(No, this post will not be Kerouacian in nature, for all you Dharma Bums out there.)

We are officially full-time and on the road as of 6 AM on May 18th! I’m writing this from our first stop, Cotopaxi, CO. We are here through the weekend for Colorado Whitewater’s training camp, where Nik will be teaching some kayak lessons.

Driving

Nik is a beast and he drove the RV towing the Vibe the 3 hours here. He admittedly looked white as a sheet for at least the first half of the drive, but it got easier as we went. I was on dog-comforting duty, as Cheat was the dog equivalent of white as a sheet (“WHY IS MY HOUSE MOVING?”).

The towing/braking system worked great, which is a big relief. The only big hiccup was we found a loose wire in the turn signal system, so every thirty minutes or so they would stop working and we’d have to switch to hand signals. That should be an easy fix though, so don’t worry Grandma!

Everything within the RV stayed more or less secure while we were driving, which was good. I just need to find a way to secure the drawers on my jewelry box and on our little office drawers so pens and earrings don’t go flying. Other than that, things more or less stayed put! Quakehold is a miracle product. You do have to watch cabinets once you arrive though. Like they say in airplanes, “Use caution: Contents may have shifted.” Nik accidentally sent a Pyrex bowl flying at Cheat once we arrived. Lesson learned!

Working

Nik has worked all day Thursday and Friday and I worked all day Thursday. We are in a valley so our little mifi hotspot doesn’t have signal, but luckily we have a phone hotspot on a different cell carrier for backup. With the use of a cell signal booster, we managed to jury rig a slow internet connection. Yay! Nik says it will take some getting used to that this is not a permanent camping trip where we get to play all day, but rather a beautiful office.

Living

I am really excited to get back to cooking regularly. With all the hectic goings-on of the last couple of weeks, we have been relying more often on takeout, fast food, processed food, and the kindness of our friends. With the exception of the latter, that sort of food does not feed your body or soul as well as home cooked deliciousness. Plus, I enjoy cooking and find that it relaxes me, so I’m looking forward to getting back to it. And yes- we have a full kitchen in here! It’s smaller, of course, but actually has a better layout than our house in Denver did.

It has been lovely to go for beautiful walks right out our front door. I’m glad I brought the good camera along. Cheat has been getting his exercise. 😉 It’s also just so pleasant:  bird watching from the windows, listening to the river, watching how the sun hits the red rock formations at different times of day.

We are finally back to getting enough sleep, too! 😀 The KOA here is pretty nice, and they have showers and all kinds of other amenities available as well. It won’t be the norm for our trip, but it is a nice way to ease into things.

Things we are Figuring Out

For me, I’m realizing I’ll have to get more creative and flexible with my running and yoga. Yesterday, I did a yoga home practice with my mat laid out on the grass at our site. It will take some getting used to to practice “in public” and more in the elements than indoors would be. I’ll visit studios when I can find them, but that won’t be everywhere we go. Today, I attempted a 7 mile trail run, but the trail I found petered out after three-quarters of a mile. I added on a bit once I got back to the campground, but still only found enough trails for about half the distance I wanted. That’s okay. Like I said- learning to be flexible!

We are also figuring out groceries still. We have much more limited pantry space, so we can’t buy as much at once, but at the same time, stores are farther away and less well-stocked. I suppose that is the reality of life for many people in the U.S., and I have the luxury of choosing it, so I won’t complain about that. Just have to stay flexible.

On the maintenance front, unhooking the towing system was interesting! They are apparently notoriously hard to unhook, so as expected, our’s took a little bit of effort, too. We got one bar unlatched fine, then for the other, I had to push the car back and forth a bit while Nik pulled at the pin (and banged on it with a hammer). It was NOT BUDGING, so it really took me by surprise when suddenly it came undone (yay!) and the car started rolling backwards. I sort of squeaked and looked like a deer in the headlights (this possibility had NOT crossed my mind) while Nik yelled, “Pull the emergency brake!” I did, the car stopped, it was totally fine. We had a good laugh about it and once again, learned an important lesson! We won’t make that mistake again.

So, all in all, things are going pretty well so far. It is definitely a learning process, but it wouldn’t be an adventure if it wasn’t, right? We are really enjoying our time out here so far and are still so happy that we actually made it to our goal. 🙂