Here comes the Sun!

I apologize for not having posted in a while. I have been in Colorado and now Utah. There is honestly a lot to catch you up on. We have done a lot, traveled a lot of miles, seen a lot of this country. That Utah might be my new favorite place we have seen so far. I must say, I dislike picking favorites. Simply because with every new adventure, it seems like the best. I guess that’s a good problem to have, that I am constantly seeing new places and having to choose from... The city of Chicago, corn fields in Minnesota, Badlands in South Dakota, snow in Colorado and so much more. Our new favorite addition is the Canyonlands in Utah. I know haha I laughed at the name at first as well. And get this, we camped at Hamburger Rock the second night there. Canyonlands sounds a lot like Candyland, but trust me everything’s not made out of candy. Learned that one the hard way...

​Honestly the best part of Utah has been the sun. It’s been great to finally have a short sleeve on. I am used to being bundled up in 5 layers and not being able to see my skin for 3 days straight because of that. One thing about living in a van you have to get used to is either not being able to change or just changing wherever you are. After awhile you feel kinda gross wearing the same outfit for 3 days.

I hope you hearing about me not changing and showering everyday changes your views on me¿ Well I guess I wouldn’t care that much if it did anyway. That yes living in a van is hard and gross and a struggle and a half when you are a clean freak and your fellow traveler isn’t. But it’s a learning experience. It’s an adventure. My sister and I test each other’s limits. We are sister, we “are bound to fight” and I can’t lie we aren't perfect saints or that we never get on each other’s nerves. I push her buttons, and she pushes mine. But at the end of the day when you live in a van you just have to figure it out. Maybe with life in general... You just have to figure it out.

Here is a quick update on what we have been up today.

Colorado was cold and not what we hoped for. It’s kinda frustrating to be honest. We traveled halfway across the country to see someone but our plans just fell through. That we expected so much to come out of this visit, maybe too much I guess. We got over it pretty quickly but we’re still frustrated the whole time there. Part of it was due to the snow. It was way too cold so we headed out of there as fast at possible. We did enjoy a lot of Colorado though, we made fires almost every night we were there. I brought out the axe and cut down a couple trees. I'd like to think my father and grandfather would be very proud of me. Fun fact for you folks: I got an axe for Christmas one year from my grandfather... Best Christmas gift I'd say!! Anyway enough about axes and that nonsense, onto where we are now.

​Like I said before we found ourselves at the beautiful Canyonlands National Park Thursday afternoon. We have been pretty naive when it comes to camping, we have 0 plans of where we are spending the night... Just roll up and hope the campsites not full. 9/10 times the campsite is full, it's always f#cking full... A little trick up our sleeves is that handicap spots are reserved until 8. So after 8 anyone can have them. We just post up in them, assuming no handicap persons will show up.

Our first day we decided to go on a very long hike, we got lost 2 miles in but thankfully 2 women enjoying their hike saved us without even knowing. So back on the path we spent the rest of the day laughing and enjoying ourselves. All this fun came to an end the second my army hat fell off my backpack. I realized this tragic event happened hours later back at camp. To be honest, I was not a happy camper. I checked with lost and found the next morning. And get this!!! No they didn’t have it... sorry to get your hopes up, it’s even worse. They wouldn’t file a missing/lost report on it because it’s under the price of 75 dollars. I was livid. Honestly I think my blood was boiling at this point. This sweet looking old lady had an attitude I was not expecting. I honestly took offense, her assuming my hat wasn’t worth 75 bucks. I mean yeah I got it for $3 at a Salvation Army in Maine but she didn’t know that. Anyway sorry for my rant, I could honestly go on for a lot longer. I miss my hat, I wore it everyday since I can remember. Feel free to send some support my way, I plan to buy several more hats. Although they will never be the same. Maybe just maybe they can help fill the gaping hole in my broken heart

Another thing I plan to do is buy a patch from every state. I was on the hunt for the perfect jacket and I’m Colorado I found it!! It was a 6 dollar hidden gem. She’s a tan Carhartt and I have been in love since the second I laid my eyes on her.

If you guys don’t care about my hat or new jacket, I apologize but I guess I am very passionate about certain clothes items in my life¿  

Tonight marks our 3 week anniversary of starting this trip. We made some soup, had some cheese and crackers and enjoyed it by a river bend in Utah. We of course found ourselves in the same predicament as before. Full campsites. We are parked in front of a sign stating “Day access only. No camping.” Hopefully no one bothers us, if they do I’m sure my moms talents with these kinds of situations will kick in. So thanks mom:)

Anyway I’m going to go now and enjoy this beautiful moment with my sister. Hope all is well. I miss my dogs, cats and I guess the humans that are in my family as well.

Note to my editor... I hope I didn't make too many mistakes in this one buddy. I got tired half way through of rereading it, plus we are trying to get on the road to Seattle. Love ya bud thank you for your minimal editing.