Canyonlands

Canyonlands

We parted ways with dad and drove south to Canyonlands.  The beautiful thing about this region is the National Parks are surrounded by BLM ground, which makes off-road camping opportunities a dream. Unfortunately the pups couldn't join us on our hike to the canyon, but quite frankly their tender paws couldn't hang anyway.  We spent the eve in one of the best camp locales we have ever found in the bus.  The turn-off was designated as a camp location, but we found an isolated off-shoot that the bus could navigate.  We cracked some homemade wine and dawgs, then Ben busted out some ukelele while I struggled to strum my travel guitar warped by the cold.  This time of year is crawling with climbers and campsites are few.  Two blokes from Germany struggled late to find a spot, so we shared our campfire and exchanged stories.

The morning greeted us with a downpour of rain.  Watching the storm roll in across the desert was profound.  With the weight the bus carries, managing dirt roads is tricky; managing mud is impossible.  We tried to wait it out, but in the afternoon rain turned to hail.  So, the day was spent reading, listening to Duncan Trussell podcasts, and watching to the weather.  There were worse places to be stuck.

Newspaper Rock

Wind Tunnel

Best Campsite

Our homemade wine, aged 3 years

Assessing the situation after the storm

Red Rock Territory, Moab

Moab is one of my most favorite places on Earth.  We opted, as usual, to avoid the Interstate and take the scenic highway that curved and winded along the Colorado River.  The bus was seriously built with this drive in mind.

 My dad chose to join us for a day of hiking before heading back to snowy Wyo.  With dogs, finding the right hike in National Park Territory can be tricky, but Fisher Towers never disappoints.  Surprisingly, our pups were showing signs of burn out before we even hit the halfway point.  It was a warm 77 degrees and mid day, but later we discovered their dainty little paws were no longer conditioned to running the sandstone rock.  Poor Isla is still limping one week later.

Spot Ben

Back in the Bus! Spring in the Southwest

Ben and I have returned from our journeys to Peru and South East Asia (follow us abroad at http://seekingsouth.blogspot.com/) feeling inspired and ready to return to our wheels.  After regrouping in Wyoming for a week and exploring the possibilities of returning to the working world, we decided to hit the road and explore our favorite region in the US- the Southwest.
Unfortunately, we were hit with a road block- we opened the bus to find a chorus of squeaks.  While the wagen awaited our return, it was invaded by multiple generations of field mice.  Ben was forced to strip it back down to the bones, removing 3 nests and 27 mice.  Gross.  It was a real feat to get the bus back to it's current condition.
So, we headed down to Colorado with my pops in tow.  Temporarily retired, he is exploring possible future ventures, which for us meant exploring cider houses and orchards.

 A bonus was meeting my best gal Cass's newborn boy, Trig, and pausing at Glenwood Hot Springs.

Chugging -25mph- up I 70, lines of traffic behind us.

Spring skiing outside

Orchard hopping in Grand Junction, tour courtesy of dad's pal Hal.

 A quick stop at the Black Canyon, then we drove toward Utah.

Homeward Bound

On December 12, 4 months and 16,000 miles after departing Wyoming, we returned to Denver, CO.

The FreedomWagen performed above all expectations.

We rode from the Pacific to the Atlantic Coast; from Canada down to Key West.  

As thrilled as we are to be home for the holidays, Ben and I both are left longing for more time on the road.  I thought perhaps our journey would result in a new direction for our future or an enlightened path, but ultimately it was an incredible adventure- and that is enough.  It's difficult to reconcile all of the experiences we collected in such a short amount of time.  It was one vacation rolled into the next, into the next.  Traveling with dogs and being an arms-length away from each other day after day proved challenging at times, but we cannot wait to do it again.  Thank you to all our friends and family who fed, bathed, and housed us along the way.  We are beyond blessed by your generosity and friendships.  What we do know for certain is our time in the Wagen is far from over.  When the snow melts and Spring comes, we hope to pick up where we left off and head toward my favorite region in America- the southwest.  In the meantime, Ben and I embark for Peru in January and SE Asia  to follow.  We mean to stretch what's left of our savings as long and far as possible.  

As for jobs, well, we will cross that bridge when we have to.

New Orleans & TX

12/6: We left Pensacola, FL in 80 degree temps, and with our swimsuits still wet, we drove across state lines. By the time we hit New Orleans that night, the temperature had dropped 40 degrees.

We were forced to trade in our flip flops and fire up the space heater.

I love New Orleans.  The creole food was fantastic.  The French Quarter was a little touristy, so after cruising the bars and catching a few bands we rode over to Frenchmen St.  The jazz scene here was much more authentic and cozy.

When the Saints go marching in

In the am we made a stop at Cafe Du Monde- open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year serving coffee and french beignets.  A lot of hype, standing room only.  

We hit the road for Austin for a visit with my pal Erica to see her sweet little baby girl, Talullah and catch up over tea.  Also, Austin was decked out for Christmas and we attempted to see the Trail of Lights in Zilker Park, but they didn't allow dogs so we walked the perimeter and admired from afar.  The change in weather and holiday spirit are preparing us for our trip home.

Tonight was so cold with an ice storm we splurged for a hotel room.  Though the place was a total dive, the warm shower and cable TV was a dream.

Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX

We sought out spray paint and left our mark on this roadside attraction.

(Note: tons of spray cans were available onsite) 

Out on a back road in Texas, my buddy Trevor spotted the bus and waved us down.  How funny it was to run into a familiar face in the middle of nowhere.  We decided to stop in Limon, CO for the night to catch up over dinner.  

Northward Bound.