Parked
Month Twelve: Parked
3/5/2023
Colorado
One year, 366 days ago we sold almost all of our stuff, moved out of our apartment, quit our jobs and took a leap. We moved into a 53 sq. ft. van dubbed the Yellow Submarine and drove with only a rough idea of the places we’d like to see.
Baby Vanlifers!
Our very first night in the van was rough. Leinie was accidentally fed old trail kibble instead of his normal food and was up all night …we’ll go with evacuating, both ends, violently. Poor guy. Jake and I got zero sleep and Jake was left with a giant load of laundry the next morning while I was finishing up my last week at work. It can’t get worse, right?
It didn’t. It got better. We developed routines, took naps, explored new places, met fantastic people we never would’ve met before we were vehicle-dwellers. Desert Scott and Cosmo, Apocalypse Jane Doe, Utah Rick and Hazel, Barista Brandon, Camp Host Ricky, and Steamboat Jeff to name just a few. We explored national parks (Zion was my fave). Tasted many, many coffee roasters (best ones were Philz - LA, Cafe D’arte - Seattle, Camp 4 Coffee - Crested Butte). Drank more pints of beer than I could possibly count. Hit dirt on foot and pedal (Fremont Saddle, Hobbit Trail, Dry Hill, Phil’s Trailhead, all of St. George, and don’t forget the month we spent soggy on the SHT).
Oh, the places you’ll see!
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There were fights, tough conversations, van repairs, and a dwindling savings. But that’s life. You learn and grow from them and realize what is a priority and what isn’t. You compromise, apologize, and move forward.
We learned what we want in a lifestyle and community and where work fits into that instead of the other way around. Life is too short and while work pays the bills, the life outside of work is what matters most. We wanted to work to live, not live to work. That is what this past year has shown us most.
So as our sabbatical year comes to a close, we are preparing the Yellow Submarine to be parked. Not for good, we love having an adventure vehicle (let’s not forget the Death Valley debacle of 2022). Jake wants a couch to sprawl on and I’m craving a kitchen again (I know, I almost choked typing that, but I’ve grown as a cook, who would’ve thought? Not my twenty-one year old self!) And as much as we learned how minimal we can be, 53 sq ft is a bit less than ideal for long-term living. We did look at a 900 sq ft apartment and had no idea how we would utilize that much space. Hah!
A whopping 53 sq ft
Where are we parking ourselves you ask? One of our goals this past year was to find a place we loved, with the lifestyle we crave and carve out a life and career there. We fell in love with Sedona and it’s glorious hiking. Utah stole our hearts with its beautiful parks. Then we crushed hard, so hard on Bend with the trails and craft brews. The Oregon Coast was magical. Bellingham swept us off our feet with the mountain and ocean views. So out of all the suitors, who won?
Colorado. We have always loved the frontrange and we’ve played hard-to-get with this state for years. We came at the start of the month to visit with Adam and buckle down on choosing our place and the pieces all fell into place here. It was familiar, comfortable, and can you beat those mountain views(?). DIA is an affordable, convenient airport for our itchy traveling feet. So we let Colorado finally catch us.
Even the breweries here knew we’d stay
We still are deeply enamored with our other city crushes, and they will always be available. To visit or even to possibly move to later. Is Colorado forever? Probably not, but it feels right, right now and that’s what matters. So we are parking ourselves, right here in Colorado.
More Vanlife Posts
One month after ending vanlife, we reflect on our new normal.