The Departure

After contemplating the logistics of creating a life on the road for over a year, Ben and I have made the leap.  We've let go of the security of our reliable day jobs, said our goodbyes to our dearest friends and family, and watched Casper, Wyoming - literally- fade into the sunset.  The next chapter has begun.
We welcome in the unfamiliar and all the wonderful challenges that come with toting along two dirty dogs in our VW bus.
We are three days into our epic journey, and already have had a fair share of setbacks.
Our first stop in Boulder, CO was at a VW shop to give the FreedomWagen a look-over and make sure she was fit for the trip.  Turns out, she's not.  Ben's months and months of work and elbow grease have gotten her awfully close, but she will be out of commission for a solid week.  We milled around North Boulder for the day and spent a solid 3 hours in the dog park, then decided one day was plenty and rented a compact car.  It is a cozy treat.  We will now head into the hills and hit up some gems that were otherwise tough to reach in the bus (we max out at 55 mph ... downhill).  So, after a brief dinner date with our sister Margaret, brother Bryan and our adorable little nephew Sawyer who has proudly joined the masses that can sit up independently, we urban camped for the night in the yard and took to the interstate.  The sleepy mining town of Idaho Springs was stop one.  Indian Hot Springs was a sight.  We absorbed all of the magical healing properties of the waters and mud bath while sweetly serenaded by native flute.  After a less-than-restful sleep in the rental, we now head toward Aspen where we hope to embark on an 18 mile hike to a primitive hot spring in the mountains. So far, so good.