped Ella clean out… Read more

First stop: Boise In the weeks leading up to our last day in Sioux Falls, we slowly but surely sold or transported our surprisingly large number of things to be stored with friends and family while we live on the road. Unbeknownst to me, Faith is a magician at selling items on Facebook Marketplace, a… Read more